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Article
| Open AccessSmall-scale layered structures at the inner core boundary
Seismologists discover locally laminated complex ICB structure beneath Asia with new dataset of pre-critical PKiKP waveforms, which might be explained by either a kilometer thick mushy zone, or the localized coexistence of bcc and hcp iron phase.
- Baolong Zhang
- , Sidao Ni
- & Zhongqing Wu
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Article
| Open AccessGarnet microstructures suggest ultra-fast decompression of ultrahigh-pressure rocks
Radial cracks observed in minerals formed at ultrahigh pressure and now found at the Earth’s surface are explained by ultrafast decompression, which challenges the idea of fast and significant displacement of rocks during their exhumation.
- Cindy Luisier
- , Lucie Tajčmanová
- & Thibault Duretz
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Comment
| Open AccessSeismic insights into Earth’s core
Seismological advances are presented and summarized to study the Earth’s core.
- Lauren Waszek
- , Jessica Irving
- & Hrvoje Tkalčić
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Article
| Open AccessDrainage explains soil liquefaction beyond the earthquake near-field
Soil-liquefaction is a catastrophic seismic hazard, usually attributed to poor drainage. Here the authors show that liquefaction driven by fluid drainage explains puzzling triggering far from the earthquake source, where shaking is less energetic
- Shahar Ben-Zeev
- , Liran Goren
- & Einat Aharonov
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Article
| Open AccessUpper-plate conduits linked to plate boundary that hosts slow earthquakes
Vertical fluid pathways in the upper plate of the Hyuga-nada subduction zone, Japan, facilitate upward fluid migration from the plate boundary that host slow earthquakes and produce seafloor mud volcanoes.
- Ryuta Arai
- , Seiichi Miura
- & Kyoko Okino
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Article
| Open AccessEmplacement of the Argyle diamond deposit into an ancient rift zone triggered by supercontinent breakup
The Argyle deposit erupted 1.3 billion years ago into an ancient rift at the edge of a craton. Argyle coincided with supercontinent breakup, highlighting the link between diamond emplacement, former rifts and continental breakup.
- Hugo K. H. Olierook
- , Denis Fougerouse
- & Michael T. D. Wingate
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Article
| Open AccessBroad fault zones enable deep fluid transport and limit earthquake magnitudes
Geophysical data from Chain Transform Fault reveal that broad damage zones preferentially facilitate fluid transport that cools the mantle, increasing earthquake depths. Fluids weaken the fault and segment it, limiting earthquake magnitudes.
- Konstantinos Leptokaropoulos
- , Catherine A. Rychert
- & Satish C. Singh
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Article
| Open AccessHigh Arctic channel incision modulated by climate change and the emergence of polygonal ground
Accelerating global warming is driving profound Arctic environmental change. The authors show that the structure and evolution of new stream networks are influenced by the evolving character of geometric ground patterns related to the response of permafrost to recent climate change.
- Shawn M. Chartrand
- , A. Mark Jellinek
- & Shannon Hibbard
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Article
| Open AccessEarthquake-enhanced dissolved carbon cycles in ultra-deep ocean sediments
Earthquakes enhance dissolved carbon production and fuel the microbial activities in hadal trench subsurface sediments, and ultimately strengthen carbon accumulation and transformation in the subduction zones.
- Mengfan Chu
- , Rui Bao
- & Sarah Zellers
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Article
| Open AccessComplex multi-fault rupture and triggering during the 2023 earthquake doublet in southeastern Türkiye
Kinematic models for the two major earthquakes on February 6, 2023 along the East Anatolian Fault Zone reveal complex multi-fault rupture and the plausible triggering of the doublet aftershock by the first event. (*couldn’t find author-written summary)
- Chengli Liu
- , Thorne Lay
- & Ceyhun Erman
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Article
| Open AccessIndian Ocean glacial deoxygenation and respired carbon accumulation during mid-late Quaternary ice ages
Ocean oxygenation regulates respired carbon storage and atmospheric CO2. This study applied a novel analysis using magnetic nanoparticle fossils and found glacial Indian Ocean oxygen decline and carbon accumulation to explain recent climate cycles.
- Liao Chang
- , Babette A. A. Hoogakker
- & Richard J. Harrison
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Article
| Open AccessMulti-proxy evidence for sea level fall at the onset of the Eocene-Oligocene transition
Sea level fall with the growth of the Antarctic Ice Sheet 34 million years ago, and the shift in nutrients and carbon from continental margins to the ocean, initially provided a negative feedback that slowed global cooling and ice sheet expansion.
- Marcelo A. De Lira Mota
- , Tom Dunkley Jones
- & James Bendle
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Article
| Open AccessPhysical state of water controls friction of gabbro-built faults
Earthquakes often originate along faults in the presence of hot and pressurized water. Experiments conducted on simulated faults reveal that the physical state of water (liquid, vapor or supercritical) controls the frictional resistance of faults.
