Evolving Earth最新文献

{"title":"Decadal changes of biomass carbon stock in the Indo-Gangetic mangrove area: Insights from landsat remote sensing","authors":"Pranjali Diliprao Patil,&nbsp;Subhadip Dey","doi":"10.1016/j.eve.2026.100155","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eve.2026.100155","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The anthropogenic increase in atmospheric CO₂ has created the need for precise measurement of terrestrial and coastal carbon sinks, especially in geomorphologically active intertidal environments. Mangroves, which store disproportionately high quantities of “Blue carbon” in above-ground biomass and deep alluvial sediments, are central to global carbon budgets. The Indo-Bangladesh Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove system, represents a critical biophysical interface where dynamics within the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna delta are crucial. This study proposes a remote sensing framework that combines Python-based geospatial analytics with the computational capabilities of Google Earth Engine to quantify above-ground carbon biomass for the years 2004, 2014 and 2024. Spatiotemporal patterns are assessed in relation to geomorphological settings, estuarine hydrodynamics, and anthropogenic disturbance regimes along the deltaic gradient. The model was validated using five-fold cross-validation, demonstrating satisfactory predictive performance while quantifying the associated uncertainty. The results of this study indicate spatial heterogeneity but mainly stable carbon storage over the two decades. The mean carbon stock increases from 41.51 Mg C/ha in 2004 to 42.55 Mg C/ha in 2014, followed by a marginal increase to 43.21 Mg C/ha in 2024. The maximum biomass carbon values decreases slightly from 92.29 Mg C/ha in 2004, to 88.30 Mg C/ha in 2014 and then reach 85.17 Mg C/ha in 2024, indicating localized reduction in dense mangrove stands. Although middle regions of mangrove extent degraded, the decadal change map shows slight but persistent biomass growth (2004–2014) and partial recovery in numerous western sectors in both decades. These findings underscore the necessity for targeted restoration of hydrologically stressed zones, salinity regulation, and sediment reconnection strategies to preserve Sundarbans carbon resilience under changing climatic and anthropogenic stressors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100516,"journal":{"name":"Evolving Earth","volume":"4 ","pages":"Article 100155"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148729352","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrated geospatial and AHP techniques for deciphering groundwater potential zones in Arasikere taluk, Hassan district, Karnataka, India","authors":"S. Sudha,&nbsp;Govindaraju,&nbsp;C.J. Rakesh,&nbsp;S. Lokanath","doi":"10.1016/j.eve.2026.100126","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eve.2026.100126","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Groundwater resources are facing significant pressure due to overexploitation and climate change. Comprehending the characteristics of these diminishing resources is very crucial for sustainable development and management, particularly given their varied distribution and temporal and spatial occurrence. The study region has a dry, semi-arid type of climate; farming is the predominant occupation, and residents heavily depend on groundwater resources because the availability of surface water is limited and rainfall patterns are irregular. This study uses an integrated approach that incorporates remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and Analytic Hierarchical Process (AHP), in order to assess groundwater potential zones in Arasikere Taluk, Hassan District. The twelve thematic layers—lithology, geomorphology, land use and land cover, lineament density, drainage density, rainfall, groundwater level, soil type, slope, curvature, roughness index, and topographic wetness index are used as the basis for the analysis. Each thematic layer weighted according to its characteristics and water-holding capacity to retain water. The groundwater potentiality index then calculated, incorporating the weighted overlay analysis to create a groundwater potentiality map. Five zones are identified by the results: very good (20.41%), good (11.12%), moderate (44.94%), poor (5.93%), and extremely Poor (11.81%) for groundwater potential. The results of this study will further guide future investigations and strategies for effective management and planning of groundwater development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100516,"journal":{"name":"Evolving Earth","volume":"4 ","pages":"Article 100126"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147709506","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrated multi-scale heterogeneity analysis and explainable AI for improved reservoir rock typing: A case study of Reservoir-X, Southern