Preprints
Filtering by Subject: Geology
The influence of rock uplift rate on the formation and preservation of individual marine terraces during multiple sea level stands
Published: 2021-05-13
Subjects: Climate, Geology, Geomorphology
Marine terraces are a cornerstone for the study of paleo sea level and crustal deformation. Commonly, individual erosive marine terraces are attributed to unique sea level high-stands. This stems from early reasoning that erosive marine platforms could only be significantly widened at the beginning of an interglacial. However, this implies that wave erosion is insignificant during the vast [...]
The influence of crustal strength on rift geometry and development – Insights from 3D numerical modelling
Published: 2021-05-07
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Tectonics and Structure
The lateral distribution of strength within the crust is non-uniform, dictated by crustal lithology and the presence and distribution of heterogeneities within it. During continental extension, areas of crust with distinct lithological and rheological properties manifest strain differently, influencing the structural style, geometry and evolution of the developing rift system. Here, we use 3D [...]
Fracture distribution in a folded fluvial succession: the Puig-reig anticline (South-eastern Pyrenees)
Published: 2021-05-07
Subjects: Geology, Sedimentology, Stratigraphy, Tectonics and Structure
Sedimentary rocks of foreland fold-and-thrust belts typically undergo intensive fracturing as fold grows. The resulting fracture networks can present significant variations depending on the distribution of sedimentary facies and the complex structural characteristics of fold-and-thrust belts. The Puig-reig anticline, located in the south-eastern Pyrenees, mainly exposes proximal fluvial deposits [...]
Syn- to post-rift alluvial basin fill: seismic stratigraphic analysis of Permian-Triassic deposition in the Horda Platform, Norway
Published: 2021-05-02
Subjects: Geology, Geomorphology, Sedimentology, Stratigraphy, Tectonics and Structure
Discrepancies in models of continental rift-basin dynamics and stratigraphic response calls on further investigation on the subject. Geometric- and lithological trends between stages of faulting is studied in the Permian- Triassic continental rift succession in the Horda Platform. The Horda Platform occupies the northeastern margin of the North Sea aulacogen where Late Permian-Early Triassic [...]
Late Paleozoic–Early Mesozoic granitoids in the Khangay–Khentey basin, Central Mongolia: Implication for the tectonic evolution of the Mongol–Okhotsk Ocean margin
Published: 2021-04-26
Subjects: Geochemistry, Geology
The Mongol–Okhotsk Belt is the youngest segment of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt, which is the venue of the massive juvenile crust emplacement, and it is formation and evolutions are still pending problems. This paper presents the first up-to-date U-Pb zircon ages, Hf-in-zircon isotope, geochemical and whole-rock Nd isotope data from igneous rocks of the Khangay–Khentey basin, Central Mongolia. [...]
Bridging Spatiotemporal Scales of Normal Fault Growth During Continental Extension Using High-Resolution 3D Numerical Models
Published: 2021-04-21
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Geophysics and Seismology, Other Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Tectonics and Structure
Continental extension is accommodated by the development of kilometre-scale normal faults, which grow during metre-scale slip events that occur over millions of years. However, reconstructing the entire lifespan of a fault remains challenging due to a lack of observational data with spatiotemporal scales that span the early stage (<10^6 yrs) of fault growth. Using 3D numerical simulations of [...]
Go with the flow: the role of gateway and straits on plastic distribution
Published: 2021-04-21
Subjects: Geology, Sedimentology
Plastic pollution is widespread throughout the marine environments representing a risk for ecosystems and human health when plastic enters the food chain. Understanding factors and processes controlling plastic distribution and accumulation is crucial to identify plastic hotspots. Gateways and straits can play an important role on transferring plastic debris at superficial and sea bottom level [...]
Integrated multi-proxy source-to-sink analysis of the Lower Cretaceous of the Essaouira-Agadir Basin.
