Frontiers in Earth Science最新文献

{"title":"Editorial: Efficient exploration and development of unconventional natural gas","authors":"Shu Tao, Zhengguang Zhang, Shida Chen, Yu Jing, Junjian Wang","doi":"10.3389/feart.2025.1660899","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2025.1660899","url":null,"abstract":"1 Introduction Unconventional natural gas resources—including shale gas, coalbed methane (CBM), and natural gas hydrates—serve as critical drivers of the global low-carbon energy transition, profoundly reshaping conventional exploration and development paradigms (Bocora, 2012; Flores and Moore, 2025; Tao et al., 2019). With sustained progress in the shale gas revolution and breakthroughs in gas hydrate trial production technologies, unconventional resources, such as CBM, tight sandstone gas, and shale gas, are becoming increasingly important components of energy security (Boswell and Collett, 2011; Guo et al., 2025). These resources demonstrate strategic significance in mitigating hydrocarbon supply-demand imbalances and optimizing energy structures. Guided by China's \"Dual Carbon\" strategy—targeting a national CO₂ emissions peak before 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060—unconventional natural gas exploration and development are increasingly guided by two interlinked priorities: intelligent target identification and low-carbon process regulation. This aligns with global decarbonization trajectories, where CCUS emerges as a pivotal technology. McLaughlin et al. (2023) provide a sociotechnical synthesis of CCUS's role in industrial decarbonization, outlining both technical challenges and policy implications, while Yusuf et al. (2023) highlight how integrating CCUS within natural gas supply chains—particularly in the context of low-carbon hydrogen production—can significantly enhance sectoral sustainability. Together, these international perspectives enrich the framing of China's geology–engineering integration framework within the wider context of global low-carbon transitions. In conventional natural gas development, enhanced recovery technologies continue to evolve, establishing an engineering framework centered on enhanced hydrocarbon recovery (EOR), multi–stage hydraulic fracturing, and precision well completion. These techniques have demonstrated robust production stability in low-to-medium permeability reservoirs (Abdulhadi et al., 2025; Akbarabadi et al., 2023; Gomaa et al., 2024; Sambo et al., 2023). Current research priorities are rapidly shifting from conventional to unconventional reservoirs, driving the multidimensional reconstruction of technological approaches. Core efforts focus on optimizing coupled processes in CO₂ displacement mechanisms (Zhou et al., 2024), molecular-level tuning of fracturing fluid structures (Yang et al., 2024), and upgrading intelligent completion systems based on formation response. These innovations address challenges posed by microscopic heterogeneity and thermo–hydro–mechanical–chemical (THMC) coupling complexities in shale, tight sandstone, and coal reservoirs. In field applications, shale gas development addresses nanoscale pore–throat constraints by establishing confined flow control mechanisms centered on chemical stimulation, significantly enhancing capillary-driven flow efficiency. For tight sandston","PeriodicalId":12359,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Earth Science","volume":"13 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/earth-science/articles/10.3389/feart.2025.1660899/pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147918627","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Western Mediterranean shelf-incised submarine canyons: multi-proxy evidence of Late Holocene natural and human-induced environmental changes","authors":"Adrián López‐Quirós, Ángel Puga‐Bernabéu, F.J. Lobo, Elvira Ruíz-Caballero, Javier Cerrillo-Escoriza, José N. Pérez‐Asensio, Isabel Mendes, Anxo Mena, Natalia Puche-Polo, Tomás Alberjón-Peñas, Lukas Wacker","doi":"10.3389/feart.2025.1597056","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2025.1597056","url":null,"abstract":"Submarine canyons play a critical role in continental margin sediment transport, functioning both as sediment traps and conduits. This study examines the depositional dynamics of the Motril, Carchuna, and Calahonda canyons in the northern Alboran Sea (western Mediterranean) to assess their role in Holocene sediment storage and transfer. Comprehensive sedimentological and elemental geochemical analyses reveal distinct sedimentation patterns driven by geomorphology, diverse transport mechanisms, and hydroclimatic variability. The Motril Canyon primarily functioned as a river-fed sediment trap, accumulating fine-grained terrigenous material from the Guadalfeo River. At the same time, the Carchuna Canyon was dominated by longshore drift and turbidity currents mobilizing coarse-grained sediments. In contrast, the Calahonda Canyon displays an intermediate behavior, influenced by alongshore drift and fluvial inputs. The Late Holocene sedimentary record from the Motril Canyon provides a high-resolution sedimentary archive of paleoenvironmental changes over the last ∼2000 years Current Era, reflecting both climatic variability and human-induced landscape alterations. Four phases are identified based on the relationships between sediment physical and mineral-chemical characteristics: the Iberian Roman Humid Period (2600–1600 cal. yr Before Present), characterized by diminished terrigenous input despite increased late-phase humidity; the Dark Ages (1500–1000 cal. yr BP), marked by elevated sedimentation linked to soil erosion and intensified land use; the