Geological Evolution Research Articles

Episodic Late Cretaceous to Neogene crustal thickness variation in southern Tibet

AbstractRecent advancements in quantitatively estimating the thickness of Earth's crust in the geologic past provide an opportunity to test hypotheses explaining the tectonic evolution of southern Tibet. Outstanding debate on southern Tibet's Cenozoic geological evolution is complicated by poorly understood Mesozoic tectonics. We present new U‐Pb geochronology and trace element chemistry of detrital zircon from modern rivers draining the Gangdese Mountains in southern Tibet. Results are similar to recently published quantitative estimates of crustal thickness derived from intermediate‐composition whole rock records and show ~30 km of crustal thinning from 90 to 70 Ma followed by thickening to near‐modern values from 70 to 40 Ma. These results extend evidence of Late Cretaceous north–south extension along strike to the west by ~200 km, and support a tectonic model in which an east–west striking back‐arc basin formed along Eurasia's southern margin during slab rollback, prior to terminal collision of India with Eurasia.

Atypical chromitite deposit in the Gaositai mafic-ultramafic complex, North China Craton: Geochemical, geochronological, and isotopic systematics

The Gaositai mafic-ultramafic complex in the North China Craton hosts a significant chromitite deposit featuring morphological and geochemical characteristics that deviate from the usual characteristics of typical high-Cr and low-Al podiform chromitites. Field observations and microscopic studies reveal notable variations in textural layering, mineralogy, and geochemical composition, challenging conventional features of stratiform chromitite deposits. Zircon UPb ages indicate that chromitite is most likely Carboniferous-Permian in age (330–275 Ma), but also contains numerous inherited zircons with concordant ages as old as 2544 Ma, reflecting a complex geological evolution. Post-formation metasomatic or metamorphic imprints can be evident by concordant zircon ∼247 Ma. Variable zircon εHf(t) values (−15 to +9.6) and depleted mantle model ages (432 to 2819 Ma) attest the presence of heterogeneous or reworked source materials.The PGE and trace element characteristics of the Gaositai chromitite are comparable to the geochemical features of Bushveld and Great Dyke deposits. Pyrite, millerite, norsethite, galena, and PGM (mainly OsIr alloys) inclusions are ubiquitous in chromite. Galena inclusions with homogenous Pb-isotopic ratios (206Pb/204Pb, 207Pb/204Pb, and 208Pb/204Pb) suggest a mixed sources of lead. In contrast, pyrite inclusions display significant variations in δ34SV-CDT values (−0.11 ‰ to 18.31‰) indicative of a crustal origin of sulfur. Bulk-rock ReOs isotope data of 0.1264–0.1294 shows 187Os/188Os ratios similar to abyssal peridotites, implying a potential connection between chromitite and the host ultramafic rocks. Highly disparate mantle model ages (55 to 2141 Ma) and re-depletion ages (28 to 692 Ma) suggest disturbance of the ReOs isotopic system during post-formational metasomatic or metamorphic events. These variations may, alternatively, reflect heterogeneity by subduction components. The obtained results do not support the Alaskan-type genesis of the host complex, but point towards an atypical stratiform type.

Beetle evolution illuminates the geological history of the World's most diverse tropical archipelago

The geologically‐complex Indo–Australian–Melanesian archipelago (IAMA) hosts extraordinarily high levels of species richness and endemism and has long served as a natural laboratory for studying biogeography and evolution. Nonetheless, its geological history and the provenance and evolution of its biodiversity remain poorly understood. Here, we provide a geological scenario for the IAMA informed by a time‐calibrated molecular phylogeny of 1006 species of Trigonopterus weevils – an exceptionally diverse radiation of regionally‐endemic flightless beetles. Moreover, we performed a statistical biogeographic analysis and examined timing and patterns in the accumulation of lineages residing in a priori‐defined geographic units comprising the IAMA. We estimate that Trigonopterus originated in Australia during the early Paleogene. Subsequent rapid diversification in the area of the present‐day Papuan Peninsula suggests the presence of proto‐Papuan islands by the middle Eocene; the New Guinea North Coast Ranges were colonized in the late Eocene, followed by the New Guinea Highlands and the Bird's Head Peninsula. We inferred the presence of terrestrial habitat in the North Moluccas and Sulawesi in the late Oligocene and the subsequent rapid colonization of Sundaland and the Lesser Sunda Islands. New Caledonia and Samoa were colonized from the Papuan Peninsula, and their faunas also diverged in the late Oligocene. These biota‐informed time estimates are compatible with geological data from the region and shed new light on IAMA paleogeography, even where geological evidence has been lost to erosion. Beetle evolution thus appears to have closely tracked the geological evolution of the IAMA, revealing a uniquely well‐resolved view of regional biogeography.

