Preprints
Filtering by Subject: Geology
Structural controls on the emplacement and evacuation of magma from a sub-volcanic laccolith; Reyðarártindur Laccolith, SE Iceland
Published: 2021-01-06
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Higher Education, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Science and Mathematics Education, Tectonics and Structure, Volcanology
Tectono-stratigraphic development of a salt-influenced rift margin: Halten Terrace, offshore Mid-Norway
Published: 2020-12-22
Subjects: Geology, Other Earth Sciences, Sedimentology, Tectonics and Structure
Pre-rift salt controls structural style variability within rifts by decoupling sub- and supra-salt faults. However, the way in which this variability controls sediment erosion and dispersal, and facies distributions within the coeval syn-rift stratigraphic succession, remains poorly known. We here use 3D seismic reflection and borehole data to study the tectono-stratigraphic development of the [...]
Evolution of a sand-rich submarine channel-lobe system and impact of mass-transport and transitional flow deposits on reservoir heterogeneity: Magnus Field, northern North Sea
Published: 2020-12-19
Subjects: Geology, Geophysics and Seismology, Sedimentology, Stratigraphy
The geometry, distribution, and rock properties (i.e. porosity and permeability) of turbidite reservoirs, and the processes associated with turbidity current deposition, are relatively well known. However, less attention has been given to the equivalent properties resulting from laminar sediment gravity-flow deposition, with most research limited to cogenetic turbidite-debrites (i.e. transitional [...]
The 2020 Mw 6.5 Monte Cristo Range, Nevada earthquake: relocated seismicity shows rupture of a complete shear-crack system
Published: 2020-12-18
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Geophysics and Seismology, Tectonics and Structure
The predominant model for earthquake faulting is a shear crack, including surrounding damage zones. Observation of this complete shear crack system at seismogenic depth, however, has been elusive. Shear cracks with damage zones are related to fault formation and growth, and earthquake rupture physics and size, but observational and analytical limitations impede use of the shear crack paradigm in [...]
Chevrons: origin and relevance for the reconstruction of past wind regimes
Published: 2020-12-15
Subjects: Climate, Earth Sciences, Geology, Geomorphology, Meteorology, Other Life Sciences, Sedimentology, Stratigraphy
Since its first use in the late 80’s, the term chevron has been employed in numerous studies to describe large U- and V-shaped ridges found in or near shorelines worldwide. Most studies have so far focused on Bahamian chevrons that are exclusively of Late Pleistocene age, and on the supposed Holocene chevrons found in S-Madagascar and Australia. In the Bahamas, these deposits have been [...]
VESIcal Part I: An open-source thermodynamic model engine for mixed volatile (H2O-CO2) solubility in silicate melts
Published: 2020-12-08
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geochemistry, Geology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Planetary Geochemistry, Planetary Geology, Planetary Sciences, Volcanology
Thermodynamics has been fundamental to the interpretation of geologic data and modeling of geologic systems for decades. However, more recent advancements in computational capabilities and a marked increase in researchers’ accessibility to computing tools has outpaced the functionality and extensibility of currently available modeling tools. Here we present VESIcal (Volatile Equilibria and [...]
Assessment of quartz grain growth and the application of the wattmeter to predict recrystallized grain sizes
Published: 2020-12-04
Subjects: Geology, Mineral Physics, Tectonics and Structure
We investigated relationships between the recrystallized grain size and stress in experimentally deformed water-added quartz aggregates. For stresses >100 MPa there is a variation in the measured recrystallized grain size for a given stress. We found this variation correlates with a change in the c-axis fabric in general shear experiments, where samples with larger recrystallized grain sizes for [...]
Reconstructing the morphologies and hydrodynamics of ancient rivers from source to sink: Cretaceous Western Interior Basin, Utah, USA
Published: 2020-11-25
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Geomorphology, Hydrology, Sedimentology, Stratigraphy
Quantitative reconstruction of palaeohydrology from fluvial stratigraphy provides sophisticated insights into the response, and relative impact, of tectonic and climatic drivers on ancient fluvial landscapes. Here, field measurements and a suite of quantitative approaches are used to develop a four-dimensional (space and time) reconstruction of palaeohydrology in Late Cretaceous palaeorivers of [...]
