{"title":"Chromium isotope evidence for recycled anoxic sediments in the circum-Mediterranean mantle","authors":"Haibo Ma,Li-Juan Xu,Sheng-Ao Liu,Ian Cawood,Dejan Prelević,Guochun Zhao","doi":"10.1130/g55267.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1130/g55267.1","url":null,"abstract":"Subduction delivers variable sediment components to convergent margins and plays a critically important role in governing mantle oxygen fugacity (fO2), but the redox states of recycled sediments are difficult to track and remain poorly quantified. Here, we present stable chromium (Cr) isotope data for mafic potassic lavas from the circum-Mediterranean to evaluate sediment redox impacts on the mantle. These lavas display elevated δ53Cr values relative to mid-ocean ridge basalts, indicating mantle metasomatism by melts derived from organic-rich, anoxic sediments. Western Mediterranean lavas show systematically higher δ53Cr values than their eastern counterparts. Crucially, at a given MgO content, western lavas also feature higher Cr concentrations. Because Cr (II) is more incompatible than Cr (III) during mantle melting, these elevated Cr abundances and higher δ53Cr directly demonstrate a more reduced mantle source in the west, driven by a greater mass fraction of subducted anoxic sediments. This mantle fO2 contrast provides an insightful regional redox context for the sparse porphyry mineralization in the west. Chromium isotopes provide a new proxy for tracing sediment recycling and regional porphyry mineralization in convergent margins.","PeriodicalId":12642,"journal":{"name":"Geology","volume":"38 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2026-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149022030","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":"The iron (III) imprint on the Ediacaran Shuram carbon isotope excursion","authors":"Zheng Qin,Jingao Liu,Dongtao Xu,Huan Cui,Baptiste Coutret,Jie Li,Xinqiang Wang,Ganqing Jiang,Brian Kendall,Kurt O. Konhauser","doi":"10.1130/g54868.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1130/g54868.1","url":null,"abstract":"The Ediacaran Shuram Excursion marks the largest negative carbonate carbon isotope (δ13Ccarb) anomaly in Earth’s history and has been attributed to sulfate-driven oxidation of a large marine organic carbon reservoir. However, growing evidence suggests that multiple electron acceptors—beyond O2 and SO42−—were likely operative in the sulfate-limited Precambrian oceans. Here, we combined carbonate-associated Fe(II) and Mn(II) contents with Mo isotopes from a stratigraphically representative section of the Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation in South China. Geochemical and mineralogical evidence indicates a shift from manganous to ferruginous conditions, with sulfate reduction confined to pore waters. Redox reconstructions further suggest that the δ13Ccarb anomaly was partly overprinted by syndepositional diagenetic processes involving Fe(III) reduction. These findings highlight the role of authigenic carbonate formation in shaping ancient δ13Ccarb records without requiring the extensive global oxidation proposed by previous models. Hence, we hypothesize that enhanced Fe(III) oxide input might have buffered CH4 and H2S toxicity in benthic environments, favoring Ediacaran biological innovations.","PeriodicalId":12642,"journal":{"name":"Geology","volume":"2 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2026-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149022032","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}
Shuo Zhang,Shiming Wan,Peter D. Clift,Rui Bao,Yifei Yang,Zengfeng Du,Hualong Jin,Yi Tang
{"title":"Taiwan uplift drove the organic carbon sink in the northern South China Sea since the late Pliocene","authors":"Shuo Zhang,Shiming Wan,Peter D. Clift,Rui Bao,Yifei Yang,Zengfeng Du,Hualong Jin,Yi Tang","doi":"10.1130/g55150.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1130/g55150.1","url":null,"abstract":"Petrogenic organic carbon (OCpetro), a critical geological reservoir, plays a vital role in long-term carbon cycling and global climate dynamics. Active orogenic regions serve as hotspots of OCpetro oxidation because of high bedrock denudation rates and substantial OCpetro reserves within the crust. However, limited data and proxies have hindered a comprehensive understanding of the temporal evolution of OCpetro oxidation during orogeny. We semi-quantified the OCpetro oxidation intensity and flux in Taiwan, an active orogen in East Asia, since the late Miocene. Raman spectroscopy and organic carbon-nitrogen (including δ13C and ratio of C/N) were employed to analyze OCpetro in abyssal sediment deposited in the northern South China Sea. The OCpetro oxidation intensity was higher than 50% before 3 Ma, while it sharply declined from ∼50% to ∼20% over the past 3 m.y. Conversely, the OCpetro oxidation flux rose from 0.12 ± 0.03−0.19 ± 0.04 Mt/yr before 3 Ma to 0.23 ± 0.04−0.35 ± 0.07 