Preprints
Filtering by Subject: Geophysics and Seismology
Quantitative assessment of tomographic proxies for lowermost mantle composition and mineralogy
Published: 2025-02-14
Subjects: Geophysics and Seismology
Large low velocity provinces (LLVPs) dominate the lowermost mantle, but their detailed thermochemical nature remains a topic of discussion. Particularly, it is unclear to what extent the bridgmanite to post-perovskite phase transition is able to explain their velocity characteristics. Robust constraints on the origin of these seismic structures would shed light on large-scale dynamic processes in [...]
A New Interpretation of Ptolemy's Germania Magna: Employing Computer-Assisted Image Distortion of a Medieval Map by Donnus Nicolaus Germanus to Examine Post-Glacial Geodynamics in Europe
Published: 2025-02-02
Subjects: Geology, Geomorphology, Geophysics and Seismology, Nature and Society Relations, Other Astrophysics and Astronomy, Other Earth Sciences, Other Geography, Other Planetary Sciences, Planetary Geology, Planetary Geomorphology, Planetary Geophysics and Seismology, Stratigraphy, Tectonics and Structure, The Sun and the Solar System
This paper revisits Claudius Ptolemy's depiction of Germania Magna through a multidisciplinary approach, integrating computer-aided distortion analysis of Donnus Nicolaus Germanus's medieval cartography with geological insights. The study proposes that the region underwent significant and complex transformations, likely influenced by tectonic activity, such as the reactivation of the Caledonian [...]
Quantifying Changes in Water Loading in the U.S. Southwest via Comparison of GNSS, GRACE, and SWE Datasets
Published: 2025-01-31
Subjects: Geophysics and Seismology, Hydrology
The synthesis of Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) gravimetry data and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) displacement data provides improved models of surface water hydrology. Much work remains to be done to understand the hydrological signal present in complementary geodetic data in much of the Western U.S., especially the Colorado River basin which comprises a diversity of [...]
Large earthquakes are more predictable than smaller ones
Published: 2025-01-29
Subjects: Geophysics and Seismology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Large earthquakes have been viewed as highly chaotic events regardless of their magnitude, making their prediction intrinsically challenging. Here, we develop a mathematical tool to incorporate multiscale physics, capable of describing both deterministic and chaotic systems, to model earthquake rupture. Our findings suggest that the chaotic behavior of seismic dynamics, that is, its sensitivity [...]
Changes in physical properties of rocks during serpentinization and implications for natural hydrogen exploration
Published: 2025-01-18
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Geophysics and Seismology
Serpentinization, transforms the physical properties of ultramafic rocks, with significant implications for natural hydrogen exploration. This study compiles and analyzes over 1,000 samples from diverse geological settings to elucidate relationships between rock properties—such as density, seismic velocities, elastic moduli, porosity, and magnetic susceptibility—and the degree of [...]
Readapting PhaseNet to Laboratory Earthquakes: AEsNet, a Robust Acoustic Emission Picker Illuminating Seismic Signatures of Different Fault Gouge Materials
Published: 2025-01-14
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geophysics and Seismology
Laboratory acoustic emissions (AEs) represent microslip events analogous to small- scale earthquakes, providing valuable insights into the mechanics of frictional instabilities. With technological advancements in acoustic monitoring, thousands of AE waveforms can now be collected in minutes of experimental time, requiring efficient methods for their detection and analysis. In this study, we [...]
A semi-automated method for constructing three-dimensional models of complex fault networks
Published: 2025-01-10
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geophysics and Seismology, Tectonics and Structure
Fault geometry and the connectivity between faults at depth are both important controls on the nucleation, propagation and arrest of earthquake rupture, so modelling these parameters accurately is essential to models of the earthquake cycle. However, simulations involving complex three-dimensional (3D) fault systems rarely explore the sensitivity of results to uncertainties in geometry and [...]
