ALBERT

Description / Table of Contents: A Databank was created using data from 25 local catalogues and 30 special studiesof earthquakes in central, northern and northwestern Europe. Event types werediscriminated, fake events and duplets eliminated, and different magnitudes andintensities converted to Mw. The conversions require the establishment of regressionequations. The Catalogue contains tectonic events from the Databank within the area44°N-72°N, 25°W-32°E and the time period 1300-1993 which have Mw magnitudesof 3.50 and larger. The area is covered by different polygons. Within each polygononly data from one or a small number of the local catalogues, supplemented by datafrom special studies, enter the Catalogue. If there are two or more such catalogues orstudies providing a solution for an event, a priority algorithm selects one entry forthe Catalogue. Then Mw is calculated from one of the magnitude types, or frommacroseismic data, given by the selected entry according to another priority scheme.The origin time, location, Mw magnitude and reference are specified for each entryof the Catalogue. So is the epicentral intensity, I0, if provided by the original source.Following these criteria, a total of about 5,000 earthquakes constitute the Catalogue.Although originally derived for the purpose of seismic hazard calculation withinGSHAP, the Catalogue provides a data base for many types of seismicity andseismic hazard studies.

Description / Table of Contents: Abstract The Black Sea remains one of the largest underexplored rift basins in the world. Future success is dependent on a better understanding of a number of geological uncertainties. These include reservoir and source rock presence and quality, and the timing of migration of hydrocarbons relative to trap formation. An appreciation of the geological history of the Black Sea basins and the surrounding orogens is therefore key. The timing of basin formation, uplift of the margins, and of facies distribution remain issues for robust debate. This Special Publication presents the results of 15 studies that relate to the tectono-stratigraphy and petroleum geology of the Black Sea. The methodologies of these studies encompass crustal structure, geodynamic evolution, stratigraphy and its regional correlation, petroleum systems, source to sink, hydrocarbon habitat and play concepts, and reviews of past exploration. They provide insight into the many ongoing controversies concerning Black Sea regional geology and provide a better understanding of the geological risks that must be considered for future hydrocarbon exploration.

Description / Table of Contents: Abstract The history of the European oil and gas industry reflects local as well as global political events, economic constraints and the personal endeavours of individual petroleum geoscientists as much as it does the development of technologies and the underlying geology of the region. The first commercial oil wells in Europe were drilled in Poland in 1853, Romania in 1857, Germany in 1859 and Italy in 1860. The 23 papers in this volume focus on the history and heritage of the oil and gas industry in the key European oil-producing countries from the earliest onshore drilling to its development into the modern industry that we know today. The contributors chronicle the main events and some of the major players that shaped the industry in Europe. The volume also marks several important anniversaries, including 150 years of oil exploration in Poland and Romania, the centenary of the drilling of the first oil well in the UK and 50 years of oil production from onshore Spain.

Description / Table of Contents: In the last decades the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events like heat waves and heavy rainfall have increased and are at least partly linked to global warming. These events can have a strong impact on agricultural and economic production and, thereby, on society. Thus, it is important to improve our understanding of the physical processes leading to those extreme events in order to provide accurate near-term and long-term forecasts. Thermodynamic drivers associated with global warming are well understood, but dynamical aspects of the atmosphere much less so. The dynamical aspects, while less important than the thermodynamic drivers in regards to large-scale and long-time averaged effects, play a critical role in the formation of extremes. The overall aim of this thesis is to improve our understanding of patterns, variability and trends in the global atmospheric circulation under a changing climate. In particular, in this dissertation I developed two new data-driven methods to quantitatively describe the dynamics of…

Description / Table of Contents: Tectonic and climatic boundary conditions determine the amount and the characteristics (size distribution and composition) of sediment that is generated and exported from mountain regions. On millennial timescales, rivers adjust their morphology such that the incoming sediment (Qs,in) can be transported downstream by the available water discharge (Qw). Changes in climatic and tectonic boundary conditions thus trigger an adjustment of the downstream river morphology. Understanding the sensitivity of river morphology to perturbations in boundary conditions is therefore of major importance, for example, for flood assessments, infrastructure and habitats. Although we have a general understanding of how rivers evolve over longer timescales, the prediction of channel response to changes in boundary conditions on a more local scale and over shorter timescales remains a major challenge. To better predict morphological channel evolution, we need to test (i) how channels respond to perturbations in boundary conditions and (ii) how signals ...

Description / Table of Contents: Steep mountain channels are an important component of the fluvial system. On geological timescales, they shape mountain belts and counteract tectonic uplift by erosion. Their channels are strongly coupled to hillslopes and they are often the main source of sediment transported downstream to low-gradient rivers and to alluvial fans, where commonly settlements in mountainous areas are located. Hence, mountain streams are the cause for one of the main natural hazards in these regions. Due to climate change and a pronounced populating of mountainous regions the attention given to this threat is even growing. Although quantitative studies on sediment transport have significantly advanced our knowledge on measuring and calibration techniques we still lack studies of the processes within mountain catchments. Studies examining the mechanisms of energy and mass exchange on small temporal and spatial scales in steep streams remain sparse in comparison to low-gradient alluvial channels. In the beginning of this doctoral project, a vast ...