Medieval Climate Anomaly (1050–650 cal. yr BP), where persistent fine-grained deposition was driven largely by anthropogenic land degradation; and the Little Ice Age (650–150 cal. yr BP), which witnessed heightened sedimentation due to increased rainfall and river discharge. A decline in fluvial-derived material during the Industrial Period indicates a shift towards overall drier conditions, associated with changes in precipitation patterns and land use. These findings underscore the interplay between natural climatic fluctuations and human activities influencing western Mediterranean margin sedimentation. While the Motril Canyon does not serve as a direct conduit to deep waters, it nonetheless records the progressive aridification and anthropogenic impacts experienced in southern Iberia. Furthermore, the contrasting sediment dynamics observed in the Carchuna and Calahonda canyons highlight the inherent complexity of shelf-to-slope sediment transfer. This complexity underlines the necessity to consider human influences when interpreting Late Holocene paleoenvironmental records.","PeriodicalId":12359,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Earth Science","volume":"13 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/earth-science/articles/10.3389/feart.2025.1597056/pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147886185","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The intense explosive activity of lava fountain sequences from Voragine crater at Etna volcano: new insights through high-precision borehole strain recordings","authors":"Alessandro Bonaccorso, Luigi Carleo, Gilda Currenti, Antonino Sicali","doi":"10.3389/feart.2025.1606006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2025.1606006","url":null,"abstract":"Mount Etna is well known for its frequent lava fountains, or paroxysms, characterized by their intense explosive activity. Over the past decades, the Southeast Crater has been the most prolific, generating over a hundred events. More recently, three sequences of particularly powerful lava fountains were erupted from the Voragine Crater: four episodes between 3 and 5 December 2015, three between 18 and 21 May 2016, and six between 4 July and 15 August 2024. This intense eruptive activity, accompanied by significant ash dispersal and fallout, severely impacted the infrastructure and accessibility of eastern Sicily, causing disruptions to air services and the temporary closure of Catania’s international airport. In this study, we investigated these intriguing phenomena through the high-precision strain data recorded by Etna’s network of borehole dilatometers. We modelled and interpreted the source of these paroxysmal events, examining its position, the magnitude of its volumetric change during the paroxysms, and its relationship with the volcano’s plumbing system, thereby advancing our understanding of these dynamic processes.","PeriodicalId":12359,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Earth Science","volume":"13 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/earth-science/articles/10.3389/feart.2025.1606006/pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147921808","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrating multi-source monitoring data and deep convolutional autoencoder technology for slope failure pattern recognition","authors":"Nana Han, Wusha Miao, Mingzhi Li, Mohd Ashraf Mohamad Ismail, Qiang Hu, Liyuan Duan, Jintao Tang","doi":"10.3389/feart.2025.1531857","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2025.1531857","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction Over the past few decades, China has vigorously advanced its strategy to build a powerful transportation network, constructing and maintaining numerous slope engineering projects. However, frequent major safety incidents caused by slope failures highlight the urgent need for automated identification of failure events during the operational phase of slopes. Methods This study integrates rainfall, surface displacement, and vertical displacement monitoring data, and proposes an automatic failure mode identification method based on deep convolutional autoencoder technology. The model is trained on monitoring data collected during the normal operational phase of slopes, extracting features from normal data to reconstruct the original data. The trained model is then utilized for structural anomaly detection by leveraging the characteristic that reconstruction errors for failure mode samples are significantly higher than for normal samples. Results A case study was conducted on a specific slope where, on 24 May 2024, the displacement development rate in some areas increased significantly, ultimately leading to collapse. The proposed model accurately identified the time and evolution of the landslide, demonstrating its capability to detect failure events effectively. Discussion Validation results confirm that the model can effectively distinguish previously unseen abnormal modes, offering significant practical value for identifying similar structural anomalies. This approach provides a reliable tool for slope monitoring and anomaly detection, enhancing safety in slope engineering projects.","PeriodicalId":12359,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Earth Science","volume":"13 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147916947","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Geo-Pharmacy","authors":"Kirtikumar Randive, Pratik Godbole","doi":"10.1007/978-3-031-82765-5_5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-82765-5_5","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12359,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Earth