Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems最新文献

{"title":"Slab Gap-Related Intraplate Magmatism as a Proxy of Maximum Flat Slab Extent in Patagonia","authors":"C. R. Navarrete,&nbsp;G. M. Gianni,&nbsp;G. I. Massaferro,&nbsp;M. B. Lastra","doi":"10.1029/2025GC012895","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GC012895","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Establishing the frontal extent of ancient flat subduction events from the geologic record can be challenging. This difficulty arises because magmatic activity in the arc typically ceases during complete slab flattening, and other meaningful proxies are usually absent. To address this issue, we examine early Paleocene intraplate magmatic units in central Patagonia, specifically, the La Angostura and Pagasartundua basalts. These basalts erupted and were emplaced during the final phase of a significant flat subduction event, referred to as the Nalé flat slab. The small outcrops of these units are composed of metaluminous alkaline basalts, whose origin would be related to the decompression melting of the sub-slab asthenosphere. This melting likely occurred due to local slab gaps in the frontal section of a flattened slab, where the oceanic lithosphere resumed a steep angle. The resulting mantle primitive melts would have caused partial melting of minor portions of the upper slab (including eclogitized components). The interaction of these two end-member melts results in slight hybridization, as evidenced by positive anomalies in Cs, Pb, and Li, subtle Ta depletion, and local Th enrichment in the basalts. By recognizing these basalts and their geochemical characteristics in relation to the geodynamic context, we can establish the maximum frontal extent of a large-scale Late Cretaceous-Paleocene flat subduction event. Thus, this case represents the first ancient flat slab that is frontally constrained by slab gap-related intraplate magmatism, a pattern that could be replicated in other similar settings worldwide.</p>","PeriodicalId":50422,"journal":{"name":"Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems","volume":"27 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2025GC012895","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147566252","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Heat Advection During Exhumation Can Explain High Temperatures Along the Subduction Plate Interface","authors":"Stefan M. Schmalholz","doi":"10.1029/2025GC012723","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GC012723","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The pressure–temperature <span></span><math>\u0000 <semantics>\u0000 <mrow>\u0000 <mo>(</mo>\u0000 <mrow>\u0000 <mi>P</mi>\u0000 <mo>−</mo>\u0000 <mi>T</mi>\u0000 </mrow>\u0000 <mo>)</mo>\u0000 </mrow>\u0000 <annotation> $(P-T)$</annotation>\u0000 </semantics></math> evolution of subduction zone plate interfaces governs metamorphism, fluid migration, deformation, and seismicity. Temperature estimates from natural rocks are frequently higher than those predicted by subduction models, particularly for <span></span><math>\u0000 <semantics>\u0000 <mrow>\u0000 <mi>P</mi>\u0000 <mo>&lt;</mo>\u0000 </mrow>\u0000 <annotation> $P&lt; $</annotation>\u0000 </semantics></math> 2.5 GPa. To investigate this discrepancy, this study re-examines published numerical models that simulate exhumation during subduction. The analysis shows that, at equivalent pressure, interface temperatures are considerably colder during pure subduction (without exhumation) than during later stages when subduction and exhumation occur simultaneously. This warming arises from advective heat transport, as exhuming rocks carry heat upward and raise interface temperatures. Clockwise <span></span><math>\u0000 <semantics>\u0000 <mrow>\u0000 <mi>P</mi>\u0000 <mo>−</mo>\u0000 <mi>T</mi>\u0000 </mrow>\u0000 <annotation> $P-T$</annotation>\u0000 </semantics></math> paths of exhumed rocks support this mechanism. Including advective heating during exhumation can align model predictions with rock-based <span></span><math>\u0000 <semantics>\u0000 <mrow>\u0000 <mi>P</mi>\u0000 </mrow>\u0000 <annotation> $P$</annotation>\u0000 </semantics></math>–<span></span><math>\u0000 <semantics>\u0000 <mrow>\u0000 <mi>T</mi>\u0000 </mrow>\u0000 <annotation> $T$</annotation>\u0000 </semantics></math> data. A scaling analysis using the Péclet number generalizes the results and allows estimating the impact of exhumation-related heat advection to subduction zones.