There is still considerable controversy over the duration of the subduction-collision orogeny process of the Wushan-Shangdan Ocean. Here, we present new geochronological and geochemical data for Silurian granites from the North Qinling Orogen. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) the ocean had closed prior to 438 Ma; (2) The transition phase from syn-collision to post-collision took place between 429 and 421 Ma; (3) A three-stage tectonic model of the Wushan-Shangdan Ocean is proposed.

Detrital zircons from Saghro Group sediments reveal the underlying basement's nature within the Sirwa massif. The returned 2.1 Ga age indicates Paleoproterozoic basement exposure along the Saghro Group basin margins, without Ediacaran sediment interaction. These findings support the hypothesis of Paleoproterozoic crust extending north of the Anti-Atlas Major Fault (AAMF), suggesting a definitive suture zone may extend further north, possibly aligning with the South Atlas Fault (SAF).

Mapping rock fractures in high resolution aerial images is essential for understanding Earth processes and managing resources, but manual tracing is slow and inconsistent. We created FraXet, a large harmonized dataset of nearly nine thousand images, and compared standard image filters with modern deep learning models. The deep learning methods were far more accurate and produced smoother, more reliable maps, while also showing where results are uncertain.