Earth-Science Reviews最新文献

{"title":"Mudflow rheology: A review and analysis for Earth and planetary science disciplines","authors":"Jodie Whorton,&nbsp;Thomas J. Jones,&nbsp;Lionel Wilson","doi":"10.1016/j.earscirev.2025.105226","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.earscirev.2025.105226","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Modelling the rheology of mud is intrinsic to studying mudflows in several Earth and planetary science disciplines. Rheological models enable the flow behaviour of mud particle-water suspensions to be understood and predicted with the use of equations relating the shear-stress to the shear-rate, providing insight into subsurface conditions, improving hazard management, and understanding planetary surface conditions on extra-terrestrial bodies like Mars. This review firstly provides an introduction to rheology, then examines and evaluates the importance of mud rheology and its underpinning variables (e.g., particle volume fraction, particle size and shape distribution). We explore how mud rheology is used in different disciplines of Earth and planetary science to understand the dynamics of various natural processes. Rheology models are examined, and we collate data from multiple published studies on mud suspensions. Four of the most commonly used rheology models are presented (Bingham, Herschel-Bulkley, Power Law, and Casson) and we find the Herschel-Bulkley model to provide the best fit to experimental data. The importance of model choice is explored, and we give a direct comparison of mudflow velocity predictions when using the Bingham and Herschel-Bulkley models. Disparities in the calculated velocity are significant, emphasising the challenges of comparing two different model outputs. Furthermore, as these mud suspensions are non-Newtonian (and thus their viscosity depends on the shear-rate applied), we define the shear-rate ranges typical in different environmental settings (e.g., mud volcanoes, drilling, debris flows, and coastal muds), and give subsequent model recommendations depending on the corresponding shear-rate range.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11483,"journal":{"name":"Earth-Science Reviews","volume":"270 ","pages":"Article 105226"},"PeriodicalIF":10.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144810131","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Kamafugites","authors":"Francesca Innocenzi ,&nbsp;Sara Ronca ,&nbsp;Samuele Agostini ,&nbsp;Vincenza Guarino ,&nbsp;Stephen F. Foley ,&nbsp;Michele Lustrino","doi":"10.1016/j.earscirev.2025.105238","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.earscirev.2025.105238","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Kamafugites are special volcanic rocks whose mineralogical and compositional peculiarities are mostly related to processes developed in the subcontinental mantle. These rocks are very rare, occurring only in three localities: the western branch of the East African Rift [Toro Ankole (Uganda) and Virunga (Democratic Republic of Congo) volcanic provinces], central Italy (Intra-Apennine Province) and southeastern Brazil (Alto Paranaíba Igneous Province and Goiás Alkaline Province). Kamafugites cannot be used to infer specific geodynamic settings, being the three variants emplaced in geodynamic frameworks ranging from far-from-active intraplate (Brazil) to continental rifting (Uganda) and complex (compressional to extensional; Italy). Their paragenesis, consisting of primary kalsilite, melilite, olivine, leucite, phlogopite, perovskite, nepheline, and other minor phases, reflects the strongly ultrabasic to basic whole-rock compositions and alkali (mainly K₂O) enrichment, with ultrapotassic to potassic affinity. Brazilian and East African Rift kamafugites show considerable overlaps in major oxides (e.g., high TiO₂, Fe₂O_3(tot)) and trace elements distribution (high LILE, low Th-U-Nb), whereas Italian kamafugites strongly differ in their incompatible element pattern (peaks at Th-U-Pb and troughs at Ba-Nb-Ta-Ti). Wide variations are also found in Sr-Nd-Pb-B isotopic ratios. The mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of the kamafugites cannot be generated by four-phase volatile-free peridotite mantle sources but in a phlogopite-bearing clinopyroxenite source with variable amounts of modal carbonate. The Italian kamafugites emerge for peculiar whole-rock and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic compositions, which clearly distinguish them from the Brazilian and East African Rift variants, and are interpreted as generated from a subduction-modified mantle, with diffuse recycling of crustal materials.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11483,"journal":{"name":"Earth-Science Reviews","volume":"270 ","pages":"Article 105238"},"PeriodicalIF":10.