Environmental Earth Sciences最新文献

{"title":"Comparative evaluation of sigmoidal models for particle size distribution of typical tropical urban soils","authors":"Nhat Dai Vo,&nbsp;Truyen Nhat Phu","doi":"10.1007/s12665-026-13087-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12665-026-13087-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Particle size distribution (PSD) is a fundamental soil property that strongly influences hydraulic, mechanical, and deformation behavior in geotechnical engineering. Accurate mathematical representation of PSD curves is therefore meaningful for reliable soil characterization and parameter estimation. This study evaluates the fitting performance of three sigmoidal models—the Van Genuchten (1980) model, the Fredlund and Xing (1994) model, and a logistic model—for representing PSD curves of three typical soil types (clay, sandy clay, and clayey sand) in Go Vap Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Laboratory particle size analyses were conducted using sieve and hydrometer tests in accordance with Vietnamese geotechnical standards. Model performance was assessed using the coefficient of determination (R²), root mean square error (RMSE) and sum of squared errors (SSE). The results show that all three sigmoidal models provide excellent agreement with experimental PSD data, with R² values ranging from 0.9616 to 0.9992. However, model performance varies depending on soil texture classes. The logistic model achieved the best fitting performance for clay soil, whereas the Fredlund and Xing model produced the lowest RMSE and SSE values for sandy clay and clayey sand. These findings highlight the importance of texture-dependent model selection and provide practical guidance for PSD modelling of tropical urban soils in geotechnical engineering applications.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":542,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Earth Sciences","volume":"85 14","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12665-026-13087-w.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148751075","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessment of vulnerability to groundwater contamination in the Santa Rosa River basin, Ecuador","authors":"Luis Aguilar-Salas,&nbsp;Bryan Salgado-Almeida,&nbsp;Karla Villamar Marazita,&nbsp;Samantha Jiménez-Oyola,&nbsp;Paola Romero Crespo","doi":"10.1007/s12665-026-13072-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12665-026-13072-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Groundwater is a vital resource that supplies nearly half of the world’s population and sustains ecosystem integrity. In the Santa Rosa River basin (SW Ecuador), groundwater plays an essential role due to the variable quality of surface water resources. This study assessed groundwater contamination risk based on the premise that floodplain sectors with shallow water tables and high permeability are more susceptible to contamination, with the aim of supporting environmental management priorities. Cartographic and secondary data were integrated with field investigations. Intrinsic vulnerability was assessed using the GOD and DRASTIC methods, whereas contamination hazards were evaluated using the POSH approach, supported by in-situ measurements of water-table levels and physicochemical parameters. The GOD method classified the basin into negligible (371.18 km²; 49.31%), low (263.39 km²; 34.99%), and moderate (118.13 km²; 15.70%) vulnerability classes. DRASTIC identified low vulnerability as the dominant class (58.18%), mainly across the central, southern, and eastern sectors of the basin, whereas high vulnerability represented the second-largest class (21.75%) and was concentrated primarily in the western–northwestern sector, with localized patches along the northern margin. This spatial pattern is related to shallow groundwater conditions, permeable alluvial deposits, and low-relief terrain. The main pollution sources included agrochemicals, urban discharges, livestock excreta, artisanal mining, and solid waste. The integrated risk map identified moderate to high contamination risk across 56.0% of the basin, particularly in the western-northwestern sector and along major river and road corridors. These findings provide a regional-scale basis for prioritizing groundwater monitoring and contamination management in vulnerable sectors of the basin, supporting groundwater-quality protection and safer water-resource planning in the priority areas identified in this study.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":542,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Earth Sciences","volume":"85 14","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12665-026-13072-3.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148751092","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Regional differences and causes of ozone concentration exceeding standards in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration","authors":"Junli Xu,&nbsp;Jian Wang,&nbsp;Hao Hu","doi":"10.1007/s12665-026-13099-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12665-026-13099-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Based on hierarchical cluster analysis, this paper used the Kolmogorov–Zurbenko filter and the Hysplit model to analyze the causes of O₃-8 h concentration exceedances and the potential source contribution areas across various sub-regions in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration in China. The results indicated that the number of days affected by ozone exceedances in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration averaged 168.1 ± 1.7 days·yr^− 1 from 2015 to 2024, and its annual increase was 3.5 ± 0.4 days·yr^− 1. During the warm season, the phenomenon of exceedances in the regions surrounding the estuaries of the Yangtze River and Qiantang River, as well as the northern plains and the southern Anhui hilly areas, was primarily attributed to abnormal weather, anthropogenic emissions, or intensity of medium- to small-scale atmospheric circulation transport. Among