Uplift Events Research Articles

Fluid inclusion and microfabric studies on Zechstein carbonates (Ca2) and related fracture mineralizations – New insights on gas migration in the Lower Saxony Basin (Germany)

New petrographic and fluid inclusion data from core samples of Upper Permian dolomitic limestone (Hauptdolomit, Zechstein group, Stassfurt carbonate sequence) from a gas field located at the northern border of the Lower Saxony Basin (LSB) essentially improve the understanding of the basin development. The gas production at the locality is characterized by very high CO2 concentrations of 75–100% (with CH4 and N2).Samples consist of fine grained, mostly laminated and sometimes brecciated dolomitic limestone (mudstone/wackestone) from the transition zone between the shallow water zone (platform) and the upper slope. The study focuses on migration fluids, entrapped as fluid inclusions in diagenetic anhydrite, calcite, and fluorite, and in syn-diagenetic microfractures, as well as on the geochemistry of fluorite fracture mineralizations, obtained by LA-ICP-MS analysis. Fluid inclusion studies show that the diagenetic fluid was rich in H2ONaClCaCl2. Recrystallized anhydrite contains aqueous inclusions with homogenization temperatures (Th) of ca. 123 °C, but somewhat higher Th of ca. 142 °C was found for calcite cement followed by early Fluorite A with Th of 147 °C. A later Fluorite B preserves gas inclusions and brines with maximum Th of 156 °C. Fluorite B crystallized in fractures during the mobilization of CO2-bearing brines. Crossing isochores for co-genetic aqueous-carbonic and carbonic inclusions indicate fluid trapping conditions of 180–200 °C and 900–1000 bars. δ13C-isotopic ratios of gas trapped in fluid inclusions suggest an organic origin for CH4, while the CO2 is likely of inorganic origin.Basin modelling (1D) shows that the fault block structure of the respective reservoir has experienced an uplift of >1000 m since Late Cretaceous times.The fluid inclusion study allows us to, 1) model the evolution of the LSB and fluid evolution by distinguishing different fluid systems, 2) determine the appearance of CO2 in the geological record and, 3) more accurately estimate burial and uplift events in individual parts of the LSB.

Tectono-stratigraphic evolution and crustal architecture of the Orphan Basin during North Atlantic rifting

The Orphan Basin is located in the deep offshore of the Newfoundland margin, and it is bounded by the continental shelf to the west, the Grand Banks to the south, and the continental blocks of Orphan Knoll and Flemish Cap to the east. The Orphan Basin formed in Mesozoic time during the opening of the North Atlantic Ocean between eastern Canada and western Iberia–Europe. This work, based on well data and regional seismic reflection profiles across the basin, indicates that the continental crust was affected by several extensional episodes between the Jurassic and the Early Cretaceous, separated by events of uplift and erosion. The preserved tectono-stratigraphic sequences in the basin reveal that deformation initiated in the eastern part of the Orphan Basin in the Jurassic and spread towards the west in the Early Cretaceous, resulting in numerous rift structures filled with a Jurassic–Lower Cretaceous syn-rift succession and overlain by thick Upper Cretaceous to Cenozoic post-rift sediments. The seismic data show an extremely thinned crust (4–16 km thick) underneath the eastern and western parts of the Orphan Basin, forming two sub-basins separated by a wide structural high with a relatively thick crust (17 km thick). Quantifying the crustal architecture in the basin highlights the large discrepancy between brittle extension localized in the upper crust and the overall crustal thinning. This suggests that continental deformation in the Orphan Basin involved, in addition to the documented Jurassic and Early Cretaceous rifting, an earlier brittle rift phase which is unidentifiable in seismic data and a depth-dependent thinning of the crust driven by localized lower crust ductile flow.