Description / Table of Contents: The concept of hydrologic connectivity summarizes all flow processes that link separate regions of a landscape. As such, it is a central theme in the field of catchment hydrology, with influence on neighboring disciplines such as ecology and geomorphology. It is widely acknowledged to be an important key in understanding the response behavior of a catchment and has at the same time inspired research on internal processes over a broad range of scales. From this process-hydrological point of view, hydrological connectivity is the conceptual framework to link local observations across space and scales. This is the context in which the four studies this thesis comprises of were conducted. The focus was on structures and their spatial organization as important control on preferential subsurface flow. Each experiment covered a part of the conceptualized flow path from hillslopes to the stream: soil profile, hillslope, riparian zone, and stream. For each study site, the most characteristic structures of the investigated domain and scale, such as slope deposits and peat layers were identified based on preliminary or previous investigations or literature reviews. Additionally, further structural data was collected and topographical analyses were carried out. [...]

Description / Table of Contents: Abstract This volume comprises 17 contributions that address the architecture and geodynamic evolution of the Himalaya–Karakoram–Tibet (HKT) system, covering wide aspects, from the active seismicity of the present day to the remnants of the Proterozoic orogen. The articles investigate the HKT system at different scales, blending field research with laboratory studies. The role of various lithospheric components and their inheritance in the geodynamic and magmatic evolution of the HKT system through time, and their links to global geological events, are studied in the field. The laboratory research focuses on the (sub-)micrometre scale, detailing micro-structural geology, crystal chemistry, geochronology, and the study of circulating fluids, their preservation (trapped in fluid inclusions) and their evolution, distribution, migration and interaction with the solid host. An orogen over 2000 km long can be understood only if the processes at the nanometre and micrometre scales are taken into account. The contributions in this volume successfully combine these scales to enhance our understanding of the HKT system.

Description / Table of Contents: Abstract The challenges facing submarine mass movement researchers and engineers are plentiful and exciting. This book follows several high-profile submarine landslide disasters that have reached the world's attention over the past few years. For decades, researchers have been mapping the world's mass movements. Their significant impacts on the Earth by distributing sediment on phenomenal scales is undeniable. Their importance in the origins of buried resources has long been understood. Their hazard potential ranges from damaging to apocalyptic, frequently damaging local infrastructure and sometimes devastating whole coastlines. Moving beyond mapping advances, the subaqueous mass movement scientists and practitioners are now also focussed on assessing the consequences of mass movements, and the measurement and modelling of events, hazard analysis and mitigation. Many state-of-the-art examples are provided in this book, which is produced under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation Program S4SLIDE (Significance of Modern and Ancient Submarine Slope LandSLIDEs).

Description / Table of Contents: The Himalaya–Karakoram–Tibet mountain belt resulted from Cenozoic collision of India and Asia and is frequently used as the type example of a continental collision orogenic belt. The last quarter of a century has seen the publication of a remarkably detailed dataset relevant to the evolution of this belt. Detailed fieldwork backed up by state-of-the-art structural analysis, geochemistry, mineral chemistry, igneous and metamorphic petrology, isotope chemistry, sedimentology and geophysics produced a wide-ranging archive of data-rich scientific papers. The rationale for this book is to provide a coherent overview of these datasets in addressing the evolution of the mountain ranges we see today. This volume comprises 21 specially invited review papers on the Himalaya, Kohistan arc, Tibet, the Karakoram and Pamir ranges. These papers span the history of Himalayan research, chronology of the collision, stratigraphy, magmatic and metamorphic processes, structural geology and tectonics, seismicity, geophysics, and the evolution of the Indian monsoon. This landmark set of papers should underpin the next 25 years of Himalayan research.

Description / Table of Contents: This volume brings together a number of papers from two workshops with the theme, ‘Rain, Rivers, Reservoirs’, which considered the dynamic changes to river systems as part of natural processes, particularly changing climatic conditions. Bringing researchers from two different locations to Brazil and the UK allowed scientists to contribute to and promote, ‘debate on current research…on how the planet works and how we can live sustainably on it’. This volume features a series of papers on the geoscience of modern and ancient rivers from across the world (Brazil, United States, Spain, Argentina, Canada, India and the UK), their evolution through time, their management, their deposits and their engineering, with both subsurface aquifers/hydrocarbon reservoirs (of Carboniferous, Triassic and Cretaceous age) and surface reservoirs considered.

Description / Table of Contents: Abstract The Palaeozoic Era ends with the c. 47-million-year-long Permian Period. This was a major juncture in Earth history when the vast Pangean supercontinent continued its assembly and the global biota suffered the most extensive biotic decimation of the Phanerozoic, the end-Permian mass extinction. It was also the time of accumulation of vast mineral and energy deposits, notably of salt and petroleum. The temporal ordering of geological and biotic events during Permian time is, therefore, critical to the interpretation of some unique and pivotal events in Earth history. This temporal ordering is based mostly on the Permian timescale, which has been developed and refined for nearly two centuries. This book reviews the history of the development of the Permian chronostratigraphic scale. It also includes comprehensive analyses of Permian radioisotopic ages, magnetostratigraphy, isotope-based correlations, and timescale-relevant marine and non-marine biostratigraphy and biochronology.

Description / Table of Contents: Abstract Reservoir quality is studied using a wide range of similar techniques in both sandstones and carbonates. Sandstone and carbonate reservoir quality both benefit from the study of modern analogues and experiments, but modelling approaches are currently quite different for these two types of reservoirs. There are many common controls on sandstone and carbonate reservoir quality, but also distinct differences due primarily to mineralogy. Numerous controversies remain including the question of oil inhibition, the key control on pressure solution and geochemical flux of material to or from reservoirs. This collection of papers contains case-study-based examples of sandstone and carbonate reservoir quality prediction as well as modern analogue, outcrop analogue, modelling and advanced analytical approaches.

