ALBERT

Description: The BRITICE-CHRONO project measured 639 new geochronometric ages that constrain the timing of advance and retreat of the last British-Irish Ice Sheet between 31,000 and 15,000 years ago, including across the North Sea. These ages (optically stimulated luminescence, radiocarbon and terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide methods) are made available in an excel spreadsheet, along with all sample and laboratory metadata and calibrations. Together with other published information, the ages were used to build an empirical ice sheet reconstruction at one thousand year time-steps. A poster-map and slideshow (PDF) of the reconstruction (31 to 15 ka) and the underlying GIS data (ArcGIS shapefiles) of ice extents (min, max and optimum) are made available here. An ice sheet model was nudged to fit these ice limits and the ensuing model-reconstruction is made available as a poster-map, slideshow (PDF) and movie (GIF) of the reconstruction (31 to 15 ka). The GIS data is also available including grounded ice extent and ice shelves, ice thickness, ice surface elevation, and ice velocity (as ArcGIS grids). From glacio-isostatic adjustment modelling we also provide digital elevation models of the palaeotopography of the British Isles and surrounding sea floors and coastline positions from 36 to 1 ka (ArcGIS grids and shapefiles). Full methods, descriptions, caveats and interpretations are available in the parent paper to this dataset: Clark. C.D. et al. (2022) Growth and retreat of the last British-Irish Ice Sheet, 31,000 to 15,000 years ago: the BRITICE-CHRONO reconstruction, Boreas.

Description: East Antarctica consists of a number of cratonic fragments that amalgamated along distinct orogenic belts in late Neoproterozoic to early Palaeozoic times. These mobile belts include the c. 640 to 500 Ma old East African-Antarctic Orogen (EAAO) and the Kuunga Orogen, which seem to converge in Dronning Maud Land in the Atlantic sector of Antarctica. The polymetamorphic basement of Dronning Maud Land is characterized by rocks with Grenville-age protolith ages of c. 1130 to 1000 Ma in the west and rocks with early Neoproterozoic protolith ages of c. 1000 to 900 Ma in the east. These two provinces are separated by the prominent Forster Magnetic Anomaly, which is therefore interpreted to represent a suture zone. Four joint AWI-BGR international expeditions within the WEGAS (West-East Gondwana Amalgamation and Separation) and GEA (Geodynamic Evolution of East Antarctica) programmes between 2010 and 2015 have provided new combined geological and geophysical data that reveal a complex crustal architecture between central Dronning Maud Land and Lützow-Holm-Bay. The magnetic anomaly pattern changes significantly east of the Forster Magnetic Anomaly with apparently no indication of Maud-type crust. Particularly, the GEA II campaign (2011-12) targeted a series of previously unvisited nunataks in the largely ice- covered Borchgrevink-Isen between central Dronning Maud Land and Sør Rondane from Urna and Sørsteinen in the west to Blåklettane and Bergekongen in the east. This region is characterized by NW-SE trending distinct linear magnetic anomalies. This pattern is referred to as the SE Dronning Maud Land Province and was previously interpreted as a fragment of potentially older cratonic crust south of an Ediacaran to Cambrian mobile belt that crops out in Sør Rondane. New SHRIMP/SIMS U-Pb zircon ages and geochemical analyses, however, indicate that this region consists of Rayner-age (c. 1000 to 900 Ma) juvenile arc and metasedimentary cover rocks, which were intensely reworked by medium- to high-grade metamorphism and felsic melt injections between c. 630 and 520 Ma. The juvenile rocks are very similar to a gabbro-tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (GTTG) suite in the southern SW Terrane of Sør Rondane, which yield crystallization ages of c. 1000 to 920 Ma based on U-Pb zircon geochronology. The juvenile character of this suite suggests a long-lived accretionary setting in early Neoproterozoic times. While the rocks in the Borchgrevink-Isen further west were intensely reworked in Pan-African times, the GTTG complex in Sør Rondane shows evidence of Pan-African up to lower amphibolite-facies thermal overprint, but still contains large domains with apparently only weak deformation. An exception is the northern margin of the GTTG complex where high-strain dextral shear is related to the prominent Main Shear Zone that is estimated to be of latest Ediacaran to early Cambrian age (c. 560 to 530 Ma). This structure, which we interpret as part of a fault system related to NE-directed lateral extrusion of the EAAO, separates the Rayner-age GTTG complex from a series of greenschist- to granulite-facies metasupracrustal rocks of mainly volcano-sedimentary origin. They in turn are separated from the amphibolite- to granulite-facies NE Terrane in the north and north-east by the Main Tectonic Boundary that is postulated by researches of the Japanese National Antarctic Programme. Available literature and our own new geochronological data indicate that peak and retrograde metamorphism in the NE and SW terranes was at c. 640 to 530 Ma. Both terranes were intruded by several granitoid magmatic pulses between c. 650 and 500 Ma. In contrast to “Indo-Antarctic” affinities of the GTTG complex south of the Main Shear Zone and the similar rocks of the SE Dronning Maud Land Province to the west, these units thus appear to have rather “East African” affinities. Furthermore, grey heterogeneous gneisses and augen-gneisses of the aforementioned meta-volcanosedimentary supracrustal rocks of the SW Terrane close to the Main Shear Zone gave zircon crystallization ages of c. 750 Ma. Such ages are unknown from the EAAO in central and western Dronning Maud Land west of the Forster Magnetic Anomaly. Taking all evidence together, we propose that the Forster Magnetic Anomaly separates distinctly different parts of the EAAO. These are (i) a reworked, mainly Grenville-age crust of the Maud Belt to the west representing the overprinted margin of the Kalahari Craton, and (ii) a part of the orogen dominated by early Neoproterozoic accretionary tectonics to the east, which we refer to as Tonian Ocean Arc Super Terrane (TOAST). The contrast between these two crustal units is also reflected in the geochemistry of voluminous late-tectonic granitoids across the whole belt. Based on our new geological and aerogeophysical evidence, the regional crustal structure of eastern Dronning Maud Land as a whole may tentatively be interpreted as reflecting large-scale lateral extrusion of the EAAO post-dating continental collision in the late Neoproterozoic and early Cambrian.