Simulation of gas hydrate dissociation caused by repeated tectonic uplift events

AbstractGas hydrate dissociation by tectonic uplift is often used to explain geologic and geophysical phenomena, such as hydrate accumulation probably caused by hydrate recycling and the occurrence of double bottom‐simulating reflectors in tectonically active areas. However, little is known of gas hydrate dissociation resulting from tectonic uplift. This study investigates gas hydrate dissociation in marine sediments caused by repeated tectonic uplift events using a numerical model incorporating the latent heat of gas hydrate dissociation. The simulations showed that tectonic uplift causes upward movement of some depth interval of hydrate‐bearing sediment immediately above the base of gas hydrate stability (BGHS) to the gas hydrate instability zone because the sediment initially maintains its temperature: in that interval, gas hydrate dissociates while absorbing heat; consequently, the temperature of the interval decreases to that of the hydrate stability boundary at that depth. Until the next uplift event, endothermic gas hydrate dissociation proceeds at the BGHS using heat mainly supplied from the sediment around the BGHS, lowering the temperature of that sediment. The cumulative effects of these two endothermic gas hydrate dissociations caused by repeated uplift events lower the sediment temperature around the BGHS, suggesting that in a marine area in which sediment with a highly concentrated hydrate‐bearing layer just above the BGHS has been frequently uplifted, the endothermic gas hydrate dissociation produces a gradual decrease in thermal gradient from the seafloor to the BGHS. Sensitivity analysis for model parameters showed that water depth, amount of uplift, gas hydrate saturation, and basal heat flow strongly influence the gas hydrate dissociation rate and sediment temperature around the BGHS.

Coupled thermo-mechanical 3D subsidence analysis along the SW African passive continental margin

Sedimentary basins along the SW African margin deliver information about processes, which occurred in the past and serve as a good starting point for reconstructing the margin’s evolution. By integrating detailed information on the present-day configuration of the SW African margin into a 3D thermo-mechanical forward modeling framework, we attempt a margin-wide reconstruction of its subsidence history since its onset during breakup. The 3D forward modeling approach as applied on the SW African margin area makes use of the coupling between thermal relaxation of the lithosphere and flexural isostatic balance in response to sediment deposition and build-up of thermal stresses during lithosphere cooling. On the one hand, our results provide useful information about the behavior of the lithosphere during breakup and the subsequent post-rift phase. On the other hand, restored paleobathymetries for specific time intervals during the post-rift evolution give evidence for possible uplift events superposed on the long-term subsidence history of the margin. Restored paleobathymetries are in agreement with conclusions derived from former studies and provided strong indications for the presence of a rather heterogeneous crustal configuration of the margin marked by a mechanical decoupling of the upper and lower crustal domains during most of the rifting phase.

Late Cretaceous unroofing of the White Mountains, New Hampshire, USA: An episode of passive margin rejuvenation?

The growing recognition that many passive margins have experienced periods of post-rift uplift has raised new questions about the nature of the tectonic processes that drive such uplift. The eastern North America margin is of particular interest because it is a classic Atlantic-style margin that has long been suspected of tectonic rejuvenation, yet the timing of post-rift uplift events remains elusive. To address this question we present apatite U-Th/He and fission track ages from a 1300 m vertical transect in the White Mountains of New Hampshire (USA), including a 910-m-deep bore hole. Thermal modeling suggests a period of accelerated denudation from ca. 85 to 65 Ma. This timing is broadly similar to the timing of accelerated exhumation and compression on passive margins elsewhere in the Atlantic, raising the question of whether a common mechanism, such as a change in lateral stresses, changes in mantle convection, or climate change, could be responsible.

Interaction of crustal heterogeneity and lithospheric processes in determining passive margin architecture on the southern Namibian margin

Abstract The influence of pre-rift crustal heterogeneity and structure on the evolution of a continental rift and its subsequent passive margin is explored. The absence of thick Aptian salts in the Namibian South Atlantic allows imaging of sufficient resolution to distinguish different pre-rift basement seismic facies. Aspects of the pre-rift basement geometry were characterized and compared with the geometries of the Cretaceous rift basin structure and with subsequent post-rift margin architectural elements. Half-graben depocentres migrated westwards within the continental synrift phase at the same time as basin-bounding faults became established as hard-linked arrays with lengths of c. 100 km. The rift–drift transition phase, marked by seaward-dipping reflectors, gave way to the early post-rift progradation of clastic sediments off the Namibian coast. In the Late Cretaceous, these shelf clastic sediments were much thicker in the south, reflecting the dominance of the newly formed Orange River catchment as the main entry point for sediments on the South African–Namibian margin. Tertiary clastic sediments largely bypassed the pre-existing shelf area, revealing a marked basinwards shift in sedimentation. The thickness of post-rift megasequences does not vary simply according to the location of synrift half-graben and thinned continental crust. Instead, the Namibian margin exemplifies a margin influenced by a complex interplay of crustal thinning, pre-rift basement heterogeneity, volcanic bodies and transient dynamic uplift events on the evolution of lithospheric strain and depositional architecture.