Description / Table of Contents: Abstract Economically viable concentrations of mineral resources are uncommon in Earth's crust. Most ore deposits that were mined in the past or are currently being extracted were found at or near Earth's surface, often serendipitously. To meet the future demand for mineral resources, exploration success hinges on identifying targets at depth. Achieving this requires accurate and informed models of the Earth's crust that are consistent with all available geological, geochemical and geophysical information, paired with an understanding of how ore-forming systems relate to Earth's evolving structure. Contributions to this volume address the future resources challenge by (i) applying advanced microscale geochemical detection and characterization methods, (ii) introducing more rigorous 3D Earth models, (iii) exploring critical behaviour and coupled processes, (iv) evaluating the role of geodynamic and tectonic setting and (v) applying 3D structural models to characterize specific ore-forming systems.

Description / Table of Contents: Permafrost, defined as ground that remains frozen for at least two consecutive years, is a prominent feature of polar regions. In the Northern Hemisphere, approximately 23 million km2 of the ground are affected by permafrost. Climatic warming, which has a greater effect on the Arctic than on any other region on Earth, leads to permafrost thaw, caused by gradual deepening of the seasonal unfrozen layer (active layer), thermokarst formation (i.e. land subsidence due to ground ice loss) and thermo-erosion. In the course of thaw, formerly freeze-locked organic carbon (OC) is mobilized and mineralized into greenhouse gases (GHGs), fostering further climate warming – a process known as permafrost carbon feedback. Current climate models focus on GHG release from gradual deepening of the active layer and neglect the OC turnover during lateral transport induced by thermokarst and abrupt thermo-erosion. As such, the accelerated erosion of Arctic permafrost coasts, which make up ~34 % of the global coasts, deliver vast amounts of OC into the Arctic Ocean. However, little is known about the amounts of labile and fast bioavailable dissolved OC (DOC), the impact of thermokarst on mobilized organic matter (OM) characteristics, and the release of GHGs from eroding permafrost coasts. To fill that knowledge gap, the main objectives of the thesis are to investigate (i) how much DOC is mobilized from coastal erosion, (ii) how thermokarst and -erosion alters OM characteristics upon thaw on transit to the ocean, and (iii) how much GHGs are emitted from the nearshore zones of eroding permafrost coasts. Field work and sampling took place along the Yukon coast and on Qikiqtaruk (Herschel Island) in the western Canadian Arctic. An interdisciplinary approach was used to quantify OM (OC and nitrogen) as well as to identify degradation processes. The methods used included sedimentology, geo- and hydrochemistry, remote sensing, statistical analyses, and gas chromatography. The thesis shows that considerable amounts of DOC are released from eroding permafrost coasts. Although OC fluxes into the ocean are dominated by DOC from Arctic rivers and particulate OC (POC), labile DOC derived from permafrost plays an important role as it is quickly available for biogeochemical cycling and turnover into GHGs. During transit from land to ocean OM characteristics are substantially altered by thermokarst formation and thermo-erosion. In mudpools, originating from in-situ thawed permafrost, as well as in thaw streams draining thermokarst features towards the ocean, mobilized OM issubject to dilution with melted ground ice and degradation, which result in a decrease of OM contents by more than 50 %. The turnover of OC continues in the nearshore zone. The biochemically most labile OC portions are rapidly lost within months and mineralized into GHGs. The production of GHGs in the ocean is 60 to 80 % as efficient as on land and primarily in form of carbon dioxide (CO2), due to aerobic conditions in the nearshore zone. During each open water season in the Arctic approximately 0.7 to 1.2 Tg of CO2 are emitted from the coastal fringe. The remaining OM is buried in nearshore and shelf sediments, potentially remobilized by waves, currents and ice scouring at later stages. To conclude, the thesis shows that eroding permafrost coasts release large amounts of OC, from which considerable portions are labile DOC. In the course of thermokarst formation and thermo-erosion, OM is diluted and the most labile portions subject to rapid turnover into GHGs. This shows that eroding permafrost coasts are a major yet neglected source of CO2 to the atmosphere. With increasing temperatures and longer sea ice-free conditions projected for the Arctic, the erosion of permafrost coasts accelerates. Consequently, the transfer of OC to the ocean accompanied by GHG production increases, which is expected to have drastic impacts for the climate and coastal ecosystems.

Description / Table of Contents: Abstract High pressure (HP) and ultrahigh pressure (UHP) metamorphic rocks play a key role in understanding the tectonic evolution of orogenic belts. They have typically experienced complex changes during subduction and exhumation processes arising from recrystallization, deformation, fluid–rock interactions and even partial melting, and may therefore carry valuable records of evolving geodynamic systems in an orogenic belt. This special publication addresses the current work on HP–UHP metamorphism and its relation to the tectonic evolution of orogenic belts. This special publication contains fifteen papers covering the important orogenic belts of the Himalaya, Dabie–Sulu, Tian Shan, North Qaidam and others that have been grouped into three parts: (I) new developments in the determination of metamorphic pressure–temperature (PT) conditions and their timing, (II) overview papers of well-known HP–UHP metamorphic belts and (III) research papers for some newly discovered HP–UHP belts.

