Comprehensive Provenance Research Articles

Provenance of the Mesoproterozoic Shennongjia Group in the north Yangtze Block, South China, and implications for reconstructions of the Nuna and Rodinia supercontinents

Magmatic activity in the range ca. 1.6−1.5 Ga is spatially restricted globally, and its distribution has been an important tool for constraining the reconstruction of the Nuna supercontinent. Abundant ca. 1.6 Ga detrital zircons have recently been discovered in the Luanshigou and Taizi formations of the middle Mesoproterozoic Shennongjia Group in the north Yangtze Block, South China. Detrital zircon age spectra and multi-dimensional scaling results indicate the Shennongjia Group was derived from variable sources. The ca. 1.6 Ga detrital zircons in the middle Mesoproterozoic units were probably sourced from Laurentia and Australia-Mawson, whereas detrital zircons of other age groups were provided by the local rock units in the north Yangtze Block. Similarities in sedimentary sequences, detrital zircon age spectra, and corresponding Hf isotopic patterns of the Shennongjia Group with other Mesoproterozoic successions in Yangtze Block (e.g., Baoban-Shilu, Huili, and Kunyang groups) suggest that the block contained a number of micro-blocks during the Mesoproterozoic. Furthermore, the compiled new and published detrital zircon data from the north Yangtze Block along with those from other continents containing ca. 1.6 Ga zircons reveal that the Yangtze Block was most likely situated within a rift zone between southeast Australia-Mawson and southwest Laurentia. The ca. 1.6 Ga zircons in the Shennongjia Group were derived from these bounding source regions during the middle Mesoproterozoic. By the late Mesoproterozoic, based on a comprehensive provenance analyses and comparison of detrital zircon data, the Yangtze Block was probably located on the margins of the Rodinia supercontinent, close to north-central India, Australia, and East Antarctica.

ScrollTimes: Tracing the Provenance of Paintings as a Window Into History.

The study of cultural artifact provenance, tracing ownership and preservation, holds significant importance in archaeology and art history. Modern technology has advanced this field, yet challenges persist, including recognizing evidence from diverse sources, integrating sociocultural context, and enhancing interactive automation for comprehensive provenance analysis. In collaboration with art historians, we examined the handscroll, a traditional Chinese painting form that provides a rich source of historical data and a unique opportunity to explore history through cultural artifacts. We present a three-tiered methodology encompassing artifact, contextual, and provenance levels, designed to create a "Biography" for handscroll. Our approach incorporates the application of image processing techniques and language models to extract, validate, and augment elements within handscroll using various cultural heritage databases. To facilitate efficient analysis of non-contiguous extracted elements, we have developed a distinctive layout. Additionally, we introduce ScrollTimes, a visual analysis system tailored to support the three-tiered analysis of handscroll, allowing art historians to interactively create biographies tailored to their interests. Validated through case studies and expert interviews, our approach offers a window into history, fostering a holistic understanding of handscroll provenance and historical significance.

Early Jurassic initiation of the modern drainage pattern of the Dabie orogen (East China) revealed by a multi‐proxy provenance approach

AbstractThe timing of the initiation of the present‐day tectonic architecture and drainage systems in eastern China remains debated. This study presents a comprehensive provenance study of the Early Jurassic peripheral basins surrounding the Dabie orogen including framework petrography, heavy‐mineral analysis, single‐grain chronology and chemistry. Clasts of high‐grade schist, muscovite grains, rare gneissic fragments, abundant metamorphic garnet and phengite (Si > 3.3 pfu), combined with a main 216–256 Ma rutile U–Pb population found in these Early Jurassic sandstones, indicate a source from the Triassic (U)HP belt in the Dabie orogen. Sedimentary lithics and ultra‐stable heavy‐mineral assemblages indicate an additional source of recycled sedimentary rocks. Combined with the continuous shift of the youngest detrital rutile age population toward younger ages toward the north that mimics the pattern of metamorphic bedrock ages in the Dabie orogen, we infer that the present surface tectonic architecture and paleodrainage patterns of the Dabie orogen were established in the Early Jurassic. Thus, the Early Jurassic exhumation of the Dabie orogen marked the development of the watershed between Northern and Southern China, namely the Huai River and several principal tributary systems of the middle‐lower Yangtze River.