Endogenous gold of the russian Altai

The Altai of Russia in the geological and metallogenic sense includes the Altai Mountains and the northwestern part of Rudny Altai, and in administrative terms - the Altai Territory and the Altai Republic. Gorny Altai has experienced a complex history of geological development, including subduction, accretion-collision and rifting processes with the formation of various types of magmatism and endogenous gold mineralization. The history of gold mining in the region is associated mainly with placers and currently the reserve of placer gold deposits is almost exhausted, and the prospects for primary mineralization have been little studied. In this regard, the problem of assessing the potential of ore gold in known ore occurrences and promising areas of ore clusters has become urgent in the region.In the Russian part of Rudny Altai, gold reserves are mainly associated with gold-bearing pyrite-polymetallic deposits and less with small gold ore occurrences.Gold-sulfide-skarn, epithermal gold-silver, copper-gold-porphyry and gold-mercury types of mineralization may have important practical significance for the region. The increase in ore gold reserves in the Russian part of Rudny Altai is mainly due to additional exploration of pyrite-polymetallic deposits.

A New Lunar Dome Detection Method Based on Improved YOLOv7.

Volcanism is an important geological evolutionary process on the Moon. The study of lunar volcanic features is of great significance and value to understanding the geological evolution of the Moon better. Lunar domes are one of the essential volcanic features of the Moon. However, the existing lunar dome detection methods are still traditional manual or semiautomatic identification approaches that require extensive prior knowledge and have a complex identification process. Therefore, this paper proposes an automatic detection method based on improved YOLOv7 for lunar dome detection. First, a new lunar dome dataset was created by digital elevation model (DEM) data, and the effective squeeze and excitation (ESE) attention mechanism module was added to the backbone and neck sections to reduce information loss in the feature map and enhance network expressiveness. Then, a new SPPCSPC-RFE module was proposed by adding the receptive field enhancement (RFE) module into the neck section, which can adapt to dome feature maps of different shapes and sizes. Finally, the bounding box regression loss function complete IOU (CIOU) was replaced by wise IOU (WIOU). The WIOU loss function improved the model's performance for the dome detection effect. Furthermore, this study combined several data enhancement strategies to improve the robustness of the network. To evaluate the performance of the proposed model, we conducted several experiments using the dome dataset developed in this study. The experimental results indicate that the improved method outperforms related methods with a mean average precision (mAP@0.5) value of 88.7%, precision (P) value of 85.6%, and recall (R) value of 86.4%. This study provides an effective solution for lunar dome detection.

Integrated biostratigraphy and chemostratigraphy of the Maastrichtian–Danian succession at Abu Minqar, Egyptian Western Desert: Implications for sequence stratigraphy and tectonic influence

We investigated the Maastrichtian–Danian succession at the Abu Minqar section in the Western Desert of Egypt (part from the southern Tethyan margin) using an integrated analysis of biostratigraphic (calcareous nannofossils, foraminifers, macrofauna) and chemostratigraphic data to determine the controlling factors on depositional history. The integrated microplankton biostratigraphic framework identified two prolonged hiatuses at the lower/upper Maastrichtian and the Maastrichtian/Danian boundaries. Four depositional sequences were identified and subdivided into systems tracts based on paleodepth variation evidenced by foraminiferal investigations and the comparable response of the various geochemical indices. The study also highlighted the presence of two alternated depositional styles in the study area, influenced by relative sea level, with the first style involving the deposition of aluminosilicate-enriched intervals that yield non-calcareous foraminifers in lagoonal and coastal depositional settings induced by relative sea-level fall and river rejuvenation, and the second one involving the deposition of calcareous intervals containing abundant megafossils, calcareous foraminifers, and nannofossils during a sea-level rise. Despite the occurrence of certain resemblances to the global eustatic curves, the inferred relative sea level pattern suggests that regional tectonics had a substantial role in developing the depositional history and paleoenvironmental circumstances of the southern Tethys margin. These findings help build a more comprehensive picture of the geological evolution of the southern Tethyan margin during the Late Cretaceous to Paleogene.

