Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Zhiyuan Ge, Rob L. Gawthorpe, Leo Zijerveld, Ayodeji P. Oluboyo
Summary: This study investigates the evolution of minibasins and salt walls in passive margin salt basins using a 3D seismic reflection dataset. The findings suggest that the kinematic domains of extension, translation and contraction control minibasin initiation and subsequent evolution, but variations in minibasin geometries can be observed due to along-strike growth and linkage of depocentres. The study also highlights the complexity and variability of minibasin growth compared to existing domain-controlled models.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
G. Gaitan, J. Adam
Summary: Salt structures can provide valuable insights into tectonic and depositional processes due to their distinct responses. However, previous studies have not systematically identified, mapped, or classified the evolution of multi-stage salt structures in a regional context. The Southern North Sea, with its abundant 3D seismic data, offers a unique opportunity to investigate the evolution of salt structures. Our study used a comprehensive seismic dataset and analyzed the time-thickness variations around salt structures to examine their evolution across different sub-basins. We found that multi-stage salt diapirs in the Southern North Sea developed through three regional phases and up to five local stages.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Pablo Granado, Jonas B. Ruh, Pablo Santolaria, Philipp Strauss, Josep Anton Munoz
Summary: This study presents a series of 2D thermo-mechanical numerical experiments on thick-skinned crustal extension, including a pre-rift salt horizon and different styles of convergence. The results show that extension along steep basement faults can produce half-graben structures and lead to changes in the distribution of pre-rift salt. The rate of thick-skinned extension and the rheology of salt control the accommodation space and timing of minibasin grounding.
FRONTIERS IN EARTH SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Istvan Csato, Orsolya Homonnai, Csilla Zadravecz, Octavian Catuneanu
Summary: The study presents a sequence stratigraphic interpretation of subsurface data in a Lower Carboniferous lagoon setting in the northern boundary zone of the Precaspian Basin. The proposed model enables the reconstruction of relative sea-level history and refines the understanding of geological evolution and eustatic changes in the Caspi region during the Lower Carboniferous. The article highlights the formation of semicircular carbonate mounds in the Devonian period that enclosed a lagoon opening towards the Caspi Sea, emphasizing the significance of sea-level changes and sediment distribution within the lagoon.
MARINE AND PETROLEUM GEOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Craig Magee, Leonardo M. Pichel, Amber L. Madden-Nadeau, Christopher A. L. Jackson, Webster Mohriak
Summary: This study examines the interaction between evaporites and magma in sedimentary basins, focusing on how it influences salt tectonics and magma emplacement. By analyzing the seismic data from the Santos Basin, the research identifies the timing and spatial relationship of igneous intrusions with thick Aptian salt deposits. The study suggests that the interaction between salt and magma can influence salt tectonics and the distribution of magma plumbing systems, ultimately impacting basin evolution.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Rodolfo M. Uranga, Oriol Ferrer, Gonzalo Zamora, Josep A. Munoz, Mark G. Rowan
Summary: Salt tectonics plays a critical role in the evolution of passive margins, and this study highlights key events in the evolution of the Tarfaya Basin in Morocco through interpretation of seismic data.
MARINE AND PETROLEUM GEOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Karol Jewula, Wieslaw Trela, Natalia Wasielka, Stuart G. Archer
Summary: The Upper Permian sequence in the Holy Cross Mountains in Poland contains continental carbonate facies that provide a high-resolution record of paleoclimate and tectonics. Sedimentological analysis of core samples and field observations indicate a gradual increase in water availability and climate seasonality from arid to semi-arid to sub-humid environments. These changes suggest a generally increased wetting at low latitudes of Pangea, linked with the development of greenhouse conditions and enhancement of the intertropical convergence zone.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Qing Bian, Shang Deng, Huixi Lin, Jun Han
Summary: The connection between source rock and reservoir separated by salt strata is a global problem. This paper focuses on the No. 5 strike-slip fault passing through salt layers in the Tarim Basin. The seismic data reveals different structural styles in the salt layer, including transpression, transtension, and pure strikeslip. The impact of deep strike-slip salt tectonics on petroleum exploration is discussed using data from seven wells, showing that thicker salt layers result in poorer production.
MARINE AND PETROLEUM GEOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Frank Zwaan, Matthias Rosenau, Daniele Maestrelli
Summary: This study systematically tested the influence of salt basin geometry on salt tectonics through analogue experiments, showing that the initial salt depocenter location and mean salt thickness are dominant factors controlling deformation. The experiments were qualitatively analyzed using top view photography, and quantitatively through Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and 3D photogrammetry (Structure-from-Motion, SfM) to obtain surface displacement and topographic evolution.
