Preprints
Filtering by Subject: Earth Sciences
A new chronostratigraphic anchor for the early Cambrian: Integrating δ¹³C chemostratigraphy and Bayesian astrochronology in West Gondwana (Anti-Atlas, Morocco)
Published: 2025-10-14
Subjects: Earth Sciences
The early Cambrian represents a critical interval in Earth’s history characterized by rapid biological innovation and significant perturbations in global carbon cycling. However, a comprehensive understanding of the processes at play and their spatial and temporal relationships is hindered by fossil provincialism, diachronous bioevents, and inadequate high-precision geochronology. The Tiout [...]
Eocene lacustrine–volcaniclastic deposits at Aliabad (Central Iran): A possible Proto-basin of the Oligo-Miocene Qom Formation
Published: 2025-10-14
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Paleobiology, Paleontology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Sedimentology, Stratigraphy, Volcanology
Central Iran hosts intricate Cenozoic successions where the Oligo‑Miocene Qom Formation forms a major hydrocarbon reservoir. The stratigraphic and paleoenvironmental relationship of the Eocene Aliabad deposits to this formation has been controversial. This study integrates stratigraphic logging, petrography, geochemistry (XRD/XRF), and ichnology on 46 thin sections from Aliabad and 157 [...]
Coral reef and mangrove interplay during Mid- and Late-Holocene sea-level changes in Belitung Island, Indonesia
Published: 2025-10-14
Subjects: Earth Sciences
Coral reefs and mangrove forests are susceptible coastal ecosystems, particularly in light of intense human-induced pressures, including the anticipated sea-level rise in the 21st century. Here, we explore the chronology and interconnectedness between coral reef and mangrove interplay in response to Holocene sea-level changes, taking Belitung Island, Indonesia, as a case study. We describe the [...]
Vector Graphics-Based Geospatial Contour Maps: A Web-Native Interactive Approach for Modern Geospatial Data Science Applications
Published: 2025-10-13
Subjects: Computer Engineering, Computer Sciences, Earth Sciences, Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Graphics and Human Computer Interfaces
Visualizing scalar fields (e.g., temperature, precipitation etc.) on the web is often done via pre‑rendered raster tiles. While simple to serve and fast to access, rasters limit interactivity (feature picking, dynamic styling) and typically require heavy pre‑generation pipelines. Raster tiles remain the dominant method for web-based scalar field visualization, but they are storage-heavy and [...]
Calcareous nannofossil assemblages from El Kef (Tunisia) reveal strong regional and bathymetric controls on Northern Hemisphere recovery patterns following the Cretaceous/Paleogene (K/Pg) mass extinction
Published: 2025-10-12
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
The Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction event ~66.0 million years ago (Ma), led to the elimination of over 75% of species on Earth and drove large-scale ecological reorganization in both the marine and terrestrial realms. In particular, the nearly complete extinction of calcareous nannoplankton-the most dominant phytoplankton group at the end of the Cretaceous- led to a shift in community [...]
Informing landfill emission reporting programs through remote sensing
Published: 2025-10-11
Subjects: Earth Sciences
Landfills are a significant source of global methane emissions. To quantify and track emissions from these sources over time, jurisdictions and industry experts generally use emission models that involve a variety of process and waste characterization assumptions. These models are used to assess landfill operational performance and establish emission reduction targets. Testing the assumptions of [...]
Curlew 1.0: Spatio-temporal implicit geological modelling with neural fields in python
Published: 2025-10-10
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Tectonics and Structure
We present curlew, an open-source python package for structural geological modelling using neural fields. This modelling framework incorporates various local constraints (value, gradient, orientation and (in)equalities) and tailored global loss functions to ensure data-consistent and geologically realistic predictions. Random Fourier Feature (RFF) encodings are used to improve model convergence [...]
