Solid Earth sciences articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    The rheology of the upper mantle is key to understanding how plate tectonics may evolve. Here, using GPS and tide-gauge measurements along the Sumatran subduction zone, the authors’ show that a bi-viscous rheology model is needed to explain the stress and strain evolution of the upper mantle following earthquakes.

    • Qiang Qiu
    • , James D. P. Moore
    •  & Emma M. Hill

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Multiple complex tectonic and climatic processes have formed the Andes, which today provides a unique ecological niche. Here, Scott et al. investigate how the chemical composition of lavas from stratovolcanoes can be used to give insight on the uplift of the Andes over the last 200 million years.

    • Erin M. Scott
    • , Mark B. Allen
    •  & Mihai N. Ducea

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Using mantle plumes to reconstruct past plate motion is complicated, because plumes may not be fixed. Here, the authors demonstrate using 40Ar/39Ar ages that the Rurutu plume is relatively stable compared to the rapidly moving Hawaiian plume, yet it has a similar deep mantle origin.

    • Kevin Konrad
    • , Anthony A. P. Koppers
    •  & Matthew G. Jackson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The contribution of surface processes to the long-term evolution of plateau surfaces on high-latitude passive margins is poorly understood. Here, the authors show that recent glacial erosion on plateaus in western Scandinavia was widespread and may have contributed substantially to the sediment flux to the oceans.

    • Jane L. Andersen
    • , David L. Egholm
    •  & Sheng Xu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Thermal triggering of rock exfoliation has long been discounted as relevant to the evolution of rock domes. Here, the authors documented and measured recent fracturing events in California, USA to show that hot summer periods can lead to thermal stresses and cause seemingly spontaneous rock exfoliation.

    • Brian D. Collins
    • , Greg M. Stock
    •  & Joel B. Smith

  • Article
    | Open Access

    There is a strong correlation between submarine slope failures and the occurrence of gas hydrates. Here, the authors use a combination of seismic data and numerical modelling to show that overpressure at the gas hydrate stability zone leads to potential destabilization of the slope and submarine landslides.

    • Judith Elger
    • , Christian Berndt
    •  & Wolfram H. Geissler

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Super-eruptions such as Toba generate large co-ignimbrite plumes, but their behaviour is not fully understood. Here, the authors show that super-eruption plumes behave differently to Plinian eruptions and can generate over-plumes into the mesosphere, which would amplify their impact on the climate.

    • Antonio Costa
    • , Yujiro J. Suzuki
    •  & Takehiro Koyaguchi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The concentration of Ni and Cr of the continental crust cannot be explained by formation models involving differentiated magmatic rocks. Here, the authors show that hydrothermal alteration and chemical weathering of ultramafic rock compensates for the low Ni and Cr concentrations of island arc-type magmatic rocks.

    • Andreas Beinlich
    • , Håkon Austrheim
    •  & Andrew Putnis

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Triggers of gas hydrate instability along continental margins remain debated. Here, via numerical simulations, the authors show that pulses in sedimentation, rather than bottom water temperature or sea level change, likely triggered gas hydrate dissociation offshore Norway at the end of the last glaciation.

    • Jens Karstens
    • , Haflidi Haflidason
    •  & Jürgen Mienert

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Measuring gravitational and inertial acceleration in a moving platform is important for sensing and navigation but is also very challenging. Here the authors demonstrate the ship-borne absolute gravity acceleration measurements using an atom interferometer.

    • Y. Bidel
    • , N. Zahzam
    •  & M. F. Lequentrec-Lalancette

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Inundation and erosion could make many atoll islands uninhabitable over the next century. Here the authors present an analysis of change in the atoll nation of Tuvalu that shows a 2.9% increase in land area over the past four decades, with 74% of islands increasing in size, despite rising sea levels.

    • Paul S. Kench
    • , Murray R. Ford
    •  & Susan D. Owen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Some basaltic melts become first superheated upon their ascent towards the Earth’s surface and then saturated in chromite alone after cooling in shallow chambers. Here the authors show that large volumes of these chromite-only-saturated melts are responsible for monomineralic layers of massive chromitites in layered intrusions.

    • Rais Latypov
    • , Gelu Costin
    •  & Tony Naldrett

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The Earth’s mantle undergoes changes as temperature and pressure increase with depth. Here, the authors present a global interrogation of reflectors in the Earth’s mid-mantle revealing a significant variation in their properties, with widespread compositional heterogeneity and seismic velocity in the mid-mantle, which signify contrasting styles of mantle flow.

    • Lauren Waszek
    • , Nicholas C. Schmerr
    •  & Maxim D. Ballmer

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Crystals can record the timing of volcanic eruptive triggers at depth by examining their zoning histories. Here, the authors analyse clinopyroxene crystal zoning from eruptions at Mount Etna, Italy from 1974-2014 and show that the intrusion of magma can trigger an eruption within 2 weeks of arrival.