A Vision for the Future Low-Temperature Geochemical Data-scape
Published: 2020-11-21
Subjects: Biogeochemistry, Computer Sciences, Databases and Information Systems, Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Geochemistry, Geology, Geomorphology, Hydrology, Other Computer Sciences, Other Earth Sciences, Soil Science
Data sharing benefits the researcher, the scientific community, and most importantly, the public by enabling more impactful analysis of data and greater transparency in scientific research. However, like many other scientists, the low-temperature geochemistry (LTG) community has generally not developed protocols and standards for publishing, citing, and versioning datasets. This paper is the [...]
Architecture and sequence stratigraphy of the Upper Coralline Limestone formation, Malta – implications for Eastern Mediterranean restriction prior to the Messinian Salinity Crisis
Published: 2020-11-18
Subjects: Geology, Sedimentology, Stratigraphy
The Eastern and Western Mediterranean are separated by an elevated plateau that regulates water exchange between these two basins. The Maltese archipelago, situated atop this topographic high, offers a unique window into the evolution of this plateau in the lead up to the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC). The Upper Coralline Limestone formation was deposited between the late Tortonian and the [...]
Boron isotopic signatures of melt inclusions from North Iceland reveal recycled material in the Icelandic mantle source
Published: 2020-11-13
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geochemistry, Geology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Volcanology
Trace element and volatile heterogeneity in the Earth's mantle is in uenced by the recycling of oceanic lithosphere through subduction. Oceanic island basalts commonly have high concentrations of volatiles compared to mid-ocean ridge basalts, but the extent to which this enrichment is linked to recycled mantle domains remains unclear. Boron is an ideal tracer of recycled subducted material, [...]
Segment tip geometry of sheet intrusions, II: Field observations of tip geometries and a model for evolving emplacement mechanisms
Published: 2020-11-02
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Volcanology
Igneous sheet intrusions are segmented across several orders of magnitude, with segment tip geometry commonly considered indicative of the propagation mechanism (brittle or non-brittle). Proposed propagation mechanisms are inferred to represent host rock mechanical properties during initial magma emplacement; typically, these models do not account for segment sets that show a range of tip [...]
Influence of ductile substrates and layer thickness on the spacing and topology of layer bound fault systems
Published: 2020-11-01
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Geophysics and Seismology, Sedimentology, Tectonics and Structure
Polygonal fault systems are extraordinary features of many fine grained sedimentary succession and have been described from a significant number of deepwater sedimentary basins over the last two decades. Their formation represents an important mechanism by which fine grained sediments compact often resulting in a variety of complex patterns for which several controlling factors have been [...]
Salt-magma interactions influence intrusion distribution and salt tectonics in the Santos Basin, offshore Brazil
Published: 2020-10-25
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Tectonics and Structure, Volcanology
Many sedimentary basins host thick evaporite (salt) deposits. Some of these basins also host extensive igneous intrusion networks. It thus seems inevitable that, in some locations, magma will interact with salt. Yet how interaction between these materials may influence salt tectonics or magma emplacement, particularly at the basin-scale, remains poorly understood. We use 3D seismic reflection [...]
A single multi-scale and multi-sourced semi-automated lineament detection technique for detailed structural mapping with applications to geothermal energy exploration
Published: 2020-10-22
Subjects: Geology, Geomorphology, Tectonics and Structure
A multitude of semi-automated algorithms, many incorporating multi-sourced datasets into a single analysis, now exist. However, these operate at a fixed pixel resolution resulting in multi-sourced methods being limited by the largest input pixel size. Multi-scale lineament detection circumvents this issue and allows increased levels of detail to be captured. In this study we present a [...]