Description / Table of Contents: Abstract Understanding the sedimentary and geophysical archive of glaciated margins is a complex task that requires integration and analysis of disparate sedimentological and geophysical data. Their analysis is vital for understanding the dynamics of past ice sheets and how they interact with their neighbouring marine basins, on timescales that cannot be captured by observations of the cryosphere today. As resources, sediments deposited on the inner margins of glaciated shelves also exhibit resource potential where more sand-dominated systems occur, acting as reservoirs for both hydrocarbons and water. This book surveys the full gamut of glaciated margins, from deep time (Neoproterozoic, Ordovician and Carboniferous–Permian) to modern high-latitude margins in Canada and Antarctica. This collection of papers is the first attempt to deliberately do this, allowing not only the similarities and differences between modern and ancient glaciated margins to be explored, but also the wide spectrum of their mechanisms of investigation to be probed. Together, these papers offer a high-resolution, spatially and temporally diverse blueprint of the depositional processes, ice sheet dynamics, and basin architectures of the world's former glaciated margins; a vital resource in advancing understanding of our present and future marine-terminating ice sheet margins.

Description / Table of Contents: Abstract In Earth evolution, mountain belts are the loci of crustal growth, reworking and recycling. These crustal-scale processes are unravelled through microscale investigations of textures and mineral assemblages of metamorphic rocks. Multiple episodes of metamorphism, re-equilibration and deformation, however, generally produce a complex and tightly interwoven pattern of microstructures and assemblages. Over the last two decades, the combination of advanced computing and technological capabilities with new concepts has provided a vast array of novel petrological tools and high-resolution/high-sensitivity techniques for microanalysis and imaging. Such novel approaches are proving fundamental to untangling the enigma represented by metamorphism with an unprecedented level of detail and confidence. As a result, the first decade and a half of this century has already seen the tumultuous development of new research avenues in metamorphic petrology. This book aims to provide a timely overview of the state of the art of this field, of newly developed petrological techniques, future advancements and significant new case studies.

Description / Table of Contents: Earth's climate varies continuously across space and time, but humankind has witnessed only a small snapshot of its entire history, and instrumentally documented it for a mere 200 years. Our knowledge of past climate changes is therefore almost exclusively based on indirect proxy data, i.e. on indicators which are sensitive to changes in climatic variables and stored in environmental archives. Extracting the data from these archives allows retrieval of the information from earlier times. Obtaining accurate proxy information is a key means to test model predictions of the past climate, and only after such validation can the models be used to reliably forecast future changes in our warming world. The polar ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica are one major climate archive, which record information about local air temperatures by means of the isotopic composition of the water molecules embedded in the ice. However, this temperature proxy is, as any indirect climate data, not a perfect recorder of past climatic variations. Apart from local air temperatures, a multitude of other processes affect the mean and variability of the isotopic data, which hinders their direct interpretation in terms of climate variations. This applies especially to regions with little annual accumulation of snow, such as the Antarctic Plateau. While these areas in principle allow for the extraction of isotope records reaching far back in time, a strong corruption of the temperature signal originally encoded in the isotopic data of the snow is expected. This dissertation uses observational isotope data from Antarctica, focussing especially on the East Antarctic low-accumulation area around the Kohnen Station ice-core drilling site, together with statistical and physical methods, to improve our understanding of the spatial and temporal isotope variability across different scales, and thus to enhance the applicability of the proxy for estimating past temperature variability. The presented results lead to a quantitative explanation of the local-scale (1–500 m) spatial variability in the form of a statistical noise model, and reveal the main source of the temporal variability to be the mixture of a climatic seasonal cycle in temperature and the effect of diffusional smoothing acting on temporally uncorrelated noise. These findings put significant limits on the representativity of single isotope records in terms of local air temperature, and impact the interpretation of apparent cyclicalities in the records. Furthermore, to extend the analyses to larger scales, the timescale-dependency of observed Holocene isotope variability is studied. This offers a deeper understanding of the nature of the variations, and is crucial for unravelling the embedded true temperature variability over a wide range of timescales.

Description / Table of Contents: Abstract The Southern Permian Basin, as its name suggests, is a historical heartland for hydrocarbon production from the Palaeozoic Rotliegend interval. However, in this mature basin the Mesozoic presents further possibilities to offer resource security to NW Europe. Such opportunities include increasing efficiency in the production of discovered hydrocarbons, exploration for further hydrocarbons (both conventional and unconventional) and efficient exploration for, and production of, geothermal energy. All these potential resources require a grounding in technically sound geoscience, via traditional scientific observation and the application of new technologies, to unlock their value. The main aim of this volume is to bring together the work of academics and industry workers to consider cross-border geoscience including contributions on Poland, Germany, The Netherlands, the United Kingdom and adjacent areas. The work presented intends to contribute to the development and discovery of further Mesozoic energy resources across the basin.

Description / Table of Contents: Precipitation as the central meteorological feature for agriculture, water security, and human well-being amongst others, has gained special attention ever since. Lack of precipitation may have devastating effects such as crop failure and water scarcity. Abundance of precipitation, on the other hand, may as well result in hazardous events such as flooding and again crop failure. Thus, great effort has been spent on tracking changes in precipitation and relating them to underlying processes. Particularly in the face of global warming and given the link between temperature and atmospheric water holding capacity, research is needed to understand the effect of climate change on precipitation. The present work aims at understanding past changes in precipitation and other meteorological variables. Trends were detected for various time periods and related to associated changes in large-scale atmospheric circulation. The results derived in this thesis may be used as the foundation for attributing changes in floods to climate change.…

