A Michigan State University team is launching a project to study the underwater fault system where the 1946 tsunami originated, measuring vibrations of tectonic plates in the Alaskan-Aleutian subduction zone. This will help scientists assess whether the region poses a risk today and inform building codes.
A UH Mānoa study reveals the Hawaiian mantle plume has gotten hotter, producing two of the largest volcanoes in the Main Hawaiian Island chain. The research found a strong correlation between mantle temperatures and volcano size, with heat surges occurring at 14-20 million years ago and 0-6 million years ago.
Researchers identified nine typical disaster chain types driven by endogenic and exogenic dynamics, highlighting the need for interdisciplinary integration to understand complex geological disaster chains. The study also emphasizes the importance of 'multi-critical phase transitions' in understanding dynamic processes of disaster chains.
Researchers from Cambridge's Department of Earth Sciences mapped CO2-rich igneous rocks, finding their distribution is strongly tied to variations in Earth's lithosphere. The findings could guide the search for new rare earth deposits, particularly along the edges of thick and ancient continents.
Researchers found that a dense piece of lithospheric mantle beneath the Hangay Mountains broke off and sank into the deeper mantle about 125-114 million years ago. This 'foundering' event triggered melting of the mantle, generated magma, and caused the overlying crust to dome upward.
A research team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a comprehensive model simulating the present-day dynamics of western North America's lithosphere and convecting mantle. The study reveals that magma beneath supervolcanoes originates in the shallow asthenosphere, challenging traditional hypotheses about magma generation.
Thorsten Becker, a professor at UT Austin's Jackson School of Geosciences, has been elected to the German Academy of Sciences, Leopoldina, one of the oldest and most prestigious academies in the world. He joins as only three geodynamicists ever elected, recognizing his outstanding contributions to solid Earth system science.
A new study published in Science reveals that tectonic plates began moving around 3.5 billion years ago, with the Pilbara Craton in western Australia showing evidence of plate movement and drift. The research used ancient rock samples to track the motion of the plates, providing insights into Earth's history and evolution.
A Chinese research team detects high concentrations of microplastics and nanoplastics in urban atmospheres, revealing a previously underappreciated source of plastic pollution. The study provides new insights into the environmental transformation, fate, and broader implications of atmospheric plastics.
The study presents a comprehensive roadmap for building an integrated GGBEO to meet the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals and advance climate science. The system would integrate regional and global ground-based in situ and remote sensing systems, marine, and airborne observational data.
Gordon's pioneering work revealed diffuse plate boundaries and true polar wander, advancing fundamental understanding of tectonic plates. He also developed widely used global plate motion models, including NUVEL and MORVEL.
Researchers found that differences in tectonic plate thickness explain the extensive volcanism. Thinner lithosphere funneled hot plume material, causing uplift and volcanic activity. The study sheds light on global significance of the Iceland Plume.
Researchers discovered long-lived mantle plumes (~150 Myr) responsible for the Proto-Tethys Ocean's formation. The study revealed that these plumes initiated oceanic subduction, rifting, and break-up of continents.
Olivine is found to be highly infrared transparent, playing a significant role in radiative thermal conductivity. This process heats subducting slabs, enabling them to carry water-bearing minerals down to the Mantle Transition Zone, where it may remain for millions of years.
Researchers suggest early continental crust formed through deep Earth processes called mantle plumes, rather than plate tectonics. They analyzed ancient rocks and found evidence of a two-stage process involving mantle plume upwelling and gravitational sagduction of greenstones.
A new study reveals that deeply subducted carbonates can cause significant variations in Earth's mantle redox states, influencing diamond formation and craton evolution. This process shapes continent and diamond characteristics, with different mantle environments producing distinct redox signatures.
Researchers studied corona features on Venus' surface, finding signs of tectonic activity and buoyant mantle material beneath them. This discovery suggests ongoing processes driving coronae formation, potentially similar to Earth's past.
A PolyU research team found a rapid decline in global soil moisture over the past 40 years, resulting in significant water loss and sea level rise. The study suggests that precipitation deficits, global warming, and changing rainfall patterns are key factors behind this depletion.
Research finds that pyrope garnet can retain up to 0.2 wt.% water, potentially dominating water transport via basaltic slabs into the lower mantle. The study also reveals strong pressure-temperature dependence of water solubility in pyrope garnet.
Researchers have discovered unexpected zones in Earth's mantle beneath large oceans and continents, contradicting current plate tectonic theories. The new high-resolution model uses full-waveform inversion to reveal anomalies that may indicate ancient or iron-rich material.