them, the potential sources of excess ozone in the plains were not only locally concentrated but also concentrated in areas along the coastal economic belt of the North Yellow Sea. However, the formation of heavy pollution was mostly controlled by abnormal anthropogenic emissions during the local weather change process under low wind speeds. The potential sources in the latter were similar to those in the Zhejiang-Fujian hilly area. The local sources were the causes of small-scale ozone pollution formation, while the external input was not only the cause of large-scale pollution, but also the main cause of heavy pollution that exceeded the Grade II Standard. In the southeastern coastal area, the sea-land breeze could not only promote the diffusion of ozone pollutants controlled by local meteorological variables, but also promote the input of pollutants from the Zhejiang-Fujian hilly area along the westward path to form excessive ozone.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":542,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Earth Sciences","volume":"85 14","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12665-026-13099-6.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148751943","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"LIB4RT: Automated generation of reactive-transport formulations from PHREEQC databases for implementation in multiphysics platforms","authors":"Adrián Sánchez-Migallón,&nbsp;Rubén López-Vizcaíno,&nbsp;Xiaojuan Yang,&nbsp;Arianna Pucci,&nbsp;Vicente Navarro,&nbsp;Ángel Yustres","doi":"10.1007/s12665-026-13082-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12665-026-13082-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Reactive transport simulations in multiphysics platforms require accurate geochemical reaction and transport flux terms derived from thermodynamic databases and equilibrium speciation calculations. In practice, building these definitions manually from databases is time-consuming, error-prone, and difficult to reproduce when the chemical system is modified. This paper presents LIB4RT, an engineering software tool that parses PHREEQC-format thermodynamic databases and generates traceable sets of variable definitions, equilibrium expressions, mass variables, and transport-related terms for implementation in multiphysics platforms. The current implementation is demonstrated in COMSOL Multiphysics, where the generated definitions can be transferred through text-based input. LIB4RT includes a robust equilibrium speciation solver based on a Levenberg–Marquardt scheme and supports large geochemical systems, redox conditions, and multiple activity-coefficient formulations across common database conventions. The tool is verified against PHREEQC for speciation at equilibrium and reactive transport benchmarks under the same databases and modelling assumptions. The results show that LIB4RT reduces implementation overhead, improves traceability, and facilitates reproducible development of reactive transport formulations in multiphysics environments.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":542,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Earth Sciences","volume":"85 14","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12665-026-13082-1.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148751425","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The impact of climate change on the river basins of Parma (Italy) and Kamianka (Ukraine): a comparative analysis","authors":"Hanna Kireitseva,&nbsp;Olha Shomko,&nbsp;Iryna Davydova,&nbsp;Elena Maestri","doi":"10.1007/s12665-026-13103-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12665-026-13103-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study compares climate change impacts on two contrasting European river basins: the Parma River (Italy) and the Kamianka River (Ukraine) representing different ecoregions and climatic zones. The research used QGIS tools and satellite data from Landsat Collection 2 Level 2 from 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020 and 2023 years to analyze temporal vegetation and water index changes. The methodology incorporated normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and normalized difference water index (NDWI) calculations, along with an analysis of temperature trends and standardized precipitation index (SPI-6) data. Results revealed distinct patterns of climate change impacts: the Parma River basin experienced a temperature increase of 1.03°C during 1990–2020 with dominant NDVI class intervals in the 0.3 to 0.6 range in 2010–2020, while dominant NDWI class intervals remained negative (-0.3 to -0.2) with the driest conditions around 2000. The Kamianka River basin showed a more pronounced temperature rise of 1.4°C with dominant NDVI class intervals increasing after 2000 up to range 0.4 to 0.6 and dominant NDWI class intervals shifting toward more negative values (-0.3 to -0.2), suggesting increased water stress. Both basins exhibited different vulnerability patterns: the Parma River system faces increased flood risks and potential agricultural productivity gains. In contrast, the Kamianka River system shows heightened drought susceptibility and potential agrarian productivity losses. These findings suggest the need for tailored adaptation strategies for river basin management under different climatic conditions.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":542,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Earth Sciences","volume":"85 14","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12665-026-13103-z.