Published: 2021-04-20
Subjects: Geology, Sedimentology
This study investigates the Provenance of the Barremian-Aptian fluvial clastics exposed in the Essaouira-Agadir Basin which bears an important potential in terms of offshore feeding of reservoir sands. Thin section petrography and SEM, heavy minerals analysis, and detrital zircon dating were conducted and integrated with a large dataset of published low-temperature thermochronology studies to [...]
Subdivide and Conquer: Adapting Non-manifold Subdivision Surfaces to Surface-Based Representation and Reconstruction of Complex Geological Structures
Published: 2021-04-20
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Mining Engineering
Methods from the field of Computer Graphics are the foundation for the representation of geological structures in the form of geological models. However, as many of these methods have been developed for other types of applications, some of the requirements for the representation of geological features may not be considered and the capacities and limitations of different algorithms are not always [...]
A global hydrothermal reactor triggered prebiotic synthesis on Earth
Published: 2021-04-15
Subjects: Biogeochemistry, Earth Sciences, Geochemistry, Geology, Planetary Geology
Biosignatures in the rock record limit the time available for life to start on Earth to 600-800 million years1 (4.5-3.7 Ga; Hadean-Archean). Whether the conditions for the synthesis of complex organic molecules were unique to this time or remain present today is unclear, but understanding these conditions is essential for the search of life on other planets. The outer portion of the Hadean Earth [...]
Stress and Strain during Shock Metamorphism
Published: 2021-04-15
Subjects: Geology, Planetary Geology, Planetary Geophysics and Seismology, Tectonics and Structure
Shock metamorphism is the process by which rocks, and the minerals within them, transform during the passage of a shock wave. Shock effects, such as shatter cones, are critical for the identification of impact structures and have commonly been used to infer mechanical and structural information on the cratering process. To make these inferences, the mechanics of shock wave behavior must be [...]
Paleoclimate Changes in the Pacific Northwest Over the Past 36,000 Years from Clumped Isotope Measurements and Isotope-Enabled Model Analysis
Published: 2021-04-07
Subjects: Climate, Geochemistry, Geology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Soil Science
Since the last glacial period, North America has experienced dramatic changes in regional climate, including the collapse of ice sheets and changes in effective precipitation. We use clumped isotopes and analysis of transient climate simulations to provide constraints on hydroclimate changes in the Pacific Northwest. The coldest soil temperatures (~10.5 ±1.°C to 14.9 ±1.2°C) occurred [...]
Orbital, the Box - An interactive educational tool for in-depth understanding of astronomical climate forcing.
Published: 2021-04-07
Subjects: Adult and Continuing Education, Astrophysics and Astronomy, Climate, Earth Sciences, Education, Educational Methods, Geology, Geophysics and Seismology, Higher Education, Instructional Media Design, Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, The Sun and the Solar System
“Orbital, the Box” provides an interactive tool with graphical user interface (GUI) for stimulating active, visual learning for understanding of astronomical climate forcing. This cross-platform tool can be run locally on a personal computer using a standard web browser environment with no need for plugins, thus maximising accessibility for students and teachers alike. The tool facilitates in the [...]
The concavity of submarine canyon longitudinal profiles
Published: 2021-04-07
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Geomorphology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Sedimentology
Submarine canyons incise continental shelves and slopes, and are important conduits for the transport of sediment, nutrients, organic carbon and pollutants from continents to oceans. Submarine canyons bear morphological similarities to subaerial valleys, such as their longitudinal (long) profiles. Long profiles record the interaction between erosion and uplift, making their shape, or concavity, a [...]
Precious and Critical Metal-Bearing Assemblages in the Ann Mason Copper Porphyry Deposit, Yerington, Nevada
Published: 2021-04-07
Subjects: Geology
Porphyry deposits are an important source of copper and their value may be upgraded by minor contents of precious metals, if they are extractable. The mechanisms for enrichment of precious and base metals in these systems are not well understood. This study investigates the deportment of trace metals in the Ann Mason porphyry deposit, including gold, silver, palladium, mercury, lead and bismuth. [...]