Gondwana Research最新文献

{"title":"Editorial Board (IFC)","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/S1342-937X(25)00145-5","DOIUrl":"10.1016/S1342-937X(25)00145-5","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12761,"journal":{"name":"Gondwana Research","volume":"144 ","pages":"Page IFC"},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144169513","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 new hadrosaurid dinosaur from the late Maastrichtian Phosphates of Morocco provides evidence for an African radiation of lambeosaurines","authors":"Nicholas R. Longrich ,&nbsp;Xabier Pereda-Suberbiola ,&nbsp;Nathalie Bardet ,&nbsp;Nour-Eddine Jalil","doi":"10.1016/j.gr.2025.05.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gr.2025.05.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the Late Cretaceous, continental fragmentation and high sea levels created a series of island continents, leading to the evolution of endemic dinosaur faunas on these isolated land masses. Laramidia saw the emergence of faunas dominated by ornithischian herbivores and tyrannosaurid predators whereas Gondwanan continents were dominated by titanosaurian sauropods and abelisaurid predators. However, the end of the Cretaceous also saw exchange between northern and southern assemblages, with titanosaurs immigrating into Laurasia, and hadrosaurids invading Gondwana. Recently, the lambeosaurine hadrosaurid <em>Ajnabia odysseus</em> was reported from the late Maastrichtian Phosphates of Morocco, providing evidence of dispersal by duckbill dinosaurs into northwest Africa. A second lambeosaurine, <em>Minqaria bata</em>, has since been documented from the same strata in Morocco. Both belong to the lambeosaurine tribe Arenysaurini. Here we report a third species of arenysaurin, <em>Taleta taleta</em> gen. et sp. nov., also from the uppermost Maastrichtian Phosphates of Morocco. <em>Taleta</em>, known from two associated maxillae, differs from <em>Ajnabia</em> and <em>Minqaria</em> in the dorsally positioned ectopterygoid ridge, straight toothrow, large, obliquely oriented maxillary tooth crowns, and prominent primary ridge of the maxillary teeth. The striking variation in jaw and tooth morphology seen in African arenysaurins suggests a dispersal-driven adaptive radiation, with lambeosaurines rapidly diversifying to occupy new niches following dispersal from Europe into North Africa. The African radiation coincided with lambeosaurine decline in North America, emphasizing the highly regional nature of dinosaur evolution.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12761,"journal":{"name":"Gondwana Research","volume":"145 ","pages":"Pages 142-151"},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144229899","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":"Ice-thermal feedback-driven temperature variability on the Tibetan Plateau","authors":"Bernd Wünnemann ,&nbsp;Dada Yan ,&nbsp;Yongzhan Zhang ,&nbsp;Nils Andersen","doi":"10.1016/j.gr.2025.05.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gr.2025.05.007","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite globally parallel changes in insolation intensity, the nature and causes of Holocene stadial-interstadial transitions and relevant cycles remain mysterious. Particularly, the ice-thermal feedbacks caused by the ice sheet on the Tibetan Plateau have pronounced effects in the interannual surface-heat anomaly and local-to-remote atmospheric circulations. However, its long-term variations and impacts in terms of melt-freeze dynamics remain mysterious. Our results are based on decadal resolved difference between two oxygen isotope records during the past 12,000 years from Donggi Cona Lake, north-eastern Tibetan Plateau. They indicate surface-heat anomaly-caused air-temperature variabilities, which were about −3 °C in springs 9,500 years ago and 2 °C in autumns afterwards on average, independent from insolation strength. We find that increasing autumn air-temperature variability generated large-scaled vertical convections over the Plateau 4,500 years ago. Since then, the recent Tibetan Plateau thermal forcing centre formed with the noted increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas emission. The predicted increasing autumn air-temperature with greenhouse effect portends future higher atmospheric sensitivity. We anticipate Holocene ice-ages to be tipping points of the coupled surface-atmosphere climate changes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12761,"journal":{"name":"Gondwana Research","volume":"145 ","pages":"Pages 29-35"},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144168986","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":"Zircon petrochronology of volcano-sedimentary sequences unraveling the timing of epithermal gold mineralization at the Axi deposit, Tianshan, NW China","authors":"Yiwei Shi ,&nbsp;Xiaobo Zhao ,&nbsp;Chunji Xue ,&nbsp;Reimar Seltmann ,&nbsp;Weice Zhao ,&nbsp;Haixia Chu","doi":"10.1016/j.gr.2025.05.