A massive rockslide in East Greenland triggered a towering tsunami and a rare global seismic signal that resonated for nine days. The study reveals how climate change-induced events like glacial thinning can lead to significant geophysical phenomena with widespread impacts.
The study presents age, geochemical, and isotopic data of Hemler, Vlinder, and Il'ichev seamounts, showing they don't fit classic hotspot models, but have similar isotopic compositions to Rarotonga and Samoa plumes.
Researchers at Ehime University found that aluminum-enriched Superhydrous phase B (SuB) promotes unusual variations in velocities with increased water content. This discovery suggests that Al-bearing SuB may account for seismically visible anomalies at the bottom of the mantle transition region and beneath subduction zones.
Researchers used first-principles calculations to investigate antigorite's structure under high pressure and temperature conditions. The study found that antigorite gradually dehydrates as pressure increases, changing into a structure with a shorter wavelength, affecting the distribution of intermediate-depth earthquakes.
Researchers at Brown University discovered that the alignment of faults in rock formations plays a crucial role in determining where and when earthquakes occur. The study found that complex geometry beneath the surface contributes to stronger ground motions and more frequent earthquakes.
Researchers found high-concentration H2 leakage in the Sanshui Basin, suggesting vast accumulation or continuous source of natural hydrogen. The discovery proposes favorable locations for H2 exploration, particularly in rift basins with mantle upwelling and crustal thinning.
Researchers used computer simulations to demonstrate that a subduction zone originating in the Western Mediterranean will propagate into the Atlantic under the Strait of Gibraltar. This will create a new Atlantic subduction zone, which will then move down into the Earth's mantle.
A team of geologists from the University of Colorado Boulder has made a breakthrough in understanding the emergence of the Spanish Peaks. The study reveals that the peaks first formed around 24 million years ago when magma welled up from deep within Earth's crust, but didn't break through to the surface until about 17 million years ago.
Experiments found that silica decreases olivine hydrothermal alteration rates and hydrogen production at lower temperatures. However, higher temperatures counteract this effect, suggesting a complex interaction between silica and the system.
Oceanic lithosphere is hydrated through two stages: initial hydration at mid-ocean ridges and secondary hydration at subduction zones. The study found that subduction-related process contributes to most of the mantle hydration, playing a crucial role in plate tectonics and Earth's water cycle
A team of researchers from Japan found that water enhances energy dispersion and reduces elastic moduli in rocks, leading to increased seismic wave attenuation. The study suggests the oceanic asthenosphere must contain water, explaining sharp velocity drops and near-constant attenuation observed at the LAB.
African Superplume is responsible for rift-parallel deformation and seismic anisotropy in the East African Rift System, contradicting previous theories on plate-driving forces. The study uses 3D thermomechanical modeling to explain this phenomenon.
Researchers found that stable cratons have repeatedly deformed beneath their crust since formation, contradicting decades of plate tectonics theory. This deformation is caused by dense mantle keels peeling away from the lithosphere during supercontinent breakup.
A research team used a new seismic inversion algorithm to study lithospheric delamination and its controls on the Mesozoic Magmatic Province in South China. High-velocity anomalies were found at depths of less than 90 kilometers, suggesting lithosphere blocks began to delaminate at 180-170Ma.
Researchers found that the lithosphere's thickness and strength control earthquake locations in Britain and Ireland. Thinner and weaker lithosphere beneath western Britain triggers more earthquakes, while thicker and stronger lithosphere in Ireland results in fewer quakes.
Researchers used computer simulations to understand the formation of new subduction zones and the development of the Caribbean large igneous province. The study found that simultaneous subduction of two plates led to a major mantle flow, triggering the formation of a plume and extensive magmatic activity.
Researchers confirm that water causes incipient melting, leading to reduced S-wave velocity and enhanced electrical conductivity. The presence of low-velocity zones in continental China is attributed to basal hydration weakening the lithosphere, converting it into asthenosphere.
QUT researchers have solved a long-held geological conundrum about how diamonds formed in the deep roots of the earth's ancient continents. The study used computer modeling on an ancient rock sample to determine that diamonds are rare today and were always rare, challenging the existing explanation.
Researchers detected significant thermospheric fluctuations with multiple wave modes after the Tonga eruption, affecting global neutral density up to 500 km altitude. The study suggests that gravitational waves, Lamb waves, and tsunami waves may transmit energy upward, influencing thermospheric density.
The new articles explore the dynamics of slow and fast plate subduction, slab damage, and backarc opening in the central Mediterranean region. Another article examines mantle serpentinization and associated hydrogen flux at North Atlantic magma-poor rifted margins.
