Geoscience frontiers最新文献

The equatorial evergreen forests nourish the world's biodiversity hotspots and are considered the lungs of the Earth. However, their future survival is uncertain, due to anthropogenically increased carbon emissions and changes in the hydrological cycle. Understanding the changes in the hydrological cycle in the equatorial region due to an increase in carbon emission is of prime importance. The early Paleogene hyperthermal events are potential analogs to understand the consequences of high carbon emission on the hydrological cycle. In this communication, we quantify the terrestrial seasonal climate using the plant proxy and infer that during the Eocene Thermal Maximum 2 when atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration was > 1000 ppmv near the palaeo-equator (∼0.6°N), the rainfall decreased significantly, leading to the expansion of deciduous forests. This study raises important questions about the future survival of equatorial rainforests and biodiversity hotspots under increased carbon emissions.

Many studies propose a significant shift in the tectonic and paleogeographic evolution of the Andes in south-central Chile and Argentina during the Late Cretaceous. It has been proposed that the preceding Jurassic-Early Cretaceous extensional regime that resulted in a low-relief volcanic arc and the backarc Neuquén basin came to an end, giving way to shortening and Andean growth from the Late Cretaceous onward. Nevertheless, there are disagreements regarding the timing and nature of this transition to Andean orogenesis. To address these issues, we conducted geochronologic (U–Pb and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar), sedimentologic, and structural studies on Mesozoic-Cenozoic sedimentary and volcanic rocks in the Río Maule area (Principal Cordillera, Chile, 36°S). From our findings and prior analyses, we propose the following tectono-stratigraphic evolution of the region. (1) Marine deposition of the Tithonian-Hauterivian Baños del Flaco Formation took place in an extensional backarc basin. (2) After a ∼ 40 Myr hiatus, fluvial deposits of the Colimapu Formation and volcanic rocks of the Plan de los Yeuques Formation accumulated during the Cenomanian-Danian. Whereas the Colimapu Formation displays evidence of syndepositional shortening, the Plan de los Yeuques Formation exhibits synextensional growth strata. Contrary to other studies, our results suggest that the Chilean part of the Principal Cordillera was largely a zone of active deposition rather than an elevated fold-thrust belt during the Late Cretaceous. We propose that sedimentation occurred within a series of relatively stable intermontane subbasins generated by shortening, followed by extension. (3) After a ∼ 20 Myr hiatus, middle Eocene to early Miocene (Lutetian-Aquitanian) accumulation of a thick succession of andesitic lavas and minor clastic sediments of the Abanico Formation occurred in an intraarc extensional basin. (4) Finally, major shortening and uplift of previously deposited Mesozoic-Cenozoic rocks took place throughout the Neogene. This phase constituted the primary contractional deformation in the Andes of south-central Chile and Argentina. In terms of the transition to early Andean deformation, we propose that structural deformation did not generate a major, regional-scale fold-thrust belt during the late Albian-Santonian. Modest extension, tectonic quiescence, or low-magnitude shortening seem to have dominated during the early to middle Cenozoic.

Shallow landslide initiation typically results from an interplay of dynamic triggering and preparatory conditions along with static predisposition factors. While data-driven methods for assessing landslide susceptibility or for establishing rainfall-triggering thresholds are prevalent, integrating spatio-temporal information for dynamic large-area landslide prediction remains a challenge. The main aim of this research is to generate a dynamic spatial landslide initiation model that operates at a daily scale and explicitly counteracts potential errors in the available landslide data. Unlike previous studies focusing on space–time landslide modelling, it places a strong emphasis on reducing the propagation of landslide data errors into the modelling results, while ensuring interpretable outcomes. It introduces also other noteworthy innovations, such as visualizing the final predictions as dynamic spatial thresholds linked to true positive rates and false alarm rates and by using animations for highlighting its application potential for hindcasting and scenario-building.

