Paleoproterozoic thermogenic hydrocarbon generation, Zaonega Formation, Russia - Thiagarajan, Nivedita; Lepland, Aivo; Eichinger, Florian; Prave, Anthony; Eiler, John (Geology, 2026)
The ca. 2.0 Ga Zaonega Formation in NW Russia preserves exceptionally 13C-depleted organic matter (δ13CVPDB as low as −40‰ to −45‰), which many have interpreted as reflecting global-scale processes. Here, we report the first compound-specific carbon and hydrogen isotope compositions of hydrocarbons and CO2 in gases trapped as fluid inclusions in pyrobitumen-rich rocks from a 500-m-long core through the formation. Our data indicate a thermogenic origin for C2-C4 gases and yield the first quantitative depth dependent CO2-CH4 apparent temperature gradient for this section, ranging from 72 °C to 350 °C. Our data show that hotter temperatures occur low in the core adjacent to a gabbro sill and decline systematically upward. They also support previous interpretations that thermogenic hydrocarbon seepage, generated during syndepositional emplacement of gabbro, fueled seafloor methanotrophy to form biomass with anomalously low δ13Corg values. Our data can be explained entirely by local basinal mechanisms, but we cannot rule out potential contributions by global carbon-cycle perturbations.

An MIS 8 terrestrial record retrieved from a glacially overdeepened basin in the northern foreland of the European Alps - Firla, Gustav; L{uthgens, Christopher; Burschil, Thomas; Neuhuber, Stephanie; Pini, Roberta; Marchhart, Oscar; Wieser, Alexander; Schmalfuss, Clemens; Kroemer, Ernst; Fiebig, Markus (E and G Quaternary Science Journal, 2026)

Metagenomics deciphers diagenetic processes of ferruginous mineralization in the deep biosphere - Vuillemin, Aurèle; Ruiz-Blas, Fatima; Yang, Sizhong; Bartholom{aus, Alexander; Wagner, Dirk; Henny, Cynthia; Russell, James M.; Kallmeyer, Jens (Communications Earth and Environment, 2026)

Astrochronology of the terrestrial mid-Cretaceous Quantou and Denglouku formations in the SK-3 borehole from the Songliao Basin, Northeastern China - Li, Shan; Wu, Huaichun; Fang, Qiang; Chu, Runjian; Shi, Meinan; Yang, Guang; Gao, Yuan; Ma, Xiaojuan; Gao, Youfeng; Wang, Chengshan (Cretaceous Research, 2026)

Thermal properties of the lower continental crust: Variabilities and link to other rock properties based on DIVE drill cores and boreholes (Ivrea-Verbano Zone) - Lemke, Kim; Het'enyi, Gy{orgy; Secr'etan, Alexia; Li, Junjian; Greenwood, Andrew; Caspari, Eva; Schmidt, Christoph; King, Georgina; Sch{arli, Ueli; Baron, Ludovic; M{untener, Othmar (Geothermics, 2026)

The ICDP Nam Co Drilling Project (NamCore), Tibet: a 510.2 m sedimentary record from the Third Pole - Adolph, M.-L.; Wang, J.; Zhu, L.; Clarke, L. J.; Henderson, A. C. G.; Vogel, H.; Daut, G.; Frenzel, P.; Ju, J.; Kou, Q.; Michaelis, D.; Schmitz, O.; et al. (Scientific Drilling, 2026)

Stratigraphic sequence and age determination of the cretaceous rift-sag transition period in the Songliao basin, NE China: Based on new data from ICDP boreholes SK2 and SK3 - LIU, Shuo; Gao, Youfeng; Liang, Renjie; Wang, Pujun; Liu, Haibo (Cretaceous Research, 2026)

Seismic event location with a small aperture DAS array: a case-study from DIVE ICDP drilling project - Arcangeli, Marta; Agostinetti, Nicola Piana; Pondrelli, Silvia; Salimbeni, Simone; Confal, Judith (Annals of Geophysics, 2026)

Sedimentary facies and stacking patterns of fluvio-deltaic and -estuarine deposits from the Palaeoarchean Moodies Group in the Stolzburg Syncline (Barberton Greenstone Belt, South Africa) - Mukhopadhyay, Sanway; Schreiber, Dennis; Wichern, Nina; De Vleeschouwer, David; Heubeck, Christoph; Gugliotta, Marcello (The Depositional Record, 2026)
Abstract Investigating fluvio-marine depositional environments from early geological times is of great importance, as they provide key insights into the palaeoenvironmental conditions of the early Earth. The present study aims to reconstruct the deposition and evolution of these systems from the Palaeoarchean Moodies Group in the Stolzburg Syncline of the Barberton Greenstone Belt, South Africa. It is based on a detailed investigation of the new, 490 m-long research drillcore BASE-5B, using sedimentological logging, facies analysis and palaeocurrent measurements. Thirteen sedimentary facies were recognised and grouped into five facies associations. The stratigraphically lower section of the core, from 490to 294 m drilled depth, with an overall coarsening-upward trend, is mainly characterised by unidirectionally cross-stratified sandstones with occasional conglomerates and silicified sulphate concretions; this section was interpreted as a regressive, river-dominated fluvio-deltaic environment. The stratigraphically upper section, from 294 to 17 m, with an overall fining-upward trend, is characterised by cross-stratified sandstones with mudstone drapes and bidirectional palaeocurrents; this section was interpreted as a transgressive, fluvio-estuarine environment dominated by combined tidal and riverine processes and with a well-defined turbidity maximum. The vertical stacking pattern implies an evolution from a fluvio-deltaic to a fluvio-estuarine system with an overall regressive to transgressive trend due to an increase in basin subsidence and/or decrease in sediment supply. Two orders of transgressive –regressive cycles are superimposed on this general trend, reflecting relative sea-level fluctuations, most probably driven by changes in sediment supply. These results help in understanding the sedimentary dynamics of Archean fluvial-marine systems and their response to external forcings.
e70085 1345595
Keywords: Archean; Kaapvaal Craton; river-dominated delta; tidal bars; tide-dominated estuary; turbidity maximum

Post-rift uplift of the western Ghats, India: New evidence from geophysical observations and drilling - Tiwari, V.M.; Mishra, S.; Dubey, C.P.; Patro, P.K.; Roy, S. (Journal of Geodynamics, 2026)

Petrophysical and fluid transport properties of Deccan trap basalts from analysis of geophysical well logs in a 3 km scientific borehole at Koyna, India - Goswami, Deepjyoti; Roy, Sukanta; Akkiraju, Vyasulu V. (Near Surface Geophysics, 2026)

Organic-walled microphytoplankton from the West Midlands, England, following the end-Triassic mass extinction: palynological evidence from the Prees 2 borehole, Cheshire Basin - Rosin, Joana C.F.; Van De Schootbrugge, Bas; Hesselbo, Stephen P.; Vandenbroucke, Thijs R.A. (Geological Magazine, 2026)

On the detectability of local, high-velocity anomalies in acoustic crosshole full-waveform inversion - Beraus, Sarah; K{ohn, Daniel; Bohlen, Thomas; Burschil, Thomas; Buness, Hermann; Gabriel, Gerald (Journal of Applied Geophysics, 2026)