Science","volume":"1 1","pages":"117-143"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147906340","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Investigation on spectroscopy characteristics of different metamorphic degrees of coal-based graphite","authors":"Jing Li, Lu Wang, Daiyong Cao","doi":"10.3389/feart.2024.1413019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2024.1413019","url":null,"abstract":"To gain insights into the spectroscopy characteristics from coal to graphite, we investigated different metamorphic degrees of coal-based graphite which were collected from Hunan Province China. In this paper, by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Raman spectroscopy, graphite with different metamorphism degrees has been characterized to explore the evolution of macromolecular structure of organic matter during graphitization. The results show that with the increase of metamorphism degree, the 002-diffraction peak of the series of samples gradually shrinks and narrows, and the peak intensity becomes stronger, indicating that the microcrystalline structure gradually becomes regular and ordered. As the degree of graphitization increase, the uniformity of particle size in coal samples observed gradually increases, and the morphology becomes more regular, transitioning from disordered and irregular shapes to a structured large-scale flake pattern. The crystallinity improves, and the massive coal particles gradually coalesce into large plate crystals, with the inter-particle pores gradually closing. The graphite structure becomes increasingly evident. The FTIR spectra show that as the degree of graphitization increases, the peak at 1,581 cm<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup> corresponding to C=C vibrations gradually intensifies. Some inert functional groups are retained throughout the graphitization process. The pores between coal particles gradually close, and the morphology of graphite particles becomes more regular and ordered. Additionally, during the graphitization process, structures similar to carbon nanotubes may develop. Throughout the structural transformation from coal macromolecules to graphite crystals, the size of the <jats:italic>sp</jats:italic><jats:sup>2</jats:sup> planar domains in single-layer graphene increases, and the lattice structure of carbon atoms gradually enlarges. These findings contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the properties and characteristics of coal-derived graphite, and can provide theoretical reference and basis for the metallogenic mechanism of coal-derived graphite and the efficient utilization of coal.","PeriodicalId":12359,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Earth Science","volume":"208 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142269391","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Study on the chain-type failure mechanism of large-scale ancient landslides","authors":"Zixuan Li, Zhenwei Dai, Shi Cheng, Zhe Yang, Anle Zhang, Qihui Xiong","doi":"10.3389/feart.2024.1466751","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2024.1466751","url":null,"abstract":"Large-scale ancient landslides are widely distributed in Southwest China, yet their reactivation mechanisms remain complex and poorly understood. On 25 July 2020, one such landslide in Liujing Village, Wulong District, Chongqing, China, experienced reactivation. This event exhibited variable movement characteristics across different areas and times, ultimately manifesting as a chain-type failure. Combining field investigations and drilling works, this study describes the fundamental characteristics of the Zhongbao landslide and the variation rules of the seepage field and the stability by numerical simulations. The failure mechanism is preliminarily revealed, and the failure influencing factors are discussed. The results show that, the landslide’s progression was influenced by the stratigraphic lithology and the morphology of the sliding surface, resulting in two distinct turns during its movement. By analyzing the landslide’s spatial morphology, direction of sliding, material composition, extent of the accumulation area, and dynamic behavior, we have categorized the Zhongbao landslide into five principal zones. The failure process can be segmented into four stages: initiation, shear-out, acceleration, and accumulation blockage. Heavy rainfall served as the primary trigger for the landslide, while the microtopography of the sliding surface significantly influenced the failure dynamics. The insights gained from this study offer valuable guidance for understanding the reactivation mechanisms of similar chained ancient landslides in the geologically analogous regions of Southwest China.","PeriodicalId":12359,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Earth Science","volume":"34 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142269389","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Review on the research progress of earth pressure on slope retaining structure","authors":"Yijun Zhou, Haobin Wei","doi":"10.3389/feart.2024.1468607","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2024.1468607","url":null,"abstract":"The earth pressure of slope retaining structure is one of the problems that are often encountered in geotechnical engineering but have not yet been fully understood and well solved. At present, there are still a lot of problems that need to be solved. For complex conditions such as stratified soil or containing ground water, the distribution law of earth pressure and the displacement mode of retaining structure need to be further studied. This paper