ORGANIC GEOCHEMISTRY OF BARENTS SEA PETROLEUM: THERMAL MATURITY AND ALTERATION AND MIXING PROCESSES IN OILS AND CONDENSATES

The petroleum system in the Barents Sea is complex with numerous source rocks and multiple uplift events resulting in the remigration and mixing of petroleum. In order to investigate the degree of mixing, 50 oil and condensate samples from 30 wells in the SW Barents Sea were geochemically analysed by GC‐FID and GC‐MS to evaluate their thermal maturity and secondary alteration signatures. Saturated and aromatic compounds from C14–C18 and biomarker range (C20+) hydrocarbons were compared with light (C4‐C8) hydrocarbon alteration and maturity signatures from a previous study. The geochemical data demonstrate that petroleum generation occurred from the early‐ to late‐oil/condensate window, correlating to calculated vitrinite reflection values of between 0.7%Rc and 1.9%Rc. Two maturation traits are in general present in the oil samples analysed and indicate mixing of petroleum phases: a C20+ fraction which represents a possible “black‐oil ‐related” signature; and a C20‐ fraction, which is probably a more recent oil charge. However, maturity variations are less pronounced in condensates, which in general exhibit higher generation temperatures than oils but are influenced by severe phase fractionation effects. The samples are characterised by diverse biodegradation signatures including depletion of C15‐ saturated compounds, almost complete removal of n‐alkanes, elevated Pr/n‐C17 values, high 17α(H), 25‐norhopane content, and a reverse trend in methylated naphthalene distribution. However, the presence of the more recent, unaltered light hydrocarbon charge together with the oil with a palaeo‐biodegraded signature is clear evidence that mixing has occurred. A cross‐plot of C24‐tetracyclic terpane/C30αβ‐hopane versus C23‐C29‐tricyclic terpane/C30αβ‐hopane can be used to discriminate between Palaeozoic/Triassic and Jurassic‐generated petroleums in the Barents Sea region, since it appears to be maturity independent.

Role of arc magmatism and lower crustal foundering in controlling elevation history of the Nevadaplano and Colorado Plateau: A case study of pyroxenitic lower crust from central Arizona, USA

Garnet–pyroxenite xenoliths from a 25 Ma volcano on the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau in central Arizona (USA) are shown here to have crystallized as deep-seated cumulates from hydrous arc magmas, requiring the generation of a large complement of felsic magmas. U–Pb dating of primary titanite grains indicates that crystallization probably occurred around 60 Ma. These observations suggest that voluminous arc magmatism reached as far inland as the edge of the Colorado Plateau during the Laramide orogeny. Here, we employ a combination of petrology, petrophysics, and seismic imaging to show that the formation and subsequent removal of a thick, dense, cumulate root beneath the ancient North American Nevadaplano modified the buoyancy of the orogenic plateau, possibly resulting in two uplift events. A late Cretaceous–early Tertiary uplift event should have occurred in conjunction with thickening of the crust by felsic magmatism. Additional uplift is predicted if the pyroxenite root later foundered, but such uplift must have occurred after ∼25 Ma, the age of the xenolith host. We show that seismic velocity anomalies and seismic structures in the central part of the Colorado Plateau could represent pyroxenitic layers that still reside there. However, under the southern and western margins of the Colorado Plateau, the seismic signatures of a pyroxenite root are missing, despite xenolith records and geochemical evidence for their existence prior to 25 Ma. We suggest that these particular regions have undergone recent removal of the pyroxenite root, leading to late uplift of the plateau. In summary, our observations suggest that the Nevadaplano, west of the Colorado Plateau and now represented by the Basin and Range province, was underlain by high elevations in the late Cretaceous through early Tertiary due to magmatic thickening. This may have facilitated an east-directed drainage pattern at this time. Subsequent collapse of the Nevadaplano, culminating in Basin and Range extension and coupled with delamination-induced uplift of the margins of the Colorado Plateau in the late Cenozoic, may have reversed this drainage pattern, allowing rivers to flow west, as they do today.

