Featured
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Article
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Europium in plagioclase-hosted melt inclusions reveals mantle melting modulates oxygen fugacity
Distributions of the multivalent element Europium are used to recover the partial pressure of oxygen from basaltic mantle melt inclusions trapped in plagioclase crystals, suggesting Earth’s mantle is reduced by partial melting.
- Nicholas Dygert
- , Gokce K. Ustunisik
- & Roger L. Nielsen
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Article
| Open Access
Subslab ultra low velocity anomaly uncovered by and facilitating the largest deep earthquake
A small ultralow velocity anomaly has been identified between the Pacific subduction and upper-lower mantle boundary. This anomaly implies significant buoyancy, which may bring the slab easier to develop into a M8+ deep earthquake.
- Weiwen Chen
- , Shengji Wei
- & Weitao Wang
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Full-waveform tomography reveals iron spin crossover in Earth’s lower mantle
This study reveals that in the Earth’s mid-mantle, ferropericlase (the second most abundant mineral) undergoes a major electronic reconfiguration. At the base of the mantle, an enrichment in silica may represent a crystallised ancient magma ocean.
- Laura Cobden
- , Jingyi Zhuang
- & Jeroen Tromp
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Magmatism controls global oceanic transform fault topography
Spreading-rate dependent magmatism plays a central role in controlling the global systematics of oceanic transform fault topography, according to geodynamic modelling.
- Xiaochuan Tian
- , Mark D. Behn
- & Anton A. Popov
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Deglaciation-enhanced mantle CO2 fluxes at Yellowstone imply positive climate feedback
The retreat of the #Yellowstone ice cap reduced mantle pressures. Using models, we predict this enhanced mantle melting 19-fold, segregating a globally-significant mass of CO2 and potentially contributing to feedbacks between deglaciation and climate.
- Fiona Clerc
- , Mark D. Behn
- & Brent M. Minchew
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Onset of double subduction controls plate motion reorganisation
In face-to-face double subduction, the development of subduction in the younger system restrains subduction in the older system and results in plate motion reorganisation, according to geodynamic modelling.
- Kuidi Zhang
- , Jie Liao
- & Taras Gerya
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Article
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Archaean continental crust formed from mafic cumulates
Earth’s early continental crust formed by the melting of plagioclase-cumulates. Melting of these rocks, and subsequent crustal delamination and remelting, can explain the growth and differentiation of the continental crust during the Archaean.
- Matthijs A. Smit
- , Kira A. Musiyachenko
- & Jeroen Goumans
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Widespread PREMA in the upper mantle indicated by low-degree basaltic melts
PREMA, the highly fusible Prevalent Mantle now found throughout the mantle, may have been generated soon after Earth’s accretion with minimal subsequent modification, according to a combination of composition data from Cenozoic sodic basalts and mantle convection simulations
- Ronghua Cai
- , Jingao Liu
- & Senan Oesch
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Article
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Inner core static tilt inferred from intradecadal oscillation in the Earth’s rotation
A static tilt of some 0.17° between the rotation axes of the solid inner core and the mantle is inferred from the observed approximate 8.5 year periodic inner core wobble in both polar motion and length-of-day variations of the Earth’s rotation.
- Yachong An
- , Hao Ding
- & Weiping Jiang
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Article
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Vertical tearing of subducting plates controlled by geometry and rheology of oceanic plates
Vertical tearing promotes continuous segmentation of subducting plates, but its dynamics and physical controls remain debated. This work indicates that trench geometry and plate rheology control the self-sustained process of vertical tearing.
- Yaguang Chen
- , Hanlin Chen
- & Taras Gerya
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Paleogene India-Eurasia collision constrained by observed plate rotation
Dynamic 3D modelling of counterclockwise rotation of the Indian plate, which peaked at 52-44 and 33-20 Ma, reveals the diachronous India-Eurasia collision from western-centre to east since 55 ± 5 Ma and complete collision since 40 ± 5 Ma.
- Xiaoyue Wu
- , Jiashun Hu
- & Lijun Liu
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Article
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Small-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
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Garnet 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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Upper-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
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Emplacement 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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Rapid transition from primary to secondary crust building on the Moon explained by mantle overturn
Overturn of late stage lunar magma ocean cumulates triggers a rapid & short-lived episode of lower mantle melting that explains the key volume, geochronological, & spatial characteristics of the earliest secondary crust on the Moon (Mg-suite).
- Tabb C. Prissel
- , Nan Zhang
- & Haoyuan Li
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Basin 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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Volcanic evolution of an ultraslow-spreading ridge
A new age map of the rift valley at an ultraslow-spreading ridge reveals that 50% of the lava flows are <25,000 years old. The study documents a continuous volcanic surface renewal with eruptions occurring throughout the width of the rift valley.
