Geology TodayPub Date : 2023-12-25DOI: 10.1111/gto.12456
Stephen K. Donovan
{"title":"Function of inflexible ‘roots’ of Palaeozoic crinoids and solitary corals","authors":"Stephen K. Donovan","doi":"10.1111/gto.12456","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gto.12456","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Although not a common feature of either group, solitary rugose corals and Palaeozoic crinoids may be anchored by unsegmented, rod-like root structures, referred to as ‘radiciform’ processes and ‘pseudoradices’, respectively. Crinoid pseudoradices likely penetrated the sediment radially from the column, like the roots of a tree. Radiciform processes may have fulfilled a similar function for a solitary rugose coral, but they were also encrusters.</p>","PeriodicalId":100581,"journal":{"name":"Geology Today","volume":"39 6","pages":"236-239"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139041913","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}
Geology TodayPub Date : 2023-12-25DOI: 10.1111/gto.12454
Renaud Merle, Valentin R. Troll, Mikael Höök, Magdalena Kuchler, Paul K. Byrne, George Donoso
{"title":"Extra-terrestrial resources: A potential solution for securing the supply of rare metals for the coming decades?","authors":"Renaud Merle, Valentin R. Troll, Mikael Höök, Magdalena Kuchler, Paul K. Byrne, George Donoso","doi":"10.1111/gto.12454","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gto.12454","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The forthcoming energy transition driven by the need to reduce CO<sub>2</sub> emissions requires large amounts of critical elements to construct renewable energy devices such as car batteries, wind turbines and solar panels. For many elements such as Li, Co, REEs and Ti, the production sources are located in countries with poor social and environmental standards, prone to political destabilization such as military conflicts, or vulnerable to strained relationships with consumer countries. Lately, the volatile geopolitical context has further demonstrated the high dependency of Europe and other developed countries in terms of raw material supply. In addition, there is a debate about the Earth's potential to sustain the transition toward a green society by using conventional resources from mining of terrestrial rocks. As nature conservation and climate mitigation are now priorities for the majority of governments, and since conventional mining on Earth suffers from a growing social resistance, humankind may need to look toward new frontier resources for supplying the mineral needs of the coming decades. Here, we explore the use of extra-terrestrial resources as a potential source to feed the future supply of critical metals. Extra-terrestrial mining may be an opportunity for wealth creation and an option for critical metal resource supply when mining on Earth becomes increasingly untenable. We conclude that the potential impacts of extraction and exploitation of space resources, both good and bad, could be societally profound.</p>","PeriodicalId":100581,"journal":{"name":"Geology Today","volume":"39 6","pages":"225-230"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/gto.12454","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139044966","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}
Geology TodayPub Date : 2023-12-25DOI: 10.1111/gto.12455
John D. Hudson, Richmal B. Paxton, Julian E. Andrews, Paul F. Dennis, Alina D. Marca
{"title":"Classic Scottish sandstone concretions formed from hot water","authors":"John D. Hudson, Richmal B. Paxton, Julian E. Andrews, Paul F. Dennis, Alina D. Marca","doi":"10.1111/gto.12455","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gto.12455","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Large calcite-cemented sandstone concretions found in Middle Jurassic sandstones from the isles of Eigg and Skye are a striking feature of the Jurassic geology of the Inner Hebrides. Recent clumped isotope data unequivocally give concretionary calcite cementation temperatures above 50°C and up to 98°C. The high temperatures contrast with the mild thermal history of the enclosing less permeable Jurassic mudrocks. The clumped isotope data also enable calculation of the oxygen isotopic composition of the precipitating fluids: these included percolating rainwater that had interacted with Paleocene volcanics; then, later hot fluids of deeper, basinal origin, squeezed out of compacting mudrocks at depth as the Paleocene lava pile loaded the crust. There is thus direct connection between ‘Jurassic’ sedimentary features and the complex Paleocene volcanic history of the region.</p>","PeriodicalId":100581,"journal":{"name":"Geology Today","volume":"39 6","pages":"231-235"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/gto.12455","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139044967","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}
Geology TodayPub Date : 2023-12-25DOI: 10.1111/gto.12453
Richard A. Edwards, Edward C. Freshney
{"title":"About a basin—The Palaeogene pull-apart fluvial Bovey Basin, South Devon, UK","authors":"Richard A. Edwards, Edward C. Freshney","doi":"10.1111/gto.12453","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gto.12453","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The Bovey Basin in south Devon, UK, provides an instructive example of a Palaeogene pull-apart basin with a complex fluvial sedimentary fill. The basin, one of three that lie along the NW-SE-trending Sticklepath Fault Zone, is filled by about 1200 m of sediment, of which about the lower 700 m (mainly lower Bovey Formation) is concealed. The main Bovey Basin is separated from a smaller sub-basin (the Decoy Basin) south of Newton Abbot. Two main lithofacies are present in the Bovey Formation: lignite-clay; and clay-sand, with subordinate lithofacies of red-mottled clay and sand; and gravel and conglomerate. The upper 500 m or so of the sedimentary infill (middle and upper Bovey Formation) is divided into 10 members. Deposition in the basin was by a variety of fluvial processes, notably floodplain clays and sands deposited by meandering rivers; forest swamps with associated short-lived shallow lakes; and (mainly in the upper Bovey Formation) braided stream sands and gravels that formed mainly on alluvial fans. Lignites in the basin formed from plants that grew in place in forest swamps, a revision of the long-held view that the lignitic material was transported into the basin from forests of the conifer <i>Sequoia couttsiae</i> growing outside the basin on adjacent uplands. Newly discovered ichnofabrics occur in some lignitic sequences and probably represent root traces (rhizoliths).</p>","PeriodicalId":100581,"journal":{"name":"Geology Today","volume":"39 6","pages":"216-224"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139044964","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}