Landform development in a zone of active Gedi Fault, Eastern Kachchh rift basin, India

An earthquake of 2006 Mw 5.7 occurred along east–west trending Gedi Fault (GF) to the north of the Kachchh rift basin in western India which had the epicenter in the Wagad upland, which is approximately 60km northeast of the 2001 Mw 7.7 earthquake site (or epicenter). Development of an active fault scarp, shifting of a river channel, offsetting of streams and uplift of the ground indicate that the terrain is undergoing active deformation. Based on detailed field investigations, three major faults that control uplifts have been identified in the GF zone. These uplifts were developed in a step-over zone of the GF, and formed due to compressive force generated by left-lateral motion within the segmented blocks. In the present research, a terrace sequence along the north flowing Karaswali river in a tectonically active GF zone has been investigated. Reconstructions based on geomorphology and terrace stratigraphy supported by optical chronology suggest that the fluvial aggradation in the Wagad area was initiated during the strengthening (at ~8ka) and declining (~4ka) of the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM). The presence of younger valley fill sediments which are dated ~1ka is ascribed to a short lived phase of renewed strengthening of ISM before present day aridity. Based on terrace morphology two major phases of enhanced uplift have been estimated. The older uplift event dated to 8ka is represented by the Tertiary bedrock surfaces which accommodated the onset of valley-fill aggradation. The younger event of enhanced uplift dated to 4ka was responsible for the incision of the older valley fill sediments and the Tertiary bedrock. These ages suggest that the average rate of uplift ranges from 0.3 to 1.1mm/yr during the last 9ka implying active nature of the area.

Examination of an active submarine fault off the southeast Izu Peninsula, central Japan, using field evidence for coseismic uplift and a characteristic earthquake model

Detailed mapping and radiocarbon dating of emergent marine sessile assemblages show that coseismic uplift occurred at 1256–950 BC, AD 1000–1270, AD 1430–1660, and AD 1506–1815 in the southern Izu Peninsula, central Japan. Employing a characteristic earthquake model, this study reconstructed the source fault for the uplift events from the spatial distribution of coseismic vertical displacements and historical documents. The source is inferred to be a reversal fault located about 3 km off the southern Izu Peninsula that is 25 km long and 13 km wide (strike = 250°, dip = 52° to the north) and slip of 2.7 m and has generated a Mw 7 class earthquake.

Saddle dolomite and calcite cements as records of fluid flow during basin evolution: Paleogene carbonates, United Arab Emirates

Field observations indicate that tectonic compression, anticline formation and concomitant uplift events of marine Paleogene carbonates in eastern United Arab Emirates, which are related to the Zagros Orogeny, have induced brecciation, karstification, and carbonate cementation in vugs and along faults and fractures. Structural analysis, stable isotopes and fluid inclusion microthermometry are used to constrain the origin and geochemical evolution of the fluids. Fluid flow was related to two tectonic deformation phases. Initially, the flux of moderately 87Sr-rich basinal NaCl–MgCl2–H2O brines along reactivated deep-seated strike-slip faults have resulted in the precipitation of saddle dolomite in fractures and vugs and in dolomitization of host Eocene limestones (δ18OV-PDB −15.8‰ to −6.2‰; homogenization temperatures of 80–115 °C and salinity of 18–25 wt.% eq. NaCl). Subsequently, compression and uplift of the anticline was associated with incursion of meteoric waters and mixing with the basinal brines, which resulted in the precipitation of blocky calcite cement (δ18OV-PDB −22‰ to −12‰; homogenization temperatures of 60–90 °C and salinity of 4.5–9 wt.% eq. NaCl). Saddle dolomite and surrounding blocky calcite have precipitated along the pre- and syn-folding E–W fracture system and its conjugate fracture sets. The stable isotopes coupled with fluid-inclusion micro-thermometry (homogenization temperatures of ≤50 °C and salinity of <1.5 wt.% eq. NaCl) of later prismatic/dogtooth and fibrous calcites, which occurred primarily along the post-folding NNE–SSW fracture system and its conjugate fracture sets, suggest cementation by descending moderately 87Sr-rich, cool meteoric waters. This carbonate cementation history explains the presence of two correlation trends between the δ18OV-PDB and δ13CV-PDB values: (i) a negative temperature-dependent oxygen isotope fractionation trend related to burial diagenesis and to the flux of basinal brines, and (ii) positive brine-meteoric mixing trend. This integrated study approach allows better understanding of changes in fluid composition and circulation pattern during evolution of foreland basins.