- H. H. Stubseid
- , A. Bjerga
- & R. B. Pedersen
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Fluid-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
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Evidence 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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Magmatic 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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Dueling 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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Ghost-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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New 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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| Open Access
Genesis of Hawaiian lavas by crystallization of picritic magma in the deep mantle
Here the authors demonstrate that Hawaiian lavas are formed by partial melting of mantle peridotite with subsequent fractionation of clinopyroxene and garnet in the deep magma chamber (90 km) and reequilibration with harzburgite at a shallower depth (<60 km).
- Junlong Yang
- , Chao Wang
- & Zhenmin Jin
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Remnant of the late Permian superplume that generated the Siberian Traps inferred from geomagnetic data
Discovering ancient mantle plumes is challenging. By combining electrical conductivity with mineral physics modelling, this work finds a remnant of an ancient plume trapped in the mantle transition zone and sheds new light on mantle plume physics.
- Shiwen Li
- , Yabin Li
- & Aihua Weng
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Article
| Open Access
Evidence of ghost plagioclase signature induced by kinetic fractionation of europium in the Earth’s mantle
Researchers found natural evidence of kinetic Eu anomalies caused by melt-induced diffusion in mantle peridotite clinopyroxene, providing an alternative to crustal recycling for the enigmatic ghost plagioclase signatures in oceanic basalts.
- Romain Tilhac
- , Károly Hidas
- & Carlos J. Garrido
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Article
| Open Access
Subduction initiation triggered the Caribbean large igneous province
Using a large-scale 3D geodynamic model, the authors show how the transfer of subduction zone from the Pacific to the Atlantic triggered the formation of a mantle plume at the origin of the Cretaceous Caribbean Large Igneous province.
- Nicolas Riel
- , João C. Duarte
- & Anton Popov
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Magmatic plumbing and dynamic evolution of the 2021 La Palma eruption
In a new study, the authors use seismological methods to understand the eruption of La Palma 2021. Results suggest a preparatory phase of de-stabilisation of a mushy reservoir, and a co-eruptive phase with seismicity controlled by the drainage and interplay of two reservoirs.
- Carmen del Fresno
- , Simone Cesca
- & Carmen López
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Ordovician–Silurian true polar wander as a mechanism for severe glaciation and mass extinction
Palaeomagnetic data from South China and compiled reliable palaeopoles from 4 other continents reveals a ~50˚ true polar wander (TPW) event occurring 450–440 million years ago. Sweeping Gondwana across the South Pole, this TPW event induced the Ordovician glaciation and mass extinction.
- Xianqing Jing
- , Zhenyu Yang
- & Bo Wan
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Greenstone burial–exhumation cycles at the late Archean transition to plate tectonics
Supracrustal rocks of the Yilgarn orogen underwent deep burial, and later syn-shortening exhumation. Archean exhumation processes were likely less efficient that today, so that complete exhumation of high-pressure rocks was rare and accidental.
- Zibra Ivan
- , Kemp Anthony I S
- & Romano Sandra S
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Seismic evidence for uniform crustal accretion along slow-spreading ridges in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean
Uniform magmatic crust formed at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean reveals a two-dimensional mantle upwelling facilitated by the large transform faults and the high concentration of volatiles in the primitive melt in the mantle.
- Zhikai Wang
- & Satish C. Singh
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Venus’ light slab hinders its development of planetary-scale subduction
The simulation of slab buoyancy in 2-D models shows that Venus’ light slabs, due to a less eclogitized crust, experience more resistance to subduction. Thus, plate tectonics might have been more difficult to develop on Venus than on Earth.
- Junxing Chen
- , Hehe Jiang
- & Xu Chu
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| Open Access
Insights into magma ocean dynamics from the transport properties of basaltic melt
The viscosity of magma plays a crucial role in the dynamics of planet Earth. In this study, the authors show how transport properties of basaltic melt can give us insights into magma ocean dynamics.
- Suraj K. Bajgain
- , Aaron Wolfgang Ashley
- & Bijaya B. Karki
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Global thermal spring distribution and relationship to endogenous and exogenous factors
Data from 6000 geothermal areas worldwide are analyzed with a machine learning approach. The analysis suggests and confirms a dominant role of the terrestrial heat flow, topography, volcanism and extensional tectonics.
- G. Tamburello
- , G. Chiodini
- & C. Masciantonio
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Matters Arising
| Open Access
Reply to: Towards solving the missing ice problem and the importance of rigorous model data comparisons
- Evan J. Gowan
- , Xu Zhang
- & Gerrit Lohmann
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| Open Access
The role of gravitational body forces in the development of metamorphic core complexes
A long-standing controversy surrounds low-angle nature of observed detachment faults within metamorphic core complexes. Here, the authors show that post-orogenic collapse of mountain belts can create a low-angle detachment, resolving the controversy.