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gr.2025.05.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Epithermal gold deposits are prime exploration objectives in subaerial volcano-sedimentary basins. However, the ages of epithermal gold deposits in ancient orogenic belts have long been difficult to obtain, largely due to the general lack of minerals unequivocally linked to gold deposition that can be accurately dated by radiogenic isotope techniques. The well-preserved Devono-Carboniferous volcano-sedimentary sequences and angular unconformity directly overlap the orebodies of the Axi epithermal gold deposit in Chinese Tianshan and provide a rare opportunity to unravel the timing of gold mineralization and post-mineralization processes through combined U–Pb zircon dates with zircon geochemistry investigations from volcanic host rocks, basal breccias and its sedimentary cover. Two weakly-mineralized host andesite samples yielded zircon U–Pb ages of 361.2 ± 1.8 Ma and 349.7 ± 2.6 Ma, respectively. The basal breccia of the sedimentary cover immediately above the angular unconformity contains a mineralized andesite clast (348.2 ± 2.0 Ma) derived from the erosion of the underlying epithermal deposit. Combined with a maximum depositional age (MDA) of ca. 344.0 ± 3.8 Ma for the clastic rocks directly overlain the basal breccia, suggesting that the Axi angular unconformity was formed in the early Visean (ca. 348.2–344.0 Ma). The youngest detrital zircons from clastic rocks in the upper section of the sedimentary cover constrain its deposition to ca. 344.0–305.3 Ma. These data together indicate that epithermal gold mineralization at Axi predates formation of the angular unconformity at no later than ca. 344.0 Ma. Rapid burial of the gold mineralization by the sedimentary cover (i.e., Aqialehe Fm; ca. 344.0–305.3 Ma) soon after exhumation (ca. 348.2–344.0 Ma) was crucial for the preservation of Early Carboniferous epithermal gold mineralization at Axi.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12761,"journal":{"name":"Gondwana Research","volume":"145 ","pages":"Pages 36-48"},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144169041","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":"Detrital zircon and rutile geochronology and provenance of early Permian lithium-rich bauxites in central Yunnan, SW China: Implications for the late Neoproterozoic–Palaeozoic evolution of the South China Block","authors":"Jinsong Xie ,&nbsp;Kunyue Ling ,&nbsp;Wenxiu Yu ,&nbsp;Yongfeng Yan ,&nbsp;Lei Zhang ,&nbsp;Shengtao Gong ,&nbsp;Haonan Zhao ,&nbsp;Sheng Huang ,&nbsp;Jie Deng ,&nbsp;Hanjie Wen","doi":"10.1016/j.gr.2025.05.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gr.2025.05.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Lithium (Li)-rich bauxites from the lower Permian Daoshitou Formation in central Yunnan, western South China Block, have significant potential for aluminium (Al) and Li exploitation. However, the provenance of these Li-rich bauxites remains uncertain. We conducted a comprehensive <em>in situ</em> U–Pb geochronology and trace element study of detrital zircon and rutile grains from lower Permian Li-rich bauxites and underlying Ediacaran–Carboniferous strata in central Yunnan, SW China, which yields valuable insight into the provenance of the Li-rich bauxites and the location of the South China Block during the break-up of Rodinia and assembly of Gondwana. The detrital rutile and zircon grains from the Li-rich bauxites yield similar age populations to those from Ordovician strata, highlighting the significant contribution of material from the Ordovician strata to the Li-rich bauxites. Detrital rutile grains in the Ediacaran strata have ages of 900–750 Ma, suggesting a source in the Panxi–Hannan metamorphic belt on the western margin of the South China Block. The prolonged duration (∼150 Myr) of this metamorphism implies that the South China Block was located on the margin of Rodinia during the Neoproterozoic. The asynchronous appearance of zircon and rutile populations with ages of 650–500 Ma (Cambrian) and 1050–900 Ma (Ordovician) in the South China Block suggests that the block occupied different positions during these two periods, indicating the northward migration of the block from northwest India to northeast India along the northern margin of East Gondwana during the late Cambrian–Early Ordovician. The successful application of combined detrital zircon and rutile analysis in this study highlights the reliability of this approach in elucidating the sedimentary provenance of deposits and unravelling their tectonic history.