The initial step involves the creation of a spatio-temporally representative sample of landslide presence and absence observations for the study area of South Tyrol, Italy (7400 km²) within well-investigated terrain. Model setup entails integrating landslide controls that operate on various temporal scales through a binomial Generalized Additive Mixed Model. Model relationships are then interpreted based on variable importance and partial effect plots, while predictive performance is evaluated through various cross-validation techniques. Optimal and user-defined probability cutpoints are used to establish quantitative thresholds that reflect both, the true positive rate (correctly predicted landslides) and the false positive rate (precipitation periods misclassified as landslide-inducing conditions). The resulting dynamic maps directly visualize landslide threshold exceedance. The model demonstrates high predictive performance while revealing geomorphologically plausible prediction patterns largely consistent with current process knowledge. Notably, the model also shows that generally drier hillslopes exhibit a greater sensitivity to certain precipitation events than regions adapted to wetter conditions. The practical applicability of the approach is demonstrated in a hindcasting and scenario-building context. In the currently evolving field of space–time landslide modelling, we recommend focusing on data error handling, model interpretability, and geomorphic plausibility, rather than allocating excessive resources to algorithm and case study comparisons.

Data exploration, usually the first step in data analysis, is a useful method to tackle challenges caused by big geoscience data. It conducts quick analysis of data, investigates the patterns, and generates/refines research questions to guide advanced statistics and machine learning algorithms. The background of this work is the open mineral data provided by several sources, and the focus is different types of associations in mineral properties and occurrences. Researchers in mineralogy have been applying different techniques for exploring such associations. Although the explored associations can lead to new scientific insights that contribute to crystallography, mineralogy, and geochemistry, the exploration process is often daunting due to the wide range and complexity of factors involved. In this study, our purpose is implementing a visualization tool based on the adjacency matrix for a variety of datasets and testing its utility for quick exploration of association patterns in mineral data. Algorithms, software packages, and use cases have been developed to process a variety of mineral data. The results demonstrate the efficiency of adjacency matrix in real-world usage. All the developed works of this study are open source and open access.

The Naoli River Basin (NRB), a pivotal agricultural production area in China, is poised to undergo substantial impacts on water resources due to projected climate and land use/cover (LULC) changes. Despite its significance in the context of China's expanding farmland construction in the NRB, there exists limited research on the potential repercussions of future shifts in runoff, soil water content (SWC), and evapotranspiration (ET) on crop productivity and water availability (both in terms of quantity and timing). This study employs future LULC maps and an ensemble of ten CMIP6 Global Climate Models (GCMs) across three scenarios to drive the well-calibrated distributed hydrological model, ESSI-3. The objective of present study is aimed on projecting hydrological consequences under climate and land use/land cover changes in near-term (2026–2050), middle-term (2051–2075), and far-term (2076–2100) future in comparison to the baseline period of 1990–2014. Results consistently indicate an increase trend in annual average ET, runoff, and SWC in the NRB across all three future periods under the three SSP scenarios. LULC changes emerge as the primary driver influencing regional hydrological processes in the near future. Notably, under high-emission scenarios, monthly runoff and SWC are projected to significantly increase in March but decrease in April during the middle and far future periods compared to the baseline. This shift is attributed to the anticipated warming of winter and spring, leading to a transition in peak snowmelt from April to March. Concurrently, the expansion of cropland intensifies crop evapotranspiration demand, potentially exacerbating water stress during the early stages of crop growth in April. The findings underscore the importance of addressing the substantial impacts of climate change and land use planning on regional water cycling processes. Early planning to mitigate water shortages during the initial stage of future crop growth is crucial for ensuring food security and managing water-related challenges in the NRB and neighboring mid-high latitude regions.

Numerous scientific fields are facing a replication crisis, where the results of a study often cannot be replicated when a new study uses independent data. This issue has been particularly emphasized in psychology, health, and medicine, as incorrect results in these fields could have serious consequences, where lives might be at stake. While other fields have also highlighted significant replication problems, the Earth Sciences seem to be an exception. The paucity of Earth Science research aimed at understanding the replication crisis prompted this study. Specifically, this work aims to fill that gap by seeking to replicate geological results involving various types of time-series. We identify and discuss 11 key variables for replicating U-Pb age distributions: independent data, global sampling, proxy data, data quality, disproportionate non-random sampling, stratigraphic bias, potential filtering bias, accuracy and precision, correlating time-series segments, testing assumptions and divergent analytical methods, and analytical transparency. Even while this work primarily focuses on U-Pb age distributions, most of these factors (or variations of them) also apply to other geoscience disciplines. Thus, some of the discussions involve time-series consisting of εHf, δ¹⁸O-zircon, ¹⁴C, ¹⁰Be, marine δ¹³C, and marine δ¹⁸O. We then provide specific recommendations for minimizing adverse effects related to these factors, and in the process enhancing prospects for replicating geological results.