Optimization and validation of universal response functions for interior spruce (Picea glauca, Picea engelmannii, and their hybrids)

Ecological models, including various forms of population transfer and response functions, have been widely employed to predict the performance of forest trees under future climate conditions. However, the accuracy of model predictions remains a challenge due to the lack of systematic model optimization and validation processes. In this study, we explored a series of candidate universal response functions (URFs) based on comprehensive provenance trials for interior spruce, a tree hybrid complex of great ecological and economic importance in British Columbia. We first developed URFs with various numbers of climate variables and their combinations, then evaluated and validated these models with conventional statistical methods. Although these models showed high predictive power and performed well in statistical validation, the map visualizations of these models varied substantially. Therefore, we further conducted a pixel-wise spatial validation based on site productivity data to identify the model with the best performance. Finally, we analyzed the impact of climate change on interior spruce based on the final model. Our results revealed that: 1) a minimum number of independent climate variables is required to generate a reliable and informative ecological model; 2) spatial validation is critical to ensure the credibility of ecological models; 3) among-population variation resulting from local adaptation is relatively weak, indicating a potential for modest productivity gains from selecting well-adapted populations for stand establishment; and 4) most of the current interior spruce habitat is projected to be vulnerable to anthropogenic climate change, largely due to temperature rise, with a major upslope shift predicted.

Geochemical characterisation of mangrove sediments in Tiko (SW, Cameroon, West Africa): Implication for provenance, paleoweathering and sediment maturity

Geochemistry was performed on clastic core sediments from the Tiko Mangroves estuary, South western region of Cameroon, to categorise the rock source composition, tectonic setting, past weathering intensity of the source area in relation to past climate and sediment maturity in relation to sedimentary cycle. Plots of La/Co, La/Sc, Cr/Th, discriminant function (DF1&2), TiO2vs Al2O3 and TiO2 vs Zr point to an acid (felsic) and mixed (intermediate) rock source composition for the Tiko sediments. The acid composition portrayed by the sediments is also confirmed by their LREE (Light rare earth elements) abundance, and a negative Europium anomaly on chondrite normalisation, while the intermediate (mix) composition reflects the multiple sources of the sediments (Douala Basin and basaltic debris from Mount Cameroon). Binary plots Discriminant function (A-P) M, and Discriminant function (A-P) MT signpost active tectonic domain for the studied sediments, that resulted from the tectonothermal of the Pan African orogenic history and eruptive activity of the mount Cameroon. The weathering indexes denoted as CIX (chemical index of weathering) and PIX (plagioclase index of weathering) for the Tiko sediments advocate an intense source area weathering in a humid hot climate. The PIX advocate a high-level plagioclase lixiviation. The low values of ICV (index compositional variation) less than 1 (<1) couple with correlation plots Zr/Sc vs Th/Sc, and Zr vs (La/Yb)N confirms that Tiko mangrove sediments are matured recycled sediments with compositional variations. This is the first comprehensive provenance study of mangrove ecosystem sediments in Cameroon.

Sediment provenance and dispersal in the early Eocene Dongying Depression, Bohai Bay Basin, Eastern China: Evidence from detrital zircon geochronology, geochemistry and petrology