    • Teresa Ubide
    •  & Balz S. Kamber

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Gas hydrates are maintained via a balance of temperature and pressure, if this changes then destabilization may occur. Here, the authors show instead that due to recent changes in the salinity of the sea water of the Black Sea, gas hydrates may become destabilized with widespread methane seepage.

    • Vincent Riboulot
    • , Stephan Ker
    •  & Gabriel Ion

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Within sediments in deep ocean trenches an earthquake record may be observed. Here, the authors present 14C data on bulk organic carbon (OC) and thermal decomposition from a sediment core in the Japan Trench and match OC values with known earthquake events.

    • Rui Bao
    • , Michael Strasser
    •  & Timothy I. Eglinton

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Methane seepage from continental slopes has been attributed to gas hydrate dissociation induced by anthropogenic bottom water warming. Here, the authors show that hydrates dissociated before the Anthropocene when the isostatic rebound induced by deglaciation of the Arctic ice sheet outpaced eustatic sea-level rise.

    • Klaus Wallmann
    • , M. Riedel
    •  & G. Bohrmann

  • Article
    | Open Access

    During planetary formation segregation of an iron core from rocky silicates takes place. Here, the authors use analogue fluid experiments show that iron diapirs entrain volatiles and silicates to the Earth’s core and initiate buoyant thermochemical plumes to reoxidize and hydrate the upper mantle and atmosphere.

    • J. R. Fleck
    • , C. L. Rains
    •  & P. L. Olson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Understanding subduction zone mechanics and resulting volcanism remains challenging. Here, the authors present seismic reflection profiles from the Mediterranean Sea where serpentinite diapirs are present on the external subduction system of the Calabrian Arc and may be linked to recent volcanism at Etna.

    • A. Polonia
    • , L. Torelli
    •  & M. Carlini

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Solid organic matter (OM) plays a key role in the production of hydrocarbons in shale formations, yet information on OM heterogeneity at a nanoscale is lacking. Here, the authors use atomic force microscopy-based infrared spectroscopy to document the evolution of individual organic macerals with maturation.

    • Jing Yang
    • , Javin Hatcherian
    •  & Andrew E. Pomerantz

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Large-scale changes in continental water storage have been shown to have an impact on seismicity. Here, the authors show that variation in the rate of microearthquakes in the New Madrid Seismic Zone coincides with hydrological loading in the Mississippi embayment at both annual and multi-annual timescales.

    • Timothy J. Craig
    • , Kristel Chanard
    •  & Eric Calais

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Viscosity increase in the mantle may cause slab stagnation and plume deflection, but the cause has been unclear. Here, the authors perform experiments showing that the viscosity of ferropericlase increases by 10–100 times from 750 to 1250 km depth indicating a single mechanism for these observations.

    • Jie Deng
    •  & Kanani K. M. Lee

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Human activity and related land use change are the primary cause of soil erosion. Here, the authors show the impacts of 21st century global land use change on soil erosion based on an unprecedentedly high resolution global model that provides insights into the mitigating effects of conservation agriculture.

    • Pasquale Borrelli
    • , David A. Robinson
    •  & Panos Panagos

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The supercontinent Rodinia has been hypothesised to have formed in a different manner from other supercontinents. Here, the authors report geochemical and mineralogical evidence for prevalence of non-arc magmatism and enhanced erosion of volcanic arcs and orogens during Rodinian assembly.

    • Chao Liu
    • , Andrew H. Knoll
    •  & Robert M. Hazen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The rheological behaviour of magma in shallow conditions may help determine a volcano’s eruptive style. Here, the authors perform deformation experiments on lava from Volcán de Colima to demonstrate that crystal plasticity may preclude failure at certain shallow magmatic conditions.

    • J. E. Kendrick
    • , Y. Lavallée
    •  & N. R. Varley

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Peridotite carbonation plays an important role in the carbon cycle. Here, the authors present a geophysical characterization of serpentinite carbonation from km to mm scale and confirm that the abundance of magnetic minerals provides a strong correlation with the overall carbonation reaction process.

    • Masako Tominaga
    • , Andreas Beinlich
    •  & Yumiko Harigane

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The genesis of large igneous provinces (LIPs) remains controversial. Here, the authors examine the water contents of picrites from the Emeishan LIP and find that despite high water contents, the elevated temperature and trace elements suggest a mantle plume from a hydrous deep reservoir rather than subduction zone related.

    • Jia Liu
    • , Qun-Ke Xia
    •  & Hao-Ran Yu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The Bronze-age Indus civilisation (4.6–3.9 ka) was thought to have been linked to the development of water resources in the Himalayas. Here, the authors show that along the former course of the Sutlej River the Indus settlements developed along the abandoned river valley rather than an active Himalayan river.