Niger Delta Basin, Nigeria","authors":"Bernard Che Ngu ,&nbsp;Kennedy Folepai Fozao ,&nbsp;Mathias Akong Onabid ,&nbsp;Lionel Takem Nkwanyang ,&nbsp;Zerubbabel Akongneh ,&nbsp;Flora Vernyuy Wiysanyuy ,&nbsp;Anastasia Annu","doi":"10.1016/j.eve.2026.100127","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eve.2026.100127","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The high cost of extensive coring in the Niger Delta Basin necessitates innovative, data-driven methods for accurate reservoir characterization. We hypothesized that a multi-scale analysis, the integration of global statistical averages, stratigraphic zonal measures, and pore-scale physics, would reveal significant flow complexities masked by standard metrics. Using wireline logs and core porosity-permeability data from Reservoir-X, Southern Niger Delta Basin, we calculated heterogeneity indices and hydraulic flow units. While global Lorenz (7.5%) and Dykstra-Parsons (13.2%) coefficients suggested a homogeneous reservoir, the Stratigraphic Modified Lorenz Plot (SMLP) provided critical depth-dependent resolution, uniquely exposing localized baffles and rhythmic cyclicity (2.2 m) that standard global applications failed to detect. To extrapolate these localized, core-derived hydraulic units to the continuous reservoir, we employed a supervised Random Forest model to predict rock types in uncored intervals, validating its performance against core-derived classes with 91% accuracy. To bridge the gap between black box algorithms and geological physics, we applied SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations) analysis, which identified bulk density as the dominant predictor, confirming that compaction is the primary physical control on reservoir quality. Furthermore, we integrated unsupervised K-means clustering, evaluated via the Elbow Method and sum of squared errors (SSE) reduction, to challenge the rigid supervised classification. We demonstrate that this combined workflow is necessary because the unsupervised analysis identified distinct transition zones (4–5 clusters) that the standard three-rock-type empirical models missed. We conclude that combining explainable AI with heterogeneity analysis provides a superior framework for identifying cryptic facies and optimizing reservoir models in complex deltaic systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100516,"journal":{"name":"Evolving Earth","volume":"4 ","pages":"Article 100127"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147745999","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Lithological control on pedogenesis and soil mineralogy across contrasting geological formations of the Brazilian Cerrado","authors":"Thiago Torres Costa Pereira,&nbsp;Libério Junio da Silva,&nbsp;Jônatas Pedro da Silva,&nbsp;Wisley Moreira Farias,&nbsp;Henrique Amorim Machado","doi":"10.1016/j.eve.2026.100161","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eve.2026.100161","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study evaluated the physical, chemical, and mineralogical properties of soils developed over different rock formations in the Triângulo Mineiro region of the Brazilian Cerrado (Marília, Serra Geral, Uberaba, and Vale do Rio do Peixe Formations), with emphasis on their pedogenesis and agricultural potential. Particle size distribution, soil fertility attributes, field magnetization, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses were integrated to assess lithological control on soil development and functioning. Clear contrasts were observed among formations. Soils derived from the Serra Geral basalts showed higher clay contents and greater abundance and diversity of iron oxides, including hematite, magnetite, and maghemite, which favor greater structural stability and nutrient retention. In contrast, soils developed over the Uberaba and Vale do Rio do Peixe sedimentary formations were predominantly sandy, mineralogically simpler, and chemically less fertile, reflecting strong quartz inheritance and advanced leaching. Marília Formation soils exhibited intermediate characteristics. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) distinguished soils along fertility and acidity gradients, while hierarchical clustering of mineralogical data revealed lithology-driven differences in weathering pathways and mineral assemblages. A strong positive correlation between total Fe and Ti (Spearman's ρ = 0.90; p &lt; 0.001) provided additional evidence of lithological control on soil geochemistry. The complementary PCA projections involving the third principal component confirmed the consistency of the observed sample distribution patterns. The results demonstrate that geological substrate exerts a strong control on soil variability and agricultural suitability in the region. Basalt-derived soils present greater resilience and higher potential for intensive agriculture under appropriate management, whereas sandy soils require