Preprints
Filtering by Subject: Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Thermochronologic constraints on the origin of the Great Unconformity
Published: 2021-10-16
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
The origin of the phenomenon known as the Great Unconformity has been a fundamental yet unresolved problem in the geosciences for over a century. Recent hypotheses advocate either global continental exhumation of more than 3–4 km during Cryogenian (717–635 Ma) snowball Earth glaciations, or alternatively, diachronous episodic exhumation throughout the Neoproterozoic (1000–540 Ma) due to plate [...]
U-Pb zircon ages, mapping, and biostratigraphy of the Payette Formation and Idaho Group north of the western Snake River Plain: implications for hydrocarbon system correlation
Published: 2021-10-15
Subjects: Physical Sciences and Mathematics
The sedimentary deposits north of the western Snake River Plain host Idaho’s first and only producing oil and gas field. They consist of the mid-Miocene Payette Formation, the mid-late Miocene Chalk Hills Formation, and the Pliocene to early Pleistocene Glenns Ferry Formation. Using new geochronology, palynomorph biostratigraphy, and geologic mapping, we connect up-dip surface features to [...]
Volcanic hazard exacerbated by future global warming–driven increase in heavy rainfall.
Published: 2021-10-15
Subjects: Climate, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Volcanology
Heavy rainfall drives a range of eruptive and noneruptive volcanic hazards; over the Holocene, the incidence of many such hazards has increased due to rapid climate change. Here we show that extreme heavy rainfall is projected to increase with continued global warming throughout the 21st century in most subaerial volcanic regions, dramatically increasing the potential for rainfall-induced [...]
Decline of sea-ice in the Greenland Sea intensifies extreme precipitation over Svalbard
Published: 2021-10-14
Subjects: Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Extreme precipitation over the Svalbard Archipelago in the Arctic can have severe consequences for the ecosystem and society. In recent years several extreme precipitation events have been observed at Ny Ålesund, a weather station in the north-western part of the Svalbard Archipelago. The most recent observed events in the years 2012, 2016, and 2018 were the highest events in the entire [...]
Volcanologists - Who are we and where are we going?
Published: 2021-10-14
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geography, Human Geography, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Volcanology
Equity, diversity and inclusivity (EDI) are principles all scientific groups and organisations should strive to achieve as they secure working conditions, policies and practices that not only promote high-quality scientific output but also well-being in their communities. In this article, we reflect on the progress of EDI in volcanology by presenting data related to memberships of international [...]
Sand-capping stabilizes muddy sediment and improves benthic light conditions in eutrophic estuaries: laboratory verification and the potential for recovery of eelgrass (Zostera marina)
Published: 2021-10-12
Subjects: Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Decades of eutrophication have increased water turbidity in Danish estuaries and led to light limitation of eelgrass (Zostera marina) growth. Former eelgrass areas are now denuded and consist of organic-rich muddy sediment with frequent resuspension events that maintain a high turbidity state. In addition, low anchoring capacity of eelgrass in the soft organic-rich sediments has contributed to [...]
A rapid sedimentary response to the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum hydrological change: new data from alluvial units of the Tremp-Graus Basin (Spanish Pyrenees)
Published: 2021-10-12
Subjects: Physical Sciences and Mathematics
A massive emission of light carbon about 56 Ma ago, recorded in marine and terrestrial sediments by a negative carbon isotope excursion (CIE), caused a short-lived (~170 kyr) global warming event known as the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM). The core of this event is represented in the south Pyrenean Tremp-Graus Basin by two successive alluvial units, the Claret Conglomerate (CC) and the [...]
The sulfur solubility minimum and maximum in silicate melt
Published: 2021-10-09
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
The behaviour of sulfur in magmas is complex because it dissolves as both sulfide (S2-) and sulfate (S6+) in silicate melt. An interesting aspect in the behaviour of sulfur is the solubility minima (SSmin) and maxima (SSmax) with varying oxygen fugacity (fO2). We use a simple ternary model (silicate–S2–O2) to explore the varying fO2 paths where these phenomena occur. Both SSmin and SSmax occur [...]
Grain shape effects in bed load sediment transport
Published: 2021-10-08
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geomorphology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Planetary Geomorphology
Bed load sediment transport, in which wind or water flowing over a bed of sediment causes grains to roll or hop along the bed, is a critically important mechanism in contexts ranging from river restoration to planetary exploration. Despite its widespread occurrence, predictions of bed load sediment flux are notoriously imprecise. Many studies have focused on grain size variability as a source of [...]
Impact of climate change on volcanic processes: current understanding and future challenges
Published: 2021-10-07
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
The impacts of volcanic eruptions on climate are increasingly well understood, but the mirror question of how climate changes affect volcanic systems and processes, which we term “climate-volcano impacts”, remains understudied. Accelerating research on this topic is critical in view of rapid climate change driven by anthropogenic activities. Over the last two decades, we have improved our [...]
A proxy-model comparison for mid-Pliocene warm period hydroclimate in the Southwestern US
Published: 2021-10-06
Subjects: Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Hydroclimate proxy reconstructions and paleoclimate models of the mid-Pliocene warm period provide insight into how, under a moderate greenhouse warming scenario, Earth-system feedbacks may impact regional hydroclimate. However, in the Southwestern United States there is discord between these two types of information: proxy data have been interpreted to indicate much wetter conditions, while the [...]
A Mixed, Unified Forward/Inverse Framework for Earthquake Problems: Fault Implementation and Coseismic Slip Estimate
Published: 2021-10-06
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geophysics and Seismology, Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computing, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Tectonics and Structure
We introduce a new finite-element (FE) based computational framework to solve forward and inverse elastic deformation problems for earthquake faulting via the adjoint method. Based on two advanced computational libraries, FEniCS and hIPPYlib for the forward and inverse problems, respectively, this framework is flexible, transparent, and easily extensible. We represent a fault discontinuity [...]
New insight on tide-dominated estuary and delta in the Eocene-Miocene Mrayt Group, North-Western Rif, Morocco
Published: 2021-10-05
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
The sedimentary deposits of Eocene-Miocene Mrayt Group, North-Western Rif, Morocco has been the subject of controversy by previous worksregarding their depositional environments. Detailed sedimentological study based on petrographic study, and sedimentary facies and paleocurrent measurements analysis, leads to several results and new insights. Petrographic study provided the first evidence of [...]
Sustainability without geology? A shortsighted approach
Published: 2021-10-04
Subjects: Education, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Over the last few decades, the concept of sustainability has been proposed and championed as the answer to the impending challenges our society will be facing in the future. It has been a rallying opportunity for the broad earth sciences community and a good starting point for such a community to impact societal and policy decisions; however, it has been an opportunity we have largely missed thus [...]
Oblique convergence causes both thrust and strike-slip ruptures during the 2021 M 7.2 Haiti earthquake
Published: 2021-10-01
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geophysics and Seismology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
A devastating magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Southern Haiti on 14 August 2021. The earthquake caused severe damage and over 2000 casualties. Resolving the earthquake rupture process can provide critical insights into hazard mitigation. Here we use integrated seismological analyses to obtain the rupture history of the 2021 earthquake. We find the earthquake first broke a blind thrust fault and [...]