Multiple sub-parallel seismogenic zones at the upper fringe of the aftershock zone of the M5.5 Orkney earthquake, South Africa - Fujita, Kaoru; Ogasawara, Hiroshi; Yabe, Yasuo; Tadokoro, Ryogo; Naoi, Makoto; Manzi, Musa; Durrheim, Raymond; Kanao, Masaki; Okuno, Jun’ichi (Tectonophysics, 2026)
The Orkney earthquake (M5.5) occurred beneath the Moab Khotsong gold mine on the western edge of the Witwatersrand Basin in South Africa. The “Drilling into Seismogenic Zones of M 2.0-5.5 Earthquakes in Deep South African Gold Mines (DSeis)” project, which was adopted by the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP), drilled from mine workings at a depth of 2.9 km. The project was successful in reaching the upper margin of the Orkney earthquake aftershock zone, extending from 3.5 km to 7 km below the surface. This study focused on seismicity within a 2 × 1 × 1 km3 area surrounding the DSeis boreholes. Hypocenters were determined using the Double-Difference method, based on data recorded by 9 seismometers (with a sampling frequency of 6000 Hz) installed in mine tunnels at depth of 2.8 –3.0 km, located within 1 –2 km of the aftershock zone. Events ranged from Mw −1.8 to 1.6 and were recorded during the two weeks following the mainshock. The relocated aftershocks are distributed in a vertical NNW-SSE striking place that coincides with a lamprophyre dike and are concentrated in three sub-horizontal streaks that plunge at approximately 30 degrees. Integration of the aftershock distributions with legacy high-resolution 3D reflection seismic data confirmed that the streak pattern corresponds to the dip of strong seismic reflectors, likely sills. These results suggest that the intersections of the dike with multiple sills acted as strain accumulation zones, thereby contributing to the formation of the streak-like distribution of aftershocks.
Keywords: South Africa; Double-difference method; Kaapvaal; DSeis; ICDP; Seismic streak

Modelling of earthquake swarms suggests magmatic fluids in the upper crust beneath the Eger Rift - B{uy{ukakpınar, Pınar; Dahm, Torsten; Hainzl, Sebastian; Isken, Marius; Ohrnberger, Matthias; Doubravov'a, Jana; Wendt, Siegfried; Funke, Sigward (Communications Earth and Environment, 2026)

Microbial community composition and function in groundwater systems of the Deccan Traps - Dutta, Avishek; Mukhopadhyay, Sourav; Mukherjee, Debarshi; Sahu, Rajendra Prasad; Duttagupta, Srimanti; Gupta, Abhishek; Bose, Himadri; Mukherjee, Abhijit; Sar, Pinaki (Geo-Bio Interfaces, 2026)

Vegetation and climate during the primary formation of the Songliao Basin, NE China - Lin, Miaoqin; Li, Jianguo; Wu, Yixiao; Tan, Tan; Xu, Yigang (Cretaceous Research, 2026)

Magnetitites in the Upper Zone of the Bushveld Complex – continuous LIBS and µXRF data of magnetitite layer 17 with a focus on cryptic variation of mineral chemistry - Nikonow, Wilhelm; Junge, Malte; Rammlmair, Dieter; Meima, Jeannet; Goldmann, Simon; Roelofse, Frederick; Holtz, François (Ore Geology Reviews, 2026)

Hydrogeochemical characterisation of the Bushveld Complex (South Africa), through water sample analysis in a core-drilled well with circulating drilling fluid; [通过循环钻井液条件下取芯钻孔水样分析对南非Bushveld杂岩体进行水文地球化学特征表征]; [Caract'erisation hydrog'eochimique du Complexe du Bushveld (Afrique du Sud), par analyse d''echantillons d'eau dans un puits carott'e avec circulation de fluide de forage]; [Caracterização hidrogeoqu'imica do Complexo Bushveld ('Africa do Sul), por meio da an'alise de amostras de 'agua em um poço perfurado em n'ucleo com fluido de perfuração circulante]; [Caracterizaci'on hidrogeoqu'imica del Complejo Bushveld (Sud'africa), mediante an'alisis de muestras de agua de un pozo perforado con corona y fluido de perforaci'on circulante] - Lubbe, Rolene; Allwright, Amy Jane; Lange, Stephanus Steyn (Hydrogeology Journal, 2026)

Carbonate-associated phosphate evidence for a small inorganic phosphorus reservoir in the terminal Ediacaran ocean - Fan, Yonghan; Cheng, Meng; Chen, Xinyang; Rose, Catherine; Wang, Haiyang; Zhang, Zihu; Algeo, Thomas J.; Li, Chao (Global and Planetary Change, 2026)
The terminal Ediacaran (ca. 551 –533 Ma) was characterized by profound biological innovations and environmental upheavals, in which phosphorus (P)–the ultimate limiting nutrient for marine productivity–is postulated to have played a key role. However, P availability in the terminal Ediacaran ocean remains uncertain due to the lack of an appropriate proxy record. To better reconstruct seawater P levels during this time interval, we analyzed carbonate-associated phosphate [CAP; expressed as CAP/(Ca + Mg)], a new proxy for P availability in ancient oceans, in three upper Ediacaran successions: the Nama Group (Namibia), the Shibantan Member of the Dengying Formation (Wuhe, South China), and the Algal Dolomite, Gaojiashan and Beiwan members of the Dengying Formation (Gaojiashan, South China). Our results reveal consistently low CAP/(Ca + Mg) values (range: 0.02 –0.69 mmol/mol, mean: 0.13 ± 0.01 mmol/mol, 2σ, the same below) for all study sections, falling at the lower end of modern marine carbonate values. Lithofacies, carbonate oxygen isotopes, Mn/Sr and Mg/(Mg + Ca) ratios indicate possible influences from release of Fe-bound P, meteoric diagenesis, recrystallization or dolomitization. The low CAP/(Ca + Mg) values thus represent a maximum estimate for the seawater P availability. The low CAP values from two geographically separated cratons likely reflect a generally small oceanic inorganic P reservoir at least in shelves. This study provides insights into the interplay between nutrient cycling, redox dynamics, and biological evolution during one of the most pivotal transitional periods in Earth history.
Keywords: Redox conditions; Nama Assemblage; Biomineralization; Oxygen level; Marine productivity; South China

Ecological Processes Underpinning Microbial Variability in Archean Granitoids Beneath the Deccan Traps: Evidence From Deep Drilling in Koyna, India - Sahu, Rajendra Prasad; Kazy, Sufia Khannam; Mukherjee, Debarshi; Roy, Sukanta; Wiersberg, Thomas; Sar, Pinaki (Environmental Microbiology Reports, 2026)

Explanatory Remarks on the ICDP Operational Dataset: Geological Research through Integrated Neoproterozoic Drilling: The Ediacaran-Cambrian Transition (GRIND-ECT) - Rose, C. V.; Kunkel, C.; Kasemann, S. A.; MacDonald, F. A.; Mesli, Melanie; Nduutepo, A.; Trindade, R. I. F.; Zhu, M.; Prave, A.R. (GFZ Data Services, 2026)

Frequency-dependent attenuation of P- and S-waves in the RTS environment of the Koyna-Warna region, Western India - Mahato, C.R.; Chaube, Himanshu (Journal of Seismology, 2026)

