We investigate the peak temperature of sedimentary rocks of the SW Alps (France), using Raman spectroscopy on carbonaceous material. This method provides an estimate of the peak temperature achieved by organic-rich rocks. To determine the timing and the tectonic context of the origin of these temperatures we use 1D thermal modelling. We find that the high temperatures up to 300 °C were achieved during precollisional extensional events, not during tectonic burial in the Western Alps.

The Central Andes are one of the most emblematic reliefs on Earth, but their western flank remains understudied. Here we explore two rare key sites in the hostile conditions of the Atacama desert to build cross-sections, quantify crustal shortening, and discuss the timing of this deformation at ∼20–22°S. We propose that the structures of the Western Andes accommodated significant crustal shortening here, but only during the earliest stages of mountain building.

We propose and apply a workflow to combine the modelling and interpretation of magnetic anomalies and resistivity anomalies to better image the basement. We test the method on a synthetic case study and apply it to real world data from the Cloncurry area (Queensland, Australia), which is prospective for economic minerals. Results suggest a new interpretation of the composition and structure towards to east of the profile that we modelled.

Infrequent eruptions of acidic magma are one of the most dangerous natural phenomena, but almost none of them have been witnessed by modern science. We present the first systematic characterization of seismicity recorded near an erupting acidic volcano (Cordón Caulle 2011). We define different phases of unrest and eruption, which combined with previous findings allows us to discuss the main processes associated with this type of violent eruption, with implications for their volcanic hazard.

In this study, the modelling results are used to help understand the performance of a helically wound fibre (HWC) from a field study at the New Afton mine, British Columbia. We introduce the numerical 3D model to model strain values in HWC to design more effective HWC system. The DAS dataset at New Afton, interpreted in the context of our modelling, serves as a practical demonstration of the extreme effects of surrounding media and coupling on HWC data quality.