Preprints
Filtering by Subject: Earth Sciences
When does faulting-induced subsidence drive distributary network reorganization?
Published: 2021-07-18
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geomorphology
Deltas exhibit spatially and temporally variable subsidence, including vertical displacement due to movement along fault planes. Faulting-induced subsidence perturbs delta-surface gradients, potentially causing distributary networks to shift sediment dispersal within the landscape. Sediment dispersal restricted to part of the landscape could hinder billion-dollar investments aiming to restore [...]
Stylolites and stylolite networks as primary controls on the geometry and distribution of carbonate diagenetic alterations
Published: 2021-07-18
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Sedimentology, Stratigraphy, Tectonics and Structure
There is an ongoing debate on whether stylolites act as barriers or conduits for fluids, or even play no role in terms of fluid transport. This problem can be tackled by examining the spatial and temporal relationships between stylolites and other diagenetic products at multiple scales. Using the well-known Lower Cretaceous Benicàssim case study (Maestrat Basin, E Spain), we provide new field and [...]
Illuminating a Contorted Slab with a Complex Intraslab Rupture Evolution during the 2021 Mw 7.3 East Cape, New Zealand Earthquake
Published: 2021-07-18
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geophysics and Seismology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
The state-of-stress within subducting oceanic plates controls rupture processes of deep intraslab earthquakes. However, little is known about how the large-scale plate geometry and the stress regime relate to the physical nature of the deep-intraslab earthquakes. Here we find, by using globally and locally observed seismic records, that the moment magnitude 7.3 2021 East Cape, New Zealand [...]
Assessment of a claimed ultra-low frequency electromagnetic (ULFEM) earthquake precursor
Published: 2021-07-16
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geophysics and Seismology
Anomalous ultra-low frequency electromagnetic (ULFEM) pulses occurring before the M5.4 2007 and M4.0 2010 Alum Rock earthquakes have been claimed to increase in number days to weeks prior to each earthquake. We re-examine the previously reported ultra-low frequency (ULF: 0.01-10 Hz) magnetic data recorded at a QuakeFinder site located 9 km from the earthquake hypocenter, as well as data from a [...]
New systemically measured sand mining budget for the Mekong Delta reveals rising trends and significant volume underestimations
Published: 2021-07-16
Subjects: Civil and Environmental Engineering, Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Planetary Sciences
The river beds of the Mekong Delta are some of the most intensively sand mined places in the world, however sand mining budgets are limited to rough and indirect estimates. Here, we provide a systematic, semi-physically based estimation of the Mekong Delta’s sand mining budget. We provide a quantified budget that overcomes limitations resulting from previous reliance on officially declared [...]
Influence of zones of pre-existing crustal weakness on strain localization and partitioning during rifting: Insights from analogue modeling using high resolution 3D digital image correlation
Published: 2021-07-15
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
The factors controlling the selective reactivation of pre-existing crustal structures and strain localization process in natural rifts have been studied for decades but remain poorly understood. We present the results of surface strain analysis of a series of analogue rifting experiments designed to test the influence of the size, orientation, depth, and geometry of pre-existing crustal weak [...]
The geometric and temporal evolution of fault-related folds constrains normal fault growth patterns, Barents Sea, offshore Norway
Published: 2021-07-15
Subjects: Earth Sciences
Extensional growth folds form ahead of the tips of propagating normal faults. These folds can accommodate a considerable amount of extensional strain and they may control rift geometry. Fold-related surface deformation may also control the sedimentary evolution of syn-rift depositional systems. Thus, by examining the stratigraphic record, we can constrain the four-dimensional evolution of [...]