Comprehensive provenance studies of syn-rift basin fills are required to better understand possible sources of clastic detritus and sediment routing systems. The Eocene fill of the Bohai Bay Basin in eastern China represents a syn-rift succession, where subsurface datasets permit investigation of sediment sources and sinks. New detrital zircon U–Pb samples (441 detrital zircon grains) from six wells were combined with elemental geochemical analysis of siliciclastic sediment, sandstone petrography and palynology to investigate depositional ages and provenance. This study demonstrates the importance of integrating geochronometry, geochemistry, petrology and palynology datasets to fully unravel syn-rift sediment provenance and routing. Zircons of the Dongying Depression were derived principally from an active continental margin island-arc setting characterized by felsic acid magmas, and subordinately from a recycled orogenic belt. The Shicun and Binnan faults controlled the relationship between sediment routing systems and source areas, explaining spatial differences of provenance signals in the depression. The routing system around the Shicun fault is characterized by a dominance of late Paleozoic and Paleoproterozoic zircons and subordinate Mesozoic zircons. In contrast, increased Mesozoic zircons in samples from south of the Binnan fault provide evidence of Mesozoic magmatism in this area. The early Eocene sediments record the signal of early Cretaceous magmatism in the North China Craton, but lack a record of substantial syn-depositional magmatic activity since the Paleogene in the Dongying Depression. Zircons from early Cretaceous strata and pre-existing zircons from the Xing-Meng Orogenic Belt and Inner Mongolia paleo-uplift were transported to the Yanshan and Luxi areas together. These sediments entered the Dongying Depression in the early Eocene, following a period of recycling. In addition, a Precambrian basement signal indicates possible denudation of Neoarchean to Proterozoic rocks in the Luxi uplift and from the Binnan fault footwall. Overall, the provenance signals of the basin reflect zircon recycling from an Early Cretaceous succession, denudation of ancient magmatic rock masses and the absence of syn-sedimentary magmatism.

Data Provenance in Biomedical Research: Scoping Review.

Data provenance refers to the origin, processing, and movement of data. Reliable and precise knowledge about data provenance has great potential to improve reproducibility as well as quality in biomedical research and, therefore, to foster good scientific practice. However, despite the increasing interest on data provenance technologies in the literature and their implementation in other disciplines, these technologies have not yet been widely adopted in biomedical research. The aim of this scoping review was to provide a structured overview of the body of knowledge on provenance methods in biomedical research by systematizing articles covering data provenance technologies developed for or used in this application area; describing and comparing the functionalities as well as the design of the provenance technologies used; and identifying gaps in the literature, which could provide opportunities for future research on technologies that could receive more widespread adoption. Following a methodological framework for scoping studies and the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines, articles were identified by searching the PubMed, IEEE Xplore, and Web of Science databases and subsequently screened for eligibility. We included original articles covering software-based provenance management for scientific research published between 2010 and 2021. A set of data items was defined along the following five axes: publication metadata, application scope, provenance aspects covered, data representation, and functionalities. The data items were extracted from the articles, stored in a charting spreadsheet, and summarized in tables and figures. We identified 44 original articles published between 2010 and 2021. We found that the solutions described were heterogeneous along all axes. We also identified relationships among motivations for the use of provenance information, feature sets (capture, storage, retrieval, visualization, and analysis), and implementation details such as the data models and technologies used. The important gap that we identified is that only a few publications address the analysis of provenance data or use established provenance standards, such as PROV. The heterogeneity of provenance methods, models, and implementations found in the literature points to the lack of a unified understanding of provenance concepts for biomedical data. Providing a common framework, a biomedical reference, and benchmarking data sets could foster the development of more comprehensive provenance solutions.

Predicting the global fundamental climate niche of lodgepole pine for climate change adaptation

The widely used species-occurrence-based models that predict the realized climate niche of plants can be too restrictive and do not reflect among-population variation in assessing climate change impact and guiding assisted migration for adaptation to future climates. To mitigate this deficiency, this study built a fundamental climate niche model for lodgepole pine (Pinus contortaDougl. ex Loud.) based on 20-year tree height from wide-ranging provenance trials as a case study. The model was built through comparisons and optimizations of two candidate models, universal response function (URF) and universal transfer function (UTF), with linear and linear mixed-effect forms, against varying sample sizes based on the comprehensive provenance trials. We found that URF and UTF models had similar performances, while URF models were more straightforward in identifying optimal provenances for planting sites. Linear mixed-effect models did not show clear advantages over linear models in our case but prevented including additional predictors, which are often critical. We selected the linear model of URF and predicted the fundamental climate niche of lodgepole pine on a global scale and revealed a great potential of using this species for climate change adaptation beyond its native distribution, representing a significant step in forest genecology. Our study presented a new approach for assisted migration at the species and the population levels to optimize adaptation and productivity under a changing climate.

