Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Francois Lemot, Pierre G. Valla, Peter van der Beek, Marianna Jagercikova, Samuel Niedermann, Julien Carcaillet, Edward R. Sobel, Sergio Ando, Eduardo Garzanti, Xavier Robert, Matthias Bernet, Johannes Glodny, Ludovic Mocochain
Summary: This study demonstrates how karstic archives from the Obiou peak in the Western European Alps record the tectonic and drainage-network evolution of this region during the Neogene. The findings provide evidence for two successive drainage reorganizations through the analysis of cosmogenic-nuclide burial dating, provenance analysis, and detrital thermochronology.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
C. Montes, C. A. Silva, G. A. Bayona, R. Villamil, E. Stiles, A. F. Rodriguez-Corcho, A. Beltran-Trivino, F. Lamus, M. D. Munoz-Granados, L. C. Perez-Angel, N. Hoyos, S. Gomez, J. J. Galeano, E. Romero, M. Baquero, A. L. Cardenas-Rozo, A. von Quadt
Summary: Investigation reveals the existence of a lowland trans-Andean portal connecting western Amazonia and the westernmost Andes from the middle Miocene to the Pliocene, with volcanic activity and tectonic compression shaping the landscape. Analysis of geological data in the Tatacoa Desert shows the southward propagation of the Eastern Cordillera's fold-and-thrust belt in the middle Miocene, while detrital zircon geochronology reveals distinct age populations sourced from different regions in the vicinity. Further evidence suggests a separation between the Northern Andes and Central Andes by a fluvial system in the Serravallian period, leading to a shift in drainage patterns and the closure of the lowland Andean portal in the late Miocene.
FRONTIERS IN EARTH SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Mitchell McMillan, Lindsay M. Schoenbohm, Alexander Tye, Malcolm F. McMillan, Renjie Zhou
Summary: Cordilleran orogens in the Central Andes are influenced by lithospheric deformation and exhumation, but little is known about the timing and mechanisms in the high-elevation Puna Plateau. This study provides insights into the history and style of orogenic deformation in the Antofalla region using various methods. The results show a protracted period of shortening during the Eocene and Early Miocene, followed by a transient episode of upper-crustal extension in the Late Miocene. Eastern-western shortening returned in the Pliocene-Quaternary. The structural cross-section reveals a low magnitude of shortening compared to the thick crust. The region experienced little exhumation or sedimentation during the Mesozoic, possibly retaining a thickened crust from Paleozoic orogenesis.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Edoardo Dallanave, Rupert Sutherland, Gerald R. Dickens, Liao Chang, Evdokia Tema, Laia Alegret, Claudia Agnini, Thomas Westerhold, Cherry Newsam, Adriane R. Lam, Wanda Stratford, Julien Collot, Samuel Etienne, Tilo von Dobeneck
Summary: New information from paleomagnetic data helps determine the past trajectory and absolute paleolatitude of northern Zealandia from the middle Eocene to the early Miocene. The findings suggest that northern Zealandia migrated 6 degrees northward between the early Oligocene and early Miocene, with lower absolute paleolatitudes at certain periods, possibly due to true polar wander.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SOLID EARTH
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Jin-Gen Dai, Matthew Fox, Xu Han, Marissa M. Tremblay, Shi-Ying Xu, David L. Shuster, Bo-Rong Liu, Jiawei Zhang, Cheng-Shan Wang
Summary: The study used low-temperature thermochronometry and thermal-kinematic models to analyze bedrock samples from the middle reach of the Yarlung River, revealing two stages of relatively fast exhumation and significantly slow exhumation rate. The first stage occurred during the mid-Miocene period, with rapid exhumation along much of the Yarlung River including wide portions of the valley and its tributaries. The second stage occurred during the Pliocene-Pleistocene period with accelerated exhumation limited to gorges in response to local tectonic activity.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Lijuan Zhang, Lifei Zhang, Ning Qi, Thomas Bader
Summary: Quartzo-feldspathic metasedimentary rocks are common in high pressure-ultrahigh pressure metamorphic belts, but their origin and metamorphic evolution remain poorly understood. In the Western Tianshan metamorphic belt, China, an UHP eclogite-facies felsic schist was discovered, which underwent UHP metamorphism in the coesite stability field. Petrological observations and phase equilibria modeling revealed its prograde metamorphism at 21-24 kbar, 445?-470?, a pressure peak at 25-28 kbar and 490?-525?, and the subsequent heating with decompression to 20 kbar and 560?. This study provides new evidence for the coherent exhumation of the UHP unit in the Western Tianshan metamorphic belt, with the final uplift of the Western Tianshan oceanic crust attributed to fluid activity and late tectonic deformation.
