Preprints
Filtering by Subject: Tectonics and Structure
Effects of loading schemes in volumetric simulations of sequences of earthquakes and aseismic slip (SEAS) in subduction zones
Published: 2026-06-09
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geophysics and Seismology, Tectonics and Structure
State-of-the-art simulations of sequences of earthquakes and aseismic slip (SEAS) require realistic loading conditions and physics-based constitutive laws to produce the full spectrum of fault slip. Previous studies have shown that loading schemes may affect long-term system behavior, including earthquake recurrence intervals. However, the effects of loading schemes on rupture characteristics and [...]
Coseismic uplift as strandplain-building mechanism: morphodynamic and stratigraphic evidence from the 2010 Maule earthquake, south-central Chile
Published: 2026-06-08
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geomorphology, Physical and Environmental Geography, Tectonics and Structure
Coseismic uplift along convergent margins drives rapid coastal progradation, yet its short-term morpho-stratigraphic response remains poorly documented at human timescales. Here we integrate four complementary high-resolution proxies: satellite-derived shorelines, multi-temporal mapping of the seaward dune vegetation line (SVDL), ground-penetrating radar stratigraphy, and UAV–LiDAR topographic [...]
A Bayesian ground-motion model for volcano-tectonic earthquakes in southwest Iceland
Published: 2026-06-04
Subjects: Civil Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, Tectonics and Structure
Volcano-tectonic earthquakes in Iceland and other volcanic regions produce ground motions that differ systematically from those of ordinary shallow crustal tectonic earthquakes. The recent unrest on the Reykjanes Peninsula has provided an exceptional opportunity to quantify these differences, with multiple intense swarms preceding and accompanying eruptive episodes. Building on Hernández-Aguirre [...]
A kinematic rupture generator for ground-motion simulations: Validation and scenarios in South Iceland
Published: 2026-06-04
Subjects: Civil Engineering, Tectonics and Structure
Physics-based ground-motion simulation can reduce epistemic uncertainty in regions with sparse strong-motion data, but hazard applications require rupture ensembles that are physically plausible, statistically controlled, and computationally efficient. We present a modular kinematic rupture generator for physics-based simulations (PBS) in which final slip, rupture speed ratio (VR/VS), and peak [...]
Was there an ocean between the North China-Qaidam and Tarim blocks connecting the Mongol-Okhotsk and Paleo-Tethys oceans?
Published: 2026-06-01
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Tectonics and Structure
The tectonic history of the final amalgamation of Eurasia is puzzling: geological and paleomagnetic data yield contrasting interpretations. Paleomagnetism shows that the North China Block and the Qaidam Basin fragment, migrated northward by several thousand kilometers relative to Eurasia until the latest Jurassic-Early Cretaceous. If true, plate tectonic principles require that a North [...]
R-critical constraints on relamination efficiency: The role of mechanical coupling in continental crust recycling
Published: 2026-05-30
Subjects: Geochemistry, Geology, Geophysics and Seismology, Tectonics and Structure, Volcanology
Relamination—the reincorporation of deeply subducted continental crust into the overriding plate—has been proposed as a major mechanism for continental growth and differentiation. While numerical models and high-pressure experiments demonstrate the thermochemical feasibility of this process, a fundamental question remains: under what mechanical conditions is relamination sufficiently efficient to [...]
Geodynamic Model Description for Ptolemy’s Germania Magna
Published: 2026-05-13
Subjects: Analysis, Astrophysics and Astronomy, Dynamical Systems, Dynamic Systems, Earth Sciences, Geology, Geomorphology, Geophysics and Seismology, Mathematics, Other Applied Mathematics, Other Astrophysics and Astronomy, Other Earth Sciences, Other Planetary Sciences, Planetary Geology, Planetary Geophysics and Seismology, Statistical Models, Statistics and Probability, Stratigraphy, Tectonics and Structure, The Sun and the Solar System, Volcanology
This model proposes that the well-documented geodynamic and climatic disruption of the 6th century AD involved a reactivation of the ancient Caledonian Deformation Front (CDF) and the Trans-European Suture Zone (TESZ), most likely triggered by cosmic events in the form of impacts or airbursts. Large-scale inversion tectonics, driven by Alpine compressive forces, are argued to have caused [...]