Description: East Antarctica formed by amalgamation of a number of cratons along distinct Ediacaran mobile belts. They include the ca. 600-500 Ma old East African-Antarctic Orogen (EAAO) and the Kuunga Orogen, which seem to converge in the region of Dronning Maud Land. In central Dronning Maud Land, the major Forster Magnetic Anomaly separates rocks with Grenville-age protolith ages (ca. 1130-1000 Ma) to the West from rocks with Early Neoproterozic protolith ages (ca. 1000-930 Ma) to the East. The Forster Magnetic Anomaly is therefore interpreted as a suture between these two provinces. New field work during three recent international expeditions, Geodynamic Evolution of East Antarctica (GEA) I to III, and first geoscientific results reveal a complex tectonic architecture between central Dronning Maud Land and Sør Rondane in eastern Dronning Maud Land. East of the Forster Magnetic Anomaly, the magnetic anomaly pattern changes significantly and typical Maud-type crust is apparently lacking. Particularly, the GEA II campaign targeted a range of previously unvisited nunataks between Sør Rondane and central Dronning Maud Land (from Blåklettane and Bergekongen in the East to Urna and Sørsteinen in the West). These nunataks are dominated by medium- to high-grade metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks of possibly Neoproterozoic age, including abundant marble and graphite schists. Sør Rondane in eastern Dronning Maud Land, on the other hand, is dominated by two distinct blocks separated by the dextral Main Shear Zone. The northwestern block appears as part of the EAAO or the Kuunga Orogen, where new SHRIMP zircon data from metamorphic rims provide ages of ca. 560 Ma. The southeastern block is made up of a TTG terrane, which provides 12 new zircon crystallization ages ranging from 1000-930 Ma. The TTG terrane has predominantly oceanic affinities and the wide range of ages might indicate long-lasting accretionary tectonics. The TTG terrane shows in part limited tectonic overprint and could be the southeastern foreland of the EAAO or the Kuunga Orogen. Close to the contact of the two blocks, grey gneisses and augen-gneisses gave zircon crystallization ages of ca. 750 Ma. Such ages were previously unknown from the EAAO. The Forster Magnetic Anomaly therefore separates distinctly different parts of the EAAO. These are (i) a reworked, mainly Grenville-age crust to the West representing the overprinted margin of the Kalahari Craton, and (ii) a part of the orogen dominated by Neoproterozoic accretionary tectonics to the East. This difference is also reflected in the geochemistry of voluminous late-tectonics granitoids across the whole belt.