</p>","PeriodicalId":50422,"journal":{"name":"Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems","volume":"27 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2025GC012723","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147566253","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"A Global Evaluation of Lithology-Dependent Marine Sediment Compaction Parameters and Their Uncertainties","authors":"Haley Svadlenak,&nbsp;Ross Parnell-Turner,&nbsp;Margaret Morris","doi":"10.1029/2025GC012739","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GC012739","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Tectonic subsidence, sea level, and paleoclimate reconstructions using marine records rely on accurate decompaction of the sediment column. Over time, increased overburden pressure from burial decreases sediment porosity with depth. The porosity-depth relationship is lithology-dependent and can be represented by an exponential function determined by initial porosity at the seafloor and compaction decay length. While site-specific compaction parameters are useful for most studies, these are often unrepresentative due to an insufficient number of measurements. Existing, commonly applied parameter estimates are based upon a handful of spatially restricted sites and lack meaningful uncertainty constraints. We compiled a global porosity data set consisting of 31,808 moisture and density measurements from 280 scientific ocean drilling sites visited during 60 Integrated Ocean Drilling Program and International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) expeditions between 2009 and 2024. Using bootstrapping techniques, we resampled and fit porosity measurements 10,000 times using nonlinear least squares to obtain compaction parameters and uncertainties both globally and independently for sites in the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and Southern Oceans. Measurements from samples dominated by a single lithology (&gt;75%) were used to obtain lithology-dependent parameters. Average compaction behavior for marine sediments can be described with an initial porosity of <span></span><math>\u0000 <semantics>\u0000 <mrow>\u0000 <mn>66.3</mn>\u0000 <mo>±</mo>\u0000 <mn>2.0</mn>\u0000 </mrow>\u0000 <annotation> $66.3pm 2.0$</annotation>\u0000 </semantics></math>% and a decay length of <span></span><math>\u0000 <semantics>\u0000 <mrow>\u0000 <mn>1399</mn>\u0000 <mo>±</mo>\u0000 <mn>120</mn>\u0000 </mrow>\u0000 <annotation> $1399pm 120$</annotation>\u0000 </semantics></math> m. Our results confirm the lithology-dependence of these parameters and indicate that sediment compaction behavior is consistent across ocean basins. These globally-applicable parameters and uncertainties are a valuable resource for evaluating sediment decompaction and will enable error quantification in subsequent analyses of basin evolution and sedimentation.</p>","PeriodicalId":50422,"journal":{"name":"Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems","volume":"27 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2025GC012739","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147566551","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"A Global Evaluation of Lithology-Dependent Marine Sediment Compaction Parameters and Their Uncertainties","authors":"Haley Svadlenak,&nbsp;Ross Parnell-Turner,&nbsp;Margaret Morris","doi":"10.1029/2025GC012739","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GC012739","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Tectonic subsidence, sea level, and paleoclimate reconstructions using marine records rely on accurate decompaction of the sediment column. Over time, increased overburden pressure from burial decreases sediment porosity with depth. The porosity-depth relationship is lithology-dependent and can be represented by an exponential function determined by initial porosity at the seafloor and compaction decay length. While site-specific compaction parameters are useful for most studies, these are often unrepresentative due to an insufficient number of measurements. Existing, commonly applied parameter estimates are based upon a handful of spatially restricted sites and lack meaningful uncertainty constraints. We compiled a global porosity data set consisting of 31,808 moisture and density measurements from 280 scientific ocean drilling sites visited during 60 Integrated Ocean Drilling Program and International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) expeditions between 2009 and 2024. Using bootstrapping techniques, we resampled and fit porosity measurements 10,000 times using nonlinear least squares to obtain compaction parameters and uncertainties both globally and independently for sites in the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and Southern Oceans. Measurements from samples dominated by a single lithology (&gt;75%) were used to obtain lithology-dependent parameters. Average compaction behavior for marine sediments can be described with an initial porosity of <span></span><math>\u0000 <semantics>\u0000 <mrow>\u0000 <mn>66.3</mn>\u0000 <mo>±</mo>\u0000 <mn>2.0</mn>\u0000 </mrow>\u0000 <annotation> $66.3pm 2.0$</annotation>\u0000 </semantics></math>% and a decay length of <span></span><math>\u0000 <semantics>\u0000 <mrow>\u0000 <mn>1399</mn>\u0000 <mo>±</mo>\u0000 <mn>120</mn>\u0000 </mrow>\u0000 <annotation> $1399pm 120$</annotation>\u0000 </semantics></math> m. Our results confirm the lithology-dependence of these parameters and indicate that sediment compaction behavior is consistent across ocean basins. These globally-applicable parameters and uncertainties are a valuable resource for evaluating sediment decompaction and will enable error quantification in subsequent analyses of basin evolution and sedimentation.