Solid Earth sciences articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    The West Antarctic rift system, which divides the East and West Antarctic plates, was believed to be active until 26 Myr. Here, the authors demonstrate through new geophysical data that rifting within the West Antarctic rift system lasted until 11 Myr, providing a new interpretation on the development of Antarctica.

    • Roi Granot
    •  & Jérôme Dyment

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The nature and stability of carbon dioxide under extreme conditions relevant to the Earth’s mantle is still under debate, in view of its possible role within the deep carbon cycle. Here, the authors perform high-pressure experiments providing evidence that polymeric crystalline CO2 is stable under megabaric conditions.

    • Kamil F. Dziubek
    • , Martin Ende
    •  & Ronald Miletich

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Understanding the physics of fault lubrication during earthquake propagation can help assess seismic hazard. In this study, by replicating earthquakes in the laboratory at upper-crustal conditions, the authors show that fluid thermodynamics control fault lubrication, specifically at man-made earthquake depths.

    • M. Acosta
    • , F. X. Passelègue
    •  & M. Violay

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The role Tibetan Plateau uplift played in Asian inland aridification remains unclear due to a paucity of accurately dated records. Here, the authors present a continuous aeolian sequence for the period >51–39 Ma, analysis of which indicates that aridification was driven by global climatic forcing rather than uplift.

    • J. X. Li
    • , L. P. Yue
    •  & Q. S. Liu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The termination of the Marinoan snowball Earth event marks one of the most drastic transitions in Earth history, but the oceanic response remains unclear. Here, the authors’ integrated analysis demonstrates that the ocean experienced transient but widespread euxinia following this Snowball Earth event.

    • Xianguo Lang
    • , Bing Shen
    •  & Haoran Ma

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Earthquakes rarely affect hydrothermal systems in non-magmatic context. Here the authors report outbursts of CO2 and hydrothermal disturbances triggered by the 2015 Nepal earthquake, revealing high sensitivity of Himalayan hydrothermal systems to co-, post- and possibly pre- seismic deformation.

    • Frédéric Girault
    • , Lok Bijaya Adhikari
    •  & Frédéric Perrier

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Rapid tremor migration in subduction zones has been associated with aseismic, shear strain at the plate interface. Here, the authors develop a physical model that shows that pore-pressure waves at the plate interface are likely to generate secondary slip fronts triggering rapid tremor migrations with speeds and pathways similar to those observed in subduction zones.

    • Víctor M. Cruz-Atienza
    • , Carlos Villafuerte
    •  & Harsha S. Bhat

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mélange rocks are predicted to form at the slab-mantle interface in most subduction zones, but their role in arc magmatism is still debated. Here, the authors show that melting of peridotite hybridized by mélange rocks produces melts that carry the major and trace element abundances of natural arc magmas.

    • E. A. Codillo
    • , V. Le Roux
    •  & H. R. Marschall

  • Review Article
    | Open Access

    Eruptive styles at a single volcano may transition from explosive to effusive behaviour (or vice versa) at any given time. This review examines the underlying controls on eruptive styles such as magma viscosity, degassing and conduit geometry at volcanoes with silicic compositions.

    • Mike Cassidy
    • , Michael Manga
    •  & Olivier Bachmann

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The onset of modern-style plate tectonics remains under debate. Here, Xu et al. report a cold thermal-gradient recorded in an eclogite xenolith in Paleoproterozoic carbonatite from orogen, and propose that modern-style subduction has operated since at least the Paleoproterozoic.

    • Cheng Xu
    • , Jindřich Kynický
    •  & Yingwei Fei

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The subducting plates can either penetrate straight into the lower mantle or flatten in the mantle transition zone, yet slab dynamics in the past remains unclear. Here, using subduction models, the authors predict that a hotter early Earth was probably more favourable to lower mantle slab penetration.

    • Roberto Agrusta
    • , Jeroen van Hunen
    •  & Saskia Goes

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Volatile contents in melt inclusions can be used to unravel magma migration and degassing. Here, the authors use olivine chronometry and melt inclusion data from the 2008 Llaima eruption and find that magma intrusion occurred 4 years before the eruption and reached a depth of 3–4 km, 6 months before the eruption.

    • Dawn C. S. Ruth
    • , Fidel Costa
    •  & Eliza S. Calder

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The late Ediacaran to early Cambrian interval witnessed extraordinary radiations of metazoan life, in which the role of physical environment remains debated. Here, Wang et al. show that increased nutrient nitrogen availability may have exerted an important control on both macroevolution and ocean oxygenation.

    • Dan Wang
    • , Hong-Fei Ling
    •  & Graham A. Shields

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Imaging the internal structure of faults remains challenging using conventional seismometers. Here, the authors use fibre-optic cables used for telecommunications to obtain strain data and identify faults and volcanic dykes in Iceland and suggest that fibre-optic cables could be used for hazard assessment.

    • Philippe Jousset
    • , Thomas Reinsch
    •  & Charlotte M. Krawczyk

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The West Antarctic Ice Sheet sits atop an extensional rift system with volcano-like features, yet we do not know if any of these volcanoes are active, because identifying subglacial volcanism remains a challenge. Here, the authors find evidence in helium isotopes that a large volcanic heat source is emanating from beneath the fast-melting Pine Island Ice Glacier.