Geochemical and structural indicators for hydrothermal fluid migration: a case study in the Bushveld Complex - Lubbe, R.; Allwright, A. J.; Lange, S. S.; Roelofse, F (Scientific Drilling, 2026)

From impact to extinction to recovery: Discoveries of IODP-ICDP Expedition 364 to the Chicxulub impact structure - Gulick, S.P.S.; Kaskes, P.; Lowery, C.M.; Rae, A.S.P.; Tikoo, S.M. (Marine Geology, 2026)

ICDP Operational Dataset: Geological Research through Integrated Neoproterozoic Drilling: The Ediacaran-Cambrian Transition (GRIND-ECT) - Rose, C. V.; Kunkel, C.; Kasemann, S. A.; MacDonald, F. A.; Mesli, Melanie; Nduutepo, A.; Trindade, R. I. F.; Zhu, M.; Prave, A.R. (GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, 2026)

ICDP Operational Dataset: Trans-Amazon Drilling Project - Bezerra, I. S.; Sawakuchi, A. O.; Noren, A.; Fritz, S. C.; Silva, C.G.; Baker, P. A.; Kunkel, C. (GFZ Data Services, 2026)

ICDP Operational Report - Explanatory Remarks to the Operational Dataset of the Trans-Amazon Drilling Project - Bezerra, I. S.; Sawakuchi, A. O.; Noren, A.; Fritz, S. C.; Silva, C.G.; Baker, P. A.; Kunkel, C. (GFZ Data Services, 2026)

ICDP Operational Report - Trans-Amazon Drilling Project - Bezerra, I. S.; Sawakuchi, A. O.; Noren, A.; Fritz, S. C.; Silva, C.G.; Baker, P. A. (GFZ Data Services, 2026)

ICDP Operational Report about drilling the Ediacaran-Cambrian Transition in Namibia and Brazil (GRIND-ECT – Geological Research through Integrated Neoproterozoic Drilling) - Rose, C. V.; Kunkel, C.; Kasemann, S. A.; MacDonald, F. A.; Mesli, Melanie; Nduutepo, A.; Trindade, R. I. F.; Zhu, M.; Prave, A.R. (GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, 2026)

Initial results from a Trans-Amazon Drilling Project core from the Acre Basin of Brazil - Fritz, S. C.; Sawakuchi, A. O.; Noren, A.; Baker, P. A.; Silva, C.; Jaramillo, C.; Almeida, R. P.; Janikian, L.; Bezerra, I. S.; Barbosa, M.; Bertassoli, D.; Blankenship, R.; et al. (Scientific Drilling, 2026)

Intraplate strain rate variations associated with reservoir-triggered seismicity: A case study from Koyna, Western India - Chaube, Himanshu; Sutar, Anup K.; Shankar, Uma; Roy, Sukanta (Geodesy and Geodynamics, 2026)

Partial melting of hydrated harzburgite at shallow pressures: An option to produce melts with boninitic characteristics - Koepke, J{urgen; Feig, Sandrin T.; Berndt, Jasper; Almeev, Renat R. (Lithos, 2025)

Rapid mineralisation of carbon dioxide in peridotites - Matter, Juerg M.; Speer, Joanna; Day, Christopher; Kelemen, Peter B.; Ibrahim, Amal; Mani, Sulaiman Al; Tasfai, Ehab; Ilyas, Moeez; Khimji, Karan; Hasan, Talal (Communications Earth and Environment, 2025)

Quantitative Microstructural Analysis of Exhumed Epidote-Amphibolites and Plate Interface Rheology in Warm Subduction Zones - Kleijbeuker, Laurens H.; Amiri, Hamed; Hamers, Maartje F.; Kotowski, Alissa J. (Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 2025)

Prolonged 187Os/188Os excursion implies hydrothermal influence after the Chicxulub impact in the Gulf of Mexico - Sato, Honami; Ishikawa, Akira; ARENILLAS, Ignacio; ARZ, Jos'e A.; Gilabert, Vicente; Claeys, Philippe; Goderis, Steven; Lowery, Christopher M.; Gulick, Sean P. S.; Morgan, Joanna V. (Nature Communications, 2025)

Pastoralism and mining activities affecting timberline ecosystems in the Italian Alps during the last millennia - Furlanetto, Giulia; Perego, Renata; Caccianiga, Marco Stefano; Comolli, Roberto; Ferigato, Laura; Frigerio, Giulia; Ravazzi, Cesare (Anthropocene, 2025)

Metagenome-assembled genomes of acetogenic enrichment obtained from deep subsurface archean granitoids of Koyna Seismogenic Zone, Koyna, India - Sahu, Rajendra Prasad; Sar, Pinaki (Microbiology Resource Announcements, 2025)

Paleoecology and paleoceanography of the Gulf of Corinth revealed by ostracod assemblages - Parisi, Roberta; Cronin, Thomas M.; Tur, Nataliya; Toomey, Michael; Mazzini, Ilaria (Quaternary Science Reviews, 2025)

Operational Dataset: The Nam Co Drilling Project, Tibet (NamCore): A one-million-year sedimentary record from the Third Pole - Adolph, M.-L.; Wang, J.; Zhu, L.; Clarke, L. J.; Henderson, A. C. G.; Vogel, H.; Hofmann, P.; Ju, J.; Kunkel, C.; Noren, A.; Schnurrenberger, D.; Spiess, V.; et al. (GFZ Data Services, 2025)

New Insights into Recurrent Reservoir Triggered Seismicity in Koyna Region, India from Scientific Deep Drilling Studies – A Review - Roy, Sukanta; Goswami, Deepjyoti; Akkiraju, Vyasulu V.; Sutar, Anup K.; Rohilla, Sunil; Vishnu, C.S.; Chaube, Himanshu (Journal of the Geological Society of India, 2025)

Nature of the Lower Critical –Upper Critical Zone transition in the Clapham trough area, eastern Bushveld Complex: evidence for the introduction of crustal fluids in response to plagioclase stabilisation? - Magson, Justine; Roelofse, Frederick (Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 2025)

Naturally occurring volatile organic compounds in deep bedrock groundwater - Kiet{av{ainen, Riikka; Nyyss{onen, Mari; Nuppunen-Puputti, Maija; Bomberg, Malin (Communications Earth and Environment, 2025)

Multiple magmatic processes and seawater circulation into the uppermost mantle of the Oman ophiolite: Evidence from Sr isotope and geochemical data for CM1A core samples from the Oman Drilling Project - Yoshikawa, Masako; Shibata, Tomoyuki; Senda, Ryoko; Harigane, Yumiko; Aminuddin, Muhamad Asyraf; Morishita, Tomoaki (Chemical Geology, 2025)

Revisiting the reservoir-triggered seismicity of Koyna India using near-source seismological observations and relationship with reservoir water level changes - Sutar, Anup K.; Rohilla, Sunil; Chaube, Himanshu; Chaudhari, Charulata (Tectonophysics, 2025)

Refining the Eruption Chronology of Atitl'an Caldera Through Zircon Double-Dating - Le'on, Alejandro; Danisik, Martin; Schmitt, Axel K.; Schindlbeck-Belo, Julie C.; Kutterolf, Steffen; Mittal, Tushar; Garrison, Jennifer M.; Sims, Kenneth W. W. (Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 2025)

