Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Lijun Shen, Jian Wang, Xiugen Fu, Hengye Wei, Jiafeng Zhao, Sa Xiao, Chunyan Song
Summary: By analyzing the stable isotope results of the lacustrine carbonate cement and pollen assemblages from the middle Eocene Suonahu Formation, this study reveals the paleoclimate and paleoelevation characteristics of the northern Qiangtang basin in the central Tibetan Plateau during the middle Eocene. The results suggest that the Suonahu Formation was deposited in lacustrine-evaporation environments with a subtropical-temperate vegetation type. The reconstructed paleoelevation of the northern Qiangtang terrane during the middle Eocene-early Oligocene was approximately 2830 meters, 2200 meters lower than the present-day elevation.
JOURNAL OF ASIAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Qian Tian, Xiaomin Fang, Yan Bai, Chihao Chen, Juzhi Hou, Tao Zhang
Summary: Recent analyses suggest that the ancient elevation of the Qaidam Basin was around 1488 meters above sea level, with a later uplift of about 1500 meters, in line with the massive tectonic changes and drying of inland Asia since the late Miocene.
FRONTIERS IN EARTH SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Maoliang Zhang, Zhengfu Guo, Sheng Xu, Peter H. Barry, Yuji Sano, Lihong Zhang, Saemundur A. Halldorsson, Ai-Ti Chen, Zhihui Cheng, Cong-Qiang Liu, Si-Liang Li, Yun-Chao Lang, Guodong Zheng, Zhongping Li, Liwu Li, Ying Li
Summary: The growth of the Tibetan Plateau is controlled by various geodynamic processes, with deeply-sourced volatile geochemistry providing insights into deep dynamic mechanisms. The growth dynamics of the Tibetan Plateau at different depths are influenced by various factors.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Tianjie Jin, Laiming Zhang, Katharine W. Huntington, Yixiong Wen, Andrew J. Schauer, Xue Gu, Chengshan Wang
Summary: The modern elevation of China varies from the Tibetan plateau in the west to sea level in the east, with several topographic steps. This study investigates the paleoenvironmental and paleoelevation changes in North China during the late Mesozoic using delta O-18, delta C-13, and clumped isotope values of paleosol carbonates. The results suggest that the Ordos Basin in western North China maintained a high paleoelevation during the Middle Jurassic-late Early Cretaceous, while the Hefei Basin in eastern North China experienced a significant elevation reduction by the Early Cretaceous. These findings indicate a topographic change that may have influenced paleoclimate patterns and caused a transition from dry to humid climate in eastern North China.
GLOBAL AND PLANETARY CHANGE
(2023)
Article
Geology
Guoqing Xia, Chihua Wu, Ahmed Mansour, Xin Jin, Haisheng Yi, Gaojie Li, Qiushuang Fan, Zhiqiang Shi, Julian B. Murton, Junling Pei, Juan Pedro Rodriguez-Lopez
Summary: Intermittent cryospheric processes occurred in the midlatitude Northern Hemisphere during the late Eocene and Eocene-Oligocene transition, as evidenced by the presence of frost marks, ice-rafted debris (IRD), and glendonites in the Lunpola Basin of the central Tibetan Plateau. These cryospheric deposits, dated to approximately 36.2-31.8 Ma, provide robust continental evidence for the influence of the global cold snap EOT-1 on already glacierized high-altitude mountains, resulting in the development of ice fields, ice caps, and valley glaciers with proglacial lake systems.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Xiangjiang Yu, Zhaojie Guo
Summary: This paper analyses the surface uplift of the Tibetan Plateau from isostatic effects of the Cenozoic sedimentary accumulation, showing that the uplift magnitudes caused by the Cenozoic sedimentary accumulation constitute the main part of the modern elevations of certain basins around the Tibetan Plateau. The central Tibetan Plateau had high relief during the early Cenozoic, indicating a gradual surface uplift process.