Deepening of Southern Ocean Gateway Leads to Abrupt Onset of a Deep‐Reaching Meridional Overturning Circulation

AbstractDuring the Eocene and the Eocene‐Oligocene transition, the lower cell of the meridional overturning circulation (MOC), associated with bottom water formation, underwent changes associated with the geological evolution of Southern Ocean gateways. These are important for the Cenozoic climate transition from Greenhouse to Icehouse, but their dynamics still remain elusive. We demonstrate, using an idealized eddying ocean model, that the opening of a gateway leads to the abrupt onset of a vigorous, deep‐reaching, MOC. This MOC has a maximum transport for a shallow gateway, and decreases with further deepening of the gateway. This abrupt change in the MOC can be explained through the ability with which standing meanders—turbulent features located downstream of the gateway—can induce deep vertical heat transport at high latitudes where bottom waters are produced. Our results demonstrate the crucial role of turbulent processes in setting the strength of the global ocean's deep‐reaching MOC.

Crustal structure across the Central part of Narmada-Son Lineament, India based on the interpretation of aeromagnetic and gravity data: Geological implications

Narmada-Son Lineament (NSL) is a prominent geo-tectonic feature located in central India, characterised by complex geological structures and evolution history. In this study, we present a detailed joint interpretation of the aeromagnetic and gravity anomaly maps to delineate the crustal structure in order to address the thermo-tectonic activity below the NSL region. The NW-SE linear trend observed in the aeromagnetic anomaly map correlates well with the major tectonic elements of the NSL and the Vindhyan basin. The low-pass filtered regional gravity anomaly map and corresponding residual anomaly map revealed several crustal-scale structural features in the study area. The Curie depth map of the region prepared from the magnetic anomaly map shows the variation between 24-48 km. The corresponding heat flow map correlates well with the trends in surface heat flow data. The gravity-derived Moho depth map reveals that the values vary between 30-40 km in the NSL region with deeper Moho below the Vindhyan basin. Further, the crustal models obtained from the constrained potential field modelling for two long transects across the NSL in the present study area revealed i) the absence of crustal underplating in the eastern part of NSL below Hirapur-Mandla region, ii) the presence of mid-crustal horst like structure below NSL in both the transects, iii) undulating Moho with higher density crustal rocks within the NSL compared to the surrounding areas. The modelled crustal structure and the analysis of Curie depth as well as heat flow maps of the study area, reveal that the NSL region was affected by repeated tectonic activities since the Proterozoic times, and the present-day tectonics of this belt is greatly influenced by the reactivation of pre-existing faults along the NSL.

Correction factors for loss estimation of sound propagation over high shear speed seabeds

Modelling range dependent sound propagation over layered elastic seafloors with high shear speeds has proved to be a difficult problem for many widely used under water acoustic sound propagation models. The geologic evolution of large portions of the Australian continental shelf result in it being a commonly occurring problem for sound propagation modelling. There has been success in developing numerical methods that have shown that it is possible to obtain accurate results for these types of range dependent environments; however, there may be issues with stability and efficiency. This article explores the appropriateness of correction factors to estimate the loss due to elastic seabeds with high shear speeds. The focus is on layered calcareous seafloors that are typical of the Otway shelf, located on the western flank of Bass Strait. Several methods for obtaining a dB correction that can be applied to a fluid only propagation model are presented and compared. The methods are validated against measurement data from an oil and gas campaigns in the Otway basin.

FORMATION OF THE LARGEST LAKES IN THE NORTH-EASTERN EUROPE AT THE EASTERN PERIPHERY OF THE BALTIC CRYSTALLINE SHIELD<a href="#FN1"><sup>1</sup></a>

Since 2014, the joint research team from the Institute of Earth Sciences, Northern Water Problems Institute KRC RAS, the Science Park of Moscow State University, as well as FSBI “VNIIOkeangeologia”, and Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia has begun a study of Quaternary deposits of Onega and Ladoga Lakes, the largest Russian lakes located on the eastern periphery of the Baltic crystalline shield. Using large volume of data collected in previous studies, and new data obtained by multichannel seismoacoustic profiling and heavy gravity corers, as well as new methods for core analysis the main attention was paid to the geological development of these lakes in the Late Pleistocene-Holocene. The study of the lake Quaternary deposits makes it possible to accurately understand the dynamics of the Scandinavian Ice Shield retreat from the North-Western territory of the Russian Federation. At the same time, the major influence of the glaciers on the lakes formation during its degradation makes it possible to draw regional paleogeographic correlations, starting from the Baltic and ending with the White Sea. The history of the lake basins formation is also of considerable interest, given that there are practically no Phanerozoic deposits. The geological section of the lakes is represented by both Archean-Proterozoic and Quaternary formations.The article discusses the analysis of new data obtained using multichannel seismoacoustic profiling and long sediment cores (Lake Onega), results of mathematical modeling of cycles of lake basins development (glacial, glacial-lake, lacustrine), and their correlation with the paleogeographic development of the White Sea.