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148751372","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mechanism of lateral resistance in obliquely inclined bedding rockslides: a case study of the Shanyang rockslide","authors":"Jiayun Wang,&nbsp;Yueping Yin,&nbsp;Xiaoya Shi,&nbsp;Xueya Dang,&nbsp;Huaqing Chen,&nbsp;Huaqi Wang,&nbsp;Longwei Yang","doi":"10.1007/s12665-026-13066-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12665-026-13066-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Obliquely inclined bedding rockslides are prone to severe casualties and great economic loss for its less visible apparent dip slide. The lateral resistance is key to understanding the failure mechanism of obliquely inclined bedding rockslides. Nevertheless, few studies have conducted detailed and in-depth analyses of the lateral resistance mechanism of obliquely inclined bedding rockslides. To elucidate the lateral resistance mechanism of obliquely inclined bedding rockslides, a numerical model of the Shanyang rockslide in Shaanxi Province is constructed to simulate and analyze the deformation process in this study by means of UAV aerial imagery, field surveys, geotechnical parameter laboratory tests, and 3DEC software. The results show that the rockslide manifested as apparent dip slide from bedding creep along the weak interlayer under the diminishment of the lateral resistance caused by the karst dissolution, ultimately culminating in the apparent dip slide-buckling failure, and that the lateral resistance serves as the primary slide resistance maintaining the stability of the rockslide, playing a pivotal role in controlling the failure mechanism characterized by the apparent dip creep-buckling in obliquely inclined bedding rockslides. The studies not only elucidate the lateral resistance mechanism of obliquely inclined bedding rockslides, but also establish a scientific basis for developing early-warning monitoring systems, optimizing the geo-hazard mitigation strategies, and formulating the risk prevention frameworks for obliquely inclined bedding rockslides.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":542,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Earth Sciences","volume":"85 14","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12665-026-13066-1.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148751126","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Interpretable machine learning reveals spatial drivers and regional gradients of soil organic matter across Anhui Province, China","authors":"Yupeng Zhang,&nbsp;Jun Peng,&nbsp;Haoyu An","doi":"10.1007/s12665-026-13102-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12665-026-13102-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Soil organic matter (SOM) is a crucial indicator of soil quality and carbon sequestration capacity. In regions with complex topographic and climatic gradients such as Anhui Province, the spatial patterns of SOM and its environmental controls remain insufficiently characterized. This study collected 151 soil samples in 2010 across Anhui Province and derived environmental covariates using GIS and RS technologies. Random Forest, Gradient Boosting, Extra Trees, and LightGBM models were constructed and compared. The Extra Trees model achieved the best performance, with a test-set R² of 0.79, RMSE of 4.55 g/kg, and MAE of 3.66 g/kg. In four-block spatial cross-validation, the R² decreased to 0.60, indicating moderate but limited spatial transferability. The predicted SOM pattern was higher in the southern mountainous region and lower in the northern plains. Nitrogen had the largest model contribution (56.8%). Mean annual precipitation was positively associated with SOM below 1400 mm, and higher predicted SOM occurred at soil pH values of 5.5-7.0. Topographic variables showed terrain-dependent associations, with positive effects in mountainous areas and weaker or negative effects in plains. The calibrated model was applied to environmental covariates representing 2010 and 2024 to produce a 2010 spatial prediction and an exploratory 2024 projection. The projection indicated a small increase in mean SOM from 22.34 to 23.90 g/kg. Because independent SOM observations were unavailable for 2024, the projection should be treated as a covariate-driven scenario rather than a validated estimate. Integrating SHAP with spatial analysis helped identify the modeled environmental controls on SOM variability and may inform soil management in topographically heterogeneous areas.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":542,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Earth Sciences","volume":"85 14","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12665-026-13102-0.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148751230","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The hydrogeological and tectonic features as the crucial factors for the hydro-geochemistry of surface and groundwater in active geothermal systems: The case study of Methana Peninsula in Greece","authors":"Panagiota-Elpida Tsekoura,&nbsp;Eleni Vasileiou,&nbsp;Marianthi Stefouli,&nbsp;Ioannis Vakalas,&nbsp;Maria Perraki","doi":"10.1007/s12665-026-13083-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12665-026-13083-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Active geothermal systems developed in coastal volcanic environments are characterized by complex interactions among magmatic fluids, groundwater, seawater, and structurally controlled permeability. The Methana Peninsula (western Hellenic Volcanic Arc, Greece) represents a low-temperature geothermal system where such interactions remain insufficiently constrained. This study integrates new hydrochemical data (80 physicochemical parameters from 11 cold and thermal water samples), structural analysis, and satellite-based thermal remote sensing to evaluate the origin, evolution, and discharge pathways of fluids within the Methana geothermal system. Thermal waters (29.9–35.7 °C) are characterized by Na–K–Cl–SO₄ compositions, elevated electrical conductivity (up to 62,354 µS/cm), and significant enrichment in Li, B, Sr, Rb, and Cs. Binary and ternary geochemical diagrams indicate extensive mixing between hydrothermal fluids and seawater, with subordinate interaction with carbonate-hosted groundwater. Cold groundwater exhibits enrichment in Li, B, Sr, and Rb, reflecting water–rock interaction with overlying calc-alkaline volcanic formations rather than direct mixing with thermal waters. Na–K–Mg relations classify the waters as immature due to Mg enrichment from mixing, whereas Cl–SO₄–HCO₃ projections suggest deeper fluid contributions masked by seawater dilution. Winter Landsat-9 thermal imagery reveals submarine discharge zones spatially aligned with mapped and previously unmapped fault systems, confirming tectonic control on fluid upflow and coastal discharge. Integration of hydrochemical and structural evidence supports a conceptual model in which deep hydrothermal fluids ascend along active fault zones, undergo significant seawater mixing, and discharge both onshore and offshore. The results refine the hydrogeological conceptual model of Methana and highlight the dominant role of tectonics and seawater mixing in shaping the chemistry of coastal geothermal systems within the Hellenic Volcanic Arc.