Hot orogen behaviour, partial melting and ductile flow: Case study of the Damara Orogen, Namibia
Published: 2026-05-11
Subjects: Tectonics and Structure
The Damara Orogen in Namibia preserves an exceptional record of Neoproterozoic–Cambrian continent–continent collision during Gondwana assembly. It provides a natural laboratory suitable for testing thermomechanical models of hot orogens. We integrate regional-scale structural mapping from satellite imagery and aeromagnetic data with published lithostratigraphic, metamorphic, magmatic, and [...]
Reassessing long-term exhumation rates in magmatic terranes
Published: 2026-05-09
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geochemistry, Geology, Tectonics and Structure
Crustal exhumation is central to mountain building, weathering, and sediment production processes, which significantly influence the composition and behavior of Earth’s oceans and atmosphere. It also controls the formation, enrichment, and preservation of porphyry copper deposits, which are a vital source of metals for the clean energy technologies underpinning the global green energy transition. [...]
Extreme recharge triggers seismicity in a confined karst aquifer in southern Spain
Published: 2026-05-01
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geophysics and Seismology, Hydrology, Tectonics and Structure
Hydrological forcing during extreme recharge events can perturb crustal stress and trigger seismicity in a critically stressed crust, yet the coupling between aquifer dynamics and the spatio-temporal distribution of earthquake swarms remains poorly constrained. Here we document such a response during an exceptional rainfall episode in early 2026 that affected a confined karst aquifer in southern [...]
Melt-dominated mid-crust in the 575–500 Ma Damara Orogen: Field constraints on an interconnected migmatite–granite system
Published: 2026-04-25
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geochemistry, Geology, Stratigraphy, Tectonics and Structure
Modern thermomechanical models emphasise the role of partial melting and granite magmatism on the structural and tectonic evolution of orogenic belts. Partially molten mid-crust can trigger a change from localised deformation to distributed ductile flow, while also accommodating chemical differentiation of the crust. In the southern Central Zone of Namibia’s Damara Orogen, it is unclear whether [...]
Upper Crustal Control on Nearshore Subduction Mechanics in Cascadia
Published: 2026-04-24
Subjects: Geology, Geophysics and Seismology, Tectonics and Structure
Along-strike upper plate heterogeneity is widely observed at subduction margins, but its direct influence on slab geometry and interseismic deformation remains debated. Here, we investigate the effect of upper-crustal geological segmentation on nearshore subduction mechanics at the Cascadia margin. Using a high-resolution, shore-crossing 3-D seismic tomography model from central to southern [...]
The Geological Pathway Diversity Model (GPDM): A Unified Classification and Predictive Framework for Anomalous Luminous Phenomena
Published: 2026-04-16
Subjects: Atmospheric Sciences, Geology, Geophysics and Seismology, Other Physics, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Tectonics and Structure
Atmospheric plasma phenomena — persistent luminous orbs, recurrent earth lights, and earthquake lights observed at geographically distributed sites worldwide — share a common mechanism family rooted in stress-activated electronic charge carrier physics. The Geological Pathway Diversity Model (GPDM) formally classifies six geological activation pathways. Version 2.4 introduces four new Variable 3 [...]
Fractal Tomography and the Fisher Information Barrier of Seismicity: Addressing the Origin of Dual Paradoxes via Precision-Calibrated Bayesian Inference
Published: 2026-04-11
Subjects: Applied Statistics, Earth Sciences, Geophysics and Seismology, Non-linear Dynamics, Other Statistics and Probability, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Statistical Methodology, Statistics and Probability, Tectonics and Structure
The spatial organization of seismicity presents dual multi-decade paradoxes: (1) earthquake catalogs exhibit quasi-planar correlation dimensions (D2 ≈ 2.0–2.6) despite volumetric lithospheric deformation (geometric projection paradox), and (2) Bayesian inference systematically yields D3 ≈ 3.0 contradicting structural geology (Bayesian saturation paradox). We address both through the Fractal [...]
Automated Detection of Slow Slip Events from InSAR: Application to the North Anatolian Fault
Published: 2026-04-09
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Tectonics and Structure
The growing volume of InSAR time series offers new opportunities to systematically detect transient aseismic deformation, but identifying low-amplitude slow slip events (SSEs) remains challenging due to noise and limited temporal resolution. Here, we adapt the geodetic matched filter, originally developed for GNSS data, to InSAR displacement time series in the context of shallow strike-slip [...]