summarizes the existing research on earth pressure of slope retain structures. According to the research methods, it is divided into three categories: research on the theoretical calculation method of earth pressure, research on earth pressure by model test, and research on earth pressure by numerical simulation. Focused discussions are carried out respectively, and the previous research results are summarized. At present, there are still a lot of problems that need to be solved in the research of earth pressure of slope retaining structure, and the calculation formula of earth pressure and the assumed fracture surface of earth are lack of experimental verification and engineering measurement.","PeriodicalId":12359,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Earth Science","volume":"5 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142257891","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Stress modeling for the upper and lower crust along the Anninghe, Xianshuihe, and Longmenshan Faults in southeastern Tibetan plateau","authors":"Junshan Xu, Xiangfang Zeng","doi":"10.3389/feart.2024.1439493","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2024.1439493","url":null,"abstract":"Earthquake occurrence depth in the crust is related to stress, temperature, and brittle–ductile transition, which is also near the transition depth of the upper to lower crust. The composition variation between the upper and lower crust causes remarkable changes of rheological properties and variation in stress distribution. Clarifying the detailed stress distribution in the upper and lower crust is crucial for understanding the brittle–ductile transition and the stress environment of the seismogenic zone. The Southeastern Tibetan Plateau (SETP), with wide spread of active strike−slip faults and clustered earthquakes, provides a natural field for investigating the relationships between crustal stresses, deformation behaviors, and earthquake mechanics. By considering the rheological properties of granite and anorthite, this paper established stress models with different boundary depths (15, 20 and 25 km) between the upper and lower crust along the Anninghe, Xianshuihe, and Longmenshan Faults in the SETP with a horizontal strain of 6 × 10<jats:sup>−4</jats:sup> extracted from <jats:italic>in situ</jats:italic> stress data. The stress model with different geothermal gradients and a boundary depth of 20 km between the upper and lower crust suggests two distinct types of the brittle–ductile transition below these three faults. Simultaneously, the stress model can account for the continuity of earthquake depth distribution below the Longmenshan Fault and the seismic gap below the Anninghe and Xianshuihe Faults. The continuity of earthquake depth distribution or seismic gap below these three faults can be explained by their different geothermal gradients. These findings provide new insights for understanding the stress environment of the seismogenic zone in the SETP. Our model reveals the relationships between differential stress, seismicity, brittle–ductile transition, and boundary depth of the upper and lower crust in the continental crust, and connects the multiple observations from geophysics and geology. Furthermore, our model provides insights for studying multiple processes in the continental crust, such as crustal deformation, fault slip, and earthquake occurring.","PeriodicalId":12359,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Earth Science","volume":"10 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142258246","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Complex lava tube networks developed within the 1792–93 lava flow field on Mount Etna (Italy): insights for hazard assessment","authors":"S. Calvari, G. Giudice, R. Maugeri, D. Messina, D. Morgavi, L. Miraglia, A. La Spina, L. Spampinato","doi":"10.3389/feart.2024.1448187","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2024.1448187","url":null,"abstract":"Lava tubes are powerful heat insulators, allowing lava to practically keep the initial temperature and travel longer distances than when freely flowing on the ground surface. It is thus extremely important to recognize how, when and where these structures form within a lava flow field for hazard assessment purposes, in order to plan possible interventions should a lava flow approach inhabited areas. Often being formed within thick and complex lava flow fields, lava tubes are difficult to detect, study and explore. In this study, we analyse the 1792–93 Etna lava flow field emplaced on a steep slope (&amp;gt;4°) which comprises several lava tubes located at different distances from the eruptive fissure, at different levels within the lava flow field, and showing various inner morphologies, with peculiar inner features related to their maturity and eruptive history. Our aim is to verify whether it is possible to connect the underground features with features observed on the lava flow surface in order to reconstruct the extension of the tube network and unravel the genetic processes. Our results show that, in the studied lava flow field, a clear correspondence is possible between shallow tubes emplaced late during the lava flow field growth and surface textures. In addition, vertical and horizontal tube capture is very widespread, and might be the primary process for lava tube persistence and long life. Our results might be applicable to other lava tubes on Earth and other rocky planets.","PeriodicalId":12359,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Earth Science","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142258247","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}