The Zambezi deep-sea fan: mineralogical, REE, Zr/Hf, Nd-isotope, and zircon-age variability in feldspar-rich passive-margin turbidites

ABSTRACT We here present the first comprehensive provenance study of the Zambezi deep-sea fan, based on integrated petrographic, heavy-mineral, elemental-geochemistry, isotope-geochemistry, and detrital-zircon-geochronology analyses of middle Pleistocene to Holocene turbidites. The Zambezi Valley and Fan represent the submarine part of an ∼ 5000-km-long sediment-routing system, extending from the heart of the South African Plateau to the abyssal depths of the Indian Ocean. Sediment is derived not only from the African side, but also from Madagascar Island mostly via the Tsiribihina Valley. Being shed by two dissected rifted margins, detritus supplied from opposite sides of the Mozambique Channel shares similar feldspar-rich feldspatho-quartzose composition, although with significant differences in heavy-mineral and geochemical signatures. The εNd values of Madagascar sand are markedly more negative and TNd model ages notably older. Zircon grains yield mostly Irumide (late Stenian) U-Pb ages in African-derived sand and mostly Pan-African (Ediacaran–Cryogenian) U-Pb ages in Madagascar-derived sand, which also yields a few grains as old as Paleoarchean and many discordant ages reflecting Pan-African reworking of Archean cratonic rocks. Lower Valley and Lower Fan deposits have intermediate fingerprints, indicating that sediment supply from Madagascar is not much less than from Africa despite a much smaller catchment area, which can be explained by deposition of a conspicuous part of Africa-derived sediment in the Intermediate Basin confined between the Zambezi Shelf, the Beira High, and the Îles Éparses. By assuming that compositional differences between Quaternary submarine deposits and modern Zambezi River sands primarily resulted from sediment impoundment by large dams, we could evaluate the anthropogenic impact on natural sediment fluxes. Quaternary turbidites are somewhat higher in quartz and poorer in heavy minerals with higher relative amounts of durable ZTR species, and yield more Ediacaran, Neoarchean, and Carboniferous detrital-zircon ages than modern river sands. The Orosirian peak characterizing the Intermediate Basin sample points to prominent supply from the middle and upper parts of the Zambezi catchment in the middle Pleistocene. Rough calculations suggest that pre-dam Zambezi sediments were generated ≤ 10% in the upper catchment, ∼ 60% in the middle catchment, and only ≥ 30% in the lower catchment that provides the totality of sediment reaching the Indian Ocean today.

Provenance evolution of the San Juan Precordillera Silurian-Devonian basin (Argentina): Linking with other depocentres in Cuyania terrane