Subsurface Gaseous Hydrocarbons and Carbon Dioxide Recorded During the Trans-Amazon Drilling Project (TADP) in the Acre Basin, Western Amazon - Martinez, Angela Ethelis Jimenez; Sawakuchi, Andr'e Oliveira; J'unior, Dailson Jos'e Bertassoli; Wiersberg, Thomas; Tsai, Siu Mui; Ara'ujo, Kleiton Rabelo; Tamura, Larissa Natsumi; Barbosa, Marcos Bolognini; Bicudo, T'acio Cordeiro; Brito, Alderlene Pimentel; Wahnfried, Ingo Daniel; Bezerra, Isaac Sal'em Azevedo; et al. (Geofluids, 2025)

Seismic crosshole full-waveform inversion of high-frequency SV-waves for glacial sediment characterization - Beraus, Sarah; K{ohn, Daniel; Bohlen, Thomas; Burschil, Thomas; Schuster, Bennet; Buness, Hermann; Gabriel, Gerald (Geophysical Prospecting, 2025)

Seismic data acquisition to combine high-resolution seismic reflection and full-waveform inversion - A case study for overdeepened valleys - Burschil, Thomas; K{ohn, Daniel; K{orbe, Matthias; Gabriel, Gerald; Gro{smann, Johannes; Firla, Gustav; Fiebig, Markus (Solid Earth, 2025)

Seismic- and core-based glacial sequence stratigraphy in an overdeepened trough in the northern Alpine foreland of Switzerland - Schaller, Sebastian; Schuster, Bennet; Beraus, Sarah; Buechi, Marius W.; Buness, Hermann; Anselmetti, Flavio S. (Swiss Journal of Geosciences, 2025)

Sensitivity of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet to 2°C – SWAIS2C: KIS 3 2023/24 on-ice report - Levy, Richard H; van de Flierdt, Tina; Mandeno, Darcy; Dunbar, Gavin B; Kulhanek, Denise K; Horgan, Huw; Patterson, Molly O; Balfoort, L.; Chewings, J.; Coenen, J. (GNS Science miscellaneous series, 2025)

Sensitivity of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet to 2°C – SWAIS2C: science implementation and logistics plan - Levy, Richard H; Patterson, Molly O; Kulhanek, Denise K; van de Flierdt, Tina; Horgan, Huw; Dunbar, Gavin B (GNS Science miscellaneous series, 2025)

Sequence and cyclostratigraphic analysis of Paleocene carbonate sediments in the Chicxulub impact crater: Implications for sea level change and climate dynamics - O’Malley, Katherine; De Vleeschouwer, David; Lowery, Christopher M.; Gulick, Sean P. S.; Whalen, Michael T. (Bulletin of the Geological Society of America, 2025)

Study on basement metamorphic rocks of the ICDP borehole SK2 in the Songliao Basin; [松辽盆地国际大陆科学钻探松科2井基底变质岩研究] - Wang, Pujun; Gao, Chuancheng; Gao, Youfeng; Yang, Zhuolong; Tang, Xin; Zheng, Changqing; LIU, Shuo; Liu, Haibo; Li, Honghao; Gao, Xiang; Gao, Yuan; Wang, Chengshan; et al. (Earth Science Frontiers, 2025)

Sulfur cycling in the gabbroic section of the Oman ophiolite - Jesus, Ana P.; Strauss, Harald; Gonçalves, M'ario A.; Harris, Michelle; Silva, Diogo; Whitehouse, Martin J.; Teagle, Damon A.H. (Lithos, 2025)

The Deep Subsurface Biosphere and its Substrates Along a One-Million-Year Ferruginous Lake Archive - Ruiz-Blas, Fatima; Friese, Andr'e; Bartholom{aus, Alexander; Henny, Cynthia; Russell, James M.; Kallmeyer, Jens; Vuillemin, Aurèle (Microbial Ecology, 2025)

The Impact Crater Lake El’gygytgyn: Geomorphology and Quaternary Environmental History - Fedorov, G.B.; Glushkova, O. Yu.; Melles, M.; Wennrich, V. (Doklady Earth Sciences, 2025)

The Nam Co Drilling Project, Tibet (NamCore): A one-million-year sedimentary record from the Third Pole: Operational Report - Adolph, M.-L.; Wang, J.; Zhu, L.; Clarke, L. J.; Henderson, A. C. G.; Vogel, H.; Hofmann, P.; Ju, J.; Kunkel, C.; Noren, A.; Schnurrenberger, D.; Spiess, V.; et al. (International Continental Scientific Drilling Program, GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, 2025)
The Nam Co Drilling Project (NamCore) aims to retrieve and interpret one of the longest sedimentary records of past climate and environmental changes from the Earth's third Pole - the Tibetan Plateau. As a result of vast glacial systems, permafrost, and large lakes, the Tibetan Plateau contributes to the Asian Water Tower and feeds river systems (e.g. Brahmaputra, Yangtze) that supply water to almost 2 billion people downstream. NamCore will shed light on the response of the Asian Monsoon system(s) and the Westerlies to variable climate boundary conditions in the past and thereby provide a better understanding of future climate change scenarios with socio-economic significance. Nam Co, one of the largest and deepest lakes on the Tibetan Plateau, represents an ideal natural archive to record the temporal development of large-scale atmospheric circulation systems due to its location close to the northern boundary of the modern monsoon regime. Comprehensive site survey seismic data suggest a >700-m-thick infill of well-layered, undisturbed sediments in the depocentre of the lake. Scientific drilling operation at Nam Co was realised through matching funds from the ICDP, ITPCAS, DFG, Swiss NSF, China NSFC and UK NERC funding agencies in June to July 2024. Drilling at high altitude (4718 m asl) in remote Tibet required extensive preparation, including the establishment of a camp on the northern shoreline of the lake. The project drilled a total of 1415.45 m, cored 1175.99 m sediments and recovered 950.77 m of sediment cores, with a maximum drill depth of 510.2 m below the lake floor.

Toarcian Greenhouse Warming Shifted Climate Belts Poleward With Global Change Implications - Wang, Yan; Ruhl, Micha; Cao, Jian; Hu, Wenxuan; Zhi, Dongming; Tang, Yong; Liu, Jinchao (Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 2025)

Understanding the mechanism of shallow crustal fluid-rock interaction in the Deccan Trap basement rocks and its significance in the Koyna-Warna Seismogenic region, Western India - Halder, Piyal; Shukla, Matsyendra Kumar; Kumar, Kamlesh; Sharma, Anupam (Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, 2025)

Xonotlite and pectolite in rodingites from the Samail ophiolite: Markers of reducing conditions and element transfer during peridotite-gabbro interaction - Eslami, Alireza; Malvoisin, Benjamin; Fukuyama, Mayuko; Godard, Marguerite; Ichiyama, Yuji; Aradi, L'aszl'o Előd; Michibayashi, Katsuyoshi; Wang, Zaicong; Li, Ming; Cavallo, Alessandro (Lithos, 2025)

Magnetic mineralogy of the Baringo core (HSPDP-BTB13-1A, Kenya) shows astronomical forcing with implications for retrieving meaningful paleointensity [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review] - Sier, MJ; Spiering, BR; Dekkers, MJ; Hilgen, FJ (Open Research Europe, 2025)