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12761,"journal":{"name":"Gondwana Research","volume":"145 ","pages":"Pages 11-28"},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144147153","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 century of knowledge growth in sedimentology","authors":"Yiwei Xu ,&nbsp;Xiumian Hu ,&nbsp;Eduardo Garzanti ,&nbsp;Jiexing Qi ,&nbsp;Huquan Kang ,&nbsp;Hanqi Nong ,&nbsp;Luwen Wu ,&nbsp;Jiaxin Ding ,&nbsp;Xinbing Wang ,&nbsp;Chengshan Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.gr.2025.04.017","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gr.2025.04.017","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Although the deceleration in scientific knowledge production has been well documented at the level of fields, the patterns of knowledge growth within subdisciplines remain poorly explored, primarily due to challenges in classifying papers at lower level. Our study addresses this gap by employing natural language process (NLP) tools to explore the growth of sedimentological knowledge which is a subdiscipline within geology. Utilizing SedBERT, a specialized Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) model, we accurately classify sedimentological papers, revealing an exponential growth in sedimentological publications over the past 120 years. Publications have doubled every 10.3 years between 1945 and 1980, and every 14 years from 1980 to 2021.We identify a significant paradigm shift during the 1950 s-1970 s, a period known as the ’Golden Age’ of sedimentology, characterized by increased lexical diversity and myopic-referencing citation pattern. A subsequent decline in research diversity, driven by a ’follow-the-crowd’ strategy, has led to a stagnation in knowledge expansion in the post-Golden Age. Our study illuminates the dynamic research landscape of sedimentology and offers a framework for analyzing the evolution of sub-disciplinary knowledge.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12761,"journal":{"name":"Gondwana Research","volume":"145 ","pages":"Pages 49-56"},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144169042","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":"Lithium isotopes, chlorine isotopes, and Cl/Br ratios geochemistry of ore-forming fluids in the Yangla skarn Cu-Pb-Zn deposit, SW China","authors":"Lin Xu ,&nbsp;Yujian Li ,&nbsp;Chongguang Luo ,&nbsp;Hanjie Wen ,&nbsp;Qin Ye ,&nbsp;Zhengbing Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.gr.2025.04.016","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gr.2025.04.016","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The elemental and isotopic compositions in ore forming fluids are controlled by fluid sources and migration, and are further influenced by mineralization during hydrothermal fluid activity associated with skarn formation and mineralization related to medium-acid intrusions. Tracking the sources and processes of ore-forming fluids by traditional geochemistry remains challenging. In this study, we investigate δ⁷Li, δ³⁷Cl values, and Cl/Br ratios of bulk fluid inclusions trapped in quartz from the Yangla skarn Cu<strong>-</strong>Pb<strong>-</strong>Zn deposit, SW China. The heavy Li isotopic feature is primarily controlled by the formation of hydro-silicate minerals during the skarn alteration. Extraneous fluids are rarely incorporated into studied mineralization system. Prominent negative tendency variation of Cl/Br ratios and δ³⁷Cl values is found, and some data show an affinity to magmatic fluids, which are responsible for metals mineralization. Based on previous experiments and simulations, we argue that halite precipitation and skarn alteration cannot be the principal factors for such variation in hydrothermal metallogenic system at the Yangla skarn deposit. Instead, the vapor–liquid phase separation in acidic ore-forming fluids produces lower Cl/Br ratios with heavy Cl isotopes in liquid-dominated phase. The systematic geochemical variation resulting from phase separation provides a new explanation for