Preprints
Filtering by Subject: Geology
Rethinking grounding-zone basal drag for improved projections of Antarctic ice loss
Published: 2026-02-24
Subjects: Geology, Geomorphology, Glaciology
Ice-stream grounding zones are critical parts of the Antarctic Ice Sheet and we must be able to model how they retreat with confidence. This is because for most of Antarctica, the grounding-zone location determines the flux of ice to the ocean. As such, future grounding-zone locations (as the ice-sheet edge retreats inland) dictate the pattern and rate of ice loss and the associated sea-level [...]
Backstress governs transient postseismic creep in the continental lithospheric mantle
Published: 2026-02-22
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Mineral Physics, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Understanding the physical processes that control how the continental lithospheric mantle responds to sudden stress changes during the earthquake cycle is essential for interpreting postseismic deformation and constraining the rheological behaviour of the mantle. Laboratory studies have revealed that long-range elastic interactions among dislocations generate backstresses that strongly influence [...]
The Role of Flexure Margins in Controlling Open Fracture Distribution: Insights from Analogue Modeling of Orthogonal Rift and Pull-Apart Systems
Published: 2026-02-21
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Tectonics and Structure
Hydrocarbon exploration in Basement Fracture Reservoirs faces significant challenges in predicting fracture connectivity below seismic resolution. This study utilizes analogue sandbox modeling to compare the spatial distribution of open fractures in orthogonal normal fault systems and pull-apart basins. Methodological innovation is implemented through the use of a 1 mm thick gypsum layer atop 8 [...]
Compositional Reservoir Simulation Sensitivity Studies: Grid, Permeability, and Well Configuration Analysis Using OPM Flow
Published: 2026-02-14
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Other Earth Sciences, Petroleum Engineering
This technical report presents a comprehensive parametric sensitivity analysis of compositional reservoir simulation using the open-source OPM Flow simulator, extending previous gas injection feasibility studies (Padder, 2026) through three systematic investigations: (1) grid refinement analysis comparing coarse (7×7×3, 147 cells) and refined (14×14×6, 1,176 cells) spatial discretization under [...]
Mid-crustal Origin of Alkaline Magmas in the Arosa Zone: Evidence from Primary Analcime and Xenolith Interaction at the Rothplattenbach Complex (Germany)
Published: 2026-02-13
Subjects: Geochemistry, Geology, Mineral Physics, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Volcanology
The petrogenetic evolution of the alkaline magmatic rocks of the Rothplattenbach Complex was investigated by X-ray diffraction phase analysis and crystallographic lattice-parameter determination. The study focuses on the identification of primary analcime occurring in paragenesis with Ca-rich plagioclase (An₇₇) and diopsidic clinopyroxene. Phase-equilibrium modelling indicates that magma [...]
Multiple-Well Monitoring Site Adjacent to the Midway- Sunset and Buena Vista Oil Fields, Kern County, California
Published: 2026-02-12
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geochemistry, Geology, Hydrology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Groundwater quality in and around oil fields in the Southern San Joaquin Valley is of interest to many California residents that rely heavily on groundwater for domestic, commercial, and agricultural use. To help assess the effects of historical oil-field activities and natural geologic sources on groundwater near the southwest margins of the Kern County Groundwater Subbasin, a multiple-well [...]
Shifting the Paradigm: Redefining the Chronostratigraphy of the Triassic Rewan Group, Bowen Basin, Australia
Published: 2026-02-12
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Tectonics and Structure
The Triassic continental Rewan Group in the northern Bowen Basin, Queensland, Australia, consisting of the Sagittarius Sandstone and the Arcadia Formation, preserves a key record of terrestrial environments and faunas that have been assumed to document recovery following the end‑Permian mass extinction (EPME). The Rewan Group accumulated in a retroarc foreland basin during the Hunter–Bowen [...]