Geology TodayPub Date : 2023-09-27DOI: 10.1111/gto.12450
Kent Brooks
{"title":"Granites","authors":"Kent Brooks","doi":"10.1111/gto.12450","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gto.12450","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Granites are coarse-grained igneous intrusive rocks, which, although present in most tectonic settings, are most characteristic of continental crust. While basalts are the most abundant volcanic rocks, granites are the most abundant intrusive rocks. On the scale of the Solar System, while basalts are ubiquitous, granites seem to be restricted to the Earth. The volcanic equivalent of granite is rhyolite, although rhyolites are of much lower abundance than granite, probably because such magmas are more viscous and less likely to reach the surface. In addition, many pyroclastic rocks have a granitic composition and are likely to have their origins in underlying granitic plutons. Granites may originate by differentiation of a basaltic magma, but the abundance of granites and the low abundance of intermediate rocks argues in general against this possibility and granite magmas are generally thought to have formed by melting of pre-existing rocks. Several distinct types of granite are recognized depending on their origin.</p>","PeriodicalId":100581,"journal":{"name":"Geology Today","volume":"39 5","pages":"196-202"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50145822","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}
Geology TodayPub Date : 2023-09-27DOI: 10.1111/gto.12448
David A. G. Nowell
{"title":"Rapid erosion along Holderness coast of East Yorkshire, UK and rising eustatic sea levels driven by climate change","authors":"David A. G. Nowell","doi":"10.1111/gto.12448","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gto.12448","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Following the end of the last ice age, decelerating global post-glacial sea level rises submerged the southern North Sea, and along this coast, 63 km of soft glacial deposits are still being rapidly washed away. The collapse of the massive ice sheets covering Britain, Ireland and Fennoscandia was a complex process, with warming after 14.7 ka. Limited glaciation then returned during the Loch Lomond Stadial at the end of the Pleistocene, Doggerland, connecting Britain with the continent, was slowly immersed, becoming a shrinking island which was rapidly submerged after 8 ka. This coincided with the Storegga tsunami which hit what remained of Doggerland’s shores and along the coasts of Scotland and Northumberland. Since then, the sea has risen by around 27.5 m. Now it is clear eustatic increases in global sea levels are starting to accelerate once again, we must start adjusting to this reality in the way we manage our coastal infrastructure and try to understand more about how this interacts with naturally dynamic shorelines.</p>","PeriodicalId":100581,"journal":{"name":"Geology Today","volume":"39 5","pages":"177-188"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50145820","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}
Geology TodayPub Date : 2023-09-27DOI: 10.1111/gto.12446
{"title":"Geodigest","authors":"","doi":"10.1111/gto.12446","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gto.12446","url":null,"abstract":"New research into the forces that bring diamonds to the surface from deep in the Earth’s mantle could help locate undiscovered diamond deposits, say Macqurie University geologists (Fran Molloy, Physorg, 27 July 2023). In a new study, Emeritus Professors Suzanne O’Reilly and Bill Griffin (Fig. 1) worked with a team led by Tom Gernon at the University of Southampton in the UK to track the past billion years of patterns of continent formation and tectonic plate movement. Linking these patterns with known deposits of diamondrich kimberlite rocks, they found the breakup of tectonic plates is the main driving force behind the generation and eruption of diamondrich magmas from deep inside the Earth. Australia’s mineral exploration has already found most of the worldclass and large mineral deposits visible at the surface, in the onethird of the continent not buried under hundreds of metres of dirt and young sediments, says Professor O’Reilly. The twothirds of Australia with deep sediment cover should contain the same proportion of worldclass mineral deposits as the visible regions, she says— but traditional discovery methods will not work to find these minerals vital for a sustainable future. For example, it is estimated that by 2030, the global demand for cobalt used in renewable energy batteries will be around 50 times what it was in 2016. Unless we can become selfsufficient in this strategic metal, Australia may be held to ransom with huge price increases and chronic shortages, says O’Reilly. Their work in understanding the deep processes that create economic mineral deposits has helped the researchers develop a new predictive strategy to find minerals called the GLAM approach (Global Lithospheric Architecture Mapping)— developed with industry collaboration. This has revolutionized the way mineral exploration is now done by progressive industry explorers, says Professor Griffin. The new research has demonstrated this technique, showing how tracing the unique process of diamond formation can help geologists locate previously unknown diamond deposits. Jewellery makes up a fraction of the world’s diamond trade; most diamonds are used in industrial applications they are valued as the hardest natural","PeriodicalId":100581,"journal":{"name":"Geology Today","volume":"39 5","pages":"160-168"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50145817","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}
Geology TodayPub Date : 2023-09-27DOI: 10.1111/gto.12447
Kenneth C. Gass, Simon J. Braddy
{"title":"The Waukesha Biota: a wonderful window into early Silurian life","authors":"Kenneth C. Gass, Simon J. Braddy","doi":"10.1111/gto.12447","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/gto.12447","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The Waukesha Biota (Brandon Bridge Formation Lagerstätte) is a diverse assemblage of early Silurian (437 Ma) shallow marine fossils from Wisconsin, USA. Their exceptional preservation, in finely laminated dolomitic mudstones, was mediated by tidally-influenced conditions and/or microbial entombment. Shelly biomineralized animals are rare, but soft-bodied organisms are common. Arthropods dominate, including trilobites, phyllocarids, ostracodes, a thylacocephalan, a synziphosurine and various enigmatic groups. The fauna also includes evolutionary ‘holdovers’, such as palaeoscolecids and a lobopodian.</p>","PeriodicalId":100581,"journal":{"name":"Geology Today","volume":"39 5","pages":"169-176"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50145821","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}