JOURNAL OF ASIAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zhongyu Xiong, Xiaohui Liu, Lin Ding, Alex Farnsworth, Robert A. Spicer, Qiang Xu, Paul Valdes, Songlin He, Deng Zeng, Chao Wang, Zhenyu Li, Xudong Guo, Tao Su, Chenyuan Zhao, Houqi Wang, Yahui Yue
Summary: Studying the Paleogene topography and climate of central Tibet provides insights into collisional tectonic mechanisms and their connection to climate and biodiversity. Evidence suggests that the Lunpola Basin in central Tibet experienced significant surface uplift of at least 2.0 kilometers over the past 38 million years, transforming it into a plateau.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Xiaoping Long, Chutian Shu, Stephen F. Foley, Xuan-Ce Wang, Jie Li
Summary: This study reports a newly discovered Eocene intrusion in the Yangbajing area of the Lhasa Terrane, south Tibet, which contains input from the Indian continental material. By analyzing the isotopic composition of feldspars, the study reveals a binary interaction process between the crustal and mantle melt for the formation of the intrusion. The findings also support the hypothesis that the Indian lithosphere had already subducted beneath the Lhasa Terrane at 53.8 Ma.
EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yuanyuan Sun, Yu Liang, Hu Liu, Jun Liu, Junliang Ji, Xue Ke, Xiaobo Liu, Yuxin He, Huanye Wang, Bin Zhang, Yongsu Zhang, Guangsheng Zhuang, Junling Pei, Yongxiang Li, Cheng Quan, Jianxing Li, Jonathan C. Aitchison, Weiguo Liu, Zhonghui Liu
Summary: Unusual geochemical indicators of marine signatures in the Cenozoic terrestrial strata of the Qaidam Basin suggest a mid-Miocene basin altitude close to sea level, providing evidence for the outward growth of the Tibetan Plateau and its subsequent uplift.
COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Jade Z. Zhang, Sierra V. Petersen
Summary: Geochemical signatures preserved in the geological record can be used to reconstruct past mean temperature and seasonality. A study was conducted to assess the ability of multiple isotope techniques in recording temperature variations in the bivalve Lucina pensylvanica. Comparisons were made between different thermometry methods to determine the most accurate approach for fossil shell analysis. The findings suggest that averaging seasonally-targeted Delta(47)-temperatures best match mean annual temperature, while averaging delta O-18(carb)-based temperatures from different seasons accurately represents seasonality.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Yingkai Wu, Xuewei Bao, Bingfeng Zhang, Yixian Xu, Wencai Yang
Summary: By stacking receiver functions, the structure of the mantle transition zone beneath western Tibet and Himalaya has been imaged, revealing evidence of the detached Lhasa lithospheric mantle and recently delaminated Qiangtang lithosphere in the study area. The small dependence of d410 amplitude on frequency indicates the anhydrous nature of the MTZ.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Uri Ryb, Max K. Lloyd, John M. Eiler
Summary: A new approach using 'clumped' isotope compositions in carbonate minerals was developed to constrain burial and exhumation histories of sedimentary basins, revealing that around 3 km of rocks have been eroded across the Colorado Plateau. Approximately 63-83% of the total exhumation of the southwestern Plateau occurred prior to the Neogene, while around 50% of the total exhumation in the interior plateau occurred after the integration of the Colorado River.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Shanshan Li, Yinfeng Li, Wenyin Wang, Jianxin Jiao, Allan Degen, Tao Zhang, Yanfu Bai, Jingxue Zhao, Michael Kreuzer, Zhanhuan Shang
Summary: This study investigates the influence of remoteness and globalization on dietary habits of pastoralists using isotopic analysis. The results show that dietary habits differ between easily accessible and remote areas, with easily accessible areas being more influenced by external food sources and deviating from the local ecological chain.