</p>","PeriodicalId":50422,"journal":{"name":"Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems","volume":"27 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2025GC012739","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147566552","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Heat Advection During Exhumation Can Explain High Temperatures Along the Subduction Plate Interface","authors":"Stefan M. Schmalholz","doi":"10.1029/2025GC012723","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GC012723","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The pressure–temperature <span></span><math>\u0000 <semantics>\u0000 <mrow>\u0000 <mo>(</mo>\u0000 <mrow>\u0000 <mi>P</mi>\u0000 <mo>−</mo>\u0000 <mi>T</mi>\u0000 </mrow>\u0000 <mo>)</mo>\u0000 </mrow>\u0000 <annotation> $(P-T)$</annotation>\u0000 </semantics></math> evolution of subduction zone plate interfaces governs metamorphism, fluid migration, deformation, and seismicity. Temperature estimates from natural rocks are frequently higher than those predicted by subduction models, particularly for <span></span><math>\u0000 <semantics>\u0000 <mrow>\u0000 <mi>P</mi>\u0000 <mo>&lt;</mo>\u0000 </mrow>\u0000 <annotation> $P&lt; $</annotation>\u0000 </semantics></math> 2.5 GPa. To investigate this discrepancy, this study re-examines published numerical models that simulate exhumation during subduction. The analysis shows that, at equivalent pressure, interface temperatures are considerably colder during pure subduction (without exhumation) than during later stages when subduction and exhumation occur simultaneously. This warming arises from advective heat transport, as exhuming rocks carry heat upward and raise interface temperatures. Clockwise <span></span><math>\u0000 <semantics>\u0000 <mrow>\u0000 <mi>P</mi>\u0000 <mo>−</mo>\u0000 <mi>T</mi>\u0000 </mrow>\u0000 <annotation> $P-T$</annotation>\u0000 </semantics></math> paths of exhumed rocks support this mechanism. Including advective heating during exhumation can align model predictions with rock-based <span></span><math>\u0000 <semantics>\u0000 <mrow>\u0000 <mi>P</mi>\u0000 </mrow>\u0000 <annotation> $P$</annotation>\u0000 </semantics></math>–<span></span><math>\u0000 <semantics>\u0000 <mrow>\u0000 <mi>T</mi>\u0000 </mrow>\u0000 <annotation> $T$</annotation>\u0000 </semantics></math> data. A scaling analysis using the Péclet number generalizes the results and allows estimating the impact of exhumation-related heat advection to subduction zones.</p>","PeriodicalId":50422,"journal":{"name":"Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems","volume":"27 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2025GC012723","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147566625","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Diagenetic Effect on Planktic Foraminiferal Mg/Ca Records in the Arctic Ocean","authors":"B.-J. Jong,&nbsp;L. Lo,&nbsp;Y. Iizuka,&nbsp;C.-C. Shen,&nbsp;C.-K. Chuang,&nbsp;A. Bahr,&nbsp;H.-S. Mii,&nbsp;H.-C. Li,&nbsp;L. Löwemark","doi":"10.1029/2025GC012302","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GC012302","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Mg/Ca ratios in planktic foraminifera have long been used as a thermometer to reconstruct the past climate. However, this study revealed that in certain intervals, the Mg/Ca ratios of the planktic foraminifer <i>Neogloboquadrina pachyderma</i>, a widespread species in the Arctic Ocean, displayed anomalously high values which could severely bias paleo-temperature reconstructions. Therefore, in this study, we analyzed the spatial and temporal distribution of Mg/Ca ratios of <i>N</i>. <i>pachyderma</i> in sediment cores of the Arctic Ocean to address the causes of these anomalies. Authigenic carbonate overgrowth was revealed under Scanning Electron Microscope, while Mg intensities from Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy and Electron Probe Micro Analyzer indicated high-Mg bands on the inner and outer surfaces of <i>N</i>. <i>pachyderma</i> causing the non-ontogenetic anomalously high Mg/Ca ratios. The distribution of these high-Mg bands on <i>N</i>. <i>pachyderma</i> did not match descriptions of biological alteration or methanogenic calcite overgrowth. In contrast, the authigenic overgrowth on foraminiferal tests was most likely due to the dissolution and reprecipitation of detrital high-Mg calcite within the marine sediment. Our work thus adds support for the observation that dissolution and reprecipitation of calcite from Mg/Ca-rich ice rifted debris can be an important process altering the calcium carbonate chemistry of foraminiferal shells in the Arctic Ocean. This authigenic overgrowth is difficult to remove without damaging the original foraminiferal shell during the cleaning processes. Consequently, specimens exhibiting authigenic overgrowth should be excluded from Mg/Ca temperature reconstructions; alternatively, in situ micro-domain analytical methods might be used to specifically target the unaltered parts of the foraminiferal shell.