Preprints
Filtering by Subject: Earth Sciences
High-resolution Ge-Si-Fe, Cr isotope and Th-U data for the Neoarchean Temagami BIF, Canada, suggest primary origin of BIF bands and oxidative terrestrial weathering 2.7 Ga ago
Published: 2022-03-01
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geochemistry, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
ABSTRACT Unique deposits that formed in the Precambrian oceans are the Banded Iron-Formations (BIFs) which are chemical sediments comprised of alternating layers of iron- and silica-dominated precipitates. The origin of this enigmatic banding is still debated, with most favoring a primary sedimentary and a few others arguing for a secondary diagenetic origin. We here used a high-resolution [...]
Fault slip-rates and Coulomb stress interactions in the intersection zone of the Hope, Kelly and Alpine Faults, South Island, New Zealand
Published: 2022-02-24
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Geomorphology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Tectonics and Structure
The Hope Fault is a major strike-slip plate boundary fault in the Marlborough Fault Zone of New Zealand’s South Island that transfers slip between the Alpine Fault and Hikurangi subduction zone. We use lidar-based geomorphic and fault mapping, and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL; quartz) and infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL; feldspar) dating of fault-proximal sedimentary deposits to [...]
Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis for probabilistic weather and climate risk modelling: an implementation in CLIMADA v.3.1.
Published: 2022-02-23
Subjects: Applied Statistics, Climate, Design of Experiments and Sample Surveys, Earth Sciences, Environmental Studies, Natural Resources Management and Policy, Nature and Society Relations, Numerical Analysis and Computation, Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computing, Risk Analysis, Statistical Methodology
Modelling the risk of natural hazards for society, ecosystems, and the economy is subject to strong uncertainties, even more so in the context of a changing climate, evolving societies, growing economies, and declining ecosystems. Here we present a new feature of the climate risk modelling platform CLIMADA which allows to carry out global uncertainty and sensitivity analysis. CLIMADA underpins [...]
Accurate chronological construction for two young stalagmites from the tropical South Pacific
Published: 2022-02-23
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences
Modern to Holocene tropical Pacific stalagmites are commonly difficult to date with the U-series, the most commonly used dating method for speleothems. When U-series does not provide robust age models, due to multiple sources of 230Th or little U, radiocarbon is, potentially, the best alternative. The 14C content of two stalagmites (Pu17 and Nu16) collected from Pouatea and Nurau caves in the [...]
The south-verging Isortoq Nappe of Baffin Island, Canada: implications on the framework of the northeastern Trans-Hudson Orogen
Published: 2022-02-22
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
The Isortoq Shear Zone (ISZ), a 100km-scale structure in northern Baffin Island, was originally identified through the interpretation of regional geophysical surveys. In the field the ISZ is cryptic, and its significance ambiguous with respect to the regional structural framework of northern Baffin Island. Mapping along the ISZ and within the spatially associated Archean Isortoq and Eqe Bay [...]
Early evolution of the Adelaide Superbasin
Published: 2022-02-17
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geochemistry, Geology, Sedimentology, Stratigraphy, Tectonics and Structure
Continental rifts have a significant role in supercontinent breakup, and the development of sedimentary basins. The Australian Adelaide Superbasin is one of the largest and best-preserved rift systems that initiated during the breakup of Rodinia, yet substantial challenges still hinder our understanding of its early evolution and place within the Rodinian supercontinent. In the past decade, our [...]
The open collection of geoscience graphics
Published: 2022-02-15
Subjects: Databases and Information Systems, Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Graphics and Human Computer Interfaces, Instructional Media Design, Planetary Sciences
A standard internet image search on a geoscientific topic is common practice, and offers a plethora of images. However, the suggested images provide neither a guarantee in the accuracy of the science content being portrayed, nor in their visual accessibility or clarity. Being curated by both scientists and artists, the online s-ink collection (https://s-ink.org) is a sharing platform for high [...]