This paper explores the sedimentary provenance of the Silurian to Devonian siliciclastic successions in the Central region of the San Juan Precordillera, in central-western Argentina. The comprehensive provenance analysis of the Tambolar Formation (upper Silurian), Talacasto Formation (Lower Devonian) and Punta Negra Formation (Lower-Middle Devonian) from the San Juan River section is based on petrography, detrital zircon analyses and combined U–Pb and Lu–Hf isotopic data. Modal composition of the three units here studied shows an evolution trend from quartzose recycled, mixed, to transitional arc. Detrital zircon morphologies indicate derivation from dominantly plutonic and metamorphic sources with little evidence of transportation. The most representative detrital zircon U–Pb age populations are Famatinian (middle Cambrian - Devonian), Pampean–Brazilian (Tonian - lower Cambrian), and Grenvillian (Ectasian - Stenian) cycles derived rocks. Hf isotopes determined mainly in Mesoproterozoic detrital zircons reflect a juvenile mantle source during crystallization, with less significant inputs from those with a crustal and recycled crust origin. Results from this work are compared to data from outcrops of the same units developed in the North-Central region of the Precordillera, presented in previous works. Provenance proxies provide insights regarding the correlation of probably equivalent units deposited in other foreland basins within the Cuyania terrane, such as the Villavicencio Formation (Mendoza Precordillera), Río Seco de los Castaños and La Horqueta Formations (San Rafael Block). The K–S test suggests a low correlation between the units studied at the San Juan River and the equivalent outcrops exposed towards the central and northern parts of the San Juan Precordillera, as well as with the known records of the Río Seco de los Castaños and La Horqueta Formations of the San Rafael Block. In contrast, the samples from the Villavicencio Formation show a high correlation with the sample from the Punta Negra Formation, indicating a possible common sediment source. The broad variations of U–Pb detrital age pattern distributions observed between Silurian and Devonian successions throughout the Precordillera and the San Rafael Block point to provenance shifts linked to variability in east-to-west sediment dispersal patterns within an axial peripheral foreland basin. Fluctuations in the sedimentary composition are ascribed to the differential exhumation rate of source rocks and a progression from a convergent tectonic setting in the San Rafael block towards a coeval collisional environment in the Precordillera. The Silurian - Early Devonian foreland basin is tectonically linked to the Ocloyic Orogen that resulted from the collision of Cuyania terrane to the Western margin of Gondwana. Source rocks were most likely located within the Mesoproterozoic basement of Cuyania, exhumed during the Middle Devonian as a response to the approximation of Chilenia.

Cenozoic multi-stage deformation of the Qilian Shan orogenic belt, northern Tibetan Plateau: Insights from a detrital zircon provenance study of an Oligocene-Miocene intermontane basin sedimentary succession

• Mesozoic sediments within the Qilian Shan orogenic belt transitioned from a “sink” to a “source” before the Oligocene . • Obvious provenance change occurred at ∼22 Ma in the Subei Basin, an intermontane basin within the Qilian Shan orogenic belt. • The southern Qilian Shan orogenic belt underwent deformation in the earliest Miocene and middle-late Miocene. • Recycled Oligocene sediments inside the basin became the main provenance at ∼9 Ma. • The Qilian Shan orogenic belt underwent three stages of tectonic events that began in the early Cenozoic shortly after the India-Eurasia collision. Timing and patterns of the Cenozoic deformation of the Qilian Shan orogenic belt (QSOB) in the northern Tibetan Plateau are key to elucidating the mechanism(s) of plateau growth but remain matters of debate. The Oligocene-Miocene sediments in the Subei Basin, an intermontane basin situated at the junction of the central and southern QSOB, provide direct insight into the Cenozoic deformation of the QSOB. Here, a comprehensive provenance study based on detrital zircon geochronology, paleocurrents, conglomerate components and sedimentary facies in the Subei Basin demonstrates that this region experienced three stages of tectonic events during the Cenozoic. (1) Oligocene strata contain zircons of 200–300, 400–500, 700–1000, 1600–2000 and 2400–2700 Ma, indicating primary derivation from recycled Mesozoic sedimentary rocks in the QSOB and suggesting early Cenozoic deformation in this region. (2) One sample (21.5 Ma) yields similar age populations to those of Oligocene samples, except for the complete disappearance of 200–300 Ma zircons as a result of the widespread deformation of the QSOB. (3) Two samples (18.5–13.6 Ma) show a unimodal age cluster at 400–500 Ma, while one sample (9 Ma) contains zircon ages similar to those of Oligocene samples, indicating tectonic uplift of the southern QSOB in the middle-late Miocene, which is also recorded by the sedimentary transition from fluvial to alluvial fan. Based on these findings and those of previous studies, we suggest that the entire QSOB has undergone multistage tectonic events since the early Cenozoic due to far-field effects associated with the India-Eurasia plate collision and the continued convergence.