Evaluating Short-Term Spatio-Temporal Tropospheric Variability in Multi-Temporal SAR Interferograms Using LES Models
Published: 2021-07-13
Subjects: Aerospace Engineering, Atmospheric Sciences, Computational Engineering, Earth Sciences, Fluid Dynamics, Longitudinal Data Analysis and Time Series, Meteorology, Multivariate Analysis, Signal Processing
Atmospheric delay has a significant impact on synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometry, inducing spatial phase errors and decorrelation in extreme weather condition. For Low Earth Orbit (LEO) SAR missions, the atmosphere can be considered as being spatio-temporally frozen due to the short integration time. Geosynchronous (GEO) SAR missions, however, have short revisit times and extensive [...]
Multivariate statistical appraisal of regional susceptibility to induced seismicity: application to the Permian Basin, SW United States
Published: 2021-07-12
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geophysics and Seismology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Induced earthquake sequences are typically interpreted through causal triggering mechanisms. However, studies of causality rarely consider large regions and why some regions experiencing similar anthropogenic activities remain largely aseismic. Therefore, it can be difficult to forecast seismic hazard at a regional scale. In contrast, multivariate statistical methods allow us to find the [...]
Energetics and mixing of stratified, rotating flow over abyssal hills
Published: 2021-07-12
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Oceanography, Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
One of the proposed mechanisms for energy loss in the ocean is through dissipation of internal waves, in particular above rough topography where internal lee waves are generated. Rates of dissipation and diapycnal mixing are often estimated using linear theory and a constant value for mixing efficiency. However, previous oceanographic measurements found that non-linear dynamics may be important [...]
Created by the Monte Peron rock avalanche: Lago di Vedana (Dolomites, Italy) and its sediment record of landscape evolution after a mass wasting event
Published: 2021-07-09
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geochemistry, Geology, Geomorphology
The timing of the Monte Peron Landslide is revised to 2890 cal. BP based on a radiocarbon-dated sediment stratigraphy of Lago di Vedana. This age fosters the importance of hydroclimatic triggers in the light of accelerating global warming with a predicted increase of precipitation enhancing the regional predisposition to large landslides. Moreover, a layer enriched in allochthonous organic and [...]
Mass loss of the Greenland ice sheet until the year 3000 under a sustained late-21st-century climate
Published: 2021-07-07
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences
We conduct extended versions of the ISMIP6 future climate experiments for the Greenland ice sheet until the year 3000 with the model SICOPOLIS. Beyond 2100, the climate forcing is kept fixed at late-21st-century conditions. For the unabated warming pathway RCP8.5/SSP5-8.5, the ice sheet suffers a severe mass loss, which amounts to ~ 1.8 m SLE (sea-level equivalent) for the twelve-experiment mean, [...]
Melting temperature changes during slip across subglacial cavities drive basal mass exchange
Published: 2021-07-07
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Glaciology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
The importance of glacier sliding has motivated a rich literature describing the thermomechanical interactions between ice, liquid water, and bed materials. Early recognition of the gradient in melting temperature across small bed obstacles led to focussed studies of regelation. An appreciation for the limits on ice deformation rates downstream of larger obstacles highlighted a role for [...]
Water flow through sediments and at the ice-sediment interface beneath Sermeq Kujalleq (Store Glacier), Greenland
Published: 2021-07-05
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Glaciology
Subglacial hydrology modulates basal motion but remains poorly constrained, particularly for soft-bedded Greenlandic outlet glaciers. Here, we report detailed measurements of the response of subglacial water pressure to the connection and drainage of adjacent water-filled boreholes drilled through kilometre-thick ice on Sermeq Kujalleq (Store Glacier). These measurements provide evidence for gap [...]
Cosmogenic 3He in terrestrial rocks: a review
Published: 2021-07-05
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geochemistry, Geology, Geomorphology, Glaciology, Other Earth Sciences
This review article summarizes the state of the art of cosmogenic 3He (3Hec), with a focus on the most efficient methods and strategies for measuring this cosmogenic noble gas in the terrestrial minerals. Our ability to accurately and precisely measure cosmogenic 3He in minerals is mainly constrained by the level of the non-cosmogenic 3He background (i.e., magmatic, radiogenic, nucleogenic, and [...]