FRONTIERS IN EARTH SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
F. J. Hernandez-Molina, H. Hueneke, F. J. Rodriguez-Tovar, Z. L. Ng, E. Llave, A. Mena, A. Gibb, D. Chiarella, S. Sammartino, A. de la Vara
Summary: Bottom current deposits, known as contourites, are formed in association with oceanic gateways and their differentiation from other deepwater deposits poses challenges. This study presents an exceptional example of Eocene to middle Miocene deep-marine deposits around Cyprus, using multidisciplinary approaches to understand their sedimentary model and relation to regional tectonics and gateway evolution. The presence of contourite deposits interstratified with other sediments suggests their significance in recording past global oceanic circulation and tectonic events.
GLOBAL AND PLANETARY CHANGE
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Zhilin He, Zhongshi Zhang, Zhengtang Guo, Christopher R. Scotese, Chenglong Deng
Summary: Global cooling events occurred during the middle Miocene (around 14-13 Ma) and the late Miocene (around 7-6 Ma), with the Antarctic Ice Sheet expanding and Northern Hemisphere glaciation initiating during these periods. The causes of these events are still unclear, but paleoclimate modeling provides an important approach for investigating the mechanisms.
PALEOCEANOGRAPHY AND PALEOCLIMATOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geology
Tyler A. Grambling, Micah J. Jessup, Dennis L. Newell, Katharina Methner, Andreas Mulch, Cameron A. Hughes, Colin A. Shaw
Summary: The Cordillera Blanca detachment in the Peruvian Andes has been experiencing synconvergent extension since the late Miocene. Stable isotope analysis of mica from its shear zone reveals evidence of deep meteoric-hydrothermal circulation during ductile deformation. The study suggests that high topography, steep relief, and meteoric-hydrothermal circulation have persisted throughout the history of the Cordillera Blanca detachment system.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
German Bayona, Mauricio Baquero, Catalina Ramirez, Manuela Tabares, Ana M. Salazar, Giovanny Nova, Edward Duarte, Andres Pardo, Angelo Plata, Carlos Jaramillo, Guillermo Rodriguez, Victor Caballero, Agustin Cardona, Camilo Montes, Sebastian Gomez Marulanda, Andres L. Cardenas-Rozo
Summary: The early onset of deformation in the northern Andes began in the early Maastrichtian, marking a transition from shallow marine to fluvial-lacustrine systems in the basin influenced by terrigenous detritus supply from western uplifts and eastern source areas. Crustal deformation correlates with contemporaneous events in southern Ecuador and Peru, indicating a wider orogen with continental magmatic arc and intra-basinal deformation.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tomas Panek, Michal Brezny, Stephan Harrison, Elisabeth Schoenfeldt, Diego Winocur
Summary: The distribution of landslides in deglaciated mountains can be opposite to traditional assumptions, with larger landslides concentrated in less tectonically active and drier areas.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Abdalla Shahin, Samar El Khawagah, Banan Shahin
Summary: In this study, the planktonic foraminiferal assemblages in the N. El Faras-1X Well, Qattara Depression, Egypt, were tracked. A total of 77 planktonic foraminiferal species were recorded, and 12 planktonic foraminiferal biozones were identified. The boundaries of several stages and epochs were accurately determined. The reconstructed sea-level curve revealed two major transgressive-regressive cycles.
GEOLOGICAL JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Zhiyuan He, Linglin Zhong, Kai Cao, Wenbo Su, Stijn Glorie, Kanghui Zhong, Chuang Sun, Johan De Grave
Summary: This paper investigates the SE Tibetan Plateau in Yunnan, China, and finds that there are abundant Mesozoic crystalline rocks in the region, confirming the existence of basement rocks. Inverse thermal history modeling suggests extensive rapid cooling and exhumation events during the late Oligocene to Miocene, coinciding with large-scale strike-slip fault activities. The study proposes that widespread crustal shortening and thickening occurred in the SE Tibetan Plateau during the Oligocene-Miocene, and the present-day low-elevation landscape of Yunnan is a result of the complex interaction between regional tectonic activity and surficial erosion since the late Oligocene.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Nandini Kar, Lin Li, Victor Carlotto, Carmala N. Garzione, Federico Moreno, Sarah Smith
Summary: The Paleocene-Miocene sedimentary successions in southern Peru reveal the growth history of the northern Altiplano Plateau and foreland basin system. Through analyzing paleoelevation history, the study determines significant surface uplift during primary upper crustal shortening. New age models and calculations based on isotopic values suggest rapid surface uplift during late Miocene, potentially due to lower crustal flow and removal of lithosphere materials.