Systematic Evaluation of the Influence of Camera Placement and Settings on the Quality of Photogrammetric Models of Rocks
Published: 2026-02-05
Subjects: Geology, Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computing, Other Computer Sciences, Other Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Despite the widespread adoption of photogrammetry across diverse disciplines, the relative influences of image acquisition parameters on the quality of photogrammetric models are seldom quantitatively understood. To address this, we conducted experiments under controlled lighting conditions, camera positions, and camera settings and evaluated the quality of the resultant models using both a [...]
Unconformity-related rare earth element mineral potential of Australia
Published: 2026-01-28
Subjects: Geology, Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computing, Other Earth Sciences
Heavy rare earth elements are critical for the transition to net zero in addition to being key to manufacturing defence technologies. Unconformity-related rare earth element (REE) deposits represent an important source of heavy rare earth elements (HREE), including key elements such as dysprosium (Dy) and terbium (Tb). Given the strategic importance of these critical minerals to the national [...]
A New Paradigm for High-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal: Intrinsic Radionuclide Properties and Comparative Hazard
Published: 2026-01-21
Subjects: Environmental Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Geochemistry, Geology
This paper develops a hazard- and pathway-based framework for high-level radioactive waste (HLW) disposal grounded in intrinsic radionuclide decay characteristics, geochemical behavior, and comparative hazard. We examine the physical and geochemical properties of key radionuclides and quantify lifetime cancer risk from chronic ingestion on a per-unit-mass basis using established regulatory [...]
Magmatic degassing as the primary source of salt in Archean oceans
Published: 2026-01-21
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geochemistry, Geology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
The salinification of Earth’s early oceans impacted both the climate and the evolution of life. However, available halogen data of Archean seawater samples are at apparent odds with a conventionally assumed mantle origin of sea salt, highlighting a critical lack of mechanistic understanding of how the Archean oceans became salty. Here, we present new triple halogen (Cl-Br-I) data from high [...]
Last Interglacial shoreline successions in southeastern Australia: A framework for identifying a waning mantle plume, neotectonic movements and sea-level change
Published: 2026-01-18
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Geophysics and Seismology, Tectonics and Structure
Relict shoreline successions are critically important for investigations of recent tectonism, as they are commonly amenable to dating and may provide information about surface displacement and changes in sea level since their deposition. In this study, Last Interglacial (MIS 5e; 128–116 ka) shoreline successions from 47 locations across southeastern Australia are reviewed. The surface [...]
Role of Lithospheric and Upper-Mantle Heterogeneities in Controlling Intraplate Seismicity in Central and Southeastern Brazil
Published: 2026-01-11
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Geophysics and Seismology
Seismicity in Central and Southeastern Brazil is spatially heterogeneous, with active zones showing little correspondence to major geological provinces, a pattern typical of many intraplate settings worldwide. While previous studies have explored possible controls using geophysical observations, the relative roles of crustal and upper-mantle heterogeneities in shaping the regional stress fields [...]
Reconstruction of plate tectonic evolution and orogenesis of the Central Tethysides (Iran, Afghanistan) since the Permian
Published: 2026-01-07
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Stratigraphy, Tectonics and Structure
The Central Tethysides constitute the Iranian and Afghan section of the Alpine-Himalayan orogenic belt. Two large sutures in the north and south are widely considered to represent the closed Paleo- and Neotethys ocean, respectively, with a 'Cimmerian' continent in between that traveled from Gondwana-Land to Eurasia in the Permo-Triassic and reconnected with Arabia in the late Oligocene. However, [...]
Reviewing chronostratigraphic uncertainty of the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition
Published: 2026-01-01
Subjects: Biogeochemistry, Earth Sciences, Geochemistry, Geology, Stratigraphy
The Ediacaran-Cambrian transition archives the widespread disappearance of ‘Ediacaran-type’ soft-bodied biota and the appearance of most modern animal body plans, including a major diversification of skeletal animals and styles of animal-substrate interaction. Despite over a century of study, our ability to confidently reconstruct the series of macroevolutionary events that inform origination and [...]