variations of δ³⁷Cl values in many deposits. Our findings also show that Li and Cl isotope geochemistry, combined with elemental fluid tracers (e.g., Cl/Br ratios), can effectively trace the source and evolution of fluids in magmatic-hydrothermal systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12761,"journal":{"name":"Gondwana Research","volume":"145 ","pages":"Pages 1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144131140","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":"Integrated analyses of the Ediacaran-Cambrian boundary sequence in northern Gondwana (Anti-Atlas platform, Morocco)","authors":"Yiwei Xiong ,&nbsp;Bo Chen ,&nbsp;Xiaojuan Sun ,&nbsp;Kai Chen ,&nbsp;Ibtissam Chraiki ,&nbsp;Aihua Yang ,&nbsp;Chunlin Hu ,&nbsp;zhixin Sun ,&nbsp;Bing Pan ,&nbsp;Chuan Yang ,&nbsp;Tianchen He ,&nbsp;Miao Lu ,&nbsp;Tao Li ,&nbsp;Fangchen Zhao ,&nbsp;Maoyan Zhu ,&nbsp;El Hafid Bouougri","doi":"10.1016/j.gr.2025.05.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gr.2025.05.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Ediacaran to Cambrian transition (ECT) represents a critical period in Earth’s history, marked by the rapid emergence and diversification of metazoan life. Understanding the precise timing and dynamics of this bio-event as well as their links to paleoenvironmental changes requires a well-defined stratigraphic framework. The Anti-Atlas platform in Morocco offers a key region for unravelling the tectono-sedimentary setting, chemostratigraphic and geochemical features of ECT in northern Gondwana margin. Stratigraphic record of this transitional interval lying in the Lower Adoudou Formation (Tabia-Tifnount Members transition) is well-constrained by δ¹³C_carb chemostratigraphy and geochronology. However, the basin evolution analysis based on sequence stratigraphy has received little attention, as well the exact location of the Ediacaran-Cambrian boundary in this region remains uncertain, partly due to the absence of typical small shelly fossils and trace fossil assemblages. In this study, we apply an integrated approach combining sedimentary, stratigraphic, paleontological, and geochemical analyses to investigate the Tabia section, one of the most continuous ECT sequences in northern Gondwana. The stratigraphic record reveals four key stages in the tectono-sedimentary evolution. The synrift stage comprises three tectonic pulses, each corresponding to distinct depositional sequences within the Tabia Member. The progressive extension starts with rift initiation forming a narrow rift branch and culminates during rift propagation with wide rift branch during the following two tectonic pulses. The postrift stage coincides with a shift to the stable carbonate platform of Tifnout Member. This geodynamic and paleogeographic transition is well documented by geochemical evidence. In contrast to the postrift strata, synrift sequences preserve increased syn-sedimentary fault-driven hydrothermal activity and related dolomitization process (e.g., higher ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios, Eu/Eu* anomalies, and elevated concentrations of metals). In addition, our results offer new fossils and δ¹³C_carb chemostratigraphy constraints on the precise placement of the Ediacaran-Cambrian boundary across the platform, suggesting that the synrift Tabia Member and postrift lower part of Tifnout member including Tamjout dolomite are late Ediacaran in age. The first negative excursion in the Lower Tifnout Member is interpreted as the basal Cambrian carbon isotope excursion (BACE), coinciding with the transition from synrift to post-rift settings in the western Anti-Atlas platform.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12761,"journal":{"name":"Gondwana Research","volume":"145 ","pages":"Pages 79-106"},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144223502","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 classification scheme for fine-grained sedimentary rocks: A review and a new approach based on five inherent rock attributes","authors":"Junwen Peng ,&nbsp;Zongquan Hu ,&nbsp;Dongjun Feng","doi":"10.1016/j.gr.2025.04.014","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gr.2025.04.014","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite global stratigraphic and economic significance, uncertainty remains concerning the general lithofacies classification and nomenclature of the fine-grained sedimentary rocks (FGSR). This study reviewed existing nomenclatures of FGSR and discussed their potential issues. Currently, none of the existing nomenclatures of FGSR can simultaneously: 1) capture the variations in physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of FGSR at micron-to-meter scales (i.e., serve as a “description” function); 2) facilitate the assessment of the primary deposition process and mechanism (i.e., serve as an “assessment” function); and 3) predict post-depositional diagenetic pathways and evolution of bulk physical properties (i.e., serve as a “prediction” function).