Article
Geography, Physical
Felix Hofmayer, Beatriz Hadler Boggiani, Rohit Soman, Juan David Andrade, Stjepan Coric, Bettina Reichenbacher
Summary: This study focuses on the palaeoenvironmental and chronostratigraphic study of the Neuhofen Formation at Mitterdorf, Germany. The presence of nannoplankton zones NN3 and NN4 necessitated a reinterpretation of the existing magnetostratigraphic data. The results suggest that the 3rd order sea level highstand at 17.85 Ma had an impact on the environment, and a transition from eutrophic, open marine to mesotrophic, shallow marine conditions occurred at 17.67 Ma.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Michael C. Drews, Florian Duschl
Summary: This study investigates the complex processes of overpressure development in the North Alpine Thrust Front, revealing that horizontal loading and vertical loading are the main mechanisms driving overpressure formation. These findings contribute to mitigating drilling and exploration risks.
MARINE AND PETROLEUM GEOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Thomas Filek, Felix Hofmayer, Iris Feichtinger, Bjoern Berning, Juergen Pollerspoeck, Jennifer Zwicker, Daniel Smrzka, Joern Peckmann, Matthias Kranner, Oleg Mandic, Bettina Reichenbacher, Andreas Kroh, Alfred Uchman, Reinhard Roetzel, Mathias Harzhauser
Summary: The study re-evaluated the fossil fauna and flora, as well as lithology of the Eferding Formation in Upper Austria. It showed the impact of sea-level fluctuations on marine biota and terrestrial climate, with the presence of phosphatic nodules indicating eutrophication in the coastal environment.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Matthias Kranner, Mathias Harzhauser, Oleg Mandic, Philipp Strauss, Wolfgang Siedl, Werner E. Piller
Summary: The Vienna Basin is one of the largest onshore oil and gas fields in Europe, consisting of several horst and graben structures. Analysis of water depth evolution along a NE-SW transect indicates dramatic changes over time, coinciding with shifts in prevailing tectonic regimes.
MARINE AND PETROLEUM GEOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Julian Huelscher, Edward R. Sobel, Vincent Verwater, Philip Gross, David Chew, Anne Bernhardt
Summary: This study combines a single-grain double-dating approach and trace-element geochemistry analysis to reconstruct the provenance and exhumation history of the late Oligocene/early Miocene Eastern Alps. The results show an increasing proportion of apatites from late Variscan/Permian metamorphic sources, indicating increasing exhumation rates. These changes are attributed to surface response to upright folding and doming in the Penninic units of the future Tauern Window, triggered by early Adriatic indentation along the Giudicarie Fault System.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Zhixiang Wang, Ze Zhang, Chunju Huang, Jiangming Shen, Yu Sui, Zhiqi Qian
Summary: The study presents evidence of orbital-scale variability of the East Asian summer monsoon in the early Miocene period, with dominant cyclical patterns of approximately 100 kyr eccentricity. This variability is linked to Antarctic ice sheet modulations and changes in weathering intensity in the Lanzhou Basin, possibly influenced by changes in westerly moisture due to orogenic barriers and uplift of NE Tibet during the late Oligocene-early Miocene period.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Lin Li, Guillaume Dupont-Nivet, Yani Najman, Mustafa Kaya, Niels Meijer, Marc Poujol, Jovid Aminov
Summary: This study confirms a phase of geological deformation and surface uplift in the Pamir during the middle-late Miocene, indicated by changes in detrital zircon U-Pb age spectra, mudstone bulk-rock epsilon(Nd) values, and stable isotopic values of carbonate cements. These changes suggest different sediment sources and shifts in climate environment.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Rui Zhang, Xiaohao Wei, Vadim A. Kravchinsky, Leping Yue, Yan Zheng, Jie Qin, Lijun Yang, Minghao Ma, Feng Xian, Hujun Gong, Yunxiang Zhang, Xiaofan Liu
Summary: In the late Miocene record of geomagnetic reversals in the Linxia Basin in China, two tiny wiggles (TWs) were identified through magnetostratigraphy dating and spectral analysis. The presence of these TWs was confirmed by orbital calibration of the age model using eccentricity, obliquity, and precession in magnetic susceptibility and sedimentary grain size records.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Britta Wawerzinek, Hermann Buness, Hartwig von Hartmann, David C. Tanner
Summary: Researchers in the German Molasse Basin have successfully utilized the Upper Jurassic aquifer for geothermal projects. By recording S-waves generated from conventional P-wave seismic exploration, they built a 3D volume of PS waves and derived the spatial distribution of v(p)/v(s) ratios in the reservoir. The study found higher v(p)/v(s) ratios in the Molasse units than previously assumed, impacting the depth of induced earthquakes in surrounding geothermal wells.