Description / Table of Contents: Active and passive source data from two seismic experiments within the interdisciplinary project TIPTEQ (from The Incoming Plate to mega Thrust EarthQuake processes) were used to image and identify the structural and petrophysical properties (such as P- and S-velocities, Poisson's ratios, pore pressure, density and amount of fluids) within the Chilean seismogenic coupling zone at 38.25°S, where in 1960 the largest earthquake ever recorded (Mw 9.5) occurred. Two S-wave velocity models calculated using traveltime and noise tomography techniques were merged with an existing velocity model to obtain a 2D S-wave velocity model, which gathered the advantages of each individual model. In a following step, P- and S-reflectivity images of the subduction zone were obtained using different pre stack and post-stack depth migration techniques. Among them, the recent prestack line-drawing depth migration scheme yielded revealing results. Next, synthetic seismograms modelled using the reflectivity method allowed, through their input 1D synthetic P- and S-velocities, to infer the composition and rocks within the subduction zone. Finally, an image of the subduction zone is given, jointly interpreting the results from this work with results from other studies. The Chilean seismogenic coupling zone at 38.25°S shows a continental crust with highly reflective horizontal, as well as (steep) dipping events. Among them, the Lanalhue Fault Zone (LFZ), which is interpreted to be east-dipping, is imaged to very shallow depths. ...

Description / Table of Contents: In the Highlands of Sri Lanka, erosion and chemical weathering rates are among the lowest for global mountain denudation. In this tropical humid setting, highly weathered deep saprolite profiles have developed from high-grade metamorphic charnockite during spheroidal weathering of the bedrock. The spheroidal weathering produces rounded corestones and spalled rindlets at the rock-saprolite interface. I used detailed textural, mineralogical, chemical, and electron-microscopic (SEM, FIB, TEM) analyses to identify the factors limiting the rate of weathering front advance in the profile, the sequence of weathering reactions, and the underlying mechanisms. The first mineral attacked by weathering was found to be pyroxene initiated by in situ Fe oxidation, followed by in situ biotite oxidation. Bulk dissolution of the primary minerals is best described with a dissolution – re-precipitation process, as no chemical gradients towards the mineral surface and sharp structural boundaries are observed at the nm scale. Only the local oxidation in pyroxene and biotite is better described with an ion by ion process. The first secondary phases are oxides and amorphous precipitates from which secondary minerals (mainly smectite and kaolinite) form. Only for biotite direct solid state transformation to kaolinite is likely. [...]

Description / Table of Contents: Abstract Karst landscapes and karst aquifers are composed of a variety of soluble rocks, such as salt, gypsum, anhydrite, limestone, dolomite and quartzite. They are fascinating areas of exploration, study and research. As karst rocks are abundant on the Earth's surface, the fast evolution of karst landscapes and the rapid flow of water through karst aquifers present many challenges from a number of different perspectives. This collection of 25 papers deals with different aspects of these challenges, including karst geology, geomorphology and speleogenesis, karst hydrogeology, karst modelling, and karst hazards and management. Together these papers provide a state-of-the-art review of the current challenges and solutions we face in describing karst from a scientific perspective, while at the same time providing useful data and information for managing karst territories to land planners, developers, and managers of show caves, natural parks and reserves in karst terrains.

Description / Table of Contents: The Yukon Coast in Canada is an ice-rich permafrost coast and highly sensitive to changing environmental conditions. Retrogressive thaw slumps are a common thermoerosion feature along this coast, and develop through the thawing of exposed ice-rich permafrost on slopes and removal of accumulating debris. They contribute large amounts of sediment, including organic carbon and nitrogen, to the nearshore zone. The objective of this study was to 1) identify the climatic and geomorphological drivers of sediment-meltwater release, 2) quantify the amount of released meltwater, sediment, organic carbon and nitrogen, and 3) project the evolution of sediment-meltwater release of retrogressive thaw slumps in a changing future climate. The analysis is based on data collected over 18 days in July 2013 and 18 days in August 2012. A cut-throat flume was set up in the main sediment-meltwater channel of the largest retrogressive thaw slump on Herschel Island. In addition, two weather stations, one on top of the undisturbed tundra and one on the…

Description / Table of Contents: Abstract This Special Publication highlights the importance of clays and clayey material, and their multiple roles, in many national geological disposal facilities for higher activity radioactive wastes. Clays can be both the disposal facility host rock and part of its intrinsic engineered barriers, and may be present in the surrounding geological environment. Clays possess various characteristics that make them high-quality barriers to the migration of radionuclides and chemical contaminants, e.g. very little water movement, diffusive transport, retention capacity, self-sealing capacity, stability over millions of years, homogeneity and lateral continuity. The 20 papers presented in this Special Publication cover a range of topics related to clays in radioactive waste confinement. Aspects of clay characterization and behaviour at various temporal and spatial scales relevant to the confinement of radionuclides in clay are discussed, from phenomenological processes to the overall understanding of the performance and safety of geological disposal facilities.

Description / Table of Contents: Abstract The Himalaya mountains contain not only one of the largest concentrations of ice outside the polar regions, but contribute to the hydrological requirements of large populations spread over seven nations. The exceptionally high elevations of this low-latitude cryosphere presents a natural laboratory and archives to study climate–tectonics interactions as well as regional v. global climate influences. The existing base-level data on the Himalayan cryosphere are highly variable. Several climate fluctuations occurred during the late Quaternary (MIS1–MIS5, especially the last c. 100 ka), which led to the evolution of the Himalayan landscape. Detailed studies of these archives, along with those of the present cryosphere and related hydrosphere, are essential for understanding the controls on present and future hydrology of the glacial-fed mountain rivers. This volume, a follow-up of the XII International Symposium on Antarctic Earth Science, Goa (A SCAR symposium), provides new data from locales spread over the entire Himalaya region and from Tibet. It provides a glimpse of the late Quaternary cryosphere, as well as a discussion in the last section on sustainability in the context of geohazard mitigations as well as the hydrological budget.

