Recent  

This study challenged previous understanding of the conjugate relationship between the Goban Spur and Flemish Cap, and supports the conjugate relationship between the Porcupine Bank and Flemish Cap instead from a seismic perspective, which is further illustrated in different deformable plate reconstruction models, revealing complex 3D kinematics during the orogenic, orogenic collapse, and oblique extension stages between both margin sides. 

We investigated the prehistoric earthquakes produced by the Galera Fault (S Spain) during the las 24000 years. We deduced from these analysis the basic parameters that permit to characterize the seismic hazard of this fault. Furthermore, we discuss how the Galera Fault is prone to produce seismic crisis. We also propose that one of these crises could have been responsable for the abandonment of Bronze Age human settlements located near the fault.

The Shanxi Rift is a young active rift in North China that formed superimposed on a Proterozoic orogen. The impact of these structures on the active rift faults is poorly constrained. Here we quantify the landscape response to active faulting and compare these to published maps of inherited structures. We find that inherited structures played an important role in the segmentation of the Shanxi Rift and in the development of Rift Interaction Zones, the most active regions of the Shanxi Rift.

We investigate the upper-crustal structure of the Rukwa-Tanganyika Rift Zone, East Africa, where earthquakes anomalously cluster at the tips and axes of active rifts. Rift tip earthquakes collocate with a zone of distributed faulting in exposed crystalline basement. Seismic velocity structure reveals ~10 km-deep zones of anomalously high Vp/Vs ratios at the rift tips representing localized mechanical weakening of the crust, interpreted to be a precursory phase that initiates rift propagation.

Rifting and the break-up of continents is a key aspect of Earth’s plate tectonic system. A thorough understanding of the geological processes involved in rifting, as well as of the associated natural hazards and resources, is of great importance in the context of the energy transition. Here, we provide a coherent overview of rift processes and the links with hazards and resources, and we assess future challenges and opportunities for (collaboration between) researchers, government, and industry.

Continental terranes have various rheological strengths due to the differences on their ages, compositions and structures. We applied four assumed rheological models to three terranes in a collisional model, and obtained four styles of lithosphere deformation pattern of collision, subduction, thickening/delamination, and replacement. These simulation patterns are seen in observed lithosphere deformation patterns and structures in East Asia.

We tested four already known seismic models used for processing of data provided by the seismic network REYKJANET operated on the Reykjanes peninsula in Iceland. We performed a detailed analysis of those models with respect to their performance. The analysis enabled to select the best suiting model. We proposed a simple modification of the preferred model so that an additional layer is added individually below each station. This modified model yields much better data fit and is easy to use.

The Atlantic Ocean results from the break-up of the palaeocontinent Gondwana. Since then, the Brazilian and African margins record a thick volcanic layers and received a large contribution of sediments recording this process. We show the influence of early volcanics on the sediments deposited later by analysing the Pelotas Margin, south of Brazil. The volume of volcanic layers is not homogeneous along this sector, promoting variation in the space available to accommodate later sediments.

The greening of the economy will require resources that can be found in the ocean, at the boundaries between continental and oceanic crust. I present a synthesis of the continent-ocean boundaries of the southern North Atlantic Ocean to assess their deep structures and to discuss how they were formed. With this knowledge, it is possible to start evaluating these regions of the Earth for their capacity to produce hydrogen and critical minerals, and to store excess carbon dioxide.

This work proposes a new equation to calculate the 3D average particle diameter from 2D datasets acquired through image analysis technique applied on thin sectioned granular materials (loose sands with different textural and mineralogical features). The employed volume-weighted mean diameter equation provides matching results with data gained by laser granulometry and could be applied in many research areas spanning from Earth Sciences, Engineering and Material Sciences.

Known high-value lead-zinc deposits formed in sedimentary basins created when tectonic plates rifted apart. We use computer simulations of rifting and the associated erosion and deposition of sediments to understand why they formed in some basins, but not in others. We find that conditions for deposit formation can briefly occur in both narrow and wide rifts for at most 3 My. Our models predict that the largest and the most deposits form in narrow margins of plates that rift asymmetrically.

We assessed the poro-perm relations of both host rocks and fault rocks of Mesozoic carbonate rocks, by integrating a laboratory petrophysical study with a digital image analysis. Three different protocols were employed to compute permeability: i) Effective Medium Theory on laboratory data, ii) constant crack aperture and iii) crack density values from 2D images. Carbonate host rocks did not show a clear poro-perm trend due to the presence of stiff, sub-rounded pores and of small vugs.

Smøla Island, in the Mid-Norwegian margin, has complex fracture and fault patterns resulting from tectonic activity. This study uses a multiple method approach to unravel Smøla's tectonic history. We found five different phases of deformation related to various fracture geometries and minerals, dating back hundreds of millions of years. 3D models of these features visualise these structures in space. This approach may help us to understand offshore oil and gas reservoirs hosted in the basement.

We explore the causal relationship between the arrival of the Afar plume and the initiation of the Afro-Arabian rift. We mapped the rift architecture in the triple junction region from geophysical data and reviewed the available geological temporal evidence. We infer a progressive development of the plume-rift system and suggest an interaction between active and passive mechanisms in which the plume provided a push-force that changed the kinematics of the associated plates.

Geothermal heat flow influences ice sheet dynamics, making its investigation important for ice-covered regions. Here we evaluate the sparse measurements for their agreement with regional Solid Earth models as well as with a statistical approach. This shows that some points should be excluded from regional studies. In particular, the NGRIP point, which strongly influences heat flow maps and the distribution of high basal melts, should be statistically considered as an outlier.

Stishovite can incorporate varying amounts of water (H⁺, OH⁻, and H₂O). We here provide a systematic review of previous studies on water in stishovite and propose a new model for water solubility in Al-bearing stishovite. Our results illustrated stishovite could effectively take over water released from processes such as breakdown and dehydration of hydrous minerals during slab subduction (>9 GPa), and thus could be an important hydrogen carrier making a water-rich transition zone.