FOOD RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Shu-Hui Ren, Qin Chen, Yun-Chuan Zeng, Ji-Feng Xu, Ming-Jian Li, Feng Huang, Mingda Lv
Summary: This paper presents geochemical and geochronological data for granites emplaced in the Asuo area within the central Lhasa Terrane of the Tibetan Plateau, confirming that these granites were derived from a pure sedimentary source and proposing a possible mechanism for their formation in a continental extensional setting.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Yuanzhi Zhou, Zhenjie Zhang, Qiuming Cheng, Yunzhao Ge
Summary: This study reveals the changes in crustal thickness in the eastern Tibetan Plateau and their relationship with mineralization by analyzing the geochemical parameters of magmatic rocks in the Zhongdian block. The study also suggests the existence of a paleoplateau during the Early Jurassic to Early Cretaceous and a relict peneplain since the Late Cretaceous. The decrease in erosion rate during the Late Cretaceous is considered crucial for the preservation of Mesozoic porphyry ore deposits.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Dingding Zhang, Lin Ding, Yi Chen, Hans-Peter Schertl, Muhammad Qasim, Umair Khan Jadoon, Houqi Wang, Jinxiang Li, Liyun Zhang, Yahui Yue, Jing Xie
Summary: A new type of eclogite was discovered in the Naran area of the Western Himalayan Syntaxis, and its metamorphic conditions and exhumation history were studied using phase equilibrium calculations and thermobarometer. SIMS U-Pb dating was performed on metamorphic zircons and rutile to determine the age of the high-pressure metamorphism and cooling, respectively. The exhumation rate of the Naran massif was found to be lower than that of the Upper Kaghan Valley massif, indicating inconsistent exhumation histories of the continental slices in the Western Himalayan Syntaxis.
GEOCHEMISTRY GEOPHYSICS GEOSYSTEMS
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Peter O. O. Hopcroft, Sylvain Pichat, Paul J. J. Valdes, Stephanie S. S. Kienast
Summary: During abrupt climate changes of the last glacial period, there were large amplitude changes in the dust cycle. Earth System model simulations show that tropical rainfall migrated southwards, drying the Sahel and reducing wet deposition, leading to an increase in tropical dust loading. However, there are discrepancies with marine core dust deposition reconstructions.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tyler R. Jones, Kurt M. Cuffey, William H. G. Roberts, Bradley R. Markle, Eric J. Steig, C. Max Stevens, Paul J. Valdes, T. J. Fudge, Michael Sigl, Abigail G. Hughes, Valerie Morris, Bruce H. Vaughn, Joshua Garland, Bo M. Vinther, Kevin S. Rozmiarek, Chloe A. Brashear, James W. C. White
Summary: By analyzing water-isotope ratios in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet Divide ice core, researchers have revealed the changes in summer and winter temperatures over the past 11,000 years. The results show that summer temperature variations are primarily related to summer insolation, while winter temperatures are influenced by meridional heat transport. The study also provides evidence for the reduction in ice sheet surface area in West Antarctica, supporting geological constraints in the region.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Jia-Rong Hu, Hao Zhang, Lu-Liang Huang, Xin-Kai Wu, Robert A. Spicer, Cheng Quan, Jian-Hua Jin
Summary: This paper describes the discovery of ultimate fertile pinna fossils of the 'man fern' in the Miocene Erzitang Formation of Guiping Basin, South China. These fossils preserve in situ spores and cuticles, enriching the organ types of Cibotium fossils. It is the first discovery of Cibotium fossils within its modern distribution range, indicating a southward migration of Cibotium by at least the Miocene. The fossils suggest a warm and humid tropical/subtropical climate in the Miocene Guiping Basin.
JOURNAL OF PALAEOGEOGRAPHY-ENGLISH
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Peiping Song, Lin Ding, Liyun Zhang, Fulong Cai, Qinghai Zhang, Zhenyu Li, Houqi Wang, Morteza Khalatbari Jafari, Morteza Talebian
Summary: Two well-dated paleomagnetic poles were discovered in the Urumieh-Dokhtar magmatic arc in Central Iran, indicating that Iran was situated around 3.7 to 3 degrees of latitude south of its present position between 40 to 23 million years ago. The paleomagnetic declination data suggests that the Central Iran block may have undergone an approximately 11.6-degree clockwise rotation since the Late Eocene. The integration of the new data with the retrodeformed margins of the Zagros collision zone and contemporaneous Arabia positions provides a better understanding of the age and configuration of the Arabia and Eurasia assembly process, supporting the Arabia-Eurasia collision as a significant driver of global cooling and regional geological changes.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Isabel S. Fenton, Tracy Aze, Alexander Farnsworth, Paul Valdes, Erin E. Saupe