Description / Table of Contents: Abstract Alluvial and fluvial fans are the most widespread depositional landform bordering the margins of highland regions and actively subsiding continental basins, across a broad spectrum of tectonic and climatic settings. They are significant to the local morphodynamics of mountain regions and also to the evolution of sediment-routing systems, affecting the propagation and preservation of stratigraphic signals of environmental change over vast areas. The volume presents case studies discussing the geology and geomorphology of alluvial and fluvial fans from both active systems and ancient ones preserved in the stratigraphic record. It brings together case studies from a range of continents, climatic and tectonic settings, some introducing innovative monitoring and analysis techniques, and it provides an overview of current debates in the field. This volume will be of particular interest to geologists, geomorphologists, sedimentologists and the general reader with an interest in Earth science.

Description / Table of Contents: Polar motion data is available from the mid-19th century to the present. Based on time series with a variety of sampling intervals (monthly, 0.05-year, 5-day and daily), we have separated the low-frequency terms by low-pass filtering and the Chandler and annual terms by recursive band-pass filtering of the pole coordinates. Using a simple unweighted least-squares fit to the filtered low-frequency terms, the linear trends of the rotation pole were estimated. Assessing the estimates based on intercomparisons, the most reliable trend estimate was found. Using a Fast Fourier Transform, we have computed the prograde, retrograde and total amplitude spectra of the low-frequency part of polar motion in order to reveal the long-periodic signals. The characteristics and time evolution of the Chandler and annual wobbles are described by changes in their parameters (radii, directions and period lengths) over one century.

Description / Table of Contents: Fifty years ago, Tuzo Wilson published his paper asking ‘Did the Atlantic close and then re-open?’. This led to the ‘Wilson Cycle’ concept in which the repeated opening and closing of ocean basins along old orogenic belts is a key process in the assembly and breakup of supercontinents. The Wilson Cycle underlies much of what we know about the geological evolution of the Earth and its lithosphere, and will no doubt continue to be developed as we gain more understanding of the physical processes that control mantle convection, plate tectonics, and as more data become available from currently less accessible regions. This volume includes both thematic and review papers covering various aspects of the Wilson Cycle concept. Thematic sections include: (1) the Classic Wilson v. Supercontinent Cycles, (2) Mantle Dynamics in the Wilson Cycle, (3) Tectonic Inheritance in the Lithosphere, (4) Revisiting Tuzo's question on the Atlantic, (5) Opening and Closing of Oceans, and (6) Cratonic Basins and their place in the Wilson Cycle.

Description / Table of Contents: According to the classical plume hypothesis, mantle plumes are localized upwellings of hot, buoyant material in the Earth’s mantle. They have a typical mushroom shape, consisting of a large plume head, which is associated with the formation of voluminous flood basalts (a Large Igneous Province) and a narrow plume tail, which generates a linear, age-progressive chain of volcanic edifices (a hotspot track) as the tectonic plate migrates over the relatively stationary plume. Both plume heads and tails reshape large areas of the Earth’s surface over many tens of millions of years. However, not every plume has left an exemplary record that supports the classical hypothesis. The main objective of this thesis is therefore to study how specific hotspots have created the crustal thickness pattern attributed to their volcanic activities. Using regional geodynamic models, the main chapters of this thesis address the challenge of deciphering the three individual (and increasingly complex) Réunion, Iceland, and Kerguelen hotspot histories,…

Description / Table of Contents: The Himalayas are a region that is most dependent, but also frequently prone to hazards from changing meltwater resources. This mountain belt hosts the highest mountain peaks on earth, has the largest reserve of ice outside the polar regions, and is home to a rapidly growing population in recent decades. One source of hazard has attracted scientific research in particular in the past two decades: glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) occurred rarely, but mostly with fatal and catastrophic consequences for downstream communities and infrastructure. Such GLOFs can suddenly release several million cubic meters of water from naturally impounded meltwater lakes. Glacial lakes have grown in number and size by ongoing glacial mass losses in the Himalayas. Theory holds that enhanced meltwater production may increase GLOF frequency, but has never been tested so far. The key challenge to test this notion are the high altitudes of 〉4000 m, at which lakes occur, making field work impractical. Moreover, flood waves can attenuate rapidly in mountain channels downstream, so that many GLOFs have likely gone unnoticed in past decades. Our knowledge on GLOFs is hence likely biased towards larger, destructive cases, which challenges a detailed quantification of their frequency and their response to atmospheric warming. Robustly quantifying the magnitude and frequency of GLOFs is essential for risk assessment and management along mountain rivers, not least to implement their return periods in building design codes. [...]

Description / Table of Contents: This Special Publication is dedicated to heritage stone: those natural stones that have special significance in human culture. Some stones that have had important uses in the past are now neglected because theyare no longer extracted. Others are still commercially important, but their heritage uses have not beenwell documented in widely available sources. The Heritage Stone Task Group of the International Unionof Geological Sciences is working to establish a new formal designation of 'Global Heritage StoneResource' to recognize those stones that have had internationally significant architectural and ornamentaluses. The aim is to spread awareness of the cultural heritage aspects of these stones, to help to encouragecontinued supply for maintenance and repair of important monuments and to preserve historically importantquarries. The aim is neither to promote nor to limit these stones for new construction: in some cases continuingcommercial use might help to ensure future supplies for building conservation purposes.