Mt/yr after 3 Ma. The accelerated uplift of the Taiwan orogen increased erosion rates, which shortened the residence time of OCpetro in the weathering zone and increased the supply of OCpetro for oxidation. As a result, the OCpetro oxidation pattern in Taiwan transitioned from “less supply with high oxidation intensity” to “more supply with low oxidation intensity.” Combined with the flux of the biosphere-immobilized OC, Taiwan transformed from an OC source to a sink during the orogeny. Our study highlights the significant influence of orogenic activity on the preservation and oxidation of OC.","PeriodicalId":12642,"journal":{"name":"Geology","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2026-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149022165","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}
Michelle L. Stevens,Peter W. Crockford,Nabil A. Shawwa,Lyle L. Nelson
{"title":"Carbon isotopic evidence for ecological restructuring of carbonate platforms across the Great Oxidation Event","authors":"Michelle L. Stevens,Peter W. Crockford,Nabil A. Shawwa,Lyle L. Nelson","doi":"10.1130/g54832.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1130/g54832.1","url":null,"abstract":"The Lomagundi-Jatuli Event (LJE; ca. 2.2−2.0 Ga) is the largest-magnitude and longest-duration positive carbonate carbon isotope excursion recorded in the sedimentary record. Of the globally deposited locations that express the LJE, exceptionally high δ13Ccarb values (up to +28‰) in the Nash Fork Formation in Wyoming (United States) have been interpreted as evidence for extreme organic carbon burial and possible atmospheric O2 overshoot during the Great Oxidation Event (GOE; ca. 2.4 Ga). We present new high-resolution, phase-specific isotope data from shallow-water dolostones of the Nash Fork Formation. In the basal 22 m, δ13Ccarb values vary from 21.9‰ to 30.5‰ with no systematic stratigraphic trends, and exhibit texturally controlled heterogeneity of up to 5‰ at sub-decimeter scale. Up section, both the magnitude and spatial variability of δ13Ccarb values decrease, despite consistent shallow-water peritidal carbonate facies. These patterns are inconsistent with a well-mixed global carbon reservoir and instead indicate strong local controls on dissolved inorganic carbon composition. We interpret these extreme and heterogeneous δ13Ccarb values to reflect microbial carbon cycling dominated by methanogenesis during the LJE, rather than exceptionally high rates of global organic carbon burial. Subsequent dampening of both δ13Ccarb values and variability within similar facies may reflect a secular increase in the contribution of oxic respiration across the GOE.","PeriodicalId":12642,"journal":{"name":"Geology","volume":"38 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2026-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149022166","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}
Lei Zhang,Li Li,Xiaolin Xiong,Eiichi Takahashi,Xingcheng Liu
{"title":"Titanium-rich phase stability in subducting oceanic crust and implications for molybdenum and water cycles","authors":"Lei Zhang,Li Li,Xiaolin Xiong,Eiichi Takahashi,Xingcheng Liu","doi":"10.1130/g54784.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1130/g54784.1","url":null,"abstract":"Titanium-rich phases in subducting oceanic crust are key hosts for high field strength elements (HFSEs) and molybdenum, and potential carriers of water to the deep mantle. We constrained their stability through high-pressure experiments (4−12 GPa, 1000−1200 °C) on anhydrous and hydrous basaltic compositions. Rutile transforms to an α-PbO2-type Fe−Ti oxyhydroxide (α-phase) above ∼6 GPa, and Ti-bearing ε-FeOOH (ε-phase) appears at 12 GPa and 1000 °C in hydrous systems. At 1200 °C, the α-phase appears at 6 GPa in hydrous mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB), but only at 8 GPa in anhydrous MORB. Mo compatibility decreases in the sequence rutile > α-phase > ε-phase (DMoα/rutile = 0.2−1, DMoε/α = 0.2; DMo—Mo partition coefficient), consistent with mineral−melt partitioning (DMorutile/melt = 1.3−27, DMoα/melt = 0.8−3.5), indicating progressive Mo release during subduction. Both α- and ε-phases incorporate significant H2O, enabling deep water transport beyond lawsonite stability. These phase relations and partitioning data provide essential constraints for modeling coupled HFSEs, Mo, and H2O cycling through subduction zones.","PeriodicalId":12642,"journal":{"name":"Geology","volume":"4 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2026-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149022033","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":"Coseismic dilatancy controlling thermal pressurization efficiency and fluid redistribution in clay-rich fault gouge","authors":"Dohee Gu,Raehee Han,Chang-Min Kim","doi":"10.1130/g55073.