Magnetic susceptibility cyclostratigraphy of the lower Schwarzrand Subgroup in southern Namibia refines temporal calibration of late Ediacaran bilaterian radiation - Gong, Zheng; Baillie, Iona; Nelson, Lyle L.; Gerasimov, Stacey H.; Rose, Catherine; Smith, Emily F. (Global and Planetary Change, 2025)

Pleistocene stratigraphy and sedimentation in the Magadi-Ewaso Nyiro Basins, South Kenya Rift - Owen, R. Bernhart; Renaut, Robin W.; Lowenstein, Tim K.; Stockhecke, Mona; Rabideaux, Nathan; Leet, Kennie; Cohen, Andrew S.; Scott, Jennifer J.; Muiruri, Veronica (Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 2025)

Magnetic Mineralogy and Paleomagnetic Record of the Nama Group, Namibia: Implications for the Large-Scale Remagnetization of West Gondwanaland and Its Tectonic Evolution - Pescarini, Thales; Trindade, Ricardo I. F.; Evans, David A. D.; Kirschvink, Joseph L.; Pierce, James; Fernandes, Henrique A. (Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 2025)

Cryptic sulfur cycling in the deep biosphere of ferruginous Lake Towuti, Indonesia - Ruiz-Blas, Fatima; Bartholom{aus, Alexander; Henny, Cynthia; Russell, James M.; Kallmeyer, Jens; Vuillemin, Aurèle (Frontiers in Microbiology, 2025)

Magmatic and thermally produced reactive phosphorus 3.2 billion years ago and its implications for early life - Baidya, Abu Saeed; Gehringer, Michelle M.; Savaniu, Cristian; Heubeck, Christoph; St{ueken, Eva E. (Communications Earth and Environment, 2025)

A Continuous 150-kyr Record of Geomagnetic Field Variations From Lake Chala, Eastern Equatorial Africa - Di Chiara, Anita; Karloukovski, Vassil; Maher, Barbara A.; Van Daele, Maarten; Meeren, Thijs; Verschuren, Dirk (Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 2025)

A field test on the hydromechanical behaviour of flowing and nonflowing fractures in the 2.5 km COSC-1 borehole in crystalline rock, Sweden; [Essai de terrain du comportement hydrom'ecanique des fractures avec et sans 'ecoulements dans le puits COSC-1 de 2.5 km de profondeur en roche cristalline, Suède]; [Um teste de campo sobre o comportamento hidromecânico de fraturas fluidas e não fluidas no furo de sondagem COSC-1 de 2.5 km em rocha cristalina, Su'ecia]; [Un ensayo de campo sobre el comportamiento hidromec'anico de fracturas de flujo y no flujo en el sondeo COSC-1 de 2.5 km en roca cristalina, Suecia] - Guglielmi, Yves; Niemi, Auli; Tsang, Chin-Fu; Dobson, Patrick; Cook, Paul; Juhlin, Christopher; Dessirier, Benoît; Tatomir, Alexandru; Basirat, Farzad; Lorenz, Henning; Rosberg, Jan-Erik; Lundberg, Emil; et al. (Hydrogeology Journal, 2025)

A Quaternary Sedimentary Ancient DNA (sedaDNA) Record of Fungal –Terrestrial Ecosystem Dynamics in a Tropical Biodiversity Hotspot (Lake Towuti, Sulawesi, Indonesia) - Ekram, Md Akhtar-E; Wuchter, Cornelia; Bijaksana, Satria; Grice, Kliti; Russell, James; Stevenson, Janelle; Vogel, Hendrik; Coolen, Marco J. L. (Microorganisms, 2025)

Assessing the potential of a modified post-isothermal IRSL (pIt-IR) protocol to circumvent the problems posed by anomalous fading in polymineral fine grains - Ataee, Nina; Roberts, Helen M.; Duller, Geoff A.T. (Quaternary Geochronology, 2025)

Assessment of the Conditions of Carbonate Rock Formation on the Karelian Craton in the Paleoproterozoic Based on Geochemical Data - Kondrashova, N.I.; Medvedev, P.V.; Lyutikov, A.V. (Lithology and Mineral Resources, 2025)

Astrochronology of the Sinemurian Stage from the Llanbedr (Mochras Farm) core, NW Wales: Implications for the Early Jurassic timescale - Hudson, Alexander J.L.; Hesselbo, Stephen P.; Hinnov, Linda A.; Littler, Kate; Page, Kevin N.; Riding, James B.; Ruhl, Micha; Ullmann, Clemens V. (Volumina Jurassica, 2025)

Automated X-ray computed tomography-based analysis of clast fabric in drill-cores of glacial diamicts using deep learning models - Schuster, Bennet; Mair, David; Schmid, Timothy C.; Gegg, Lukas; Buechi, Marius W.; Schaller, Sebastian; Anselmetti, Flavio S.; Preusser, Frank (Boreas, 2025)

Bio-mediated CN cycling in serpentinites and the origin of life - Tenuta, S.; Evans, K.A.; Reddy, S.M.; Tutolo, B.M.; Rickard, W.D.A.; Saxey, D.W. (Scientific Reports, 2025)

Characterisation of deep intra-continental magma reservoirs – Insights from noble gases and p-T estimates into the western Eger Rift (Czech Republic) - Daskalopoulou, Kyriaki; Niedermann, Samuel; Wilke, Franziska D.H.; Zimmer, Martin; Woith, Heiko; Glodny, Johannes; Geissler, Wolfram H.; K{ampf, Horst (Chemical Geology, 2025)

Chemical composition of the discharge fluid from IDDP-2, Reykjanes, Iceland - Galeczka, Iwona; Óskarsson, Finnbogi; Mesfin, Kiflom Gebrehiwot; J'onsson, J'on Einar (Advances in Geosciences, 2025)

Chicxulub central zone structure and stratigraphy–PEMEX exploration drilling program - Urrutia-Fucugauchi, Jaime; P'erez-Cruz, Ligia; Wittmann, Axel; ARZ, Jos'e A.; ARENILLAS, Ignacio; Xiao, Long; Zhao, Jiawei; Gilabert, Vicente; Salguero-Hernandez, Eduardo (Frontiers in Earth Science, 2025)

Coevolution of life and environment during the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition: Clues from litho-, bio-, and chemostratigraphy of the Corumb'a Group, Brazil - Fernandes, Henrique Albuquerque; Paula Santos, Gustavo; Pereira, Luiz Gustavo; Rimi, Leonardo Thomaz; Pescarini, Thales; Elias, Eric; Bedoya Rueda, Carolina; Cardoso Lucas, Vin'icius; Rodrigues, Larissa; Mazzamuto, Karina; Stama, Ligia; Caetano Filho, Sergio; et al. (Precambrian Research, 2025)

Continuous Real-Time Detection of H2, He, and 222Rn While Drilling DIVE-1 Boreholes (ICDP) Indicates Deep Fracture Fluid Migration in Crystalline Rocks - Dutoit, H.; Truche, L.; Donz'e, F.V.; Wiersberg, T.; Doan, M.L.; Li, J.; Greenwood, A.; Caspari, E.; Lefeuvre, N.; Dominique, J.; Auclair, S.; Masci, L.; et al. (Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 2025)

Alteration processes of mantle peridotite in the Samail ophiolite inferred from independent component analysis of rock physical properties - Akamatsu, Y.; Kuwatani, T.; Oyanagi, R. (Lithos, 2025)