Challenges in water drainage within natural gas hydrate reservoirs in the Shenhu area of the South China Sea, characterized by high clay content and strong hydrophilicity, significantly hinder natural gas recovery. Examining the effects of gas pressure and liquid/gas saturation on gas permeability reveals essential insights for increasing gas production potential. We report gas displacement experiments on clayey-silt sediment samples, alongside X-ray computed tomography imaging, that reveal critical findings: a notable increase in flow rate and permeability as displacement pressure nears compaction pressure, highlighting the role of pressure management in enhancing recovery; water displacement from varying pore sizes under different pressures, highlighting the influence of pore size on fluid dynamics, and structural changes, including microfracture formation and a significant fracture that enlarges total pore space by about 15%, which collectively suggest methods to improve gas flow and recovery. Moreover, our analysis identifies average throat length, fractal dimension, and succolarity as principal controls on gas permeability, indicating the substantial impact of microstructural properties on extraction efficiency. These outcomes offer valuable strategies for optimizing natural gas hydrate reservoir development in the South China Sea, emphasizing the need for meticulous pressure and saturation control and in applying a deep understanding of microstructural dynamics.

Coastal regions are highly susceptible to the effects of global warming, including rising atmospheric and sea surface temperatures, increased cyclone frequency, and sea level rise. Thus, it is imperative to examine coastal vulnerability to minimize the impact of multiple hazards and protect coastal resources, such as mangroves. Particularly in India studying the vulnerability of coastal zones of Andaman and Nicobar Islands which fall in seismic zone V is critical for conservation efforts. We conducted a vulnerability analysis of coastal zones impacted by the 2004 earthquake, causing varying degrees of ground upliftment and subsidence. We compared coastal vulnerability among sites that experienced uplift, no change, and subsidence (the southern portion). Our analysis utilized the Coastal and Mangrove Vulnerability Index (CVI and MVI) to measure and compare vulnerability in six zones distributed along uplift and subsidence gradient. High-resolution satellite imagery including WorldView-2, 3, and GeoEye-1 from year 2022 are utilized on this study. The CVI and MVI offers a good way to measure and compare vulnerabilities across sites and offer insights for better management. The CVI and MVI results indicate that approximately 34% of coastal grids and over 23% of mangrove grids across all zones are highly to extremely highly vulnerable. Subsided zones were found to be more vulnerable than uplifted zones. These findings suggest that large-scale natural disturbances such as tectonic displacement have the potential to impact coastal vegetation and mangrove cover can become even more vulnerable. In conclusion, our study emphasizes the importance of vulnerability analyses in coastal regions, especially in areas prone to seismic activity. Our findings have direct implications for conservation and restoration efforts and underscore the need for continued monitoring and mitigation efforts to safeguard coastal resources for long-term sustainability.

The Tengchong volcano field (TVF), situated at the southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, holds crucial information regarding Cenozoic volcanic activities and geotectonic evolution of the SE Tibet. To provide new constraints on petrogenesis and evolution of the Tengchong volcanism, here we conducted copper (Cu) elemental and isotopic analyses on a suite of samples that document the evolution from basalts to andesites in the TVF. The basalts are Cu-depleted (29.7–36.9 ppm) and have higher δ⁶⁵Cu values (0.19‰–0.40‰, mean = 0.31‰ ± 0.05‰; n = 11) than those of mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORBs, ∼0.09‰) and the mantle (∼0.06‰) as well as the majority of island arc lavas. Along with the low Cu/Zr ratios, these characteristics are interpreted to reflect the fractionation of isotopically light sulfides in the S-saturated systems during magma ascent, rather than source heterogeneity induced by recycled materials and redox reactions. Compared with the basalts, the andesites have slightly lower Cu contents (14.4–29.4 ppm) and lighter Cu isotopic compositions (mean = –0.14‰ ± 0.06‰; n = 13). These differences cannot be attributed to progressive sulfide fractionation of basaltic magmas but require the assimilation of lower crustal materials with low δ⁶⁵Cu values during evolution of the andesitic magmas. Our results collectively suggest that Cu isotopes can provide valuable insights into magma origin and evolution.