Frontier exploration and the North Atlantic Igneous Province: new insights from a 2.6 km offshore volcanic sequence in the NE Faroe–Shetland Basin

The Lagavulin exploration well 217/15-1Z penetrated a c . 2.6 km thick volcanic sequence dominated by extrusive basaltic rocks spanning the Paleocene–Eocene boundary in the NE Faroe–Shetland Basin. The well comprises one of the thickest drilled sequences through the North Atlantic Igneous Province. Integrated analysis of drill cuttings and wireline-log data reveals key volcanic lithofacies: (1) tabular lava flows; (2) compound lava flows; (3) hyaloclastite; (4) volcaniclastic rocks. The volcanic facies reveal two major sub-aqueous to subaerial sequences consistent with lava delta progradation. These sequences are separated by a volcanic hiatus represented by extensive reddened soils, which preceded the re-submergence of the area. Emergence followed by submergence of the first lava delta is interpreted to record an intra-T40 transient uplift event near the Paleocene–Eocene boundary. Basalts from the lower c . 1.3 km have low TiO 2 (&lt;1.5 wt%) and low Zr/Y (2–3), with olivine-phyric picrites towards the base (Mg# 70–82; olivine Fo 85–91 ). The hiatus correlates precisely with a change to high-TiO 2 (2.5–3.2 wt%), high-Zr/Y (&gt;4) compositions, which dominate the upper sequence. The associated change in lava geochemistry, transient uplift and volcanic hiatus appears consistent with a transient pulse of hot buoyant plume material passing beneath the area. Supplementary material: All raw geochemical data and supplementary analyses are available at http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18888 .

Uranium-thorium dating potential of the marine bivalve Lithophaga lithophaga

Poor chronological control hampers efforts to constrain uplift event frequency in the Eastern Mediterranean Basin and develop regional tectonic models. Borings of the colonial marine mollusc Lithophaga lithophaga are commonly associated with uplifted Mediterranean shorelines and the suitability of its fossil shell for uranium-series dating is investigated to assess its potential for refining uplift chronologies. Living specimens contain very little uranium but Holocene fossils suggest rapid post-mortem uptake from a marine source. However, in common with many other mollusc species, Pleistocene samples show clear evidence of subsequent exchange with uranium from groundwater and although two out of eight samples returned ages compatible with their stratigraphic locations, these may be chance results given the compelling evidence for general open system behaviour. Detrital contamination appears not to be a significant problem in pre-Holocene samples. Open system modelling, using techniques developed to correct for alpha recoil effects in reef corals, shows that the recoil mechanism is inadequate to explain the magnitude of the isotopic alterations observed. Our results show that whilst uranium-series dating of Holocene L. lithophaga shells may be possible, Pleistocene specimens suffer from significant geochemical alteration and cannot be used to refine crustal uplift chronologies over longer timescales.

Sedimentary budgets of the Tanzania coastal basin and implications for uplift history of the East African rift system

Data from 23 wells were used to quantify the sedimentary budgets in the Tanzania coastal basin in order to unravel the uplift chronology of the sourcing area located in the East African Rift System. We quantified the siliciclastic sedimentary volumes preserved in the Tanzania coastal basin corrected for compaction and in situ (e.g., carbonates) production. We found that the drainage areas, which supplied sediments to this basin, were eroded in four episodes: (1) during the middle Jurassic, (2) during the Campanian–Palaeocene, (3) during the middle Eocene and (4) during the Miocene. Three of these high erosion and sedimentation periods are more likely related to uplift events in the East African Rift System and earlier rift shoulders and plume uplifts. Indeed, rapid cooling in the rift system and high denudation rates in the sediment source area are coeval with these recorded pulses. However, the middle Eocene pulse was synchronous with a fall in the sea level, a climatic change and slow cooling of the rift flanks and thus seems more likely due to climatic and eustatic variations. We show that the rift shoulders of the East African rift system have inherited their present relief from at least three epeirogenic uplift pulses of middle Jurassic, Campanian–Palaeocene, and Miocene ages.

Foraminiferal record of the 2010–2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence, New Zealand, and possible predecessors