Description / Table of Contents: Reservoir geochemistry can throw light on the origin of petroleum reservoir fluidheterogeneities at a variety of spatial and temporal scales. This information can be usedto understand the formation and performance of petroleum accumulations, and is avaluable tool for exploration, development and productionstrategies. Key topics covered in this book include: analyticalmethods for the determination of fluid compositionalheterogeneity; physical, chemical and numerical models forinterpreting compositional differences in terms of basin historyand reservoir connectivity; and application case studies. There is now a significant potential for a new wave ofdevelopment focused on component concentrations and amore evolutionary chemical model of reservoired petroleum.When coupled with integrative utilitarian reservoir charge/mixing/production numericalmodels, reservoir geochemistry can provide one of the most significant advances inexploration and production during the 21st century.

Description / Table of Contents: Geological prior information represents a new and emerging field within the geosciences. Prior information is the term used to describe previously existing knowledge that can be brought to bear on a new problem. This volume describes a range of methods that can be used to find solutions to practical and theoretical problems using geological prior information, and the nature of geological information that can be so employed. As such, this volume defines how geology can be influential far beyond the confines of its own definition.

Description / Table of Contents: Fabric is a ubiquitous and significant feature of geological materials. The processes involved in the formation and deformation of rocks and sediments leave their mark on the orientations of the constituent mineral grains. Petrofabrics thus provide essential keys to understanding the history of geological materials. Magnetic anisotropy is directly related to petrofabric, and has become one of the most rapid, sensitive and widely used tools for its characterization. The relationship between magnetic fabric and petrofabric is complex and depends on various factors including the composition, concentration and grain size of mineral grains. Ongoing research in geological applications is paralleled by studies of the fundamental mineral magnetic phenomena involved. The papers in this book represent the current state of investigations in magnetic anisotropy studies as a discipline that integrates geological interpretations, mineral fabric development, technical advances and rock-magnetic properties.

Description / Table of Contents: This volume is a state of the art look at our understanding of joint development in the crust. Answers are provided for such questions as the mechanisms by which joints are initiated, the factors controlling the path they follow during the propagation process, and the processes responsible for the arrest of joints. Many of the answers to these questions can be inferred from the geometry of joint surface morphology and joint patterns. Joints are a record of the orientation of stress at the time of propagation and as such they are also useful records of ancient stress fields, regional and local. Because outcrop and subsurface views of joints are limited, statistical techniques are required to characterize joints and joint sets. Finally, joints are subject to post-propagation stresses that further localize deformation and are the focus for the development of new structures.

Description / Table of Contents: Forensic geoscience is an increasingly important sub-discipline within geoscience and forensic science. Although minerals, soils, dusts and rock fragments have been used as only begun to be recognized in the last ten years or so. The police and other investigative bodies are keen to encourage such developments in the fight against crime, particularly since many criminals show a high level of forensic awareness with regard to evidence such as fingerprints, blood and other body fluids. The papers in this volume illustrate some of the main principles, techniques and applications in current forensic geoscience, covering research and casework in the UK and internationally. The techniques described range from macro-scale field geophysical investigations to micro-scale laboratory studies of the chemical and textural properties of individual particles. In addition to forensic applications, many of these techniques have broad utility in geological, geomorphological, soil science and archaeological research.

Description / Table of Contents: Recent advancements in the understanding of mountain belts have focused on vertical coupling of the lithospheric layers. This volume describes the extent to which observed or inferred sub-horizontal coupling or attachment zones provide vertical kinematic linkage between rheologically distinct layers in the continental lithosphere. A common theme is whether the deformation, which partitioned differently in each layer, is linked kinematically across attachment zones and driven by flow in the deeper crust and mantle lithosphere. The papers are divided into six sections. The first analyses the extent to which mantle flow controls deformation of the overlying layers. The Vertical axis block rotations section uses geological and palaeomagnetic data to constrain the role and magnitude of basal shear across mid-crustal attachment zones. The Lower crustal flow and topography section addresses the time-dependent development of orogenic plateaux and their role in the orogenic cycle. Multiple examples of the spatial and temporal development of lithospheric coupling are given in both the Orogenic examples and Subduction examples sections. Finally, rheological constraints of vertical coupling in the lithosphere are investigated.