conservation-oriented and management-intensive practices. Integrating mineralogical, physical, and chemical information supports more efficient and sustainable soil use and contribute to improved soil characterization and land-use planning in these tropical agroecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100516,"journal":{"name":"Evolving Earth","volume":"4 ","pages":"Article 100161"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148843006","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Threshold dynamics of mass extinctions and human famine risk","authors":"Kunio Kaiho","doi":"10.1016/j.eve.2026.100114","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eve.2026.100114","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Large-scale continental volcanism, meteoroid impacts, and nuclear war can inject massive amounts of sulfur dioxide or soot into the stratosphere, causing solar dimming, global cooling, reduced rainfall, and—at extremes—global famine and mass extinction. Using Phanerozoic data, this study quantifies animal extinction magnitudes and human famine risk under such scenarios. We find a nonlinear threshold: species loss surges from a few percent to 20–40% when soot exceeds 100–120 Tg or volcanic ejecta surpasses 500,000–700,000 km³. Human population loss from food shortages increases more gradually, reaching 50–80% beyond these thresholds. These tipping points may be exceeded by massive eruptions, large asteroid impacts, or full-scale nuclear war. Our results offer a unified model for extinction mechanisms and underscore the grave risks these events pose to biodiversity and human survival.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100516,"journal":{"name":"Evolving Earth","volume":"4 ","pages":"Article 100114"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147397065","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Investigating size-asymmetric feeding among tyrannosaurids using tooth marks on a metatarsal from the Judith River Formation, Montana, USA","authors":"Josephine Nielsen ,&nbsp;Denver Fowler ,&nbsp;Taia Wyenberg-Henzler ,&nbsp;Aase Roland Jacobsen ,&nbsp;Christof Pearce","doi":"10.1016/j.eve.2026.100107","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eve.2026.100107","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Judith River Formation in Montana, USA, is a key Campanian-aged sedimentary package, with a rich fossil assemblage, including multiple tyrannosaurid taxa. This study documents BDM 124, a partial left metatarsal II exhibiting multiple tooth marks consistent with tyrannosaurid feeding activity. Using the Category-Modifier (CM) classification system and high-resolution 3D surface scanning, 16 distinct marks were systematically characterized. Morphometric analyses and Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS) revealed grouping patterns suggestive of size-asymmetric feeding behavior. The small size and spacing of the marks indicate that they were produced by a small tyrannosaurid, most likely scavenging on the carcass of a significantly larger conspecific or closely related taxon. The absence of healing, mark placement on the metatarsal, and their morphology collectively suggest late-stage carcass consumption. The study contributes a new data point to our understanding of trophic dynamics and interactions among Late Cretaceous tyrannosaurids, highlighting the value of systematic methodologies for interpreting tooth marks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100516,"journal":{"name":"Evolving Earth","volume":"4 ","pages":"Article 100107"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146189000","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Variability in Indian monsoon onset: Delays, advances, and regional disruptions","authors":"Hemalatha Kapa ,&nbsp;Kandula Bharghavi ,&nbsp;Thotli Lokeswara Reddy","doi":"10.1016/j.eve.2025.100103","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eve.2025.100103","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Indian Summer Monsoon is a critical climatic phenomenon that sustains agriculture, water resources, and economic stability across South Asia. Accurate prediction of monsoon onset timing is essential, as delays can severely disrupt agricultural cycles, reduce crop yields, and strain water availability. This review examines the factors driving monsoon onset variability, with particular emphasis on delayed onset patterns and their regional impacts. The ISM onset is governed by complex atmospheric transitions including the weakening of westerlies, strengthening of easterlies, and formation of onset vortices that are modulated by large-scale climate drivers. El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), and Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) phases play dominant roles in determining onset timing. Climate change has intensified these interactions by amplifying ENSO variability, altering IOD behavior, and weakening