Evidence of human movements and exchange seen from curated obsidian artifacts on the Korean Peninsula

We report the analysis by LA-ICP-MS of 204 obsidian artifacts obtained from museum archives in the Republic of Korea. They were recovered at Bronze Age, Neolithic and Paleolithic sites, with some of the excavations dating back to the 1920s. For the Paleolithic sites, most samples utilise the ‘Paektusan’ source located in the region of Mount Paektu in DPR Korea. However, for the Sinhwari site we find the obsidian originates from sources on Kyushu Island, Japan, which is of considerable interest since this is only the second reported case of Japanese obsidian at a Paleolithic site on the Korean Peninsula. Ours is the first comprehensive provenance study for Neolithic obsidians from archaeological sites on the Korean Peninsula. We find that obsidian from Neolithic settlements on the southern coast of Korea also originates from sources on Kyushu Island; while some rare artifacts from inland sites correspond with the Paektusan source. Additionally, we identify three new geochemical groups and sub-groups of the Paektusan obsidian on top of the existing three classes that have been recognised.

The Carpathian obsidians – Contribution to their FT dating and provenance (Zemplín, Slovakia)

The Carpathian obsidian samples from the Slovakian part of the Zemplín – Tokaj area have been studied by means of fission-track dating (FT) and geochemistry to better understand the provenance of the archaeological obsidians from the Central Europe realm. New FT obsidian ages obtained by the isothermal plateau method (ITPFT) are in a narrow time interval between 12.45 ± 0.45 and 11.62 ± 0.25 Ma, and indicate a short-time monogenic volcanic evolution rather than a long-lasting volcanism over the 16–10 Ma period, as was previously thought. Geochemically, these obsidians belong to the silica-rich, peraluminous, high-potassium, calc-alkaline rhyolite series volcanic rocks with a ferroan character which were derived by multi-stage magmatic processes from mixed mantle and crustal sources during subduction in a volcanic arc tectonic setting. Chemical composition of the Carpathian obsidians clearly exhibits a common similarity among all examined localities (Brehov, Cejkov, Hraň, and Viničky). A comprehensive provenance study, including physical properties of the obsidians, confirms a general congruence within the studied obsidians and the use of common provenance labelling, such as Carpathian-1 (C1) for the Slovakian – Zemplín area obsidians, is recommended.

Heavy mineral constraints on the provenance evolution of the English Lower Cretaceous (Wessex Basin)

The first comprehensive provenance studies of the Lower Cretaceous Wessex Basin based on detailed analyses of heavy minerals is presented based on QEMSCAN® (Quantitative Evaluation of Minerals by Scanning Electron Microscopy) analysis. Six heavy mineral assemblages: apatite-dominated, rutile-dominated, tourmaline-dominated, olivine-dominated, ilmenite-dominated and garnet-pyroxene-epidote-dominated were identified in the basin. Heavy mineral assemblages show that the majority of the sediments were recycled from older sediments within the provenances. The identified provenances appeared to be mainly metamorphic in nature. High ATi values indicate little or no secondary modifications to the sediments. Heavy mineral assemblages indicate the dominance of the Cornubian massif as the major source of the materials in the Wessex Basin while Armorican massif represents a minor source. The wider implication of this study is that QEMSCAN® method can be successfully and effectively used for analysing heavy minerals for provenance studies when traditional petrographic/heavy mineral analyses are not available or unreliable.

Provenance evolution of the English Lower Cretaceous Weald Basin and implications for palaeogeography of the northwest European massifs: constraints from heavy mineral assemblages