A novel well-logging data generation model integrated with random forests and adaptive domain clustering algorithms

With geological evolution, reservoirs have hierarchical properties, leading to distinct domain characteristics in their logging curves, which can contribute to the reconstruction of unknown well logging curves. In recent years, many studies have used machine learning (ML) algorithms to reconstruct logging curves without incorporating domain features, which can cause their poor performance. Since decomposing raw data into domain data can optimize an expected variance and thus improves the accuracy and robustness of ML prediction models, we propose a random-forest-adaptive-domain-clustering (RF-ADC) model to generate unknown well logging curves. First, we present an adaptive domain clustering algorithm based on gap statistics (GS) and balanced iterative reducing and clustering using hierarchies (BIRCH). With the adaptive domain clustering process, well logging curves are automatically divided into microscope domains, and their corresponding domain models are constructed. Then we utilize the random forest (RF) algorithm to generate unknown well logging curves based on domain data. Taking logging curves of a shale gas reservoir as an example, our experiments show that the proposed RF-ADC model achieves promising results. Compared with the model without clustering operation, the RF-ADC model provides superior performance with its mean absolute error (MAE), mean squared error (MSE), root mean squared error (RMSE), and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) values reducing by 15.55%, 39.30%, 18.95%, and 11.43%, respectively. In addition, the predictive performance of the proposed RF-ADC model is better than that of baseline models of long short-term memory network and convolutional neural network. Furthermore, after analyzing, the GS and BIRCH methods are applicable to obtaining an optimal number of domains and decomposing well logging data for horizontal wells. Our delineation results also provide insights into detailed reservoir recognition, which is important for further identification of reservoirs and stratification work. Moreover, the proposed RF-ADC model can also achieve effective prediction with a small dataset (MAE = 8.205, RMSE = 10.922, and MAPE = 0.039). In summary, this RF-ADC model provides a fast, economical, and effective tool for the generation of unknown well logging curves for horizontal wells in shale gas reservoirs. It will further facilitate the exploration and development of unconventional reservoirs.

Vertical displacement monitoring technique using radar interferometry data

All phenomena and processes occurring on the Earth's surface are closely related. Earth is characterized by internal and external planetary geological processes, which, throughout the entire geological development of the Earth, lead to its change. The speed and scale of geological processes change in time and space due to climatic changes. Changes are divided into long-term and momentary ones, which cause catastrophic phenomena, including landslides. An essential component of geoecological research is monitoring landslide processes using data from remote sensing of the Earth. The possibility of remote geoecological monitoring of landslide processes using satellite radar interferometry has been investigated, tested and experimentally substantiated. The right bank of the Kaniv Reservoir, with many registered landslides, was chosen as the test site. The results of the activity of vertical displacements of landslides for the spring period from 2015 to 2023 were obtained. Nine test sites and five control, stable areas affected by active surface deformations were investigated using 45 Sentinel-1A images. Geoecological monitoring of the activation of landslide processes at a detailed level was carried out using Sentinel-1 satellite images, a digital terrain model (DEM), topographic maps of various scales, and geological maps of Quaternary and pre-Quaternary structures. The advantage of the study of landslide processes by remote methods is the ability to quickly, on large areas, with relatively high accuracy and minimal economic costs, solve the problems of environmental protection to ensure the sustainable development of the environment and society.

Data‐Driven Fuzzy Weights‐Of‐Evidence Model for Identification of Potential Zeolite‐Bearing Environments on Mars

AbstractThe evolution of the climate and hydrochemistry of Mars is still a mystery but it must have been at least occasionally warm and wet to have formed the ancient fluvial and lacustrine landforms observed today. Terrestrial examples and geochemical modeling under proposed early Mars conditions show that zeolite minerals are likely to have formed under alkaline (pH > 8) conditions with low water/rock ratio and surface temperatures below 150°C. The identification and spatial association of zeolites on the surface of Mars could thus be used to reconstruct the paleoclimate, paleohydrochemistry, and geological evolution of some locations on Mars. Previous studies identified the zeolite analcime and discuss the difficulties of identifying other zeolite species on the surface of Mars using orbital spectroscopy. We used published global mineralogical, geological, geomorphological, hydrological, physical, and elemental abundance maps and the locations of hydrous minerals detected and mapped using orbital data to create a map that delineates favorable areas to look for zeolites on Mars. We used the data‐driven fuzzy‐based Weights‐of‐Evidence method to identify and map favorable areas for zeolites on the surface of Mars up to ±40° latitude toward the poles. The final map shows that the eastern and western Arabia deposits, some sites in the Medusae Fossae formation, and some areas within and near Valles Marineris, Mawrth Vallis, highlands north of Hellas, and the Terra Cimmeria and Terra Sirenum regions would be favorable areas to look for zeolites using targeted orbital spectral analysis or future in situ observations.