A new study by Brown researchers reveals that changes in tectonic plate thickness impact the location of the Denali Fault, a major strike-slip fault. The findings provide key insights into how geological faults behave as they deepen, shedding light on earthquake hazards.
This study by Prof. Yong-Fei Zheng examines the operation of plate tectonics, focusing on divergent-convergent coupling systems and their impact on material movement and energy transfer at plate margins. It highlights two key processes for the onset of plate tectonics: subduction initiation and lithospheric rifting.
Researchers studied oceanic intraplate faulting in the Caribbean, revealing a new mechanism of hydration that drives deep deformation of lithosphere. Meanwhile, texture shading of lidar digital terrain models improves understanding of geological structures in areas with limited exposure.
Deformation experiments on natural olivine reveal major faulting and earthquakes under deep mantle conditions. The growth of ultra-fine grained 'new' olivine induces rapid sliding of faults.
A team of researchers has confirmed that regions in the central Andes Mountains were formed through a process called lithospheric dripping, where parts of the planet's outer shell sink into the mantle over millions of years. This discovery may have implications for other terrestrial planets with non-Earth-like plate tectonics.
A team led by Northern Arizona University will investigate the tectonic and geodynamic processes controlling faulting, magmatism, and surface deformation in the Pacific Ocean. The research aims to better understand the asthenosphere's role in seismic and volcanic events.
A study by Ritsumeikan University researchers analyzed the life cycle assessment of nuclear power generation, revealing varying TMR coefficients across different mining methods and fuel cycles. The results show that nuclear power generates similar natural resources as renewable energy, significantly less than thermal power.
The study reveals hyperextension in the Qiongdongnan Basin's crust with characteristics of magmatic influence from the Hainan mantle plume. Low-velocity conduits indicate crustal magmatic footprints, supporting the plume's impact on rifted margins.
Researchers explored geological reconstructions using soil and air temperatures, petrogenesis of silicic magmas, and spatial skills for sequence stratigraphic interpretation. New data provide insights into homogeneous melt production and evolution of voluminous SMO magmas.
A recent seismic study reveals that Patagonia is rising as glaciers melt due to a gap in the tectonic plate under the region. The study found low seismic velocity and a thinning of the lithosphere above the gap, which is driving rapid uplift.
Numerical models reveal the factors controlling flat-slab subduction geometry, while 3D digital outcrop scanning enhances geological field mapping. The Cerro Blanco volcanic complex's magmatic evolution and architecture are also investigated.
Researchers at the University of Leicester have partnered with BHP to identify new areas for nickel and copper deposits critical to the electric vehicle (EV) revolution. The project aims to challenge current understanding of the nickel mineral system, potentially opening up new exploration search space globally.
A new study has found that serpentinite plays a crucial role in recycling oxygen in the Earth's tectonic plates. The research, led by Cornell University scientists, reveals that the oxidation state of the mantle is controlled by the subduction system's thermodynamic conditions and geometry.
Scientists propose an alternative model for the formation of nitrogen, oxygen, and water based on the Earth's atmosphere history. They suggest that the Earth's lower mantle can create heavier elements through nuclear transmutation under high temperatures and pressures.
Researchers investigated GPS measurements in Tibet, revealing eastward transport and clockwise rotation of crust. They also explored ancient tectonic phenomena, including the breakup of Gondwana and the generation of the Neo-Tethys Ocean. High-resolution cyclostratigraphy was used to study the Keeler Basin in California.
The InSight mission provides clues to Mars' composition, mapping its crust, mantle, and core for the first time. Researchers find a multi-layered crust with an average thickness of 24-72 kilometers and a thick lithosphere beneath.
Researchers from ETH Zurich analyzed data from NASA's InSight mission, revealing that Mars' crust, mantle, and core have distinct structures. The findings suggest that Mars was once completely molten, but now has a thinner crust with a relatively high proportion of radioactive elements.
EarthLab aims to simulate physical climate, environmental, and ecological systems for better predicting natural disasters and understanding Earth's spheres. The facility will enable researchers to predict Earth systems on a vast time and spatial scale.
The study reveals features on Venus that suggest limited yet global crustal deformation driven by convection in the planet's interior. The findings support the hypothesis that planetary heat flux and a thinner lithosphere were present during Earth's Archean Eon.
New analysis of Venus' surface reveals evidence of tectonic motion in the form of crustal blocks that have jostled against each other. The movement of these blocks could indicate that Venus is still geologically active and give scientists insight into both exoplanet tectonics and the earliest tectonic activity on Earth.