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":542,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Earth Sciences","volume":"85 14","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12665-026-13083-0.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148751123","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Insights into antibiotic sulfadiazine effects on denitrification process of Paracoccus denitrificans during continuous aerobic-anaerobic shift","authors":"Jing Mo,&nbsp;Mengqi Shao,&nbsp;Linpeng Chen,&nbsp;Minhui Jiang,&nbsp;Huameng Ge,&nbsp;Fei Liu,&nbsp;Xiangyu Guan","doi":"10.1007/s12665-026-13049-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12665-026-13049-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Nitrogen-driven eutrophication progressively depleting oxygen frequently occurs in aquatic ecosystems, where the co-occurrence of extra pollutants such as antibiotics substantially impacts microbial nitrate removal processes. However, the denitrification response to oxygen level transition under antibiotic stress remains unexplored. <i>Paracoccus denitrificans</i>, a <i>nirS</i>-type aerobic denitrifiers, was exposed to both antibiotic sulfadiazine (SDZ) and DO transition. As SDZ concentrations increased from 0 to 1,000 μg/L, nitrate reduction inhibition rates rose to ~ 39%, and electron transport system activity decreased by 0.08 ~ 0.11 (µg O₂·g⁻¹ protein·min⁻¹). During the aerobic-anaerobic transition, inhibition rates dropped from 53.15% to 3.01%, indicating partial adaptation of <i>P. denitrificans</i> to SDZ stress. Transcriptomic analyses revealed that SDZ treatment decreased the expression of genes <i>nirS</i> and <i>nosZ</i> more significantly than the other denitrifying genes. Moreover, SDZ interfered with folate metabolism, triggering the downregulation of genes involved in folate (<i>folK/P</i>) and purine (<i>purU</i>) synthesis. In response to SDZ stress, <i>P. denitrificans</i> initially downregulated genes in genetic information processing and energy metabolism pathways, followed by upregulating the genes in ribosome and citrate cycle pathways, and finally elevated expression of key ABC transporters (e.g., mineral and organic ion transporters) and quorum sensing (e.g., Type IV secretion system) genes. Additionally, the key gene profiles related to DO shifts were identified and enriched in pathways such as oxidative phosphorylation. This study provides important insights into the effects of antibiotics on <i>nirS</i>-type denitrifiers under DO changes.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":542,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Earth Sciences","volume":"85 14","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12665-026-13049-2.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148751124","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Numerical study on instability of rock structural planes induced by stress disturbances","authors":"Minghui Hu,&nbsp;Richeng Liu,&nbsp;Shuchen Li,&nbsp;Chao Yuan,&nbsp;Xianda Feng","doi":"10.1007/s12665-026-13094-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12665-026-13094-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The activities in deep underground engineering may induce variations in the stress state of the rock, increasing the risk of engineering disasters. Decreasing normal stress <i>σ</i>_n and increasing shear stress <i>τ</i>_s can reactivate rock structural planes and increase the risk of rockbursts, earthquakes, and other geohazards. In this study, numerical simulations are performed to reveal the influences of different stress paths on the dynamic slip mechanism of rock structural planes. The results show that the rock structural plane loaded to the near-critical failure state enters a slow slip state as the stress varies, and the frictional strength decreases with the exponentially increasing shear displacement <i>d</i>_<i>s</i>, eventually resulting in dynamic slip. The displacement-driven mode overestimates the friction parameters <i>µ</i> by up to 14.5% compared with the stress-driven mode. The slow slip continuously weakens the ability of the structural plane to tolerate stress variation. The continuity and discontinuity of stress variation on structural plane affect the strengthening mode of <i>µ</i>. The stepwise stress path causes the stress on the structural plane to change dramatically, and may either cause the structural plane to return to a slow-slip state or activate the structural plane to dynamic slip. Compared with the variation stress in <i>σ</i>_n, the variation stress in <i>τ</i>_s is more sensitive to triggering dynamic slip. The <i>d</i>_<i>s</i> before dynamic slip is an important reference for evaluating the extent of stress variation. With increasing <i>d</i>_<i>s</i> from 0.68 mm to 1.26 mm, the <i>τ</i>_s required to trigger dynamic slip decrease from 1.67 MPa to 1.49 MPa, suggesting that the ability of structural planes to tolerate stress variation is reduced.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":542,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Earth Sciences","volume":"85 14","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12665-026-13094-x.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148751427","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}