JOURNAL OF SOUTH AMERICAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Chengliang Xie, Sheng Jin, Wenbo Wei, Gaofeng Ye, Jianen Jing, Letian Zhang, Hao Dong, Yaotian Yin
Summary: This study presents a three-dimensional subsurface resistivity model in southern Tibet, indicating relatively weak regions with high melt fractions beneath the Lhasa terrane and northern Tethyan Himalayan orogen. The combination of radiogenic heat and strain heating is suggested as the mechanism for the weakened middle crust. There is a preference for a weak coupling between crustal east-west extensions and mantle lithospheric deformations.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SOLID EARTH
(2021)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
V. Regard, M. Premaillon, T. J. B. Dewez, S. Carretier, C. Jeandel, Y. Godderis, S. Bonnet, J. Schott, K. Pedoja, J. Martinod, J. Viers, S. Fabre
Summary: Current assessments assume that rivers provide most of the sediment flux to the ocean, with glacially-derived sediments and airborne dust making up the remaining portion. However, this study shows that the contribution from rock coasts has been greatly underestimated, with sediment supply from cliffs being three times less than river discharge in Europe.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Pierre Maffre, Yves Godderis, Alexandre Pohl, Yannick Donnadieu, Sebastien Carretier, Guillaume Le Hir
Summary: The study investigates the impact of vascular plant colonization on physical erosion and chemical weathering on continents during the Devonian. The researchers use mathematical models to simulate the response of the global carbon and alkalinity cycles and climate to the colonization phase. The findings show that the pathways of colonization have a significant impact on CO2 history, leading to different patterns of atmospheric CO2 evolution.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Anne Guyez, Stephane Bonnet, Tony Reimann, Sebastien Carretier, Jakob Wallinga
Summary: SG-pIRIR is a method for dating Quaternary deposits, particularly suitable for fluvial deposits that cannot be dated by conventional quartz optically stimulated luminescence dating. It can be used to reconstruct sediment sources and pathways.
EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
R. M. Flowers, P. K. Zeitler, M. Danisik, P. W. Reiners, C. Gautheron, R. A. Ketcham, J. R. Metcalf, D. F. Stockli, E. Enkelmann, R. W. Brown
Summary: The field of (U-Th)/He geochronology and thermochronology has experienced significant growth over the past 25 years. However, there is currently a lack of universally agreed upon protocols for reporting data and uncertainties. This study aims to address these issues and provides recommendations to enhance the reliability and cross-laboratory comparison of (U-Th)/He data.
GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA BULLETIN
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Shibao Gao, Eric Cowgill, Lei Wu, Xiubin Lin, Xiaogan Cheng, Rong Yang, Cleber Soares, Richard A. Ketcham, Kaixuan An, Junfeng Gong, Xingtong Song, Jianchao Tang, Hanlin Chen, Shufeng Yang
Summary: This study investigates the geometry, kinematics, and shortening magnitude of the North Altyn Fault (NAF) in the northwestern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. It reveals that the NAF is a narrow transpressional shear zone consisting of three fault-bound slivers, and there is no evidence to support the underthrusting of the Tarim Basin beneath the Tibetan Plateau along the NAF.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
G. Milesi, P. Monie, R. Soliva, P. Muench, P. G. Valla, S. Brichau, M. Bonno, C. Martin, M. Bellanger
Summary: This study synthesized previous thermochronological data and conducted new dating work in the Eastern Pyrenean massifs. The results show that extension in the Eastern Pyrenees began during the late Priabonian period, coinciding with large-scale rifting activity in Western Europe. Additionally, the opening of the Gulf of Lion controlled the activity of the Tet fault and the westward propagation of deformation.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Romy D. Hanna, Richard A. Ketcham, David R. Edey, Josh O'Connell
Summary: The porosity within carbonaceous chondrites is highly complex and not well understood. This study presents a newly developed technique that allows for the examination of submicron porosity in 3D, revealing the full structure and connectivity. The data show that fine-grained rims surrounding chondrules have a complex 3D porosity structure.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Fadel Bassal, Jerome Roques, Marianna Corre, Fabrice Brunet, Richard Ketcham, Stephane Schwartz, Laurent Tassan-Got, Cecile Gautheron
Summary: The discovery of He retentivity in magnetite has allowed the use of magnetite (U-Th)/He method as a tool for dating the exhumation of mafic and ultramafic rocks and magnetite crystallization during serpentinization. Theoretical investigations on He diffusion in magnetite reveal that vacancies and radiation damage strongly control the behavior of He retention, even at low damage doses. This has implications for the interpretation of (U-Th)/He thermochronometry using magnetite.