Abstract This study documents changes in elevation, plant zones and foraminiferal faunas along a transect through salt marsh taken 14 months prior to, and 12 and 33 months after the Feb 2011 Canterbury Earthquake, which devastated the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. The saltmarsh subsided 0.1 m relative to the adjacent sand spit due to shaking-induced lateral spread. Over the 33-month period the lower 0.3 m elevation of the rush zone died away and a pine tree plantation on the sand spit terrace (~ 0.3–0.5 m above highest astronomical tide, HAT in 2009) also died and was removed. The foraminiferal faunal composition changed only slowly following the earthquake, except in the highest stations. Here their landward extent had migrated 0.45 m upwards by the end of 2013 and the foraminifera-based elevation estimates (Modern Analogue Technique, MAT) indicated a total subsidence of 0.36–0.62 m, similar to that indicated by LiDAR surveys. Elevation estimates based on the dead foraminiferal faunas in replicate salt-marsh cores 10 m apart indicate a subsidence event of ~ 0.15–0.2 m at 45 cm downcore. This was probably a result of shaking-induced lateral spread of the marsh into the river channel during a late 19th century earthquake—most probably the 1869 Christchurch Earthquake. A second possible co-seismic subsidence event is indicated at 80 cm downcore but the MAT elevational estimates are less reliable because of the low density foraminiferal faunas. A sudden relative fall in sea-level (or uplift of land) of 0.2–0.25 m is indicated by MAT elevation estimates at 60 cm downcore. As there is no known supporting evidence for a tectonic uplift event, we infer the most likely explanation is that this event spans an erosional time break (> 500 yrs). Although we did not recognise its significance at the time, the foraminiferal record in our 2009 salt marsh core indicated that Christchurch had previously experienced significant co-seismic shaking on at least one, and maybe more, occasions within the last 1000 yrs.

Phylogeny and speciation in Saxifraga sect. Ciliatae (Saxifragaceae): Evidence from psbA‐trnH, trnL‐F and ITS sequences

AbstractNearly half of the species in the large genus Saxifraga belong to Saxifraga sect. Ciliatae, a largely Sino‐Himalayan taxon. We report here that evidence from chloroplast DNA sequences (psbA‐trnH, trnL‐F) and from nuclear sequences (ITS) indicates that this section is monophyletic and composed of at least three main lineages, corresponding to (1) a clade made up of species from S. subsect. Gemmiparae, subsect. Cinerascentes, subsect. Flagellares and subsect. Hemisphaericae, in which the last three subsections are nested in the first; (2) a clade of species belonging to S. subsect. Rosulares (including S. subsect. Serpyllifoliae); and (3) a clade of species belonging to S. subsect. Hirculoideae. Species relationships in S. subsect. Rosulares and subsect. Hirculoideae are not well resolved. A molecular clock analysis indicates that the diversification of S. sect. Ciliatae into its three lineages dates from ca. 9.48 Ma, coinciding with orogenic events associated with one of the most important phases of uplift of the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau. Extensive diversifications within S. subsect. Rosulares and subsect. Hirculoideae have been more recent (ca. 4.51 Ma and 2.12 Ma, respectively), again correlated with Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau uplift events and, in the case of S. subsect. Hirculoideae, have occurred at a rate comparable to that seen in the radiation of Hawaiian fruit flies.

Episodic burial and exhumation of the southern Baltic Shield: Epeirogenic uplifts during and after break-up of Pangaea

Cratons are conventionally assumed to be areas of long-term stability. However, whereas Precambrian basement crops out across most of the Baltic Shield, Palaeozoic and Mesozoic sediments rest on basement in southern Sweden, and thus testify to a complex history of exhumation and burial. Our synthesis of published stratigraphic landscape analysis and new apatite fission-track analysis data reveals a history involving five steps after formation of the extremely flat, Sub-Cambrian Peneplain. (1) Cambrian to Lower Triassic rocks accumulated on the peneplain, interrupted by late Carboniferous uplift and exhumation. (2) Middle Triassic uplift removed the Palaeozoic cover along the south-western margin of the shield, leading to formation of a Triassic peneplain with a predominantly flat relief followed by deposition of Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic rocks. (3) Uplift that began during the Middle Jurassic to earliest Cretaceous caused denudation leading to deep weathering that shaped an undulating, hilly relief that was buried below Upper Cretaceous to Oligocene sediments. (4) Early Miocene uplift and erosion produced the South Småland Peneplain with scattered hills. (5) Early Pliocene uplift raised the Miocene peneplain to its present elevation leading to reexposure of the sub-Cretaceous hilly relief near the coast. Our results thus provide constraints on the magnitude and timing of episodes of deposition and removal of significant volumes of Phanerozoic rocks across the southern portion of the Baltic Shield. Late Carboniferous, Middle Triassic and mid-Jurassic events of uplift and exhumation affected wide areas beyond the Baltic Shield, and we interpret them as epeirogenic uplifts accompanying fragmentation of Pangaea, caused by accumulation of mantle heat beneath the supercontinent. Early Miocene uplift affected north-west Europe but not East Greenland, and thus likely resulted from compressive stresses from an orogeny on the Eurasian plate. Early Pliocene uplift related to changes in mantle convection and plate motion affected wide areas beyond North-East Atlantic margins.