</p>","PeriodicalId":50422,"journal":{"name":"Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems","volume":"27 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2025GC012302","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147566234","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Diagenetic Effect on Planktic Foraminiferal Mg/Ca Records in the Arctic Ocean","authors":"B.-J. Jong,&nbsp;L. Lo,&nbsp;Y. Iizuka,&nbsp;C.-C. Shen,&nbsp;C.-K. Chuang,&nbsp;A. Bahr,&nbsp;H.-S. Mii,&nbsp;H.-C. Li,&nbsp;L. Löwemark","doi":"10.1029/2025GC012302","DOIUrl":"10.1029/2025GC012302","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Mg/Ca ratios in planktic foraminifera have long been used as a thermometer to reconstruct the past climate. However, this study revealed that in certain intervals, the Mg/Ca ratios of the planktic foraminifer <i>Neogloboquadrina pachyderma</i>, a widespread species in the Arctic Ocean, displayed anomalously high values which could severely bias paleo-temperature reconstructions. Therefore, in this study, we analyzed the spatial and temporal distribution of Mg/Ca ratios of <i>N</i>. <i>pachyderma</i> in sediment cores of the Arctic Ocean to address the causes of these anomalies. Authigenic carbonate overgrowth was revealed under Scanning Electron Microscope, while Mg intensities from Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy and Electron Probe Micro Analyzer indicated high-Mg bands on the inner and outer surfaces of <i>N</i>. <i>pachyderma</i> causing the non-ontogenetic anomalously high Mg/Ca ratios. The distribution of these high-Mg bands on <i>N</i>. <i>pachyderma</i> did not match descriptions of biological alteration or methanogenic calcite overgrowth. In contrast, the authigenic overgrowth on foraminiferal tests was most likely due to the dissolution and reprecipitation of detrital high-Mg calcite within the marine sediment. Our work thus adds support for the observation that dissolution and reprecipitation of calcite from Mg/Ca-rich ice rifted debris can be an important process altering the calcium carbonate chemistry of foraminiferal shells in the Arctic Ocean. This authigenic overgrowth is difficult to remove without damaging the original foraminiferal shell during the cleaning processes. Consequently, specimens exhibiting authigenic overgrowth should be excluded from Mg/Ca temperature reconstructions; alternatively, in situ micro-domain analytical methods might be used to specifically target the unaltered parts of the foraminiferal shell.</p>","PeriodicalId":50422,"journal":{"name":"Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems","volume":"27 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2025GC012302","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147566287","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Reconstruction of Core-Surface Flows During the Last 3,300 Years","authors":"Pablo Rivera,&nbsp;F. J. Pavón-Carrasco,&nbsp;M. L. Osete","doi":"10.1029/2025GC012475","DOIUrl":"10.1029/2025GC012475","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Understanding the Earth's magnetic field evolution requires examining the fluid flow at the core-mantle boundary that drives the changes over different timescales. The inversion process to derive core-surface flow velocities from secular variation data encounters non-uniqueness issues, necessitating a priori assumptions that yield different flow solutions. In this work, we investigate the Earth's core-surface flows over the last 3,300 years using the SHAWQ-family archeomagnetic model (Campuzano et al., 2019, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2019.01.050; Osete et al., 2020, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2019.116047) to invert for time-dependent purely toroidal and tangentially geostrophic solutions. We apply the constraints as regularization terms that let us reproduce different large-scale flows at the core surface. We evaluate the frozen-flux hypothesis and we show that the temporal averaging range in archeomagnetic models reliably captures the long-term behavior of core-surface flows over time. Then, we use these core flow models to analyze different global phenomena, such as the episodes of large-scale eastward and westward flow and the exchange of angular momentum between the fluid core and the mantle that contributes to the Length of the Day variations at millennial timescales.