atmospheric circulation responses, thereby increasing the complexity of monsoon dynamics. Additionally, rising Land Surface Temperatures (LST) driven by global warming and land use changes have further contributed to onset variability. Historical analysis reveals that late-onset events were particularly frequent during 1900–1925 and 1970–1990, though some regions now experience earlier onsets, reflecting spatiotemporal heterogeneity in monsoon behavior. Advances in forecasting particularly through Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) and Multi-Model Ensemble (MME) approaches—have enhanced prediction accuracy by capturing both deterministic and stochastic rainfall patterns while reducing model uncertainties. Integration of indigenous knowledge into forecasting frameworks offers valuable localized insights for climate adaptation. Agricultural resilience strategies, including climate-smart practices such as integrated soil fertility management, agroforestry, resource conservation techniques, and community-based adaptation programs, are crucial for mitigating the impacts of monsoon variability while simultaneously contributing to greenhouse gas mitigation. Given the escalating complexities introduced by climate change, a synergistic approach combining improved forecasting models with adaptive agricultural practices is essential to enhance preparedness, optimize resource management, and mitigate the socioeconomic and environmental risks associated with monsoon variability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100516,"journal":{"name":"Evolving Earth","volume":"4 ","pages":"Article 100103"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145841679","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The temporal characteristics of the geologic record: Global correlations and similar multi-million-year cycles of major geologic events with potential internal-Earth versus astronomical pacing","authors":"Michael R. Rampino","doi":"10.1016/j.eve.2026.100116","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eve.2026.100116","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Compilations of the latest updated high-precision radio-isotopic ages for a number of major geologic events of the last few hundred-million years, including aspects of global tectonics in the ocean basins and on continents, fluctuations in sea levels and resulting sedimentation patterns, pulses of active volcanism, variations in ocean/atmospheric composition and climatic changes, biodiversity, and mass-extinction events, are found to be closely temporally correlated at high statistical confidence levels. Furthermore, several methods of spectral analysis of the improved age data support the finding that these correlated events exhibit a common, statistically significant underlying multi-million-year cycle (or cycles) in the range of ∼26 to 36 My. Shorter cycles and harmonics from ∼6.4 to ∼13 My (especially at ∼9 My), and longer cycles (multiples) of ∼56 to 65-My, ∼93 My, ∼140 to 187-My, and ∼240 to 270-My, are also indicated statistically for some of these events.</div><div>These results support previous findings that major geologic events of various kinds are globally correlated, occur in pulses, and display common underlying periodicities. These potentially inter-related, periodic, geophysical/geological/biological events might be linked to internal Earth dynamics associated with surges in mantle convection and plume initiation, and interactions with subduction, that may modulate plate movements and hotspot activity with an ∼30 My cycle.</div><div>On the other hand, the ∼26- to 36-My periodicities detected in the geologic age data are in agreement with a double cycle (∼26 and 33 My) that appears in amplitude variations of the Earth's 2.4- to 9-My orbital eccentricity cycles in the Solar System, and also with known cycles of the Earth's astronomical motions within the Milky Way Galaxy. Several scenarios have been proposed in which these astronomical cycles, interacting with terrestrial processes, might affect the timing of global geological activity. The similarities in the astronomical and geological periodicities point to the prospect of some degree of extra-terrestrial pacing of major geological events, along with the potential for astronomical “tuning” of multi-million-year terrestrial global geologic activity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100516,"journal":{"name":"Evolving Earth","volume":"4 ","pages":"Article 100116"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147858433","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Lightning fatalities in Odisha, India: temporal trends and spatial vulnerability, 2005-2023","authors":"Saumyasree Pradhan,&nbsp;Shreerup Goswami,&nbsp;Rabindra Nath Hota,&nbsp;Manoranjan Mishra,&nbsp;Soaham Padhan","doi":"10.1016/j.eve.2026.100159","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eve.2026.100159","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Lightning remains one of the leading causes of weather-related mortality in tropical regions, with eastern India being particularly vulnerable. This study examines district-level lightning fatalities in Odisha over an 18-year period (2005–2006 to 2022–2023), describing temporal trends, spatial patterns, and their statistical association with demographic exposure indicators. Secondary data derived from government and meteorological sources were analysed using time-series regression, non-parametric trend tests, spatial comparison, and correlation techniques.