- Alireza Bahadori
- , William E. Holt
- & Lucy M. Flesch
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| Open Access
Feedbacks between sea-floor spreading, trade winds and precipitation in the Southern Red Sea
Testing feedbacks between climatic and geological processes are challenging. Here, the authors show that geomorphological features of the southern Red Sea margin are best interpreted by a feedback cycle between orographic precipitation, mid-ocean spreading and coastal magmatism, and that the feedback is enhanced by the trade wind.
- Kurt Stüwe
- , Jörg Robl
- & Finlay M. Stuart
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| Open Access
Evidence for a developing plate boundary in the western Mediterranean
Conventional models propose multiple fault systems across a diffuse deformation zone absorbing plate convergence in the western Mediterranean. Here the authors show new data supporting the active development of a single plate boundary fault system, representing an underappreciated seismic and tsunami hazard.
- Laura Gómez de la Peña
- , César R. Ranero
- & Abdelkarim Yelles-Chaouche
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Inferring interiors and structural history of top-shaped asteroids from external properties of asteroid (101955) Bennu
Asteroid interiors are key to understand their formation and evolution. Here, the authors show that numerically simulated low-cohesion and low-friction structures with several high-cohesion internal zones can explain asteroid Bennu’s geophysical characteristics and the absence of the moons.
- Yun Zhang
- , Patrick Michel
- & Dante S. Lauretta
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Article
| Open Access
Coupled influence of tectonics, climate, and surface processes on landscape evolution in southwestern North America
Cenozoic landscape evolution of southwestern North America remains debated. Here, the authors reconstruct landscape using 4-D numerical models, which can explain extensional collapse and superficial geological record for the Basin and Range Province
- Alireza Bahadori
- , William E. Holt
- & Catherine Badgley
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Article
| Open Access
Inverse altitude effect disputes the theoretical foundation of stable isotope paleoaltimetry
The “inverse altitude effect” (IEA) directly contradicts the basic theory of stable isotope paleoaltimetry. This study explores the causes of the IAE from an atmospheric circulation perspective using δD in water vapor on the global scale.
- Zhaowei Jing
- , Wusheng Yu
- & Rong Guo
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| Open Access
Early Cambrian renewal of the geodynamo and the origin of inner core structure
New single crystal paleointensity data show that the geomagnetic field was renewed in the early Cambrian after near collapse in the Ediacaran Period. This implies that the innermost/outermost structure of the inner core formed 450 million yrs. ago.
- Tinghong Zhou
- , John A. Tarduno
- & Frank Padgett III
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Article
| Open Access
Megathrust reflectivity reveals the updip limit of the 2014 Iquique earthquake rupture
The rupture area of the 2014 Iquique earthquake offshore northern Chile was spatially limited to a region where the plate boundary is non-reflective in seismic images, indicative of low fluid pressure. In contrast, north and updip of the rupture area, a coherent highly reflective plate boundary indicates excess fluid pressure, which may inhibit strain accumulation, while strain release in the non-reflective rupture area occurs during large earthquakes.
- Bo Ma
- , Jacob Geersen
- & Heidrun Kopp
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Article
| Open Access
Stability of high-temperature salty ice suggests electrolyte permeability in water-rich exoplanet icy mantles
Hot cubic ice is shown to retain dissolved salt in its lattice, suggesting the mantle of water-rich exoplanets is more permeable to electrolytes than assumed, which has implications on its properties and on the element cycles inside such planets.
- Jean-Alexis Hernandez
- , Razvan Caracas
- & Stéphane Labrosse
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Low-degree mantle melting controls the deep seismicity and explosive volcanism of the Gakkel Ridge
Joint implementation of seismic tomography and numerical thermo-mechanical modeling sheds light to the causes of explosive submarine volcanic eruptions on the Gakkel Ridge and deeply penetrating seismicity down to 25 km depth.
- Ivan Koulakov
- , Vera Schlindwein
- & Aleksey Ivanov
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Article
| Open Access
A strength inversion origin for non-volcanic tremor
Subduction plate boundaries have enigmatic seismic tremor that is often associated with surges in creep across these boundaries. Here, the authors use multiple approaches to show how blocks of weak rocks in a stronger matrix can explain both the occurrence and characteristics of tremor events.
- Paola Vannucchi
- , Alexander Clarke
- & Jason P. Morgan
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| Open Access
Probing the seismic cycle timing with coseismic twisting of subduction margins
Satellite geodesy and downscaled laboratory experiments reveal that great subduction earthquakes trigger step changes in kinematics of neighboring segments. This signal is potentially informative of the timing of the seismic cycle.
- F. Corbi
- , J. Bedford
- & Z. Deng
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| Open Access
Creep-dilatancy development at a transform plate boundary
This study shows a direct evidence of pore pressure changes in seabed sediments associated with slow and transient slip along the North Anatolian Fault. This is a major contribution to our understanding of the role of slow-slip events in earthquake cycles.
- Nabil Sultan
- , Shane Murphy
- & Louis Géli
Ocean cavity regime shift reversed West Antarctic grounding line retreat in the late Holocene