Cryptotephra from a 120 ka Tondano eruption in a sediment core from Lake Towuti (Indonesia) - Park, Jinheum; Lane, Christine S.; Oppenheimer, Clive; Vidal, C'eline-Marie; Manning, Christina J.; Forni, Francesca; Vogel, Hendrik; Bijaksana, Satria; Russell, James M. (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2025)

Formation of dunites within the Moho transition of the Samail Ophiolite: A study using drill cores obtained by of the Oman Drilling Project - Merseburger, Sven; Marxer, Felix; Horn, Ingo; Garbe-Sch{onberg, Dieter; Westernstr{oer, Ulrike; Feig, Sandrin T.; Kaufmann, Andreas B.; Holtz, François; Koepke, J{urgen (Lithos, 2025)

Legacy of mantle fabrics preserved within heavily serpentinized peridotites in Hole BA3A cores of the Oman Drilling Project - Michibayashi, Katsuyoshi; Kakihata, Yuki; Natsume, Itsuki; Okuwaki, Takeo; Godard, Marguerite; Kelemen, Peter (Lithos, 2025)

Determination of in-situ stress regime in the Koyna seismic zone, India from hydrofrac tests in a 3 km deep scientific borehole: implications for reservoir triggered seismicity - Akkiraju, Vyasulu V.; Goswami, Deepjyoti; Kueck, Jochem; Klee, Gerd; Bansal, Brijesh K.; Roy, Sukanta (International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences, 2025)

Interlaboratory testing of thermal properties at ambient pressure on reference samples and core samples from the COSC-1 scientific drill hole, central Sweden - L{owe, R.; Renner, J.; Pascal, C.; Adl-Zarrabi, B.; Balling, N.; Bording, T.S.; Long, M.; Schwarz, G.; Sundberg, J. (Geophysical Journal International, 2025)

Hot-spring inputs and climate drive dynamic shifts in archaeal communities in Lake Magadi, Kenya Rift Valley - Collins, Evan R.; Ferland, Troy M.; Castañeda, Isla S.; Owen, R. Bernhart; Lowenstein, Tim K.; Cohen, Andrew S.; Renaut, Robin W.; O’Beirne, Molly D.; Werne, Josef P. (Biogeosciences, 2025)

Glass geochemistry and tephrostratigraphy of key tephra layers in and around Lake Van, Eastern Anatolian Volcanic Province (EAVP) - Kearney, Rebecca J.; Goff, Jeremy; Smith, Victoria; Schwab, Markus J.; {Ozdemir, Yavuz; Karaoǧlu, {Ozg{ur; Thirlwall, Matthew; Barfod, Dan N.; Appelt, Oona; G{unter, Christina; Fietzke, Jan; Pickarski, Nadine; et al. (Quaternary Science Reviews, 2025)

Foundational uncertainties in terminal Ediacaran chronostratigraphy revealed by high-precision zircon U-Pb geochronology of the Nama Group, Namibia - Bowyer, Fred T.; Messori, Fabio; Wood, Rachel; Linnemann, Ulf; Rojo-Perez, Esther; Zieger-Hofmann, Mandy; Zieger, Johannes; Ndeunyema, Junias; Shipanga, Martin; Mataboge, Bontle; Condon, Dan; Rose, Catherine V.; et al. (Earth-Science Reviews, 2025)

Identification of structures capable of hosting the ML 5.5 Orkney South Africa earthquake and factors controlling the physics and mechanics of dynamic rupture - Mngadi, S.B.; Manzi, M.S.D.; Nkosi, N.Z.; Durrheim, R.J.; Ogasawara, H.; Yabe, Y. (Journal of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 2025)

Fault Zone Rocks Associated With the Reservoir-Triggered Seismicity of the Koyna-Warna Region (India) - Gomila, R.; Chiesurin, A.; Spagnuolo, E.; Masoch, S.; Preto, N.; Roy, S.; Di Toro, G. (Geophysical Research Letters, 2025)

Drilling the Ivrea-Verbano zonE: DIVE 1 – ICDP Operational Report, (ICDP Operational Report) - Greenwood, A.; Venier, M.; Het'enyi, G.; Ziberna, L.; Heeschen, K.; Pacchiega, L.; Lemke, K.; Dutoit, H.; Bonazzi, Mattia; Degen, S.; Li, Junjian; Secr'etan, Alexia; et al. (International Continental Scientific Drilling Program, GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, 2025)
The Drilling the Ivrea-Verbano zonE (DIVE) project, run as ICDP expedition 5071, aims at studying the lower continental crust (LCC) towards and across the Moho transition zone. The study area provides unique access to a section of the LCC with well-preserved structural relationships. Two drilling targets were selected from this zone for scientific investigations, which, in combination, reveal significant aspects of its geologic history. The goals of the project are primarily petrological-geochemical, geophysical, structural, microbiological, and focusing on natural gases. Two boreholes have been successfully drilled in project DIVE 1: first 5071_1_B near Ornavasso in 2022, then 5071_1_A in Megolo in 2023-2024. This Operational Report summarizes all practical, technical and logistical aspects of how work proceeded on-site, as well as all details of scientific investigations performed at, in and near the boreholes. It further includes aspects on the core description workshops and sampling parties at the core repository. Scientific results are the foci of peer-reviewed papers, nevertheless succinct information and lithological overviews are summarized here. Project news and information released so far to various audiences, especially the general public, are gathered in the section describing our outreach engagement. We draw the readers' attention to the appendices, supplementary files, and the DIVE 1 Operational dataset also published online (Greenwood et al. 2025), details of which are referred to in this report.

DIVEnet: a local seismographic network monitoring the lower continental crust drilling activities for the ICDP-DIVE project - Confal, Judith M.; Salimbeni, Simone; Cavaliere, Adriano; Danesi, Stefania; Molinari, Irene; Errico, Maddalena; Baron, Ludovic; Uhlmann, Steffen; Het'enyi, Gy{orgy; Pondrelli, Silvia (Annals of Geophysics, 2025)

Explanatory Remarks on the ICDP Operational Dataset: The Nam Co Drilling Project, Tibet (NamCore): A One Million Year Sedimentary Record from the Third Pole - Adolph, M.-L.; Wang, J.; Zhu, L.; Clarke, L. J.; Henderson, A. C. G.; Vogel, H.; Hofmann, P.; Ju, J.; Kunkel, C.; Noren, A.; Schnurrenberger, D.; Spiess, V.; et al. (International Continental Scientific Drilling Program, GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, 2025)
All datasets provided in the operational dataset (Adolph et al., 2026) of the ICDP project NamCore (ICDP 5073) consist of metadata, data and/or images. Here, a summary of explanations of the tables, data and images exported from the database of the project (mDIS NamCore) are given and are complimented by additional information on data from measurements done in the field and in the laboratory prior to the sampling party. Finally, the sampling data from the first three sampling parties are added. Some basic definitions of identifiers used in ICDP are also introduced. The Nam Co Drilling Project recovered a one million year sedimentary record from the Tibetan Plateau, providing insights into paleoclimate and environmental changes in the Third Pole region.