The first comprehensive provenance studies of the English Lower Cretaceous facies based on detailed analyses of heavy minerals is presented from 11 locations across the Weald, southeast England. These samples were subjected to QEMSCAN® analysis which provided detailed comprehensive datasets on the heavy minerals within the sediments. Four heavy mineral assemblages were identified in the Hastings Beds: rutile, olivine, tourmaline and apatite dominated assemblages in decreasing order. The Weald Clay Formation is also dominated by four heavy mineral assemblages: apatite, rutile, tourmaline and pyroxene-garnet-epidote dominated assemblages in decreasing order. The high concentrations of rutile, tourmaline and zircon in these samples show that bulk of the sediments were recycled from older sediments within the provenance and show a high degree of reworking of sediments into the basin. These provenances appeared to be primarily granitic with metamorphic interruptions at different times in the basin. Heavy minerals indicate little or no secondary modifications to the sediments. Drastic changes in the values of ZTR index suggested repeated retreat and advance of these provenances. Pearson correlation coefficients revealed that four distinct provenances (Londinia, Armorica, Cornubia and Boreal) supplied varying quantities of sediments into the basin at different times. The evolution of these four provenances revealed the complex nature of the palaeogeography of these massifs which had significant implications on other north-western European basins. The wider implication of this study shows that QEMSCAN® method can be successfully and effectively used for analysing heavy minerals for provenance studies when traditional petrographic/heavy mineral methods are not available or unreliable.

TRACE: Enterprise-Wide Provenance Tracking for Real-Time APT Detection

We present TRACE, a comprehensive provenance tracking system for scalable, real-time, enterprise-wide APT detection. TRACE uses static analysis to identify program unit structures and inter-unit dependences, such that the provenance of an output event includes the input events within the same unit. Provenance collected from individual hosts are integrated to facilitate construction of a distributed enterprise-wide causal graph. We describe the evolution of TRACE over a four-year period, during which our improvements to the system focused on performance, scalability, and fidelity. In this time span, the system call coverage increased (from 47 to 66) while the time and space overhead reduced by over one and two orders of magnitude, respectively. We also provide results from five adversarial engagements where an independent team of system evaluators conducted APT attacks and assessed system performance. The input from our system was used by three other teams to implement real-time APT detection logic. Retrospective analysis revealed that TRACE provided sufficient evidence to detect over 80% of the attack stages across all evaluations. By the last engagement, temporal and spatial overhead had been reduced significantly to 18% and 10%, respectively.

Discovering Image Manipulation History by Pairwise Relation and Forensics Tools

Given a potentially manipulated probe image, provenance analysis aims to find all images derived from the probe (offsprings) and all images from which the probe is derived (ancestors) in a large dataset (provenance filtering), and reconstruct the manipulation history with the retrieved images (provenance graph building). In this paper, we address two major challenges in provenance analysis, retrieving the source image of the small regions that are spliced into the probe image, and, detecting source images within the search results. For the former challenge, we propose to detect spliced regions by pairwise image comparison and only use local features extracted from the spliced region to perform an additional search. This removes the influence of the background and greatly improves the recall. For the latter, we propose to learn a pairwise ancestor-offspring detector and use it jointly with a holistic image manipulation detector to identify the source image. The proposed provenance analysis system has performed remarkably in evaluations using comprehensive provenance datasets. It's the winning solution for NIST Media Forensics Challenge (MFC) in 2018, 2019 and 2020. In MFC 2019, our provenance results achieved a 12% improvement in filtering and a 20% gain in oracle provenance graphs building over the alternative methods. In the real-world Reddit dataset, the edge overlap between our reconstructed provenance graphs and the ground-truth graphs is 5 times better than the state-of-the-art system.

Sr-Nd-Pb isotope systematics of fine sediments from the modern rivers in SW Japan: Implications for sediment provenance of the Northwest Pacific