The development of carbon capture and storage (CCS) in India: A critical review
Published: 2022-02-14
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is a three-tier process- carbon capture, transport and storage. The capture consists of pre-combustion, oxy-combustion and post-combustion capture. Transport of CO2 is most viable through pipelines.The biotic CO2storage occurs through terrestrial or oceanic pathways and can be simulated naturally or artificially. The abiotic/geologic storage is achieved [...]
Source rock properties and kerogen decomposition kinetics of Eocene shales from petroliferous Barmer basin, western Rajasthan, India
Published: 2022-02-14
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Hydrocarbon exploration and production are going on in Barmer basin (Rajasthan, India) for more than a decade. The potential source rocks are of Paleocene – Eocene age, and Mesozoic siltstones form the reservoirs. The western and central portions of the Rajasthan basin are characterised by extensive lignite formations, which can be promising for artificial transformation to oil and gas. We [...]
PyMelt: An extensible Python engine for mantle melting calculations
Published: 2022-02-13
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geochemistry, Geology, Geophysics and Seismology, Volcanology
Modelling the melting of Earth’s mantle is crucial for understanding the distribution of volcanic activity on Earth and for testing models of mantle convection and mantle lithological heterogeneity. PyMelt is a new open-source Python library for calculating the melting behaviour of multi-lithology mantle and can be used to predict a number of geophysical and petrological observations, including [...]
Economic and biophysical limits to seaweed-based climate solutions
Published: 2022-02-12
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Natural Resource Economics, Other Earth Sciences, Other Environmental Sciences, Sustainability
Net-zero greenhouse gas emissions targets are driving interest in opportunities for biomass-based negative emissions and bioenergy, including from marine sources such as seaweed. Yet the biophysical and economic limits to farming seaweed at scales relevant to the global carbon budget have not been assessed in detail. We use coupled seaweed growth and technoeconomic models to estimate the costs of [...]
Macrostratigraphy of the Ediacaran System in North America
Published: 2022-02-11
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geochemistry, Geology, Paleontology, Sedimentology, Stratigraphy, Tectonics and Structure
Ediacaran sediments record the termination of Cryogenian ‘Snowball Earth’ glaciations, preserve the first occurrences of macroscopic metazoans, and contain one of the largest known negative δ13C excursions (the Shuram-Wonoka). The rock record for the transition between the Proterozoic and Phanerozoic in North America is also physically distinct, with much of the continent characterized by a wide [...]
Biophysical potential and uncertainties of global seaweed farming
Published: 2022-02-11
Subjects: Biogeochemistry, Earth Sciences
International climate goals require over 5 gigatons/year (Gt/year) of CO2 to be removed from the atmosphere by midcentury. Macroalgae mariculture has been proposed as a strategy for such carbon dioxide removal (CDR). However, the global potential for seaweed cultivation has not been assessed in detail. Here, we develop and use a dynamic seaweed growth model, the Global MacroAlgae Cultivation [...]
Strong methane point sources contribute a disproportionate fraction of total emissions across multiple basins in the U.S.
Published: 2022-02-09
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Understanding, prioritizing, and mitigating methane (CH4) emissions requires quantifying methane budgets from facility scales to regional scales with the ability to differentiate between source sectors. We deployed a tiered observing system for multiple basins in the United States (San Joaquin Valley, Uintah, Denver-Julesberg, Permian, Marcellus). We quantify strong point source emissions (>10 kg [...]
Indian Plate paleogeography, subduction, and horizontal underthrusting below Tibet: paradoxes, controvercies, and opportunities
Published: 2022-02-05
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Geophysics and Seismology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Sedimentology, Tectonics and Structure, Volcanology
The India-Asia collision zone is the archetype to calibrate geological responses of continent-continent collision, but hosts a paradox: there is no orogen-wide geological record of oceanic subduction after initial collision around 60-55 Ma, yet thousands of kilometers of post-collisional subduction occurred before arrival of unsubductable continental lithosphere that currently horizontally [...]