Article
Geography, Physical
Lu Sun, Chenglong Deng, Tao Deng, Yanfen Kong, Bailing Wu, Suzhen Liu, Qian Li, Geng Liu
Summary: The Cenozoic biochronology framework for northern China has relied on few vertebrate fossil localities with unverified age constraints. The Linxia Basin in northwestern China has a significant amount of vertebrate fossils of ages ranging from the Late Oligocene to Early Pleistocene, and its dating has been improved using a revised magneto-stratigraphy and biochronological constraints. The newly estimated age for the paracerathere fauna supports a proposal for relocating the basal boundary of the Chinese Tabenbulukian Land Mammal Stage/Age.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Matthias Kranner, Mathias Harzhauser, Oleg Mandic, Philipp Strauss, Wolfgang Siedl, Werner E. Piller
Summary: The Neogene Vienna Basin is a significant hydrocarbon province with extensive exploration history. Based on quantitative analysis of foraminiferal samples from 52 drillings, the study presents a continuous reconstruction of paleoenvironmental evolution in the basin. The research reveals cooling bottom water temperatures and changing upwelling intensity in the early to middle Miocene.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Euan L. Soutter, Ian A. Kane, Ander Martinez-Donate, Adrian J. Boyce, Jack Stacey, Sebastien Castelltort
Summary: The Eocene-Oligocene transition had a significant impact on the stratigraphic evolution of submarine fans, as indicated by sedimentary and stable isotope data from the Alpine foreland basin.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Ping Liu, Huafeng Qin, Shihu Li, Baoyin Yuan
Summary: Fluvio-lacustrine sequences in the Nihewan Basin of North China are important sources of mammalian faunas and Paleolithic sites, providing unique insights into land mammal biochronology and early human settlements in East Asia. High-resolution magnetostratigraphy results have constrained the ages of the Danangou and Dongyaozitou faunas, filling a gap in our understanding of the Pliocene and Pleistocene mammalian faunas in the Nihewan Basin.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Olaf Hoeltke, Erin E. Maxwell, Helmut Bracher, Michael W. Rasser
Summary: In an abandoned sand pit in Ballendorf (Alb-Donau District, Baden-Wurttemberg), sediments of the Lower Miocene were found, containing 39 shark and ray species belonging to 29 genera. Nearly all of the taxa found have Recent relatives and lived on or near the bottom in the shelf region, with some exceptions living higher in the water column. Most of the taxa fed on invertebrates and/or fishes, indicating a warm, shallow-water habitat.
PALAEOBIODIVERSITY AND PALAEOENVIRONMENTS
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Michael C. Drews, Indira Shatyrbayeva, Daniel Bohnsack, Florian Duschl, Peter Obermeier, Markus Loewer, Ferdinand Flechtner, Maximilian Keim
Summary: Pore pressure prediction is crucial for deep geothermal well planning, with accurate prediction shown to significantly reduce the drilling cost in overpressured environments.
PETROLEUM GEOSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Geology
Elisabeth L. Jorissen, Hemmo A. Abels, Frank P. Wesselingh, Sergei Lazarev, Vusala Aghayeva, Wout Krijgsman
Article
Geology
Luc S. Douce, Zheng-Xiang Li, Richard E. Ernst, Uwe Kirscher, Hamed Gamal El Dien, Ross N. Mitchell
Article
Geography, Physical
Erhan Gulyuz, Hulya Durak, Murat Ozkaptan, Wout Krijgsman
GLOBAL AND PLANETARY CHANGE
(2020)
Review
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Adam R. Nordsvan, Uwe Kirscher, Christopher L. Kirkland, Milo Barham, Daniel T. Brennan
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2020)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Bo Wan, Xusong Yang, Xiaobo Tian, Huaiyu Yuan, Uwe Kirscher, Ross N. Mitchell
Article
Geology
Ross N. Mitchell, Uwe Kirscher, Marcus Kunzmann, Yebo Liu, Grant M. Cox
Summary: The Velkerri and Xiamaling Formations in Australia and the north China craton, respectively, exhibit similarities that suggest they were deposited and matured in the same basin of the supercontinent Nuna. They both record a similar oceanic euxinic event and share geological characteristics pointing towards a common depositional history.
Article
Geology
Uwe Kirscher, Ross N. Mitchell, Yebo Liu, Adam R. Nordsvan, Grant M. Cox, Sergei A. Pisarevsky, Chong Wang, Lei Wu, J. Brendan Murphy, Zheng-Xiang Li
Summary: The Australia-Laurentia connection in the Paleoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic supercontinent Nuna is believed to have started around 1.6 billion years ago, with new high-quality paleomagnetic data from around 1.3 billion years ago suggesting that the two continents were in the same configuration at that time. The breakup of Nuna likely occurred largely between around 1.3 and 1.2 billion years ago, with evidence pointing to a connection between Australia and North China during this period.