    • Brice Loose
    • , Alberto C. Naveira Garabato
    •  & Karen J. Heywood

  • Review Article
    | Open Access

    Understudied in the Antarctic system are the subsurface interfaces between ice-sheet, ocean and geological substrate. Here, the authors review our understanding of these components and propose new avenues of holistic dynamic modeling to achieve a unified understanding of past, present and future polar climate.

    • Florence Colleoni
    • , Laura De Santis
    •  & Martin J. Siegert

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Friction plays a key role in fault slip between tectonic plates. Here, the authors demonstrate through friction experiments on calcite in brines that pressure solution at high stresses and slow sliding velocities leads to a prominent decrease in friction and therefore is a weakening mechanism in fault strength.

    • Yijue Diao
    •  & Rosa M. Espinosa-Marzal

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Submarine glacial landforms are used to reconstruct the Holocene retreat dynamics and stability of Petermann Glacier in northwest Greenland. Here, a large grounding-zone wedge at the mouth of Petermann fjord indicates a period of glacier stability, with final retreat likely driven by marine ice cliff instability.

    • Martin Jakobsson
    • , Kelly A. Hogan
    •  & Christian Stranne

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The timing of origin of the mixed layer, the zone of fully homogenized sediment resulting from bioturbation in modern oceans, is controversial, with estimates ranging from Cambrian to Silurian. Here, the authors show that a well-developed mixed layer was established in shallow marine settings by the early Cambrian.

    • Romain C. Gougeon
    • , M. Gabriela Mángano
    •  & Brittany A. Laing

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Fluid-mediated mineral dissolution is a key mechanism for mineral reactions in the Earth. Here, the authors show that element transport during mineral dissolution and reprecipitation reactions can be mediated by an amorphous phase, which can contain significant amounts of metals.

    • Matthias Konrad-Schmolke
    • , Ralf Halama
    •  & Franziska D. H. Wilke

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Although trace compounds are known to inhibit crystal growth, the mechanisms by which they do so are unclear. Here, the authors use a microkinetic model to study the mechanisms of several inhibitors of calcite growth, finding that the processes are quite different for inorganic and organic inhibitors.

    • S. Dobberschütz
    • , M. R. Nielsen
    •  & M. P. Andersson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Ore deposits and nuclear reactors are greatly affected by the solubility and speciation of uranium at elevated (>100 °C) temperature. Here, the authors identify a new uranium chloride species (UCl40), which is mobile under reducing conditions, thereby necessitating a re-evaluation of uranium mobility.

    • Alexander Timofeev
    • , Artaches A. Migdisov
    •  & Hongwu Xu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Uncertainty regarding the evolution of the oxygen isotopic composition of seawater casts doubt on past temperature reconstructions. Here, the authors present a new, precise δ18O value for the Neoproterozoic, and propose that ocean temperatures on the eve of the Sturtian glaciation were 15–30 °C warmer than present.

    • F. Hodel
    • , M. Macouin
    •  & P. Agrinier

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Shallow magmatic feeder systems in monogenetic volcanic fields may determine how a volcano erupts. Here, the authors use numerical modeling to show that explosive excavation and infilling of eruptive craters affects local stress states, with feedbacks controlling sites and depths of crater-forming explosions.

    • Nicolas Le Corvec
    • , James D. Muirhead
    •  & James D. L. White

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The origin of iron oxide-apatite deposits remains enigmatic and controversial. Here, the authors perform experiments on intermediate magmas and show that increasing aH2O and fO2 enlarges the two-liquid field thus allowing the Fe–Ca–P melt to separate easily from host silicic magma and produce iron oxide-apatite ores.

    • Tong Hou
    • , Bernard Charlier
    •  & Olivier Namur

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Columnar joints in lavas form during cooling, but the temperature this occurs at is unclear. Here, the authors perform thermo-mechanical experiments on basaltic rocks to examine the temperature of columnar joints in lavas and find that failure occurs at 890–840 °C, which is below the solidus temperature of 980 °C.

    • Anthony Lamur
    • , Yan Lavallée
    •  & Fabian B. Wadsworth

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Accumulation of interseismic strain may now be constrained by satellite observations. Here, the authors show that strain accumulation rates on the North Anatolian Fault are constant for the interseismic period indicating that lower-crustal viscosities from postseismic studies are not representative.

    • Ekbal Hussain
    • , Tim J. Wright
    •  & Andrew Hooper

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Bridgmanite is the most abundant mineral in the lower mantle and therefore is crucial to interpreting geophysical observations and models. Here, the authors show that ferric-iron-only bridgmanite Fe3+ undergoes a spin transition at 43–53 GPa at 300 K and therefore has implications for mantle structure and dynamics.

    • Jiachao Liu
    • , Susannah M. Dorfman
    •  & E. Ercan Alp

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Seismic discontinuities near 410 and 660 km depth have often been used to map lateral variations in mantle temperature. Here, the authors apply array analysis to SS reflections off these discontinuities under Hawaii and find evidence of lateral variations in mantle composition at 660 km, but not at 410 km.

    • Chunquan Yu
    • , Elizabeth A. Day
    •  & Robert D. van der Hilst

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Earthquakes generated from the Nankai Trough have caused much devastation over the years. Here, the authors present a b-value map for the Nankai Trough zone, where the Eastern part of the trough has lower b-values than the West, which may help to explain why the Eastern part tends to rupture first.

    • K. Z. Nanjo
    •  & A. Yoshida

  • 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

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