MARINE AND PETROLEUM GEOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Amir Joffe, Christopher A. -L. Jackson, Leonardo M. M. Pichel
Summary: Salt tectonics is primarily driven by the movement of evaporites due to gravity gliding and differential loading. Understanding the complexities of salt basins is crucial, especially when carbonate and clastic rocks interbed with evaporitic strata. Using seismic reflection and borehole data, we analyze the formation and deformation of minibasins within the Zechstein Supergroup in the Devil's Hole Horst, UK. Our findings refine the depositional model for the Central North Sea and provide insights into syn-depositional salt flow in layered evaporitic sequences and its impact on petroleum plays.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Simon Blondel, Massimo Bellucci, Sian Evans, Anna Del Ben, Angelo Camerlenghi
Summary: Field analogues illustrating the early stage of deformation of shortening structures in salt-bearing orogenic fold-and-thrust belts are not yet well illustrated in literature. The relatively young Messinian salt of the Algerian basin could represent a good case example of such systems. In this study, new seismic data is used to identify, classify and map salt structures throughout the central Algerian Basin and re-assess its structural style. The study found that horizontal displacement loading has driven salt deformation within the basin since its deposition, and observed variations in the structural style of the basin along- and down-dip.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Giulio Casini, Jaume Verges, Peter Drzewiecki, Mary Ford, David Cruset, Wayne Wright, David Hunt
Summary: The reinterpretation of the Organya Basin highlights the importance of Upper Triassic evaporites in the tectono-sedimentary evolution of the South-Central Pyrenees. The study integrates new field observations and subsurface data to create a restored cross-section that shows the template of the northern Iberian salt-rich rifted margin. The diapiric activity along this margin is divided into three stages: early salt mobilization in the Jurassic, main diapiric evolution from the late Jurassic to the middle Albian, and diapiric reactivation during basin inversion from the Campanian to the Miocene.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Naiara Fernandez, Oliver B. Duffy, Frank J. Peel, Michael R. Hudec
Summary: In this study, the mobility of supra-salt sequences in salt-detached gravity-gliding/spreading systems was examined using regional 3D seismic data. Two structural domains were identified in the study area: a highly obstructed domain and a highly mobile domain. Large-scale downslope translation was recorded in the mobile domain, while translation was impeded in the obstructed domain. The study highlights the importance of characterizing domains based on base-of-salt geometry and supra-canopy minibasin configuration for understanding subsidence and downslope translation histories.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
A. G. Mousouliotis, S. Pechlivanidou, K. Albanakis, A. Georgakopoulos, B. Medvedev
Summary: Salt-bearing basins are commonly deformed due to gravity mechanisms and regional tectonics, with the study area in the eastern part of the Herodotus Basin showing deformation associated with the flow of Messinian salt deposited during the Messinian Salinity Crisis. The research reveals significant thickness variations of the salt sequence and overlying sediments, as well as distinct salt-tectonic structural provinces characterized by different deformation styles. The compressional thickening of the Messinian salt driven by gravity mechanisms results in the absence of a bathymetric step on the seafloor in the western side of the study area.
MARINE AND PETROLEUM GEOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Giulio Casini, Jaume Verges, Peter Drzewiecki, Mary Ford, David Cruset, Wayne Wright, David Hunt
Summary: The reinterpretation of the Organya Basin highlights the importance of Upper Triassic evaporites in the tectono-sedimentary evolution of the South-Central Pyrenees. Detailed field observations and subsurface data are incorporated to reconstruct a cross-section through the Serres Marginals, Montsec, and eastern Organya salt-related depocenters. This study reveals three stages of diapiric activity along the northern Iberian margin, contributing to the understanding of the salt-rich rifted margin.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Michael A. A. Taylor, Michael J. J. Benton
Summary: This article presents a previously unpublished anonymous manuscript memoir of Mary Anning's life, written by George Roberts. The evidence suggests that Roberts wrote the obituary of Anning and also painted her portrait. It is also mentioned that Henry De la Beche published another obituary of Anning.
JOURNAL OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Michael J. Benton
Summary: A recent study reveals that top predators in Southern Africa underwent successive replacement during the late Permian period, indicating that ecological crisis preceded the mass extinction.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mao Luo, Zhen Li, Mu Su, Geoffrey Michael Gadd, Zongjun Yin, Michael J. Benton, Yanhong Pan, Daran Zheng, Tao Zhao, Zibo Li, Yuxuan Chen
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yuangeng Huang, Zhong-Qiang Chen, Peter D. Roopnarine, Michael J. Benton, Laishi Zhao, Xueqian Feng, Zhenhua Li
Summary: The history of Earth's biodiversity has been marked by periodic mass extinctions, with major declines in species richness. However, the accompanying ecological collapse has seldom been quantitatively evaluated. The Permian-Triassic mass extinction, as the largest known extinction event, permanently changed marine ecosystems and facilitated the transition from the Paleozoic to Mesozoic faunas. This extinction event provides insight into the relationship between species richness and ecological dynamics during severe extinctions, but the ecological collapse during this event has not been thoroughly examined.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Shenyuan Peng, Jian Liu, Michael J. Benton, Xin Jin, Zhiqiang Shi
Summary: Abundant new dinosaur tracks were discovered at the Tianquan track site in the western Sichuan Basin, China, providing valuable information about dinosaurs from the Late Triassic. The tracks belong to small theropod dinosaurs and are dated to the mid-Norian age of 218.4 +/- 4.7 million years ago.