Article
Geology
Yebo Liu, Ross N. Mitchell, Zheng-Xiang Li, Uwe Kirscher, Sergei A. Pisarevsky, Chong Wang
Summary: Research suggests that Archean cratons may have been pieces of some ancestral landmasses rather than constituting a supercontinent. Starkly contrasting geological records between different clans of cratons have inspired a new hypothesis, proposing that cratons were clustered in multiple, separate supercratons.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
U. Kirscher, E. Dallanave, V. Weissbrodt, P. Stojakowits, M. Grau, V. Bachtadse, C. Mayr
Summary: The study presents paleo- and rock magnetic results from a well-dated Late Pleistocene continental sedimentary section in southern Germany, showing a complex magnetic mineralogy. The stable remanence is predominantly of normal polarity, but with deviations at certain depths.
GEOPHYSICAL JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ross N. Mitchell, Thomas M. Gernon, Grant M. Cox, Adam R. Nordsvan, Uwe Kirscher, Chuang Xuan, Yebo Liu, Xu Liu, Xiaofang He
Summary: A study on a Cryogenian banded iron formation in Australia found evidence of nearly all orbital cycles, providing evidence for periodic oxidation of ferrous iron during global glaciation caused by snowball Earth. Orbital glacial advance and retreat cycles reconcile sedimentary dynamics and the survival of multicellular life during this icy period.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Uwe Kirscher, Haytham El Atfy, Andreas Gaertner, Edoardo Dallanave, Philipp Munz, Grzegorz Niedzwiedzki, Athanassios Athanassiou, Charalampos Fassoulas, Ulf Linnemann, Mandy Hofmann, Matthew Bennett, Per Erik Ahlberg, Madelaine Boehme
Summary: By integrating magnetic, biostratigraphic, and other data, researchers have determined the age of the Trachilos section with the oldest hominin footprints to be around 6.05 million years, younger than previously thought. While some uncertainties remain, sediment accumulation rate and biostratigraphic arguments support the determination of this age.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
U. Kirscher, R. N. Mitchell, Y. Liu, S. A. Pisarevsky, J. Giddings, Z. -x. Li
Summary: This article discusses the kinematics of the Paleoproterozoic assembly of the supercontinent Nuna by studying rock formations. New paleomagnetic data suggests that the North and South Australia Craton were formed approximately 1.8 billion years ago through a scissor-like ocean closure, aligning with geological records. Comparing these results with data from other regions indicates minor relative plate motions between approximately 1.9 and 1.65 billion years ago during craton and supercontinent formation. Global reconstruction suggests a possible link between these events and a major slab-suction event leading to the formation of Nuna.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Ross N. Mitchell, Uwe Kirscher
Summary: This study analyzes observational constraints on the Precambrian length of day and finds that the day length stalled at about 19 h for about 1 billion years during the mid-Proterozoic. It suggests that the accelerative torque of atmospheric thermal tides from solar energy balanced the decelerative torque of lunar oceanic tides, temporarily stabilizing Earth's rotation. This stalling coincides with a period of relatively limited biological evolution known as the boring billion.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Igor K. Nikogosian, Antoine J. J. Bracco Gartner, Paul R. D. Mason, Douwe J. J. van Hinsbergen, Klaudia F. Kuiper, Uwe Kirscher, Sergei Matveev, Araik Grigoryan, Edmond Grigoryan, Arsen Israyelyan, Manfred J. van Bergen, Janne M. Koornneef, Jan R. Wijbrans, Gareth R. Davies, Khachatur Meliksetian
Summary: This study presents new geochronological, palaeomagnetic, and geochemical constraints to understand the geodynamic evolution of the South Armenian Block (SAB) and its Gondwanan origin. It reveals the timing of rifting and provides insights into the geological history of the SAB since the Permian.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Madelaine Boehme, Nikolai Spassov, Mahmoud Reza Majidifard, Andreas Gaertner, Uwe Kirscher, Michael Marks, Christian Dietzel, Gregor Uhlig, Haytham El Atfy, David R. Begun, Michael Winklhofer
Summary: The research suggests that periods of high aridity in Arabia, out of sync with North Africa, may have facilitated the migration of Eurasian mammals into Africa. Prolonged periods of aridity impeded migration and led to the diversification of African mammalian faunas. Subsequent warm climates enabled bi-directional fauna exchange between Africa and Eurasia.
COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT
(2021)