- Wei Feng
- , Lu Yao
- & Giulio Di Toro
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Article
| Open AccessLate Cambrian geomagnetic instability after the onset of inner core nucleation
An 80 thousand-year-long period of extreme non-geocentric dipole magnetic fields is recorded in Late Cambrian carbonate rocks of South China, suggesting that 495 million years ago Earth’s inner core had not grown large enough to stabilize the dynamo.
- Yong-Xiang Li
- , John A. Tarduno
- & Zhenyu Yang
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Article
| Open AccessAn estimate of absolute shear-wave speed in the Earth’s inner core
Observations of seismic waves that traverse the Earth’s inner core as shear waves are critical to understand inner core properties. Here, the authors present several seismological observations of shear waves and estimate an absolute shear wave speed in the inner core.
- Thuany Costa de Lima
- , Thanh-Son Phạm
- & Hrvoje Tkalčić
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Article
| Open AccessBasin record of a Miocene lithosphere drip beneath the Colorado Plateau
He & Kapp link an ancient basin high on the Colorado Plateau to lithospheric dripping deep beneath it. They show that this ephemeral process is visible not only via geophysical snapshots in the present, but also leaves imprints in the geologic record.
- John J. Y. He
- & Paul Kapp
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Article
| Open AccessNew constraints on Ti diffusion in quartz and the priming of silicic volcanic eruptions
Titanium diffusion profiles in quartz record the duration of magmatic processes. Here, the authors use a novel way to constrain Ti diffusion coefficients and apply them to determine the time scales involved in the priming of volcanic eruptions.
- Andreas Audétat
- , Axel K. Schmitt
- & Yongjun Lu
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Article
| Open AccessEarthquake focal mechanisms with distributed acoustic sensing
Determining earthquake faulting orientation is essential for understanding earthquake-stress interactions. Here, the authors present a technique that leverages telecom fiber optic cables to improve the estimation of this fundamental parameter.
- Jiaxuan Li
- , Weiqiang Zhu
- & Zhongwen Zhan
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Article
| Open AccessFluid-assisted grain size reduction leads to strain localization in oceanic transform faults
Deformed mantle rocks exhumed by oceanic transform faults recorded fluid-assisted ductile deformation at high temperatures and pressures, corresponding to the root of the fault. This deformation mechanism controls deep faulting at plate boundaries.
- Manon Bickert
- , Mary-Alix Kaczmarek
- & Susanna E. Sichel
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Article
| Open AccessEvidence for compositionally distinct upper mantle plumelets since the early history of the Tristan-Gough hotspot
Geochemical zonation of the Tristan-Gough hotspot track has been demonstrated for the conjugate Rio Grande Rise on the South American Plate, suggesting geochemically distinct Tristan and Gough plumelets existed since the plume head/tail transition.
- Stephan Homrighausen
- , Kaj Hoernle
- & Jörg Geldmacher
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Article
| Open AccessMagmatic surge requires two-stage model for the Laramide orogeny
New and existing age data show active arc processes in Southern California during the beginning of the Laramide orogeny, which require a two-stage process and challenge the oceanic plateau collision paradigm.
- Joshua J. Schwartz
- , Jade Star Lackey
- & Jonathan D. Bixler
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Article
| Open AccessForeshock properties illuminate nucleation processes of slow and fast laboratory earthquakes
Laboratory experiments demonstrate that prior to fast laboratory earthquakes the fault begins to unlock and creep, causing foreshocks to coalesce in both space and time. This demonstrates that the evolution of foreshocks is closely connected to the fault slip velocity.
- David C. Bolton
- , Chris Marone
- & Daniel T. Trugman
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Article
| Open AccessUsing a physics-informed neural network and fault zone acoustic monitoring to predict lab earthquakes
When attempting to predict laboratory quakes with a small amount of training data, a Physics-Informed Neural Network (PINN) outperforms purely data-driven models. PINN models also improve transfer learning when applied to a similar, yet differing dataset.
- Prabhav Borate
- , Jacques Rivière
- & Parisa Shokouhi
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Article
| Open AccessQuality evaluation of ground improvement by deep cement mixing piles via ground-penetrating radar
Subgrade settlement is a serious distress which poses a huge threat to the service life and operation safety of roads. Here, authors propose the application of ground-penetrating radar as technical solution for the quality evaluation of ground improvement in soft soil subgrade reinforcement engineering.
- Hongyan Shen
- , Xinsheng Li
- & Yueying Yan
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Article
| Open AccessQuantitative constraints on flood variability in the rock record
Dunes and woody-debris preserved in the rock record have been used to quantify the magnitude and duration of flow events in ancient rivers, revealing a fluvial system dominated by flashy, storm-driven floods 300 million years ago.
