Preprints
Filtering by Subject: Geology
Discovery of a 15-kilometer-wide impact crater candidate in western Saudi Arabia
Published: 2023-05-31
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Planetary Geology
There are few reports on impact craters in Saudi Arabia. This paper aims to fill a gap in the literature in this area. Using satellite imaging, a circular structure with a diameter of approximately 15 kilometers was detected on the edge of Harrat Rahat volcanic field in western Saudi Arabia. Fieldwork showed that the circular structure is a newly-discovered comet impact crater candidate, this [...]
Comment on ‘The magmatic architecture and evolution of the Chang’e-5 lunar basalts’ Penny E. Wieser1, Christy Till2, Adam Kent3, Matthew Gleeson1
Published: 2023-05-31
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Volcanology
Luo et al.1 present exciting new data on lunar basalt samples erupted at ~2 Ga, and brought to Earth by the Chang’e-5 (CE-5) mission. These samples offer important new opportunities to understand lunar magmatic systems. Luo et al.1 use Clinopyroxene-Liquid (Cpx-Liq) thermobarometry and pMELTS modelling of mineral compositions to determine the pressures (P) and temperatures (T) of magma storage on [...]
Formulating and Solving the Data-Consistent Geophysical Inverse Problem for Subsurface Modeling Applications
Published: 2023-05-26
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Geophysics and Seismology, Probability
Today, most probabilistic geophysical inverse problems are formulated using one of two methods: (1) conditional probability and Bayes’ Theorem, or (2) Tarantola’s theory of intersecting probability densities. More recently, a third inverse problem formulation based on pushforward probability measures was proposed, termed “data-consistent inversion”. Many practical problems can be cast into any of [...]
Geophysical and Geochemical Constraints on Magma Storage Depths along the Cascade Arc: Knowns and Unknowns
Published: 2023-05-03
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Volcanology
The iconic volcanoes of the Cascade arc stretch from Lassen Volcanic Center in northern California, through Oregon and Washington, to the Garibaldi Volcanic Belt in British Columbia. Recent studies have reviewed differences in the distribution and eruptive volumes of vents, as well as variations in geochemical compositions and heat flux along strike (amongst other characteristics). We investigate [...]
In-situ frictional behavior of subducting sediment in the shallow Nankai Trough
Published: 2023-04-22
Subjects: Geology, Geophysics and Seismology, Sedimentology, Tectonics and Structure
The transition from smectite to illite at around the depth with temperature of ~150 °C has long been hypothesized as one of controlling factors of the updip limit depth of the seismogenic zone of subduction zones. Although illite has a higher friction coefficient than smectite, previous friction experiments have little reported that the smectite-illite transition accompanies the transition from [...]
Assessing the potential of low transmissivity aquifers for ATES systems: a case study in Flanders (Belgium)
Published: 2023-04-21
Subjects: Geology, Sustainability, Water Resource Management
The Member States of the European Union pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80-95% by 2050. Shallow geothermal systems might substantially contribute by providing heating and cooling in a sustainable way through seasonally storing heat and cold in the shallow ground (<200m). When the minimum yield to install a cost-effective aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) system cannot be met, [...]
A key role for diffusion creep in eclogites: Omphacite deformation in the Zermatt-Saas Unit, Italian Alps
Published: 2023-04-18
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geochemistry, Geology, Mineral Physics, Tectonics and Structure
Eclogites are important components of subduction-collision zones, with the mineral omphacite acting as the supporting framework mineral that accommodates the majority of any accumulated strain. As such it is important to determine which deformation mechanisms operate in omphacite during and after its formation to understand the rheology of deforming subducted crust. Such information is key to [...]
Rifting a crustal mosaic – The influence of basement rheology and lithology on rift physiography in the Great South Basin, New Zealand
Published: 2023-04-13
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Tectonics and Structure
The make-up of continental crust reflects its past tectonic history, containing a multitude of different lithological units and pre-existing structures that vary in strength with crustal properties typically varying across short distances. These variations exist across a range of scales and exert a great control over multiple aspects of rift physiography, including rift structural style, fault [...]
SilicH2O: a graphical user interface for processing silicate glass Raman spectra and quantifying H2O
Published: 2023-04-13
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Volcanology
H2O contents of magmas strongly impact the explosivity of volcanic eruptions, as well as their rheological properties and crystallisation behaviour. Accurate analyses of H2O in magmatic liquids are therefore vital for our understanding of the dynamics of magmatic processes and eruptions. Raman spectroscopy provides an accessible, affordable and high spatial resolution technique for [...]
Consolidated Geothermal Database UK (CGD-UK): A digital open license database for temperature and thermal conductivity in the UK.
Published: 2023-04-08
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Geophysics and Seismology, Natural Resource Economics, Oil, Gas, and Energy, Other Earth Sciences, Tectonics and Structure
Variations in subsurface heat flow within the upper crust control the distribution of geothermal resources. Development of a robust understanding of these variations requires reliable measurements of temperature and thermal conductivity. To date, measurements of temperature and conductivity onshore the UK have been unavailable in an accessible, clearly structured digital format. Here, we rectify [...]
DiadFit: An Open-Source Python3 Tool for Peak fitting of Raman Data from silicate melts and CO2 fluids
Published: 2023-04-04
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Mineral Physics, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Volcanology
We present DiadFit - an open-source Python3 tool for efficient processing of Raman spectroscopy data collected from fluidinclusions, melt inclusions and silicate melts. DiadFit is optimized to fit the characteristic peaks from CO2 fluids (Fermi diads,hot bands, 13C), gas species such as SO2, N2, solid precipitates (e.g., carbonates), and Ne emission lines with easily tweakablebackground positions [...]
Complex seabed geomorphology shaped by various oceanographic processes: a case study from the Gippsland Basin, offshore south-eastern Australia
Published: 2023-04-04
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Geomorphology, Sedimentology
The Gippsland Basin is located in the southeastern continental margin of Australia and hosts a variety of important marine resources. Recent high-resolution seabed mapping reveals that seabed morphology is extremely complex in different regions of the Gippsland Basin (i.e. northern, central and southern regions), ranging from scarps, cyclic step trains, channels, canyons, gullies, and giant [...]
Structure and Morphology of an Active Conjugate Relay Zone, Messina Strait, Southern Italy
Published: 2023-03-10
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Geomorphology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Sedimentology, Stratigraphy, Tectonics and Structure
Messina Strait is a narrow fault-bounded marine basin that separates the Calabrian peninsula from Sicily in southern Italy. It sits in a seismically active region where normal fault scarps and raised Quaternary marine terraces record ongoing extension driven by southeastward rollback of the Calabrian subduction zone. A review of published studies and new data shows that normal faults in the [...]
An interview with ChatGPT: discussing artificial intelligence in teaching, research, and practice
Published: 2023-02-15
Subjects: Engineering Education, Geology, Geotechnical Engineering, Higher Education
This paper examines the potential of using the AI language model ChatGPT in the field of engineering geology. The authors, an engineering geologist and a university teacher, conduct a series of conversations with ChatGPT to explore its capabilities in assisting with research and learning, and its potential implications for scientific publications. The paper also considers the future of human-AI [...]
Considerable gaps in our global knowledge of potential groundwater accessibility
Published: 2023-02-11
Subjects: Geology, Hydrology, Sustainability, Water Resource Management
At what depth groundwater can be found below the land surface is key to understanding whether it is potentially accessible to ecosystems and humans, or what role it plays in the water cycle. Knowledge of ground-water table depth (WTD) exists at regional scales in many places, but a bottom-up knowledge aggregation to obtain a coherent global picture is exceptionally challenging. Uncertainty in [...]