Summary: The latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG) in planktonic foraminifera emerged only 15 million years ago, and is controlled by the physical structure of the water column. The increased temperature gradient at low latitudes over 15 million years ago enhanced speciation and led to a steepening of the diversity gradient, while extirpation of species from high latitudes also contributed to the LDG, although to a lesser extent than speciation.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Wei Yuan, Mu Liu, Daizhao Chen, Yao-Wu Xing, Robert A. Spicer, Jitao Chen, Theodore R. Them, Xun Wang, Shizhen Li, Chuan Guo, Gongjing Zhang, Liyu Zhang, Hui Zhang, Xinbin Feng
Summary: The colonization and expansion of land plants happened earlier than previously thought, during the Ordovician-Silurian transition, based on analysis of Hg isotopes in marine sediments from South China. The negative excursions in Delta Hg-199 and Delta Hg-200 found in these sediments indicate increased terrestrial contribution of Hg due to the rapid expansion of vascular plants. This expansion coincided with rising atmospheric oxygen concentrations and global cooling.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xiaoguang Qin, Xin Ren, Xu Wang, Jianjun Liu, Haibin Wu, Xingguo Zeng, Yong Sun, Zhaopeng Chen, Shihao Zhang, Yizhong Zhang, Wangli Chen, Bin Liu, Dawei Liu, Lin Guo, Kangkang Li, Xiangzhao Zeng, Hai Huang, Qing Zhang, Songzheng Yu, Chunlai Li, Zhengtang Guo
Summary: Landforms on the Martian surface provide valuable insights into past surface processes, but the modern hydroclimatic conditions on Mars are still not well understood. This study reports the discovery of various surface features on salt-rich dunes in southern Utopia Planitia, suggesting the involvement of saline water from thawed frost/snow as the most likely cause. The findings shed light on the more humid conditions of the modern Martian climate and have important implications for future exploration missions searching for signs of extant life.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Romain Amiot, Lina B. Golovneva, Pascal Godefroit, Jean Goedert, Geraldine Garcia, Christophe Lecuyer, Francois Fourel, Alexei B. Herman, Robert A. Spicer
Summary: Dinosaur eggshell fragments found in northeastern Russia are one of the northernmost records of dinosaur reproductive behaviors. Analysis of the eggshell fragments, adult dinosaur teeth, and fish scales shows that the eggs were laid at the very beginning of spring, benefiting from mild temperatures and increasing food availability. This timing allowed the hatchlings to grow large enough to survive the next winter or migrate southwards with adult dinosaurs.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Alexander Farnsworth, Y. T. Eunice Lo, Paul J. Valdes, Jonathan R. Buzan, Benjamin J. W. Mills, Andrew S. Merdith, Christopher R. Scotese, Hannah R. Wakeford
Summary: Mammals have dominated Earth for 55 million years due to their adaptations to climate change. However, long-term plate tectonic processes may make Earth inhospitable to mammals. The convergence of continents into a supercontinent will cause extreme climate changes and gas emissions, which will negatively impact mammalian life.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Edward Armstrong, Miikka Tallavaara, Peter O. Hopcroft, Paul J. Valdes
Summary: A study has found that periodic wet phases in the Sahara region, known as North African Humid Periods, were influenced by Earth's orbital variations and were suppressed during glacial periods due to extensive ice sheets. This has implications for understanding the out of Africa dispersal of plants and animals during the Quaternary.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Wenqing Ding, Lin Ding, Qingting Li, Jinxiang Li, Liyun Zhang
Summary: By analyzing hyperspectral remote sensing imagery and combining it with high-resolution imagery, lithium-rich pegmatite anomalies were successfully identified in the Zhawulong area of western Sichuan, China. Two new exploration target areas were also predicted. This method can be applied to other potential mineralization areas to discover new rare metal pegmatite deposits on the Tibetan Plateau.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Suzanne Robinson, Ruza F. Ivanovic, Lauren J. Gregoire, Julia Tindall, Tina van de Flierdt, Yves Plancherel, Frerk Poppelmeier, Kazuyo Tachikawa, Paul J. Valdes
Summary: This study introduces neodymium isotopes into the FAMOUS model and reveals the mechanisms behind the neodymium isotope differences between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, as well as the importance of deep ocean neodymium sources. The results show that reversible scavenging is a key process for enhancing the neodymium isotope gradient between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. This new neodymium isotope scheme serves as an excellent tool for exploring the global marine neodymium cycling and the interplay between climatic and oceanographic conditions in both modern and paleoceanographic contexts.