Article
Geography, Physical
Wen Wen, Qiyue Zhang, Juergen Kriwet, Shixue Hu, Changyong Zhou, Jinyuan Huang, Xindong Cui, Xiao Min, Michael J. Benton
Summary: Hybodont sharks were successful chondrichthyan lineages that existed from the Devonian to the Late Cretaceous. The article describes three taxa of hybodontid sharks and provides information on the tooth replacement rate in the Mesozoic of China.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Paleontology
Susana Gutarra, Thomas L. Stubbs, Benjamin C. Moon, Beatrice H. Heighton, Michael J. Benton
Summary: The evolution of locomotion in Mesozoic marine reptiles is characterized by two divergent paths, with a gradual increase in locomotory disparity throughout the Mesozoic. Aquatic specialization is observed in early ichthyosauromorphs, and there is overlap in morphospace between mosasauroids and ichthyosauromorphs.
Article
Paleontology
Thitiwoot Sethapanichsakul, Robert A. Coram, Michael J. Benton
Summary: Rhynchosaurs were dominant herbivores in the Middle and Late Triassic, and their successful ecological expansion and global extinction were influenced by their unique dentition. The CT scanning of Bentonyx sidensis skull revealed concealed details of their teeth, allowing us to study the tooth replacement process and understand the changes in dentition and jaw morphology as they aged.
Article
Geology
James Tayler, Christopher J. Duffin, Claudia Hildebrandt, Adam Parker, Michael J. Benton
Summary: The Rhaetian succession of Doniford Bay, North Somerset, a site of fossils for over 200 years, has not been described in detail. There are two bone beds, with significant differences in sedimentary and paleontological characteristics. The upper bone bed shows rich organic matter and an absence of calcite, suggesting a deeper location of deposition and differing faunal composition compared to the lower bone bed.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGISTS ASSOCIATION
(2023)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sukuan Hou, Qinqin Shi, Michael J. Benton, Nikos Solounias
Summary: Wang et al. (Research Articles, 3 June 2022, eabl8316) reported on a fossil of an early Miocene animal that displayed head-butting behavior, suggesting that sexual selection drove the evolution of head-neck structures in giraffoids. However, we argue that this animal is not a giraffoid, thus weakening the support for the hypothesis of sexual selection in giraffoid head-neck evolution.
Article
Ecology
Baoyu Jiang, Yiming He, Armin Elsler, Shengyu Wang, Joseph N. N. Keating, Junyi Song, Stuart L. L. Kearns, Michael J. J. Benton
Summary: The authors discovered an oviparous choristodere from the Lower Cretaceous period in northeast China, confirming the basal archosauromorph affiliation of choristoderes. Phylogenetic analyses on this specimen and other extinct and extant amniotes suggest that the ancestral amniote displayed extended embryo retention, including viviparity. The discovery of oviparity in this assumed viviparous extinct clade supports the hypothesis that extended embryo retention was the primitive reproductive mode in basal archosauromorphs.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biology
Zichuan Qin, Chun-Chi Liao, Michael J. Benton, Emily J. Rayfield
Summary: This study investigates the functions and formation process of the hand claws of early-branching maniraptoran dinosaurs using finite element analysis and functional-space analysis. The results show distinct functional divergence among the hand claws, with early-branching ones being used for digging and late-branching ones for display. The study also confirms that most therizinosaurians were herbivores.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Zixiao Yang, Baoyu Jiang, Michael J. J. Benton, Xing Xu, Maria E. E. McNamara, David W. E. Hone
Summary: Pterosaurs displayed a wide range of body sizes, with some reaching sizes comparable to small airplanes. The growth strategies that allowed these giant pterosaurs to attain their large adult sizes are largely unknown. This study examines the wing development and performance of different pterosaur species, revealing differences in growth patterns and suggesting a shift towards enhanced parental care as a possible factor in allowing the evolution of large body sizes.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zhen Guo, Joseph T. Flannery-Sutherland, Michael J. Benton, Zhong-Qiang Chen
Summary: Using Bayesian analyses, this study finds that brachiopods and bivalves displayed similar large-scale trends of diversification before the Jurassic period. The extinction of major brachiopod clades during the Permian-Triassic mass extinction set the stage for the switch from brachiopods to bivalves, with high ocean temperatures post-extinction further facilitating the displacement of brachiopods by bivalves.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Antonio Ballell, Bohao Mai, Michael J. Benton
Summary: Ankylosaurs were important megaherbivores in Jurassic and Cretaceous ecosystems. This study investigated the skull biomechanics and feeding function of ankylosaurs, revealing diet partitioning between different ankylosaur clades and divergent evolutionary pathways in skull biomechanics.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)