- Jonah S. McLeod
- , James Wood
- & Alexander C. Whittaker
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Article
| Open AccessComplex tsunamigenic near-trench seafloor deformation during the 2011 Tohoku–Oki earthquake
Striking spatial heterogeneity of the shallow rupture behaviour is revealed for the near-trench region in the 2011 Tohoku–Oki earthquake. Significant off-fault deformation is suggested to play a predominant role in near-trench tsunami excitation.
- Zhang Kai
- , Wang Yanru
- & Wu Ziyin
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Article
| Open AccessLava dome cycles reveal rise and fall of magma column at Popocatépetl volcano
Satellite imagery enhanced with deep learning sheds light on the mechanisms driving lava dome construction-destruction cycles. Results suggest that gas retention and escape from the magma system control the dome and crater morphological evolution.
- Sébastien Valade
- , Diego Coppola
- & Servando De la Cruz-Reyna
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Article
| Open AccessPorosity evolution of mafic crystal mush during reactive flow
In this study, the authors use a thermodynamically constrained model of melt-mush reaction to simulate the chemical, mineralogical, and physical consequences of reactive flow in a multi-component mush system.
- Matthew L. M. Gleeson
- , C. Johan Lissenberg
- & Paula M. Antoshechkina
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Article
| Open AccessClimate-controlled submarine landslides on the Antarctic continental margin
Changes in climate preconditioned large-scale, recurrent Miocene to Pleistocene Antarctic submarine landslides through variations in biological productivity, ice proximity and ocean circulation, posing tsunami risk to Southern Hemisphere populations.
- Jenny A. Gales
- , Robert M. McKay
- & Zhifang Xiong
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Article
| Open AccessMantle heterogeneity caused by trapped water in the Southwest Basin of the South China Sea
This study suggests that the observed shear-velocity reduction beneath the southern side of the Southwest Sub-basin (SWSB) of the South China Sea (SCS) may be due to the presence of 150–300 ppm of water and 5–10% of lower continental crust.
- Jinyu Tian
- , Zhitu Ma
- & Laiyin Guo
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Article
| Open AccessSeismically imaged lithospheric delamination and its controls on the Mesozoic Magmatic Province in South China
Lithospheric delamination is seismically imaged in the asthenosphere and is responsible for the lithospheric modification and the formation of a Mesozoic Basin and Range-style magmatic province in South China by joint analysis of geochemical data.
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- Haijiang Zhang
- , Qing-Tian Lü
- & Zeng-Qian Hou
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Article
| Open AccessCrystal orientation fabric anisotropy causes directional hardening of the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream
This study uses radio-echo sounding measurements, ice-core data and models to map the spatial variation in ice-crystal orientation in the northeast Greenland Ice Stream and shows how it potentially affects the ice-flow dynamics in this region.
- Tamara Annina Gerber
- , David A. Lilien
- & Olaf Eisen
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Article
| Open AccessSouthern Tibetan rifting since late Miocene enabled by basal shear of the underthrusting Indian lithosphere
This study presents constraints on seismic anisotropy properties in western-central Tibet, revealing pronounced north-directed basal shearing beneath the rifts in the southern plateau that sheds light on the cause of syncontractional extension there.
- Bingfeng Zhang
- , Xuewei Bao
- & Wencai Yang
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Article
| Open AccessRevised Minoan eruption volume as benchmark for large volcanic eruptions
The authors use seismic and sedimentology data to estimate the volume of the Minoan eruption. The results show that the Plinian phase contributed most to the distal tephra fall, and that the pyroclastic flow volume is significantly smaller than previously assumed.
- Jens Karstens
- , Jonas Preine
- & Christian Berndt
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Article
| Open AccessDeep learning forecast of rainfall-induced shallow landslides
How much rain does it take to trigger a landslide? This work shows that deep learning can identify the driving forces that can cause rainfall induced landslides, opening up the possibility of forecasting landslide events over large areas
- Alessandro C. Mondini
- , Fausto Guzzetti
- & Massimo Melillo
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Article
| Open AccessSediment delivery to sustain the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta under climate change and anthropogenic impacts
The potential for enhanced sediment delivery to the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta exists, but it alone is insufficient to sustain the system. The delta may be resilient to climate change, but only in the absence of dam construction and water diversions.
- Jessica L. Raff
- , Steven L. Goodbred Jr.
- & Lauren A. Williams
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Article
| Open AccessLaboratory earthquakes decipher control and stability of rupture speeds
Earthquake rupture speeds significantly impact seismic hazards. Here, authors report laboratory earthquake experiments reproducing early and stable subEshelby supershear ruptures, and unlocking the correlation between rupture speed and driving load.