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144913572","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A geological review of the Upper Carboniferous–Permian basins of Morocco: implications for paleoclimate and paleogeography","authors":"Amal Zouicha ,&nbsp;Khadra Zaid ,&nbsp;Jamal El Kabouri ,&nbsp;Tariq Zouheir ,&nbsp;Hafid Saber ,&nbsp;Ahmed El Attari ,&nbsp;Ausonio Ronchi ,&nbsp;Spencer G. Lucas","doi":"10.1016/j.earscirev.2025.105240","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.earscirev.2025.105240","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The development of Upper Carboniferous to Permian basins in Morocco marks a key transitional phase between the waning Variscan orogeny and the onset of Alpine tectonics, offering critical insights into the configuration of Pangea. This study synthesizes sedimentological, tectonic, magmatic, and biostratigraphic data to refine the tectono-sedimentary and paleoclimatic evolution of these basins across the Western Meseta and the Paleozoic massif of the High Atlas. Traditionally considered products of a single tectono-sedimentary event, three diachronous depositional cycles are now recognized.</div><div>Cycle 1 (Upper Carboniferous) corresponds to the final stages of Variscan or pre-alpine phases deformation and is preserved in basins such as Sidi Kassem, Senhaja, and Oued Zat. It is characterized by grayish alluvial-fluvial deposits with thin coal seams rich in hydrophilic plants and the dominance of synapsid tracks, indicating humid conditions and strong faunal ties to Euramerica. Cycle 2 (Early Permian) developed during a pre-alpine transtensional phase with calc-alkaline magmatism. It features reddish fluvial-volcanic successions in basins like Khénifra and Mechra Ben Abbou. The spread of mesoxerophilous vegetation, dominance of anamniotes, and increasing reptile tracks alongside declining synapsid traces reflect seasonally dry to arid climates, yet continued Euramerican affinities. Cycle 3 (Middle–Upper Permian) reflects broader crustal extension and growing aridity, marked by alluvial and lacustrine carbonates in basins such as Koudiat El Hamra and Argana. The dominance of Reptile tracks confirm intensified aridity and biogeographic continuity.</div><div>Co-eval European basins underwent similar tectonic shifts from transtensional to extensional regimes. These changes aligned with a climatic trend toward increasing aridity and ecological adaptation. Fossil evidence confirms sustained biogeographic connections with Euramerica.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11483,"journal":{"name":"Earth-Science Reviews","volume":"270 ","pages":"Article 105240"},"PeriodicalIF":10.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144750745","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Formation mechanisms of pyrite in Earth's diverse geological systems","authors":"Li Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.earscirev.2025.105234","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.earscirev.2025.105234","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pyrite is ubiquitous across various geological systems in Earth's crust, spanning from sedimentary systems to hydrothermal, metamorphic, and magmatic systems. The widespread occurrences of pyrite make it a powerful tracer of geological processes, but effective applications require a thorough understanding of its formation mechanism. In sedimentary systems, pyrite is formed via reactions between Fe²⁺ and sulfides (H₂S_aq/HS⁻), typically through FeS_am/mc/aq intermediates that transform to pyrite via polysulfide or H₂S pathway. The polysulfide pathway is well-characterized, with the formation rates positively correlated with the concentrations of FeS_am, elemental sulfur, total sulfide, and H⁺, while the kinetics of the H₂S pathway remain controversial. Pyritization of metazoan and plant tissues during early diagenesis is another key mechanism. In hydrothermal systems, pyrite is formed through both precipitation from solutions and replacement/pyritization of Fe/S-bearing minerals such as sulfides, oxides, oxyhydroxides, and carbonates. Replacement is via a coupled dissolution-reprecipitation process, with the rate-limiting step (dissolution or precipitation) and the overall rate of pyrite formation controlled by precursor mineralogy, temperature, solution pH, and total sulfide concentration. In magmatic systems, pyrite is formed via exsolution from Monosulfide Solid Solution (MSS), subsolidus reactions involving Intermediate Solid Solution (ISS), precipitation from magmatic-hydrothermal fluids, replacements of pyrrhotite and/or pentlandite, and vapor deposition at volcanic fumaroles. Despite significant advances, some aspects of pyrite formation remain unclear. These include the evolution of Fe-S-bearing aqueous complex species before and after the precipitation of FeS_am/mc, the role and mechanisms of organic matter in pyrite nucleation, the kinetics and mechanisms of pyrite crystal growth, the rate and the hydrogen yield of the H₂S pathway, the kinetics and mechanisms governing pyrite formation from replacement of some precursor minerals. Future work need to address these gaps using synchrotron-based in-situ experimental setups and analytical techniques capable of providing time-resolved evolution of the mineralogy, phase proportions, and aqueous speciation during phase transformations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11483,"journal":{"name":"Earth-Science Reviews","volume":"270 ","pages":"Article 105234"},"PeriodicalIF":10.