Relationship between resistivity and physical properties of seafloor sediments in the hydrate production test area of the South China Sea

The vast distribution, abundant reserves, and high combustion utilization rate of natural gas hydrate make it an appealing alternative energy source. Nevertheless, the special physical and mechanical properties of the hydrate production test area in the South China Sea have led to frequent geological disasters, requiring monitoring and early warning of potential geohazards. To facilitate this process, a model was established to determine the relationship between sediment resistivity and physical properties in this area. However, there is currently no suitable sediment resistivity inversion model for this region. We obtained an 8 m-long core sediment sample from the hydrate production test area in the South China Sea using a core sediment sampler aboard the research vessel “Marine Geology 6”. Indoor geotechnical tests were conducted to determine the vertical variation characteristics of the sediment, and indoor resistivity tests were performed to obtain its resistivity vertical variation. Using empirical power function formulae, we established a relationship model between resistivity and physical properties, which we then compared with relevant data from nearby sea areas. This model lays the foundation for using in situ resistivity to invert the dynamic changes of sediment physical properties and promote the development of deep-sea engineering geology.

Distribution pattern and geological evolution of combustion metamorphic rocks in the northeast margin of Ordos Basin

Distribution pattern and geological evolution of combustion metamorphic rocks in the northeast margin of Ordos Basin

Bayesian estimation of parameters and uncertainty of a 3-D dipping fault using gravity anomalies

SUMMARY Many significant geophysical anomalies are generated by fault systems, and effectively estimating fault parameters is a key step to understand the characteristics of these field sources. In general, the 2-D dipping fault is frequently utilized to simplify the representation of fault geometry. However, this approach could lead to larger errors when comparing realistic scenarios with simplifications. In this study, we use a parametrized 3-D dipping model to represent fault systems and compute gravity anomalies using an analytic method in the wavenumber domain. To estimate the marginal distribution of the 3-D dipping fault parameters, we utilize the Bayesian theory that integrates the likelihood function and prior information. Subsequently, we use the Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling method to assess the marginal distribution of the parameters. Compared with other deterministic inversion approaches, our method provides an effective means of quantifying parameter uncertainty. We first use synthetic data to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results demonstrate the efficiency of our method in revealing 3-D dipping fault parameters and evaluating their uncertainty. We subsequently apply our method to the Pudu River fault, located in Yunnan Province, China, to demonstrate its practical applicability. Two alternative realistic fault models referred the prior seismic profile have been proposed. The optimal parameters and uncertainty with the specific model have been estimated. The results show that the fault characteristics retrieved by our method deviate slightly from existing knowledge. Specifically, the estimated depth of the bottom surface is greater than that reported in previous studies. This could potentially offer us new perspectives on the geological evolution and structural attributes of this fault.

Inventory and assessment of geosites and geodiversity sites of the Ait Attab syncline (M’goun unesco Geopark, Morocco) to stimulate geoconservation, geotourism and sustainable development

The Ait Attab syncline, in the southwestern part of the Moroccan Central High Atlas (CHA), is a vast basin characterised by an exceptional geodiversity illustrating the complete sedimentary series in the CHA. This series offers the opportunity to study regional palaeogeography, transgressive and regressive megasequences, Jurassic-Cretaceous volcanism and Atlas tectonics, and various fossils, including dinosaur footprints. The study area also harbours considerable landscape and cultural wealth that can play a significant role in sustainable geotourism and geoeducation development. To promote and protect this geoheritage wealth, the present work provides the first quantitative and qualitative inventory of geosites of interest by adopting Brilha’s (2016) method. Thus, 3 geotrails covering 8 geosites and 11 geodiversity sites have been selected. The evaluation of these sites confirms their scientific and educational importance, which helps understand the geological, tectonic and palaeogeographical evolution of the Ait Attab syncline. The tourist value of these sites is also high, explained by the high interpretative potential of the geosites and their location as a gateway to the M’Goun Unesco geopark. The degradation risk assessment showed that most of these sites have a medium risk, except for palaeontological and magmatic sites, which have a high degradation risk.