Description / Table of Contents: Preface / John Malpas / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 226, 1-4, 1 January 2004, https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.2004.226.01.01 --- Precambrian --- Determining Precambrian crustal evolution in China: a case-study from Wutaishan, Shanxi Province, demonstrating the application of precise SHRIMP U-Pb geochronology / Simon A. Wilde, Peter A. Cawood, Kaiyi Wang, Alexander Nemchin and Guochun Zhao / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 226, 5-25, 1 January 2004, https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.2004.226.01.02 --- Late Archaean to Palaeoproterozoic evolution of the Trans-North China Orogen: insights from synthesis of existing data from the Hengshan-Wutai-Fuping belt / Guochun Zhao, Min Sun, Simon A. Wilde and Jinghui Guo / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 226, 27-55, 1 January 2004, https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.2004.226.01.03 --- Precambrian tectonic evolution of the North China Craton / Mingguo Zhai / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 226, 57-72, 1 January 2004, https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.2004.226.01.04 --- Palaezoic --- The Central Asian Orogenic Belt and growth of the continental crust in the Phanerozoic / Bor-Ming Jahn / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 226, 73-100, 1 January 2004, https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.2004.226.01.05 --- Tectonic evolution of Palaeozoic terranes in West Junggar, Xinjiang, NW China / Solomon Buckman and Jonathan C. Aitchison / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 226, 101-129, 1 January 2004, https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.2004.226.01.06 --- Nb-depleted, continental rift-related Akaz metavolcanic rocks (West Kunlun): implication for the rifting of the Tarim Craton from Gondwana / Chao Yuan, Min Sun, Jingsui Yang, Hui Zhou and Mei-Fu Zhou / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 226, 131-143, 1 January 2004, https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.2004.226.01.07 --- Basement heterogeneity in the Cathaysia crustal block, southeast China / Chris J. N. Fletcher, Lung. S. Chan, Roderick J. Sewell, S. Diarmad G. Campbell, Donald W. Davis and Jieshou Zhu / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 226, 145-155, 1 January 2004, https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.2004.226.01.08 --- Mesozoic --- Subduction, collision and exhumation in the ultrahigh-pressure Qinling-Dabie orogen / Bradley R. Hacker, Lothar Ratschbacher and J. G. Liou / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 226, 157-175, 1 January 2004, https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.2004.226.01.09 --- UHP rocks and the Dabieshan Orogenic Belt / Qingchen Wang and Bolin Cong / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 226, 177-192, 1 January 2004, https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.2004.226.01.10 --- Jurassic intraplate magmatism in southern Hunan-eastern Guangxi: 40Ar/39Ar dating, geochemistry, Sr-Nd isotopes and implications for the tectonic evolution of SE China / Xian-Hua Li, Sun-Lin Chung, Hanwen Zhou, Ching-Hua Lo, Ying Liu and Chang-Hwa Chen / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 226, 193-215, 1 January 2004, https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.2004.226.01.11 --- Cenozoic-Present --- Evidence for the multiphase nature of the India-Asia collision from the Yarlung Tsangpo suture zone, Tibet / Jonathan C. Aitchison and Aileen M. Davis / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 226, 217-233, 1 January 2004, https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.2004.226.01.12 --- Conglomerates record the tectonic evolution of the Yarlung-Tsangpo suture zone in southern Tibet / Aileen M. Davis, Jonathan C. Aitchison, Badengzhu and Luo Hui / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 226, 235-246, 1 January 2004, https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.2004.226.01.13 --- Ultra-high pressure minerals in the Luobusa Ophiolite, Tibet, and their tectonic implications / Paul T. Robinson, Wen-Ji Bai, John Malpas, Jing-Sui Yang, Mei-Fu Zhou, Qing-Song Fang, Xu-Feng Hu, Stanley Cameron and Hubert Staudigel / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 226, 247-271, 1 January 2004, https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.2004.226.01.14 --- Cretaceous palaeomagnetism of Indochina and surrounding regions: Cenozoic tectonic implications / Cung Thuong Chi and Steven L. Dorobek / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 226, 273-287, 1 January 2004, https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.2004.226.01.15 --- Geology of the Zamboanga Peninsula, Mindanao, Philippines: an enigmatic South China continental fragment? / Graciano P. Yumul, Carla B. Dimalanta, Rodolfo A. Tamayo, Rene C. Maury, Herve Bellon, Mireille Polvé, Victor B. Maglambayan, Cliff L. Querubin and Joseph Cotten / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 226, 289-312, 1 January 2004, https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.2004.226.01.16 --- Cenozoic tectonics of the China continental margin: insights from Taiwan / Louis S. Teng and Andrew T. Lin / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 226, 313-332, 1 January 2004, https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.2004.226.01.17 --- Precisely relocated hypocentres, focal mechanisms and active orogeny in Central Taiwan / F. T. Wu, C. S. Chang and Y. M. Wu / Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 226, 333-353, 1 January 2004, https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.2004.226.01.18

Description / Table of Contents: Recycling of oceanic plate back into the Earth’s interior at subduction zones is one of the key processes in Earth evolution. Volcanic arcs, which form above subduction zones, are the most visible manifestations of plate tectonics, the convection mechanism by which the Earth loses excess heat They are probably also the main location where new continental crust is formed, the so-called ‘subduction factoiy’ About 400f modern subduction zones on Earth are intra-oceanic. These subduction systems are generally simpler than those at continental margins as they commonly have a shorter history of subduction and their magmas are not contaminated by ancient sialic crust. They are therefore the optimum locations for studies of mantle processes and magmatic addition to the crust in subduction zones. This volume contains a collection of papers that exploit the relative simplicity of intra-oceanic subduction systems to provide insights into the tectonic, magmatic and hydrothermal processes associated with subduction.

Description / Table of Contents: Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is transforming the way earth scientists and engineers describe and interpret near-surface sedimentary environments in the field. Because of recent advances in equipment, GPR now provides continuous, high-resolution data that other geophysical investigative tools cannot achieve. GPR has proven useful in a wide array of environmental, geological, and engineering applications. Included in this book are practical guidelines for data collection and interpretation, from antennae configurations to sequence stratigraphy, together with new advances such as vertical radar profiles and 3-D GPR imaging for hydrocarbon reservoir modelling, designed to assist new and veteran users get the most from GPR. Case studies in this book detail GPR investigations in a wide array of sedimentary environments including alluvial fans, braided rivers, spits, beaches, sand dunes, lakes, bogs, and floodplains. Examples of GPR investigation applied to stratigraphic correlation problems in Holocene, Pleistocene, and ancient sediments; hydrocarbon reservoir modelling; and detection and mapping of contaminants, reservoir infilling, land mines, and fault displacements are included.