Banded iron formations (BIFs) are chemical sediments last seen in the marine sedimentary record ca. 600 million years ago. Here, we report on the formation mechanisms of a modern BIF analog in the Cape Vani sedimentary basin (CVSB) on Milos Island, Greece, demonstrating that rare environmental redox conditions, coupled to submarine hydrothermal activity and microbial processes, are required for these types of rocks to form in the modern marine biosphere.

We examine the Himalayan Mountains of Bhutan by integrating balanced geologic cross sections with cooling ages from a suite of mineral systems. Interpretations of cooling ages are intrinsically linked to both the motion along faults as well as the location and magnitude of erosion. In this study, we use flexural and thermal kinematic models to understand the sensitivity of predicted cooling ages to changes in fault kinematics, geometry, and topography.

The Earth's surface is characterized by numerous geological processes, formed throughout the Earth's history to present day. The interior (mantle), on which plates rest, undergoes convection motion, generating stresses in the lithosphere plate and also causing the plate motion. This study shows that shallow density heterogeneities in the upper 300 km have a limited influence on the modeled horizontal stress field as opposed to the resulting topography, giving the importance depth sampling.

We measured the elastic and fluid flow properties in a ductile-brittle shear zone. The results suggest that although brittle deformation has persisted in the recent fault evolution, precursory ductile microstructure continues to control the petrophysical properties outside the fault core. The results are a glimpse into the evolutionary path of a shear zone during the ductile to brittle transition and are insightful for geothermal energy and geologic waste disposal exploitation and usage.

Sediments containing hydrates dispersed in the pore space show a characteristic seismic anomaly: a high attenuation along with increasing seismic velocities. Recent major findings from synchrotron experiments revealed the systematic presence of thin water films between quartz and gas hydrate. Our numerical studies support earlier speculation that squirt flow causes high attenuation at seismic frequencies but are based on a conceptual model different to those previously considered.

The occurrence of boninite in the northern Zambales ophiolite is reported. Boninite is a relatively rare high-magnesium andesite that is intimately associated with early arc volcanism and the initiation of subduction zones. Taken as a whole, the geological and geochemical characteristics of Zambales and Izu-Ogasawara–Mariana forearc volcanic sequences enables a refined geodynamic reconstruction of subduction initiation.

The speed of land use changes is much higher than in the past, which led to many changes in the environment and ecological processes. These changes cause some changes in the climate, the amount of pollution and biodiversity. Monitoring and modeling historical situation of the region can be used to anticipate the negative effects of these changes in order to protect resources. Agriculture class will be faced with a huge reduction of carbon sequestration because of expansion of residential areas.

Physical aspects and knowledge of soil erosion in six rural communities in Chiapas, Mexico, were assessed. Average erosion rates estimated using the RUSLE model ranged from 200 to 1200 ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. Most erosion rates were relatively high due to steep slopes, sandy soils, and bare land cover. The results of a knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) survey showed that some communities with high erosion rates also had less knowledge of and more negative attitudes towards soil erosion management.

The thermal state of the Earth's crust determines how it reacts to tectonic forces and to fluid flow responsible for ore formation. We hypothesize that the angle between plate motion and convergent boundaries determines the thermal regime of subduction zones (where a plate goes under another one). Computer models and a geological reconstruction of Turkey were used to validate this hypothesis. This research was done to validate a hypothesis made on the basis of nonquantitative field data.

This study constrains the post-glacial rebound signal in Scandinavia and northern Europe via the combined inversion of prior forward model information with GPS-measured vertical land motion data and GRACE gravity data. The best-fit model for vertical motion rates has a χ² value of ~ 1 and a maximum uncertainty of 0.3–0.4 mm yr⁻¹. An advantage of inverse models relative to forward models is their ability to estimate formal uncertainties associated with the post-glacial rebound process.

Aluminum-rich granulites from Austria contain large garnets with kyanite inclusions. Garnets are built up from compositionally different types. They are replaced partially by various symplectites. Thermodynamic analysis points to metasomatic alteration and rock decompression due to tectonic transport at high temperatures from deep to middle crustal levels. The various symplectites were formed after decompression during cooling within a short time interval of less than 500 years.

A balanced cross section across the hypocentre of the 2017 Iran–Iraq M_w 7.3 earthquake is presented. The structural style of the area is characterised by inversion tectonics with partial decoupling between the basement and the 10 km thick sedimentary cover. The main shock is located along a low-dipping lateral ramp of the Mountain Front Fault. The balanced cross section indicates that the Mountain Front Fault is the only fault where an M_w 7.3 earthquake may occur.