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144757755","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mineral dendrites: Indicators for geological aqueous environments","authors":"Zhaoliang Hou ,&nbsp;Dawid Woś ,&nbsp;Kun-Feng Qiu ,&nbsp;Anna Rogowitz ,&nbsp;Cornelius Tschegg ,&nbsp;A. Hugh N. Rice ,&nbsp;Bernhard Grasemann ,&nbsp;Hao-Cheng Yu ,&nbsp;Piotr Szymczak","doi":"10.1016/j.earscirev.2025.105231","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.earscirev.2025.105231","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mineral dendrites—branched, black-to-reddish patterns commonly found in rocks—have received limited attention in the geosciences, despite their striking appearance. In this review, we trace the study of mineral dendrites from early observations to modern numerical simulations. We demonstrate that dendrite growth is closely coupled to the surrounding aqueous environment, with their morphology highly sensitive to the physical and chemical conditions during formation. It is thus suggested that mineral dendrites can serve as effective tracers for the evolution of the aqueous environment, indicating the concentration of reacting species and the history of fluid pulses. These characteristics make mineral dendrites an excellent natural laboratory for investigating non-classical crystallization and active environmental remediation in nature. Notably, the dendritic rocks observed on Mars by the Curiosity Rover suggest that terrestrial dendrites may serve as analogues for understanding Martian paleo-environments. Future work may elucidate the dynamics of mineral dendrite evolution through correlations between trace element distributions and dendrite growth in diverse geological settings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11483,"journal":{"name":"Earth-Science Reviews","volume":"270 ","pages":"Article 105231"},"PeriodicalIF":10.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144887527","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reassessing the spatial and temporal evolution of the Southeast Asian Tin Belt: Insights into recurrent tin mineralization","authors":"Xiang Sun ,&nbsp;Mingjun Zheng ,&nbsp;Tong Pei ,&nbsp;Pete Hollings ,&nbsp;Xiaobo Si ,&nbsp;Rongqing Zhang ,&nbsp;Jun Deng","doi":"10.1016/j.earscirev.2025.105233","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.earscirev.2025.105233","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Southeast Asian Tin Belt is one of the world's most prolific tin-producing regions, comprising over 100 Sn deposits distributed across three granite provinces: the Eastern, Main Range, and Western Provinces. Despite its metallogenic significance, the spatiotemporal evolution of tin-associated granites and the mechanisms underlying recurrent tin mineralization across the entire belt remain unresolved. In this review, we integrate new and previously published U<img>Pb ages of cassiterite and zircon, trace element and Hf isotopic compositions of zircons, and bulk-rock geochemical data from key deposits and granites in southwestern China and Southeast Asia. Our results reveal six discrete episodes of tin mineralization from the Permian to Miocene. Permian (∼290–260 Ma) deposits in eastern Malaysia are associated with granites east of the Paleo-Tethys suture zone, whereas Triassic (∼240–200 Ma) deposits occur within the Main Range Province on both sides of the suture, extending from Indonesia through Malaysia and Thailand, to southwestern China. Cretaceous to Cenozoic (∼130–15 Ma) deposits in the Western Province are hosted by granites within the Sibumasu–Baoshan–Tengchong Block. Tin mineralization across the Southeast Asian Tin Belt reflects episodic remelting of a long-lived crustal inheritance comprising Proterozoic to Early Paleozoic metasedimentary rocks that were intensely weathered but not significantly Sn-enriched. These melting events were episodically triggered by asthenospheric upwelling and slab dynamics during successive subduction–collision cycles involving the Paleo-, Meso-, and Neo-Tethys oceans and the India–Asia collision. Tin enrichment is closely associated with high degrees of magma fractionation and a redox evolution toward reducing conditions. The temporal synchronization of tin-forming events across provinces highlights substantial, underexplored metallogenic potential, particularly along intracontinental shear zones and in regions lacking documentation of Early Cretaceous tin systems. Our findings provide a geodynamic and geochemical framework for understanding recurrent tin mineralization in the Southeast Asian Tin Belt and analogous collisional orogens worldwide.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11483,"journal":{"name":"Earth-Science Reviews","volume":"270 ","pages":"Article 105233"},"PeriodicalIF":10.