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1130/g55073.1","url":null,"abstract":"Thermal pressurization driven by frictional heating is a potentially important dynamic weakening mechanism in low-permeability clay-rich fault gouge, producing reduced frictional resistance with limited temperature rise. However, geological evidence of high-temperature coseismic processes recorded in such fault rocks suggests that mechanisms capable of reducing the effectiveness of thermal pressurization have also operated. Here, we report coseismic dilatancy in foliated gouge from the Yangsan fault, a large strike-slip fault in southeastern Korea, and discuss its implications for thermal pressurization efficiency and fluid redistribution. Our observations include gouge injection structures (IV type) penetrating into the surrounding rock, foliation opening structures (F type) within the gouge, and calcite aggregates precipitated within these structures. The IV type is interpreted to record coseismic extension fracturing of the surrounding rock under fault-parallel dynamic tension, whereas the F type is inferred to reflect the opening of foliation driven by thermal pressurization. The formation of these structures may have caused a rapid drop in fluid pressure, potentially diminishing the effectiveness of thermal pressurization and promoting fluid redistribution. Our findings suggest that gouge foliation, while acting as a fluid flow barrier that promotes thermal pressurization, may simultaneously serve as a mechanically weak plane that, once opened during seismic slip, reduces its efficiency by providing a pathway for fluid flow. Notably, the postseismically precipitated calcite aggregates within these coseismic opening structures may represent promising targets for directly constraining the timing of past seismic slip using U-Pb or U-series dating.","PeriodicalId":12642,"journal":{"name":"Geology","volume":"138 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2026-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148895334","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}
Xiang-Rui Liu,Jin-Gen Dai,Ji-Quan Chen,Daniel E. Ibarra,Xiao-Bin Cao,Song Wu,Guang-Sheng Ren,Yuan Gao,Xu Han,Bo-Rong Liu,Jia-Qi Sun,Cheng-Shan Wang
{"title":"A segmented high Gangdese arc before the India−Eurasia collision from triple oxygen isotope paleoaltimetry","authors":"Xiang-Rui Liu,Jin-Gen Dai,Ji-Quan Chen,Daniel E. Ibarra,Xiao-Bin Cao,Song Wu,Guang-Sheng Ren,Yuan Gao,Xu Han,Bo-Rong Liu,Jia-Qi Sun,Cheng-Shan Wang","doi":"10.1130/g54523.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1130/g54523.1","url":null,"abstract":"Quantifying the paleoelevation of the Tibetan Plateau is critical for understanding its tectonic evolution, yet direct quantitative constraints on the past elevations of high mountain ranges remain sparse. We applied triple oxygen isotope (Δ′17O) paleoaltimetry to hydrothermal quartz from the Gangdese arc in southern Tibet to reconstruct Late Cretaceous−Paleogene meteoric water composition. Our results indicate that elevations of ∼3.2−4.7 km were already established along the Gangdese arc between ca. 77 Ma and 59 Ma, prior to the India−Eurasia collision. Integrated with previous isotope-based paleoelevation records, our data reveal that the pre-collisional Gangdese evolved as a segmented mountain belt, with elevated and comparatively lower sectors coexisting along strike rather than forming either a laterally uniform arc or a simple east-west topographic gradient. By providing direct constraints on surface elevation, our study offers a revised framework for reconstructing pre-collisional Gangdese topography and demonstrates the value of Δ′17O paleoaltimetry for resolving spatial variations in ancient mountain belts.","PeriodicalId":12642,"journal":{"name":"Geology","volume":"10 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2026-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148895337","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":"Tectonic escape from the Pangean megamonsoon via oceanic isolation modulated low-latitude hydroclimate","authors":"Qiang Ren,Huaichun Wu,Anqing Chen,Jian Zhang,Zhuwei Wang,Shihong Zhang,Tianshui Yang,Haiyan Li,Hanting Zhong,Haipeng Li,James G. Ogg,Mingcai Hou","doi":"10.1130/g55065.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1130/g55065.1","url":null,"abstract":"The assembly of the Pangea supercontinent during the late Paleozoic ice age drove Earth’s most intense megamonsoon. Although climate models predict a humid low-latitude eastern Pangean margin, widespread red-bed records indicate extreme seasonal oxidation, creating a conspicuous “model-sediment” paradox. Located directly on this margin, the Xilinhot-Songliao block captures a “red-gray-red” sedimentary cycle that physically toggled between these conflicting arid and humid states. Here, we report ca. 315 Ma high-quality paleomagnetic data from the block to reconstruct its full drift trajectory (315−265 Ma). Integrated with geological proxies, the block is inferred to have maintained a close tectonic