Variable Holocene deformation above a shallow subduction zone extremely close to the trench.

Histories of vertical crustal motions at convergent margins offer fundamental insights into the relationship between interplate slip and permanent deformation. Moreover, past abrupt motions are proxies for potential tsunamigenic earthquakes and benefit hazard assessment. Well-dated records are required to understand the relationship between past earthquakes and Holocene vertical deformation. Here we measure elevations and 230Th ages of in situ corals raised above the sea level in the western Solomon Islands to build an uplift event history overlying the seismogenic zone, extremely close to the trench (4–40 km). We find marked spatiotemporal heterogeneity in uplift from mid-Holocene to present: some areas accrue more permanent uplift than others. Thus, uplift imposed during the 1 April 2007 Mw 8.1 event may be retained in some locations but removed in others before the next megathrust rupture. This variability suggests significant changes in strain accumulation and the interplate thrust process from one event to the next.

Stable isotopic insights into paleoclimatic conditions and alluvial depositional processes in the Kaiparowits Formation (Campanian, south-central Utah, U.S.A.)

The Kaiparowits Formation contains an exceptionally rich history of tectonic, climatic, and biologic conditions within the Western Interior of North America during the Campanian. Here we reconstruct aspects of the southern Cordilleran foreland basin's paleohydrology using δ18O and δ13C values determined from unionoid bivalve shells and pedogenic carbonate nodules derived from a suite of lithofacies associations. Unionoid shells derived from fluvial deposits display average water δ18O estimates of −13.7‰ ± 2.1 (1σ) (VSMOW) and shell δ13C values of −4.0‰ ± 1.5 (VPDB), whereas pedogenic carbonate nodules display average values of −6.0‰ ± 0.5 and −8.7‰ ± 0.8, respectively. Unionoid shells derived from pond deposits fall in between the two other environments with average values of −9.5‰ ± 1.8 and −5.7‰ ± 2.1, in δ18O and δ13C values respectively. Water δ18O estimates are interpreted to represent high altitude runoff within river systems, low elevation precipitation within the basin onto floodplain soils, and varying degrees of mixing between these two components within floodplain ponds. δ13C values track the isotopic composition of dissolved inorganic carbon within river, soil, and pond waters with high values likely reflecting greater contribution from chemically weathered marine carbonates exposed in the hinterland and lower values reflecting greater contributions from the in situ degradation of plant matter. Up-section there is a shift to lower δ18O values and higher δ13C values in fluvially-derived unionoid shells that post-dates an incursion of the Western Interior Seaway, but coincides with a shift in sediment provenance, an increase in basin sedimentation rates, and a change to a more anastomosed-style channel morphology within the basin foredeep depocentre. By combining the isotopic patterns with previously published sedimentologic, climate model, and paleofloral records we find: 1) additional evidence for humid, wet, and potentially monsoonal conditions within the region, 2) support for a tectonic uplift event, potentially related to Laramide deformation, and 3) greater aggradation and overbank flooding within the alluvial system in response to the uplift event.

An integrated biomarker perspective on Neogene–Quaternary climatic evolution in NE Tibetan Plateau: Implications for the Asian aridification

The long-term paleoclimate record in Asia and its comparison with the global climate record are of vital importance to understanding the coupling mechanisms between tectonics and climate. However, such long-term climate history in Asia revealed using the biomarker perspective has remained elusive. Here, we reconstruct the Neogene–Quaternary climatic history of the Northeastern (NE) Tibetan Plateau based on the integrated biomarker records of the Tianshui Basin and multiple published data from its surrounding localities. These comprehensive results indicate that the NE Tibetan Plateau did not have a consistent aridity trend until ∼4 Ma. Before 4 Ma, the Neogene climate was generally humid although this pattern was temporarily interrupted by two drying intervals at ∼14.5–∼12.5 and ∼10–∼6 Ma. Each of the two drying intervals and the permanent aridification trend roughly correspond to one phase of global cooling and/or uplift event of the Tibetan Plateau, highlighting the importance and complexity of tectonic–climate interactions. However, our study indicates increasing influence of tectonic uplift on the NE Tibetan Plateau climate since late Pliocene.