Euler inversion: Locating sources of potential-field data through inversion of Euler's homogeneity equation
Published: 2024-12-19
Subjects: Geophysics and Seismology, Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computing
Earth scientists can estimate the depth of certain rocks beneath Earth's surface by measuring the small disturbances that they cause in the Earth's gravity and magnetic fields. A popular method for this is Euler deconvolution, which is widely available in geoscience software and can be run quickly on a standard computer. Unfortunately, Euler deconvolution has some shortcomings: 1) the approximate [...]
Leaky faults modulated magma ascent and seismicity during the 2022 São Jorge (Azores) volcanic unrest
Published: 2024-12-17
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geophysics and Seismology, Tectonics and Structure, Volcanology
Understanding the signatures and mechanisms of failed volcanic eruptions is vital for mapping magma plumbing systems and forecasting volcanic hazards. Geological structures like fractures and faults are key to guiding magma, but their mechanisms remain unclear due to limited 3-D mapping of faults in volcanic regions and sufficiently precise earthquake locations. The triple-junction setting of the [...]
Evidence for large disturbances of the Ediacaran geomagnetic field from West Africa
Published: 2024-11-27
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geophysics and Seismology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Tectonics and Structure
Constraining the paleogeography of the Ediacaran is crucial for understanding the extensive tectonic, biological and geochemical changes that occurred during that epoch. Paleomagnetism is an essential tool for reconstructing the Ediacaran paleogeography but it is complicated because the paleomagnetic data of that age display unusually fast and large directional oscillations. Two main competing [...]
A decadal survey of the near-surface seismic velocity response to hydrological variations in Utah, United States
Published: 2024-11-21
Subjects: Environmental Monitoring, Geophysics and Seismology, Hydrology
Ongoing climate change leads to an increase in prolonged drought and severe weather events in the United States, particularly pronounced in semi-arid regions such as the western United States. It could have lasting social and environmental impacts. Continuous monitoring of near-surface hydrological processes and groundwater resources will provide helpful information for effective water resource [...]
Dictionary Learning with Convolutional Structure for Seismic Data Denoising and Interpolation
Published: 2024-11-09
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Engineering, Geophysics and Seismology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Signal Processing
Seismic data inevitably suffers from random noise and missing traces in field acquisition. This limits the utilization of seismic data for subsequent imaging or inversion applications. Recently, dictionary learning has gained remarkable success in seismic data denoising and interpolation. Variants of the patch-based learning technique, such as the K-SVD algorithm, have been shown to improve [...]
Numerical modelling of lithosphere-asthenosphere interaction and intraplate deformation in the Gulf of Guinea
Published: 2024-10-31
Subjects: Geology, Geophysics and Seismology, Tectonics and Structure
To present day, the phenomenon of intraplate deformation and its associated earthquakes remain elusive. In this work, we argue that intraplate deformation may result from the interaction between lithospheric and upper mantle dynamic processes. To this extent, we targeted the Gulf of Guinea and adjacent Western Africa, a region with both low plate velocities and clear asthenosphere dynamics, [...]
A Novel Methodology to Map Hydrogen Storage Potential in Salt Caverns: A Case Study of the Midwestern and Appalachian Regions of the United States
Published: 2024-10-25
Subjects: Chemical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Geophysics and Seismology, Sustainability
Hydrogen is widely understood to be critical for decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors like heavy industry, and long-distance transportation as well as balancing a variable renewable energy dominated power grid. Here, we propose a methodology for evaluating the potential for hydrogen storage in geological salt resources. This methodology starts with a characterization of salt resources by [...]
Application of machine learning methods to forecast petrophysical properties in basalts of the Serra Geral Group: Implications for carbon storage
Published: 2024-10-22
Subjects: Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Computer Sciences, Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Geophysics and Seismology, Oil, Gas, and Energy, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
This study applies machine learning techniques for forecasting petrophysical properties (density, porosity, and permeability) in the basalts of the Serra Geral Group, located in the Paraná Basin, Brazil. These properties are crucial for the successful implementation of carbon capture and storage (CCS), an important technology to combat climate change. Employing machine learning models—XGBoost, [...]