affinity with the Pangean margin initially (ca. 315 Ma), hosting megamonsoon-dominated red beds. Following the expansion of the Hegenshan Ocean to a N-S width of ∼2300 km by ca. 300 Ma, the block underwent “tectonic decoupling,” transitioning into a stable zonal climate depositing pure carbonates. Subsequent reattachment to the supercontinent (280−265 Ma) triggered a rapid reversion to arid megamonsoonal conditions. Occurring under a constant global icehouse, this “red-gray-red” oscillation demonstrates that tectonic distance to the supercontinent acted as the primary switch modulating land-sea thermal feedback. Our findings challenge paradigms relying solely on global climate cycles, highlighting how ocean basin evolution independently reshapes regional climatic landscapes.","PeriodicalId":12642,"journal":{"name":"Geology","volume":"29 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2026-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148895336","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}
Nivedita Thiagarajan, Aivo Lepland, Florian Eichinger, Anthony Prave, John Eiler
{"title":"Paleoproterozoic thermogenic hydrocarbon generation, Zaonega Formation, Russia","authors":"Nivedita Thiagarajan, Aivo Lepland, Florian Eichinger, Anthony Prave, John Eiler","doi":"10.1130/g54338.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1130/g54338.1","url":null,"abstract":"The ca. 2.0 Ga Zaonega Formation in NW Russia preserves exceptionally 13C-depleted organic matter (δ13CVPDB as low as −40‰ to −45‰), which many have interpreted as reflecting global-scale processes. Here, we report the first compound-specific carbon and hydrogen isotope compositions of hydrocarbons and CO2 in gases trapped as fluid inclusions in pyrobitumen-rich rocks from a 500-m-long core through the formation. Our data indicate a thermogenic origin for C2-C4 gases and yield the first quantitative depth dependent CO2-CH4 apparent temperature gradient for this section, ranging from 72 °C to 350 °C. Our data show that hotter temperatures occur low in the core adjacent to a gabbro sill and decline systematically upward. They also support previous interpretations that thermogenic hydrocarbon seepage, generated during syndepositional emplacement of gabbro, fueled seafloor methanotrophy to form biomass with anomalously low δ13Corg values. Our data can be explained entirely by local basinal mechanisms, but we cannot rule out potential contributions by global carbon-cycle perturbations.","PeriodicalId":12642,"journal":{"name":"Geology","volume":"68 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2026-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148432395","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}
Ran Issachar, Nadav Wetzler, Shaked Engelberg, Meir Abelson
{"title":"Full-length oceanic spreading in the Red Sea: Insights from the spatiotemporal distribution of earthquakes","authors":"Ran Issachar, Nadav Wetzler, Shaked Engelberg, Meir Abelson","doi":"10.1130/g54723.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1130/g54723.1","url":null,"abstract":"The Red Sea is an embryonic ocean, offering a rare window into the early evolution of oceans. While the central-southern segment exhibits well-developed oceanic spreading, the tectonic regime of the northern Red Sea remains uncertain, specifically whether it still undergoes continental extension or has already transitioned to oceanic spreading. Thick sediment cover in the northern segment conceals direct evidence of oceanic crust formation. To address this, we examined the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of more than10,000 earthquakes from a standardized International Seismological Centre (ISC) catalog (1960−2024). We found that seismicity is focused in a narrow zone along the Red Sea axis, and that the activity is overwhelmingly dominated by earthquake swarm sequences focused at distinct zones along the spreading axis. This pattern is typical of other (ultra)slow oceanic spreading centers globally, contrasting with the wider main shock−aftershock behavior expected in continental rifts. Furthermore, the seismological characteristics, including the spatial distribution of earthquakes, the typical swarm activity, and the overall b values, are comparable between the northern and central-southern segments of the Red Sea. We further found that earthquake swarms repeatedly occur in spatial association with bathymetric deeps, confirming these are active volcanic centers. This observation is also valid in the northernmost deeps despite the lack of exposed basaltic crust. Our comprehensive seismic analysis strongly supports the conclusion that active oceanic spreading extends along the entire length of the Red Sea.","PeriodicalId":12642,"journal":{"name":"Geology","volume":"31 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2026-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148415613","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}