Description: East Antarctica formed by amalgamation of a number of cratons along distinct Ediacaran mobile belts, including the ca. 600-500 Ma East African-Antarctic Orogen (EAAO) and the Kuunga Orogen that apparently converge in Dronning Maud Land (DML). In central DML, the major Forster Magnetic Anomaly separates rocks with Grenville-age protolith ages of ca. 1130-1000 Ma to the W, from rocks with Early Neoproterozic protolith ages, c. 1000-930 Ma, to the East. The Forster Magnetic Anomaly is therefore interpreted as a suture. New field-work during two recent international expeditions, Geodynamic Evolution of East Antarctica (GEA) I + II, and first geoscientic results reveal a complex tectonic architecture between Sør Rondane and central DML. East of the Forster anomaly, the magnetic anomaly pattern changes significantly and typical Maud type crust is not present any longer. GEA II targeted a range of nunataks between Sør Rondane and central DML that had never been visited previously (from Blåklettane and Bergekongen in the E to Urna and Sørsteinen in the W). These nunataks are dominated by medium- to high-grade metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks of possibly Neoproterozoic age, including abundant marble and graphite schists. Sør Rondane in eastern DML, is dominated by two distinct blocks separated by the dextral Main Shear Zone. The northwestern block appears as part of the EAAO or the Kuunga Orogen, where new SHRIMP zircon data from metamorphic rims provide ages of ca. 560 Ma. The southeastern block is made up of a TTG terrane, which provides 12 new zircon crystallistation ages ranging from 1000-930 Ma. The TTG terrane has predominantly oceanic affinities and the wide range of ages might indicate long-lasting accretionary tectonics. The TTG terrane shows in part limited tectonic overprint and could be the southeastern foreland of the EAAO or the Kuunga Orogen. Close to the contact of the two blocks, grey geisses and augen- gneisses gave zircon crystallization ages of ca. 750 Ma, ages which were previously unknown from the EAAO. The Forster anomaly therefore separates distinctly different parts of the EAAO: a) a reworked, mainly Grenville- age crust to the W (the overprinted margin of the Kalahari Craton) and b) a part of the orogen dominated by Neoproterozoic accretionary tectonics to the E. This difference is also reflected in the geochemistry of voluminous late-tectonics granitoids across the belt.

Description: Mutations in the thyroid hormone receptor α 1 gene (THRA) have recently been identified as a cause of intellectual deficit in humans. Patients present with structural abnormalities including microencephaly, reduced cerebellar volume and decreased axonal density. Here, we show that directed differentiation of THRA mutant patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells to forebrain neural progenitors is markedly reduced, but mutant progenitor cells can generate deep and upper cortical layer neurons and form functional neuronal networks. Quantitative lineage tracing shows that THRA mutation-containing progenitor cells exit the cell cycle prematurely, resulting in reduced clonal output. Using a micropatterned chip assay, we find that spatial self-organization of mutation-containing progenitor cells in vitro is impaired, consistent with down-regulated expression of cell–cell adhesion genes. These results reveal that thyroid hormone receptor α1 is required for normal neural progenitor cell proliferation in human cerebral cortical development. They also exemplify quantitative approaches for studying neurodevelopmental disorders using patient-derived cells in vitro.

Description: Author(s): Dustin T. Offermann, Dale R. Welch, Dave V. Rose, Carsten Thoma, Robert E. Clark, Chris B. Mostrom, Andrea E. W. Schmidt, and Anthony J. Link Fusion yields from dense, Z -pinch plasmas are known to scale with the drive current, which is favorable for many potential applications. Decades of experimental studies, however, show an unexplained drop in yield for currents above a few mega-ampere (MA). In this work, simulations of DD Z -Pinch plas… [Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 195001] Published Mon May 09, 2016

Description: Article Ice streams are fundamental to ice sheet dynamics, but the mechanisms controlling their flow remain elusive. Here, the authors perform macro- and microscale analyses of mega-scale glacial lineations, which indicate a continuously accreting, shallow-deforming bed during ice stream flow. Nature Communications doi: 10.1038/ncomms10723 Authors: Matteo Spagnolo, Emrys Phillips, Jan A. Piotrowski, Brice R. Rea, Chris D. Clark, Chris R. Stokes, Simon J. Carr, Jeremy C. Ely, Adriano Ribolini, Wojciech Wysota, Izabela Szuman