Article
Geography, Physical
Juliette Rat, Frederic Mouthereau, Stephanie Brichau, Arnaud Vacherat, Charlotte Fillon, Cecile Gautheron
Summary: The interaction between deep geodynamic processes and surface erosion processes plays a crucial role in controlling the elevation, distribution, and environmental changes of land masses. Geological evidence suggests the existence of a post-orogenic erosion in the Iberian Peninsula around 10 Ma, mainly driven by crustal deformation and base-level change or climate forcing on erosion. The Ebro Basin provides insights into the timing and distribution of erosion, indicating that it occurred between 12 and 6 Ma or around 10 Ma with model uncertainties. The exhumation of the Ebro Basin is consistent with a widespread 10 Ma-exhumation event throughout Iberia, highlighting the importance of lithospheric and sublithospheric processes. The findings also suggest that plate-scale uplift driven by deep-seated processes is the main cause of basin incision, leading to complex tectonic reorganization, environmental changes, and faunal turnover in Iberia.
GLOBAL AND PLANETARY CHANGE
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Albert Cabre, Dominique Remy, Odin Marc, Katy Burrows, Sebastien Carretier
Summary: This research shows that the impacts of flash floods on Atacama Desert infrastructures are influenced by the scale of rainfall cells and the drainage area upstream of the channels. This understanding is crucial for disaster mitigation efforts and infrastructure planning.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Anne Guyez, Stephane Bonnet, Tony Reimann, Sebastien Carretier, Jakob Wallinga
Summary: This study investigates the quantification of sediment transport and storage in rivers through the analysis of luminescence data and numerical modeling. The analysis reveals similar longitudinal trends in sediment transport and storage along different parts of the rivers. The findings highlight the potential of using single-grain luminescence measurement and modeling approach for quantifying sediment transfer in fluvial systems.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-EARTH SURFACE
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
M. J. Turuani, A. -M. Seydoux-Guillaume, A. T. Laurent, S. M. Reddy, S. L. Harley, D. Fougerouse, D. Saxey, S. Gouy, P. De Parseval, S. Reynaud, W. Rickard
Summary: Understanding the mass transfer mechanisms of radionuclides in monazite is crucial for its use as a geochronometer. This study investigates the mechanisms of Th and Pb mobility in monazite crystals through multiscale characterization. The results show the presence of linear Th-rich features and nanoscale clusters composed of radiogenic Pb within monazite lattice defects. The formation of these features is attributed to fluid ingress and radiation damage production. Nanophases containing Pb are also observed in all grains, suggesting a replacement mechanism of monazite through fluid interactions. This multiscale study provides new insights for interpreting geochronological information.
CONTRIBUTIONS TO MINERALOGY AND PETROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Stephanie Brichau, Cesar Witt, Mauricio A. Bermudez, Charlotte Fillon, Cecile Gautheron, Andrew Carter
Summary: Thermochronometry is used to study Cenozoic magmatism and exhumation in the Chiapas Massif Complex, a region located at the triple junction between the Caribbean, North American and Cocos plates. The research combines various dating methods and numerical modeling, revealing different histories of exhumation in the northern and southern parts of the complex. The uplift pattern supports the 'closing zipper' model, and thermal models also show a Pleistocene decrease in topography.
GLOBAL AND PLANETARY CHANGE
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Aude Lurin, Odin Marc, Patrick Meunier, Sebastien Carretier
Summary: Channels are formed by erosive processes and impact the water and sediment dynamics of drainage basins. Identifying channel heads is difficult in steep landscapes, and the processes beneath them are not well understood. The CO(2)CHAIN method extracts channels from digital elevation models, and shows better performance than previous methods, providing new insights into the conditions for channel formation and competition between erosive processes.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-EARTH SURFACE
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Remi Bossis, Vincent Regard, Sebastien Carretier
Summary: Long-term coastal erosion is difficult to quantify, but a method has been developed to reconstruct the initial shape of volcanic islands and measure the erosion since their formation. Applying this method to Corvo Island in the Azores archipelago, it was found that the island has lost a significant volume and surface area due to coastal erosion. Additionally, a strong correlation was observed between long-term coastal erosion and the spatial distribution of waves, with smaller and more frequent waves having a greater impact than storm waves.
EARTH SURFACE DYNAMICS
(2023)