New Data on Geology and Paleogeographical Evolution of the Southern East Siberian Sea in the Quaternary

The paper deals with results of geological and geophysical study of the East Siberian Sea coastal areas are reported. Research activities started in 2018 in the frame of the State Geological Mapping Project (GK-1000/3) and continued in 2022 under support of the Russian Science Foundation. A seismo-stratigraphic scheme of the Quaternary sediment sequence has been compiled, and a conception of the paleogeographical evolution in the Late Pleistocene–Holocene has been proposed.

Paleoenviromental evolution of the Cenozoic foreland basin to intermontane basins in the Eastern Cordillera, North-Western Argentina

The stratigraphic and sedimentological characteristics of the Cenozoic deposits are very important aspects to investigate the tecto-sedimentary evolution of the Andean foreland basin to intermontane hinterland basins in north-western Argentina. These deposits lie in an unconformity or paraconformity relationship over the Salta Group (Cretaceous-Paleocene) or older deposits. During the middle Eocene-Pleistocene, the changes in the sedimentary paleoenvironment and its evolution are the direct result of tectonic effects, a change in base level and accommodation space. This study provides the results of the integrated analysis of the middle-upper Eocene to Plio-Pleistocene basins in the Eastern Cordillera, in north-western Argentina. These basins that have been generated in the Central Andes region in north-western Argentina during the Cenozoic tectonic convergence, we divided in four sequences in the evolution from middle to upper Eocene to Plio-Pleistocene. They present fluvial deposits of different topographic slopes, with development of ephemeral fluvial systems associated with dune fields, meandering fluvial systems in arid climates, interlaced sandy-gravelly fluvial systems, sinuous sandy-gravelly fluvial systems of intermediate to high sinuosity, with the development of lagoons and swamps of tropical climate during ∼10 to ∼5 Ma, and the change to arid - semiarid claimed condition from ∼5 to ∼2.5 Ma. The sedimentary record of the Plio-Pleistocene hinterland basin in the Eastern Cordillera and the adjacent Andean Puna Plateau in the Central Andes of NW Argentina constitutes geological archive that provide spatio-temporal insights into geological evolution and associated surface uplift.These basins, probably connected at their onset during the middle Eocene, are characterized by different subsidence histories, differences in sedimentary paleoenvironment evolution, variations in topographic slopes, changes in provenance and paleocurrents, resulting in differences in tecto-sedimentary history.

Absolute dating and evolutionary model of large rock avalanches on Mars: Examples from the Hydraotes Chaos and Tiu Valles region

Landslides are geomorphological features observed on many planetary bodies, formed in a wide range of geological, geomorphological and environmental conditions. Hence, study of their morphological and morphometric characteristics, along with their absolute or relative dating, can improve the understanding of geological and environmental conditions at the time of their emplacement. On Mars, landslides are present over a very large part of the planet, and the most spectacular and best studied are those in Valles Marineris where many mass wasting phenomena occurred between Hesperian and Late Amazonian periods. The present study aims at improving the knowledge of Martian geological and geomorphological evolution including environmental conditions through absolute dating and morphological analysis of selected large landslides outside of Valles Marineris. These mass wasting features were used as proxies for revealing how active the relatively recent (Middle to Late Amazonian) geological environment of Mars was through the information of their trigger timings and degradation histories. The five landslides of our study, which have never been analyzed previously, are located in the region of Hydraotes Chaos and Tiu Valles near the dichotomy boundary. The geomorphological and morphometric analyses show that the studied landslides, classifiable as rock avalanches, exhibit morphological features and mobility similar to those of other terrestrial and Martian rock avalanches. The results obtained from the absolute dating reveal that these landslides occurred within a time range spanning from 835 Ma (±290) to 252 Ma (±100) ago, consistent with occurrences of other landslides in the equatorial region of Mars. The most plausible triggering factors include ground shaking resulting from meteoric impacts, marsquakes and volcanic events related to the evolution of Tharsis and Elysium regions during the Amazonian period. Local resurfacing events acting on the studied landslides are probably related to aeolian deflation and deposition, minor mass wasting events and impact cratering. Finally, the geomorphological characteristics of these landslide bodies and their absolute dating reveal a possible recent (< 250–150 Ma) tectonic activity along the flanks of Tiu Valles and the southern Hydraotes Channel.