Drilling the Ivrea-Verbano zonE: DIVE 1 – Operational Dataset - Greenwood, A.; Venier, M.; Het'enyi, G.; Ziberna, L.; Heeschen, K.; Pacchiega, L.; Lemke, K.; Dutoit, H.; Bonazzi, Mattia; Degen, S.; Li, Junjian; Secr'etan, Alexia; et al. (International Continental Scientific Drilling Program, GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, 2025)
The Drilling the Ivrea-Verbano zonE (DIVE) project, run as ICDP expedition 5071, aims at studying the lower continental crust (LCC) towards and across the Moho transition zone. The study area provides unique access to a section of the LCC with well-preserved structural relationships. Two drilling targets were selected from this zone for scientific investigations, which, in combination, reveal significant aspects of its geologic history. The goals of the project are primarily petrological-geochemical, geophysical, structural, microbiological, and focusing on natural gases. Two boreholes have been successfully drilled in project DIVE 1: first 5071_1_B near Ornavasso in 2022, then 5071_1_A in Megolo in 2023-2024.

Explanatory Remarks on the Operational Dataset – ICDP project DIVE: Drilling the Ivrea-Verbano zonE - Greenwood, A.; Venier, M.; Het'enyi, Gy{orgy; Ziberna, L.; Heeschen, K.; Pacchiega, L.; Lemke, K.; Dutoit, H.; Bonazzi, Mattia; Degen, S.; Li, Junjian; Secr'etan, Alexia; et al. (International Continental Scientific Drilling Program, GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, 2025)
The Drilling the Ivrea-Verbano zonE (DIVE) project, run as ICDP expedition 5071, aims at studying the lower continental crust (LCC) towards and across the Moho transition zone. The study area provides unique access to a section of the LCC with well-preserved structural re-lationships. Two drilling targets were selected from this zone for scientific investigations, which, in combination, reveal significant aspects of its geologic history. The goals of the project are primarily petrological-geochemical, geophysical, structural, microbiological, and focusing on natural gases. Two boreholes have been successfully drilled in project DIVE 1: first 5071_1_B near Ornavasso in 2022, then 5071_1_A in Megolo in 2023-2024. This reports is the documentation of the operational dataset (DIVE Scientific Team et al., 2025b) of the ICDP project DIVE (ICDP 5071) consist of metadata, data and/or images. Here, we summarized explanations on the tables, data and images exported from the database of the project (mDIS DIVE), complimented by information on measurements done as part of the core de-scription workshop. Finally, some basic definitions of identifiers used in ICDP and depths corrections are introduced.

Metabolic features that select for Bathyarchaeia in modern ferruginous lacustrine subsurface sediments - Ruiz-Blas, Fatima; Bartholom{aus, Alexander; Yang, Sizhong; Wagner, Dirk; Henny, Cynthia; Russell, James M; Kallmeyer, Jens; Vuillemin, Aurèle (ISME Communications, 2024)
Ferruginous conditions prevailed through Earth’s early oceans history, yet our understanding of biogeochemical cycles in anoxic iron-rich, sulfate-poor sediments remains elusive in terms of redox processes and organic matter remineralization. Using comprehensive geochemistry, cell counts and metagenomic data, we investigated the taxonomic and functional distribution of the microbial subsurface biosphere in Lake Towuti, a stratified ferruginous analogue. Below the zone in which pore water becomes depleted in electron acceptors, cell densities exponentially decreased while microbial assemblages shifted from iron- and sulfate-reducing bacterial populations to fermentative anaerobes and methanogens, mostly selecting Bathyarchaeia below the sulfate reduction zone. Bathyarchaeia encode metabolic machinery to cycle and assimilate polysulfides via sulfhydrogenase, sulfide dehydrogenase and heterodisulfide reductase, using dissimilatory sulfite reductase subunit E and rubredoxin as carriers. Their metagenome-assembled genomes showed that carbon fixation could proceed through the complete methyl-branch Wood-Ljungdahl pathway, conducting (homo)acetogenesis in the absence of methyl coenzyme M reductase. Further, their partial carbonyl-branch, assumed to act in tetrahydrofolate interconversions of C1 and C2 compounds, could support close interactions with methylotrophic methanogens in the fermentation zone. Thus, Bathyarchaeia appeared capable of coupling sulfur-redox reactions with fermentative processes, using electron bifurcation in a redox-conserving (homo)acetogenic Wood-Ljungdahl pathway, and revealing geochemical ferruginous conditions at the transition between the sulfate reduction and fermentation zone as their preferential niche.

Astronomical calibration of the Early Jurassic Sinemurian Stage based on cyclostratigraphic studies of downhole logging data in the Prees 2 borehole (Cheshire Basin, UK) - Leu, Katharina; Zeeden, Christian; Ulfers, Arne; Abadi, Mehrdad Sardar; Vinnepand, Mathias; Ruhl, Micha; Hesselbo, Stephen; Wonik, Thomas (Newsletters on Stratigraphy, 2024)

Morphological variation in extinct Aulacoseira (Bacillariophyta) species from Lake Towuti, with a description of novel species - Ageli, Mariam K.; Hamilton, Paul B.; Bramburger, Andrew J.; Russell, James; Vogel, Hendrik; Bijaksana, Satria; Haffner, G. Douglas (Journal of Great Lakes Research, 2024)

Nanoscale constraints on the nucleation and evolution of granular zircon from reidite in impactites at the Chicxulub impact structure - Zhao, Jiawei; Zhang, Xiang; Xiao, Long; Cavosie, Aaron J.; Timms, Nicholas E.; Nemchin, Alexander; Xiao, Zhiyong; Hu, Wentao; Chang, Yuqing; Shu, Jinfu; He, Qi; Zhao, Shanrong; et al. (Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 2024)

Nanoscale Os isotopic quantification of Wadi Tayin dunite platinum group minerals by atom probe tomography - Tenuta, Stefano; Evans, Katy A.; Reddy, Steven M.; Saxey, David W.; Tacchetto, Tommaso; Fougerouse, Denis; Sun, Xiao (Lithos, 2024)

Operational Report about drilling in the Moodies Group of the Barberton Greenstone Belt (BASE - Barberton Archean Surface Environments) - Heubeck, C.; Beukes, N.; Homann, M.; Javaux, E. J.; Kakegawa, T.; Lalonde, S.; Mason, P.; Tice, M.; Mashele, P.; Paprika, D.; Rippon, C.; Tucker, Rodney; et al. (International Continental Scientific Drilling Program, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, 2024)
The BASE (Barberton Archean Surface Environments) scientific drilling project focused on recovering unweathered continuous core through strata of the Paleoarchean Moodies Group (ca. 3.2 Ga), central Barberton Greenstone Belt (BGB), South Africa. They comprise some of the oldest well-preserved sedimentary strata on Earth, deposited within only a few million years in alluvial, fluvial, coastal-deltaic, tidal, and prodeltaic settings and represent a very-high-resolution record of Paleoarchean surface conditions and processes. Moodies Group strata consist of polymict conglomerates, widespread quartzose, lithic and arkosic sand-stones, siltstones, shales, and rare BIFs and jaspilites, interbedded with tuffs and several thin lavas. This report describes operations from preparations to the sampling workshop and complements the related scientific report. Eight inclined boreholes between 280 and 495 m length, drilled during November 2021 through July 2022, obtained a total of 2903 m of curated core of variable quality through steeply to subvertically dipping, in part overturned stratigraphic sections. All drilling objec-tives were reached. Boreholes encountered a variety of conglomerates, diverse and abun-dant, mostly tuffaceous sandstones, rhythmically laminated shale-siltstone and banded-iron formations, and several horizons of early-diagenetic sulfate concretions. Oxidative weather-ing reached far deeper than expected; fracturing was more intense, and BIFs and jaspilites were thicker than anticipated. Two km-long mine adits and a water tunnel, traversing four thick stratigraphic sections within the upper Moodies Group in the central BGB, were also sampled. All boreholes were logged by geophysical instruments. Core was processed (ori-ented, slabbed, photographed, described, and archived) in a large, publicly accessible hall in downtown Barberton. An exhibition provided background explanations for visitors and relat-ed the drilling objectives to the recently established Barberton-Makhonjwa Mountains World Heritage Site. A substantial education, outreach and publicity program addressed the information needs of the local population and of local and regional stakeholders.