GEOSCIENTIFIC MODEL DEVELOPMENT
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Sanchita Kumar, Taposhi Hazra, Robert A. Spicer, Manoshi Hazra, Teresa E. V. Spicer, Subir Bera, Mahasin Ali Khan
Summary: This study documents ten palm leaf fossils from the late Cretaceous to earliest Paleocene sediments in central India, indicating a diverse coryphoid palm presence and migration pathways from India to other parts of Asia.
Article
Paleontology
Lina B. Golovneva, Anastasia A. Zolina, Robert A. Spicer
Summary: The early Paleocene flora of Barentsburg, Svalbard provides valuable insights into the environment and climate of the Arctic before the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum event. The flora indicates a temperate, maritime, humid, seasonal climate with cool winters and warm summers, with highest humidity during winter months.
PAPERS IN PALAEONTOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Lingyu Zhang, Kristoffer Szilas
Summary: This study presents new petrological and geochemical data for the Narssaq Ultramafic Body (NUB) in the Itsaq Gneiss Complex of SW Greenland. The results indicate that the ultramafic rocks of NUB are not mantle residues, but instead represent crustal cumulates derived from high-Mg magmas.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2024)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Rong Xu, Sarah Lambart, Oliver Nebel, Ming Li, Zhongjie Bai, Junbo Zhang, Ganglan Zhang, Jianfeng Gao, Hong Zhong, Yongsheng Liu
Summary: This study investigated the iron isotope compositions of Cenozoic basalts in Southeast China, finding significant variations related to different types of basalts and their respective sources.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2024)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
C. J. Ebinger, Miriam C. Reiss, Ian Bastow, Mary M. Karanja
Summary: The East African rift system is formed above mantle upwellings and the formation of rifts is related to lithospheric thinning and magmatic activity. The amount of splitting varies spatially and the fast axes are predominantly parallel to the orientation of the rifts. Thick lithospheric modules have less splitting and different orientations, which may indicate mantle plume flow. Splitting rotates and increases in strength as it enters the rift zones, suggesting that the anisotropy is mainly present at shallow depths.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2024)
Correction
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Ekaterina Rojas-Kolomiets, Owen Jensen, Michael Bizimis, Gene Yogodzinski, Lukas Ackerman
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2024)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Robert W. Nicklas, Igor S. Puchtel, Ethan F. Baxter
Summary: Oxygen fugacity is a fundamental parameter for understanding redox processes in igneous systems. This study compares the Fe-XANES oxybarometry method with the V-in-olivine method for evaluating fO(2) in MORB lavas. The results show that the V-in-olivine method is not applicable to samples with low MgO content, and that the majority of Archean komatiite sources have lower fO(2) than modern MORB.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2024)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Chunfei Chen, Stephen F. Foley, Sebastian Tappe, Huange Ren, Lanping Feng, Yongsheng Liu
Summary: The volatile components CO2 and H2O play a major role in mantle melting and heterogeneity. In this study, Ca isotopes were used to trace the lithological heterogeneity in alkaline magmatic rocks. The results revealed the presence of K-richterite and carbonate components as the source of alkaline magmas with low delta 44/40Ca values. These findings highlight the importance of Ca isotopes as a robust tracer of lithological variation caused by volatiles in the Earth's upper mantle.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2024)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Timothee Jautzy, Gilles Rixhon, Regis Braucher, Romain Delunel, Pierre G. Valla, Laurent Schmitt, Aster Team
Summary: Although the current approach to estimate catchment-wide denudation rates using only 10Be concentrations has made significant progress in geomorphology, this study argues for the inclusion of 26Al measurements and testing of steady-state assumptions in slow eroding, formerly glaciated landscapes. The study conducted measurements of both 10Be and 26Al in stream sediments from the Vosges Massif in France and found that elevation, slope, channel steepness, and precipitation were the primary factors controlling denudation rates. The study also revealed a significant relationship between the extent of past glaciation and the cosmogenic (un-)steadiness in the stream sediments.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2024)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Erik van der Wiel, Douwe J. J. van Hinsbergen, Cedric Thieulot, Wim Spakman
Summary: Numerical models of Earth's mantle dynamics can predict the vigour and mixing of mantle flow, and the average slab sinking rates are an unexplored parameter that can provide intrinsic information on these characteristics. Through numerical experiments, it has been found that slab sinking rates are strongly correlated with mantle convection and mixing, and may explain geochemical observations from hotspot volcanoes.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2024)