    • Ajit Singh
    • , Kristina J. Thomsen
    •  & Sanjeev Gupta

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Following a large caldera creating volcanic eruption, caldera resurgence may occur as magma accumulation takes place, but this rarely leads to another a major eruption. Here, the authors using thermal and experimental models show that caldera resurgence is driven by magma viscosity contrasts.

    • Federico Galetto
    • , Valerio Acocella
    •  & Luca Caricchi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Earthquakes frequently occur in the brittle-ductile transition near the base of the seismogenic zone. Using shear experiments on calcite faults, here the authors show that microscale cavitation plays a role in controlling the brittle-ductile transition, and in nucleating earthquakes at the base of the seismogenic zone.

    • Berend A. Verberne
    • , Jianye Chen
    •  & Christopher J. Spiers

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The mechanisms behind deformation of multiphase solids are elusive. Here, the authors use X-rays and simulations to show that the same mechanisms causing rocks to fold occur at the micrometer scale in dual-metal lamellas of Ag/Cu and Al/Cu under high-pressure torsion, leading to vortices formation.

    • Mohsen Pouryazdan
    • , Boris J. P. Kaus
    •  & Horst Hahn

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Projecting the future retreat and thus global sea level contributions of Antarctica’s Pine Island Glacier is hampered by a poor grasp of what controls flow at the ice base. Here, via high-resolution ice-radar imaging, the authors show diverse landscapes beneath the glacier fundamentally influence ice flow.

    • Robert G. Bingham
    • , David G. Vaughan
    •  & David E. Shean

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The source of the Transantarctic Mountains’ high elevation has remained unclear. Here, the authors present data from a 550 km long magnetotelluric geophysical transect showing that uplift is likely to be mechanical via cantilevered flexure along a master boundary fault and not upper mantle or lower crustal thermal mechanisms.

    • Phil Wannamaker
    • , Graham Hill
    •  & Daniel Feucht

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The recycling of continental lithosphere and rapid plateau uplift is believed to be the result of lithospheric drips, but natural examples are missing. Here, the authors use geodynamic models to suggest that the folding and thickening of the Central Anatolian arc caused lithospheric dripping of the arc root.

    • Oğuz H. Göğüş
    • , Russell N. Pysklywec
    •  & Erkan Gün

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The volcanism of subduction settings concentrates in island-arcs and back-arc basins. Here, the authors show that the lithospheric tear faults bounding roll-backing slabs may focus huge volcanism with a volume of the erupted products exceeding that of the island-arcs edifices and back-arcs spreading centres.

    • Luca Cocchi
    • , Salvatore Passaro
    •  & Guido Ventura

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Current global-scale nitrogen (N) budgets quantifying anthropogenic impacts on the N cycle do not explicitly consider nitrate storage in the vadose zone. Here, using estimates of depth to groundwater and nitrate leaching between 1900–2000, the authors show that the vadose zone is an important store of nitrate.

    • M. J. Ascott
    • , D. C. Gooddy
    •  & A. M. Binley

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Aftershocks are earthquakes triggered in the near field by the dynamic rupture of larger earthquake events. Here, the authors show along the San Andreas fault system that the early aftershock decay rate can be used to infer the variations of stress with depth.

    • Peter Shebalin
    •  & Clément Narteau

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Snowball Earth glaciations were some of the most extreme climate events in Earth history, and are temporally linked to major biogeochemical changes. Here, using geochemical proxies, the authors show that during the Marinoan glaciation, there was likely open water, active oxygen production, and nitrogen cycling.

    • Benjamin W. Johnson
    • , Simon W. Poulton
    •  & Colin Goldblatt

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Understanding foraminifera mineralisation pathways is essential to correctly decipher the geochemical climate signals recorded in their shells. Here, the authors identify a non-classical crystallization pathway via metastable phases for Orbulina universa and Neogloboquadrina dutertrei.

    • D. E. Jacob
    • , R. Wirth
    •  & S. M. Eggins

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Continental rifting and break up processes are poorly constrained in the early stages. Here, the authors using high-resolution numerical simulations to show how early formed faults in continental extension can then control subsequent structure evolution of rifts.

    • John B. Naliboff
    • , Susanne J. H. Buiter
    •  & Joya Tetreault

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Flank instability and lateral collapse are a potential hazard at volcanic edifices. Here, the authors use numerical simulations to show that at Fogo volcano, lateral collapse can trigger a significant deflection of magma pathways in the crust, demonstrating how volcanic edifices may evolve.

    • Francesco Maccaferri
    • , Nicole Richter
    •  & Thomas R. Walter

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