- Peng Dong
- , Kaiwen Xia
- & Jean-Paul Ampuero
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Article
| Open AccessRiver thorium concentrations can record bedrock fracture processes including some triggered by distant seismic events
Daily measurements of the river concentration of the ultra-trace element thorium (Th) can provide a novel signature of bedrock fracture processes
- Benjamin Gilbert
- , Sergio Carrero
- & Kenneth H. Williams
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Article
| Open AccessDueling dynamics of low-angle normal fault rupture with splay faulting and off-fault damage
Tectonic plates slide past each other along faults in the Earth’s crust. Here, the authors develop physics-based computer simulations of these earthquakes to study how, where and by which processes the crust moves during such events.
- J. Biemiller
- , A.-A. Gabriel
- & T. Ulrich
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Article
| Open AccessInadequacy of fluvial energetics for describing gravity current autosuspension
This study shows that the total energy loss of gravity currents has a non-linear dependence on the work required to keep sediment in suspension, highlighting the importance of large-scale mixing for the particulate transport of gravity currents.
- Sojiro Fukuda
- , Marijke G. W. de Vet
- & Robert M. Dorrell
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Article
| Open AccessGhost-arc geochemical anomaly at a spreading ridge caused by supersized flat subduction
The Southern Atlantic-Southwest Indian ridges hold mid-ocean ridge basalts with a residual subduction-related geochemical signature, whose origin is unsolved. The study suggests a link to a subduction-modified mantle transported inland >2280 km by a large-scale flat slab event.
- Guido M. Gianni
- , Jeremías Likerman
- & Sergio Zlotnik
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Article
| Open AccessSeismic magnitude clustering is prevalent in field and laboratory catalogs
Clustering of earthquake magnitudes is actively debated. Here, the authors show statistically significant magnitude clustering present in many different field and laboratory catalogs at a wide range of spatial scales (mm to 1000 km).
- Q. Xiong
- , M. R. Brudzinski
- & J. C. Hampton
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Article
| Open AccessThe fragmentation-induced fluidisation of pyroclastic density currents
Fragmentation-induced fluidization occurs in concentrated pyroclastic density currents where rapid particle breakage causes flow compaction and subsequent high pore fluid pressure, reducing friction and explaining their long runout.
- Eric C. P. Breard
- , Josef Dufek
- & Braden Walsh
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Article
| Open AccessHidden vulnerability of US Atlantic coast to sea-level rise due to vertical land motion
This study presents a 3,500 km vertical land motion map for the US Atlantic coast, showing that different land covers (from developed areas to wetlands) are losing elevation, with rates up to 3 mm per year.
- Leonard O. Ohenhen
- , Manoochehr Shirzaei
- & Matthew L. Kirwan
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Comment
| Open AccessVolcanic Island lightning prebiotic chemistry and the origin of life in the early Hadean eon
The early Hadean eon (>4Ga) may have had a periodically ice-covered global ocean and limited subaerial landmass, and this could have resulted in infrequent lightning occurrence. This infrequency of lightning may have limited the synthesis of prebiotic compounds necessary for life’s origins. Here I present a hypothesis that lightning associated with volcanic island eruptions created focal points for the generation of prebiotic ingredients and ultimately the origin of life.
- Jeffrey L. Bada
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Article
| Open AccessFast and slow intraplate ruptures during the 19 October 2020 magnitude 7.6 Shumagin earthquake
The 19 Oct 2020 MW 7.6 Shumagin earthquake involved unprecedented source complexity with two fast ruptures straddling the megathrust and strong tsunami excitation from a long-duration upper plate thrust rupture undetected by seismic and geodetic data.
- Yefei Bai
- , Chengli Liu
- & Yoshiki Yamazaki
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Article
| Open AccessNew constraints on Cenozoic subduction between India and Tibet
By evaluating model predictions with multiple geological data, the study shows that Tibetan tectonism is most consistent with the initial indentation of a cratonic terrane, followed by subduction of a buoyant tectonic plate resembling a continental margin.
- Liang Liu
- , Lijun Liu
- & Ling Chen
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Article
| Open AccessEarly indicators of tidal ecosystem shifts in estuaries
Transitions from bare tidal flats to vegetated marshes are an example of shift between alternative stable ecosystem states. Here, the authors use remote sensing and modelling to quantify three stages in tidal flat evolution and identify early warning signals.
- Gregory S. Fivash
- , Stijn Temmerman
- & Tjeerd J. Bouma
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Article
| Open AccessMid-latitudinal habitable environment for marine eukaryotes during the waning stage of the Marinoan snowball glaciation
Based on geochemical and paleontological data, this study shows that habitable open-oceans extended to mid-latitude coastal oceans during the waning stage of the Marinoan snowball Earth, offering refugia for benthic photosynthetic eukaryotes
- Huyue Song
- , Zhihui An
- & Jinnan Tong