</div><div>The results indicate a rising trend in fatalities until 2017–2018, followed by a statistically significant decline thereafter. Change-point analysis confirms 2018 as a structural break, marking a transition from increasing to decreasing mortality. While no intervention data were analysed and no causal claim is made, the timing of this decline is temporally consistent with independently documented improvements in lightning early-warning dissemination reported in the regional literature, an association that warrants dedicated future investigation. Descriptive spatial comparison identifies a cluster of districts with disproportionately high fatality counts, and population density shows a strong positive correlation (r = 0.825) with fatality density, an association consistent with, but not confirmatory of, exposure-related vulnerability.</div><div>Polynomial regression models, although useful for retrospective trend interpretation, produced unrealistic long-term projections, underscoring their limitations for forecasting. The findings point to localised mitigation strategies, improved early-warning communication, and targeted public awareness as plausible priority areas warranting further investigation, rather than as interventions whose effectiveness is demonstrated by the present analysis. The study provides a district-level evidence base that can inform policy interventions in lightning-prone regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100516,"journal":{"name":"Evolving Earth","volume":"4 ","pages":"Article 100159"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148729346","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Millimeter-scale UAV geomorphometry reveals the organization of Neoproterozoic stromatolitic bioherms: evidence from the Irecê Basin, Brazil","authors":"Geraldo Marcelo Lima,&nbsp;Carolina de Almeida Poggio,&nbsp;Renato Carlos Vieira Santiago","doi":"10.1016/j.eve.2026.100171","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eve.2026.100171","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>High-resolution UAV photogrammetry provides an opportunity to examine how primary depositional organization and post-depositional deformation are expressed across scales in ancient microbial carbonate systems. Here, millimeter-scale UAV geomorphometry is integrated with sedimentological and structural observations to investigate Neoproterozoic stromatolitic bioherms at Fazenda Arrecife, Irecê Basin, Brazil. Individual stromatolites are predominantly circular to subcircular in plan view, whereas metre-scale bioherms display greater morphological anisotropy and a significant preferred NE–SW orientation centered near N065°–N245°. Directional concentration increases among the more elongated bioherms, indicating systematic organization at the bioherm scale. Independently measured sedimentary-flow indicators preserved within hummocky cross-stratified deposits define a predominantly N–S orientation and therefore do not show a simple parallel relationship with bioherm elongation. Structural observations provide independent evidence of post-depositional modification: primary stratification is locally folded, deflected, truncated, and displaced adjacent to bioherm margins, together with reverse faulting and distinct fold-hinge orientation families. However, the dominant bioherm axes do not simply reproduce the measured fold or fault orientations, precluding their interpretation as direct tectonic strain markers. The combined evidence therefore supports a superposition model in which primary microbial architecture was subsequently modified and locally amplified by heterogeneous deformation, with gravitational disruption contributing to the geometry preserved at some exposures. These results demonstrate that morphological anisotropy alone cannot uniquely distinguish depositional from tectonic controls in ancient microbial buildups. Integrating millimeter-scale UAV morphometry with independent sedimentological and structural constraints provides a robust framework for separating primary architecture from later modification in deformed carbonate successions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100516,"journal":{"name":"Evolving Earth","volume":"4 ","pages":"Article 100171"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149140699","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}