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144721072","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Production and significance of Reactive Oxygen Species in the subsurface","authors":"Peng Zhang ,&nbsp;Chiheng Chu ,&nbsp;Xiaochuang Bu ,&nbsp;Man Tong ,&nbsp;Hong Wang ,&nbsp;Yingxiao Tian ,&nbsp;Hailiang Dong ,&nbsp;Dongmei Zhou ,&nbsp;Andreas Kappler ,&nbsp;Philippe Van Cappellen ,&nbsp;T. David Waite ,&nbsp;Songhu Yuan","doi":"10.1016/j.earscirev.2025.105230","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.earscirev.2025.105230","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a crucial role in greenhouse gas emissions, nutrient and contaminant transformations, microbial dynamics and a range of biogeochemical processes in surficial environments including the atmosphere, surface waters, and oceans. In recent years, research in ROS has extended to the subsurface, hence, moving from predominantly photic, oxic and homogeneous environments into aphotic, anoxic and heterogeneous environments. In this review, we discuss the production mechanisms and significance of ROS in the subsurface. Production hotspots of ROS occur where O₂ is brought into contact with reduced species like ferrous iron and natural organic matter, hence creating thermodynamically unstable conditions. The time and space window for ROS production is therefore co-regulated by the reaction kinetics between O₂ and reduced species, with the latter acting as both ROS generators and consumers of long-lived ROS such as hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and short-lived ROS such as hydroxyl radicals (<img>OH). The quantitative description of ROS cycling in subsurface environments is still in its early stages, however. Modeling of a pulsed groundwater O₂ intrusion yields the rates of <img>OH and H₂O₂ production of 0.003–0.049 and 0.09–2.52 mmol/h/kg dry soil/sediment, respectively. Advances in ROS analysis, footprint mapping and reactive transport modeling, as well as new knowledge about the molecular mechanisms of ROS production and cycling, would enable a more comprehensive assessment of the significance of ROS in subsurface biogeochemistry that, in turn, could benefit their potential applications, for example, in contaminant remediation strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11483,"journal":{"name":"Earth-Science Reviews","volume":"270 ","pages":"Article 105230"},"PeriodicalIF":10.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144739610","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reconstruction of the enigmatic pre-Variscan paleogeographic configuration of the western peri-Moesian realm (Carpathian-Balkans, eastern Serbia): An insight into Devonian small-scale continental and paleo-oceanic units","authors":"Darko Spahić ,&nbsp;Dragan Milovanović ,&nbsp;Bojan Kostić ,&nbsp;Lidja Kurešević ,&nbsp;Pavle Tančić","doi":"10.1016/j.earscirev.2025.105227","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.earscirev.2025.105227","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;The Carpathian-Balkans provide insight into how two distinct but limited-sized north Gondwanan ribbon-shaped paleocontinents interacted prior to the Variscan Devonian collisional onset: (i) the drifted “Carpathian-Balkan microcontinent” (Serbo-Macedonian/Supragetic/Getic(Kučaj)) and (ii) the already amalgamated Avalonian Danubian-Moesian basement fragment with its Devonian suture elements. These two crustal fragments were separated by the intervening Rheic Ocean during the Devonian. Despite the investigated eastern Variscan collisional assembly being stacked near the overprinted promontory of the East European Craton, its sliced basement segments and their Devonian record are well exposed in eastern Serbia. The synthesis reveals that the sliced Carpathian-Balkan inliers play a crucial role in understanding the lithospheric-scale movement of smaller continental terranes from north Gondwana and their suturing modes related to the surrounding Paleozoic oceans. An analysis of geochemical, paleogeographic, and regional geological data reveals that continental and oceanic paleoenvironments existed prior to and during the Devonian period, merging with the already amalgamated Danubian block and the Moesian microplate. Nonetheless, despite the well-preserved Devonian record found in eastern Serbia, the Romanian South Carpathians, and western Bulgaria, only a limited number of reconstructions clarify the pre-Variscan tectono-paleogeographic setting.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;After a few rift-drift cycles connecting north Gondwana and southern Laurussia, the tectonic transport of Cadomian to Cenerian peripheral terranes from northern Gondwana begun with the post-Ordovician rifting off. The rifting led to the formation of narrow, elongated crustal segments. The outboard Lower Paleozoic ribbon-shaped paleocontinent, including its Carpathian-Balkan continental fragment, occupied a position between two principal Paleozoic oceans. On the southern flank of the exotic narrow Lower Paleozoic microcontinent, we demonstrate for the first time the presence of a continental extension of Devonian age, likely associated with the adjacent Paleotethyan Ocean. The synthesis further demonstrates that the volcano-sedimentary protoliths of Devonian-aged greenschist facies rocks, which traverse the continental Serbo-Macedonian/Supragetic/Getic Devonian microcontinent, serve as markers of Early Devonian (back-arc) rifting. On its opposite Eurasian flank towards Danubian/Moesia, following the accumulation of Silurian–Early Devonian deep-water sediments, the Kučaj(Getic) turbidites, along with the expanding Middle to Late Devonian oceanic crust (Danubian ophiolites), belonged to the Rheic Ocean. The geochemical modeling of Devonian ophiolites reveals that this Balkan-Carpathian ocean displays both mid-ocean ridge basaltic (Tisoviţa Iuţi, Deli Jovan) and volcanic arc/back-arc signatures (Zaglavak, Tcherni Vrah). The extracted petrographic and regional geological constraints confirm the s","PeriodicalId":11483,"journal":{"name":"Earth-Science Reviews","volume":"270 ","pages":"Article 105227"},"PeriodicalIF":10.