As reference data for comprehensive provenance analyses of deep-sea sediments in the Northwest Pacific region, we present Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic compositions of fine sediments sampled from 48 rivers in southwest Japan. Sr-Nd-Pb isotope ratios are reliable indicators of sediment sources. Although isotopic data of fine sediments in Chinese arid regions, known to be Asian dust sources, are abundant, comparable data from southwest Japan are scarce, even though southwest Japan, owing to its tectonic activity, is a major sediment source to the Northwest Pacific. Sr-Nd-Pb isotope ratios of our riverine fine sediment samples vary greatly (87Sr/86Sr, 0.707–0.724; 143Nd/144Nd, 0.5120–0.5129; 206Pb/204Pb, 18.16–18.89; 207Pb/204Pb, 15.55–15.66; and 206Pb/204Pb, 38.13–39.09), and these variations are clearly dependent on the principal geology of each river's watershed. These results indicate that these isotope ratios can be effectively used to discriminate the geological sources of the sediments. Sediments from watersheds dominated by Quaternary volcanic rocks have the lowest 87Sr/86Sr and Pb isotope ratios and the highest 143Nd/144Nd ratios, whereas sediments from watersheds dominated by accretionary sedimentary rocks generally have high 87Sr/86Sr and Pb isotope ratios and low 143Nd/144Nd ratios, but their specific values vary depending on the age and geographic location of the rocks. The isotope compositions of sediments from watersheds with exposed Cretaceous granitic and metamorphic rocks are also distinctive. Comparison between the isotope ratios of Japanese river sediments and the Northwest Pacific seafloor sediments suggests the importance of sediment transport by the Kuroshio Current to the Northwest Pacific.

Provenance of the uppermost clastic rocks of the Lower Cretaceous Kezilesu Group from the Ulugqat Basin, Xinjiang, NW China and its tectonic implications: Insights from sedimentary records and detrital zircon U–Pb geochronology

The Ulugqat Basin is located at the juncture of the Tarim Basin, the western Tianshan Orogen of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt, and the Pamir salient of the Tethys domain. A comprehensive provenance study using sedimentology, petrology, and detrital zircon U–Pb geochronology was carried out on the clastic rocks of the fifth member of the Lower Cretaceous Kezilesu Group from the Ulugqat Basin, aiming to better understand the nature of its relationships with the neighbouring tectonic units as well as the formation of sandstone‐hosted Zn–Pb mineralization. The fifth member consists of conglomerate, gravelly sandstone, sandstone, and mudstone interbeds, and is interpreted as alluvial fan–braid river–braid river delta sediments. The conglomerate and gravelly sandstone contain different kinds of lithic fragments, including phyllite, quartzite, chert, chalcedony, and some felsic igneous rocks, with low compositional maturities. The detrital zircon U–Pb ages of sandstone from the uppermost part of the fifth member range widely from 229.7 to 2,984.9 Ma, concentratedly distributed in five groups: 230–300, 390–480, 750–880, 1,600–2,200, and 2,300–3,000 Ma. The identified palaeocurrent directions, heavy mineral assemblages, specific provenance indicators, and distributions of detrital zircon U–Pb ages all indicate that these clastic rocks are probably sourced from the South Tianshan Orogen to the north, rather than the Pamir salient, probably involving the Proterozoic Aksu metamorphic rocks, Palaeozoic sedimentary rocks, Late Carboniferous–Early Permian alkali granite, and some mafic/ultramafic rocks of ophiolitic mélange. This interpretation is consistent with a late Early Cretaceous uplifting of the South Tianshan Orogen according to previous low‐temperature thermochronological data sets. The thick deposition of these Lower Cretaceous clastic rocks and associated uplifting of the South Tianshan Orogen are interpreted to be related to the coeval collision of the Karakoram–Lhasa Block with the southern Asian margin.

Comprehensive Provenance Analysis and Its Applications to Eocene Clastic Rocks in the Huimin Depression, Bohai Bay Basin, China

Clarification of the source of the Eocene sediments filling the Huimin depression provides significant support for current and future oil and gas exploration in the Bohai Bay Basin, China. A comprehensive assessment of sediment provenance based on sandstone petrography, heavy mineral assemblages, seismic reflection data, and distribution of sandstone bodies of the Shahejie Formation (Es2) to the Dongying Formation (Ed) productive interval based on both its macroscopic and microscopic provenance aspects. This method of analysis has the advantages of easy data acquisition, high accuracy, strong flexibility, wide application range, and making the analysis of sedimentary provenances more systematic. Comprehensive analysis of the Huimin depression, Bohai Bay Basin has revealed further that the origin of the Eocene second member of the Shahejie Formation (Es2) to the Dongying Formation (Ed) provenance system was derived from the Linfanjia high, the Chengning uplift, and the Luxi uplift.