</p>","PeriodicalId":50422,"journal":{"name":"Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems","volume":"27 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2025GC012475","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147565905","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Electron Spin Resonance Thermochronometry Indicates Quaternary Activity of the Brenner Fault (Eastern Alps)","authors":"Valentina Argante,&nbsp;Sumiko Tsukamoto,&nbsp;David Colin Tanner,&nbsp;Christoph von Hagke,&nbsp;Christian Brandes,&nbsp;Junjie Zhang,&nbsp;Chloé Bouscary,&nbsp;Christoph Glotzbach","doi":"10.1029/2025GC012484","DOIUrl":"10.1029/2025GC012484","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The Brenner Fault is one of the most important normal faults in the Eastern Alps as it accommodates uplift and lateral extrusion of the Tauern Window. Consequently, understanding its kinematic history is important for studying the dynamics of the Eastern Alps, in particular the Tauern Window. However, the timing of fault activity remains debated. Based on low-temperature thermochronometry, it has been proposed that the fault has not moved since approximately 9 Ma. However, recent seismicity suggests that it is still active. We bridge this time gap by applying electron spin resonance (ESR) dating on quartz. This ultra-low temperature thermochronometer has a closure temperature of 80–50°C and therefore enables the study of the most recent footwall exhumation. Our ESR thermochronometric ages obtained from the Brenner area ranged from 0.38 ± 0.02 to &gt;3.34 ± 0.63 Ma. The lateral distribution of these ages suggests that exhumation was caused by a combination of tectonic activity and glacial/fluvial erosion over the last million years. Exhumation occurred mostly within the first 500 m of the footwall of the Brenner Fault. Using 2D thermokinematic inverse modeling, constrained by the ESR data, we estimate the movement on the fault to a slip rate of 3.0 ± 0.7 mm/yr over the last million years. Our results, together with previous data, imply that the Brenner Fault has been almost constantly active for 19 Ma until the present-day.</p>","PeriodicalId":50422,"journal":{"name":"Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems","volume":"27 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2025GC012484","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147565835","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Electron Spin Resonance Thermochronometry Indicates Quaternary Activity of the Brenner Fault (Eastern Alps)","authors":"Valentina Argante,&nbsp;Sumiko Tsukamoto,&nbsp;David Colin Tanner,&nbsp;Christoph von Hagke,&nbsp;Christian Brandes,&nbsp;Junjie Zhang,&nbsp;Chloé Bouscary,&nbsp;Christoph Glotzbach","doi":"10.1029/2025GC012484","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GC012484","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The Brenner Fault is one of the most important normal faults in the Eastern Alps as it accommodates uplift and lateral extrusion of the Tauern Window. Consequently, understanding its kinematic history is important for studying the dynamics of the Eastern Alps, in particular the Tauern Window. However, the timing of fault activity remains debated. Based on low-temperature thermochronometry, it has been proposed that the fault has not moved since approximately 9 Ma. However, recent seismicity suggests that it is still active. We bridge this time gap by applying electron spin resonance (ESR) dating on quartz. This ultra-low temperature thermochronometer has a closure temperature of 80–50°C and therefore enables the study of the most recent footwall exhumation. Our ESR thermochronometric ages obtained from the Brenner area ranged from 0.38 ± 0.02 to &gt;3.34 ± 0.63 Ma. The lateral distribution of these ages suggests that exhumation was caused by a combination of tectonic activity and glacial/fluvial erosion over the last million years. Exhumation occurred mostly within the first 500 m of the footwall of the Brenner Fault. Using 2D thermokinematic inverse modeling, constrained by the ESR data, we estimate the movement on the fault to a slip rate of 3.0 ± 0.7 mm/yr over the last million years. Our results, together with previous data, imply that the Brenner Fault has been almost constantly active for 19 Ma until the present-day.</p>","PeriodicalId":50422,"journal":{"name":"Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems","volume":"27 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2025GC012484","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147565906","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}