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144757754","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Alluvial fan morphodynamics: Advances and future prospects","authors":"Guo-An Yu","doi":"10.1016/j.earscirev.2025.105229","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.earscirev.2025.105229","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Alluvial fans, fan-shaped depositional landforms located at the outlets of mountain rivers and gullies, provide valuable insights into regional environmental change, geomorphic evolution, and hazard processes related to floods and debris flows. While research on fan morphometry, sedimentology, and paleoenvironment reconstruction is extensive, fan morphodynamics, especially the quasi-cyclic processes of deposition, erosion, and flow path avulsion, remain understudied. This review assesses the current state of research on fan morphodynamics and outlines future directions. It highlights key findings, including the primary and secondary processes that drive fan development, the mechanisms of flow path avulsion, and the associated sediment dynamics and geomorphic effects. Crucially, it underscores the need for real-time field monitoring to complement existing field investigations and modeling efforts. Enhancing real-time observations will significantly advance the understanding of fan morphodynamics, sediment dynamics, and geomorphic processes, ultimately improving hazard mitigation strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11483,"journal":{"name":"Earth-Science Reviews","volume":"270 ","pages":"Article 105229"},"PeriodicalIF":10.8,"publicationDate":"2025-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144703450","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Super-reduced and ultra-high pressure minerals in ophiolites: A critical review and the case for meteorite impact","authors":"Ben-Xun Su ,&nbsp;Jie-Jun Jing","doi":"10.1016/j.earscirev.2025.105228","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.earscirev.2025.105228","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ophiolites, remnants of ancient oceanic lithosphere, host enigmatic super-reduced (SuR) and ultra-high pressure (UHP) minerals such as diamond, moissanite, and native metals, challenging conventional models of their formation. This review synthesizes ongoing debates regarding origins of these minerals, evaluating hypotheses ranging from deep mantle processes (e.g., mantle plumes, subduction-zone recycling) to shallow mechanisms (e.g., lightning strikes, abiotic fluid reactions, earthquakes) and anthropogenic contamination. Critically, deep mantle models struggle to reconcile the instability of SuR phases under typical mantle conditions and anomalous compositions of diamond and moissanite, while contamination hypotheses highlight morphological and isotopic parallels with synthetic analogs. Experimental and isotopic data (e.g., δ¹³C depletion, low nitrogen content) further complicate traditional narratives. In this review, we have summarized the limitations of existing models and the aspects they failed to account for, while exploring the possibility of reconciling the disparate origins of SuR and UHP minerals in ophiolites. Inspired by the concept of impact-induced subduction initiation, meteorite impact process serves as an alternative framework to simultaneously invoke transient ultra-high pressures, localized reducing environments, and the mixing of endogenous (mantle, crustal) and exogenous (meteoritic) materials. This model reconciles the coexistence of SuR and UHP phases with isotopic signatures atypical of mantle-derived systems, such as light carbon isotopes, and rapid-quenching skeletal crystal textures. It also links the incorporation of lower mantle minerals and crustal fragments in ophiolites to impact-triggered subduction initiation and lithospheric recycling. Although it is impossible to definitely refute any of the existing genetic models, the impact model offers a promising alternative that addresses the summarized limitations. However, further supporting evidence is still needed, particularly in the form of shock-related microstructure, detailed in situ isotope analyses of nanoscale inclusions, and investigations of ophiolites located near potential, but not yet confirmed, impact zones.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11483,"journal":{"name":"Earth-Science Reviews","volume":"270 ","pages":"Article 105228"},"PeriodicalIF":10.8,"publicationDate":"2025-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144694504","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}