Formation and fluxes of natural hydrogen in the crust and upper mantle
Published: 2025-10-09
Subjects: Biogeochemistry, Earth Sciences, Geochemistry
Molecular hydrogen (H2) is a fundamental component of planetary evolution and an important energy source for microbial life. It is now understood that natural mechanisms, spanning geological and biological processes, can produce high concentrations of hydrogen in natural fluids. Quantifying the processes that modulate natural hydrogen concentrations is necessary not only for conceptualising the [...]
Steep nested clinoforms in the mixed siliciclastic-carbonate Sobrarbe Deltaic Complex (Eocene, Aínsa Basin, Spain)
Published: 2025-10-09
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Sedimentology, Stratigraphy
This study investigates the processes controlling the development of nested clinoforms in outcrops of the Eocene Sobrarbe Deltaic Complex of the Aínsa Basin, highlighting their significance as archives of basin-margin evolution. Small-scale clinoforms record the higher-frequency cycles of delta progradation and the coetaneous development of a carbonate factory, while large-scale clinoforms record [...]
LONG-LIVED TOPOGRAPHY ALONG RIFTED MARGINS: INSIGHTS FROM APARADOS DA SERRA ESCARPMENT, SOUTHEAST BRAZIL
Published: 2025-10-07
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Tectonics and Structure
The Brazilian margin is one of the longest elevated passive margins (EPMs) in the world. However, both the timing of uplift and the long-term evolution of this EPM remain highly debated. In this study, we present a new suite of apatite (U-Th-Sm)/He (AHe) and fission track (AFT) ages for the southern end of the Brazilian EPM, in the Aparados da Serra plateau. Our results reveal that mean AHe ages [...]
Database of Generated Rock Microstructures and their computed Geometrical and Hydraulic properties
Published: 2025-10-06
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Materials Science and Engineering
There is a strong link between a material’s microstructural features and its macroscopic physical properties. However, heterogeneities in real-world rock microstructures often result in strong cross-correlations between the microscopic features, making it difficult to evaluate the influence of individual characteristics. Minkowski functionals (MFs), a set of measures derived from integral [...]
A Field Study on Background Radiation Variability with Elevation in Eastern Nepal
Published: 2025-10-03
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Physics
This research investigates how environmental radioactivity varies with altitude in the diverse landscapes of Eastern Nepal. Employing two calibrated Geiger–Müller (GM) counters, background radiation was recorded as counts per minute (cpm) across selected sites in the districts of Dhankuta, Panchthar, Taplejung, and Ilam. Data were geo- referenced using GPS to correlate radiation levels with [...]
Accessible Climate and Impact Model Output for Studying the Human and Environmental Impacts of Nuclear Conflict
Published: 2025-10-03
Subjects: Agriculture, Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology
Nuclear winter refers to the suite of physical and biological consequences that may follow nuclear conflict, particularly the cooling and darkening of Earth’s surface due to black carbon soot in the upper atmosphere. While the associated changes in temperature, precipitation, and food system productivity have been the subject of climate modeling for decades, the outputs of models used to project [...]
From Complex SDG Systems to Network Models: an Ontology-Based Eight-Step Framework
Published: 2025-10-01
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Environmental Studies, Sustainability
With only 18% of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on track for 2030, systems-based approaches to understanding their interdependencies are essential. Network science can reveal leverage points and guide prioritisation, yet it is often applied without sufficient domain integration, obscuring rather than clarifying sustainability dynamics. We present an eight-step framework for evaluating [...]
Mechanisms of Lithospheric Dripping in Earth’s Convecting Mantle: Implications for Tectonic Switching
Published: 2025-10-01
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Tectonics and Structure
Gravity-driven dripping is a key recycling process of lithospheric materials into the underlying mantle reservoir. Here, we use 2D computational fluid dynamic (CFD) thermo-chemical simulations to unveil how such dripping process occurs by modulating the thermal convection in Earth’s mantle. Our simulations incorporate the following variables: lithospheric buoyancy contrasts (B), metamorphic [...]