</div><div>To have a classification scheme that balances the above three functions, an inclusive nomenclature is proposed in this review based on five inherent rock attributes: textural variation (grain size), mineral composition and grain origin, bedding style, total organic carbon (TOC) content, and organic matter (OM) type. This review suggests describing FGSR by a root term based on these five inherent rock attributes because they are independent of each other and recorded complete variations of physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of FGSR, which can enhance our understanding of the primary deposition process and post-depositional diagenesis that creates the enormous heterogeneity of bulk physical properties of rocks.</div><div>Application of this nomenclature to two FGSR systems with different geological contexts, including the Pennsylvanian Cline Shale, marine foreland Midland Basin, and the Jurassic Dongyuemiao Member, lacustrine Sichuan Depression, illustrates the immense heterogeneities commonly observed in FGSR and demonstrates how detailed characterization in micron-to-meter scales physical, chemical, and biological variation of FGSR can be used to assess the primary deposition process and predict evolutions of bulk physical properties. This inclusive nomenclature provides comparable and consistent terminologies across the entire spectrum of FGSR, and thus, all types of FGSR can be consistently described and correlated.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12761,"journal":{"name":"Gondwana Research","volume":"145 ","pages":"Pages 107-141"},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144223496","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":"Unlocking energy efficiency: Exploring the dynamic evolution and regional correlations in the Huaihe Eco-economic Belt","authors":"Xin Zhao ,&nbsp;Zijie Wang ,&nbsp;Wanjun Xia ,&nbsp;Bin Hu ,&nbsp;László Vasa ,&nbsp;Abdelmohsen A. Nassani","doi":"10.1016/j.gr.2025.04.015","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gr.2025.04.015","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Energy is the cornerstone of today’s social development, and it is of great significance to comprehensively and objectively reflect the level of energy efficiency (EE) and regional differences. Taking the Huaihe Eco-economic Belt (HEB) as an example, the EE of 28 cities in the HEB from 2008 to 2021 was measured and analyzed by using the super-efficiency SBM model with non-expected outputs; Using Dagum Gini coefficient to explore regional differences in EE levels and their sources; It also explores the dynamic evolutionary pattern and spatial correlation of EE levels using kernel density estimation, Markov transfer probability matrix, and Moran index. The results are as follows: (1) The value of EE in the HEB shows a trend of change that first declines and then rises, with relatively small changes; (2) Regional differences in EE show a fluctuating and increasing trend, with hypervariable density being the most important source of overall regional differences, which are much greater within regions than between regions; (3) The development of EE has been polarized, and the hierarchy of EE levels is relatively stable, with the phenomenon of “club convergence”; (4) There is spatial agglomeration in the level of EE development, with cities in the midwest parts of the country mostly falling in the high-value agglomeration area of the first quadrant, and cities in the northern part of the country mostly falling in the low-value agglomeration area of the third quadrant, with a few cities experiencing spatial and temporal jumps. This paper will be valuable to the government in identifying energy-inefficient cities, formulating targeted policy measures, and promoting the synergistic sustainable development of HEB.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12761,"journal":{"name":"Gondwana Research","volume":"145 ","pages":"Pages 57-70"},"PeriodicalIF":7.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144185196","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}