New constraints on the shear wave velocity structure of the Ivrea geophysical body from seismic ambient noise tomography (Ivrea-Verbano Zone, Alps) - Scarponi, M.; Kvapil, J.; Plomerov'a, J.; Solarino, S.; Het'enyi, G. (Geophysical Journal International, 2024)

Operational Dataset about drilling in the Moodies Group of the Barberton Greenstone Belt (BASE - Barberton Archean Surface Environments) - Heubeck, C.; Beukes, N.; Homann, M.; Javaux, E. J.; Kakegawa, T.; Lalonde, S.; Mason, P.; Tice, M.; Mashele, P.; Paprika, D.; Rippon, C.; Tucker, Rodney; et al. (International Continental Scientific Drilling Program, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, 2024)
All datasets provided in the operational dataset (Heubeck et al., 2024) of the ICDP project BASE (ICDP 5069) consist of metadata, data and/or images. Here, a summary of explanations of the tables, data and images exported from the database of the project (mDIS BASE) are given and are complemented by additional information on data from measurements done in the laboratory prior to the sampling party. Finally, the sampling data from the first two sampling parties are added. Some basic definitions of identifiers used in ICDP, depths corrections and measurements are also introduced. The BASE (Barberton Archean Surface Environments) scientific drilling project focused on recovering unweathered continuous core through strata of the Paleoarchean Moodies Group (ca. 3.2 Ga), central Barberton Greenstone Belt (BGB), South Africa. They comprise some of the oldest well-preserved sedimentary strata on Earth, deposited within only a few million years in alluvial, fluvial, coastal-deltaic, tidal, and prodeltaic settings; they represent a very-high-resolution record of Paleoarchean surface conditions and processes. Moodies Group strata consist of polymict conglomerates, widespread quartzose, lithic and arkosic sandstones, siltstones, shales, and rare BIFs and jaspilites, interbedded with tuffs and several thin lavas. This report describes operations from preparations to the sampling workshop and complements the related scientific report. Eight inclined boreholes between 280 and 495 m length, drilled during November 2021 through July 2022, obtained a total of 2903 m of curated core of variable quality through steeply to subvertically dipping, in part overturned stratigraphic sections. All drilling objectives were reached. Boreholes encountered a variety of conglomerates, diverse and abundant, mostly tuffaceous sandstones, rhythmically laminated shale-siltstone and banded-iron formations, and several horizons of early-diagenetic sulfate concretions. Oxidative weathering reached far deeper than expected; fracturing was more intense, and BIFs and jaspilites were thicker than anticipated. Two km-long mine adits and a water tunnel, traversing four thick stratigraphic sections within the upper Moodies Group in the central BGB, were also sampled. All boreholes were logged by geophysical instruments. Core was processed (oriented, slabbed, photographed, described, and archived) in a large, publicly accessible hall in downtown Barberton. An exhibition provided background explanations for visitors and related the drilling objectives to the recently established Barberton-Makhonjwa Mountains World Heritage Site. A substantial education, outreach and publicity program addressed the information needs of the local population and of local and regional stakeholders.

Origin of apatite-dominated rock penetrating the volcaniclastic fill of the Pleistocene Bažina maar (western Czech Republic) - Rapprich, Vladislav; Vylita, Tom'aš; Moln'ar, Kata; Hora, John M.; Benk'o, Zsolt; Čurda, Michal; Magna, Tom'aš; Koubov'a, Magdal'ena; Pour, Ondřej; Hrubcov'a, Pavla; Fischer, Tom'aš J. (Journal of Geosciences (Czech Republic), 2024)
The sequence of alkaline basaltic lavas and associated pyroclastic deposits that fill Bažina maar in western Bohemia is transected by a vein of apatite-dominated rock revealed in the S4 borehole. Aside from solid vein fill, apatite also impregnates a significant part of the drilled volcanic sequence. In the main body (depth 60.00 –66.60 m), apatite occurs in two texturally distinct types: common cauliflower-type apatite (type 1) is transected by veinlets of coarser (0.2 mm long) apatite crystals (type 2). Both types have grown into open spaces suggesting precipitation from fluids rather than crystallization from melt, which is consistent with generally low trace element contents with slight enrichment in Cs, Sr, U and Pb. Relative to other local Plio-Pleistocene volcanic rocks, apatite vein-fill is shifted in87Sr/86Sr towards more radiogenic values (0.7053 –0.7054). This suggests that fluids carrying mantle-derived ions mixed with groundwater interacting with granitic country-rock, as also evidenced by the purely crustal character of noble gases trapped in apatite. Unlike the mofettes occurring along the Mari'ansk'e L'azně Fault on the eastern margin of the Cheb Basin, the4He/3He ratios from Bažina apatite do not indicate mantle noble gas contribution. According to our model, the originally Sr –P-rich fluids with low87Sr/86Sr mixed with Cs –U-enriched groundwater circulating in country-rock granites with radiogenic 87 Sr/86Sr. Therefore, present-day CO2 outgassing through mofettes related mainly to the Mari'ansk'e L'azně Fault (eastern margin of the Cheb Basin) is likely independent of, and unrelated to, volcanism of the Cheb –Domažlice Graben. © 2024, Czech Geological Survey. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Czech Republic; apatite; enrichment; igneous geochemistry; maar; noble gas; penetration; Pleistocene; precipitation (chemistry); strontium isotope; volcaniclastic deposit

Oxygen and silicon isotopic compositions of Archean silicified lava and cherts of the Onverwacht Group: Implication for seafloor hydrothermalism and the nature of recycled components in the source of granitoids - Kitoga, L.S.; Zakharov, D.; Marin-Carbonne, J.; Boyet, M.; Moyen, J.-F.; Di Rocco, T.; Pack, A.; Olivier, N.; Stevens, G. (Chemical Geology, 2024)

Paleogene Earth perturbations in the US Atlantic Coastal Plain (PEP-US): coring transects of hyperthermals to understand past carbon injections and ecosystem responses - Robinson, Marci M.; Miller, Kenneth G.; Babila, Tali L.; Bralower, Timothy J.; Browning, James V.; Cramwinckel, Marlow J.; Doubrawa, Monika; Foster, Gavin L.; Fung, Megan K.; Kinney, Sean; Makarova, Maria; McLaughlin, Peter P.; et al. (Scientific Drilling, 2024)
The release of over 4500 Gt (gigatonnes) of carbon at the Paleocene –Eocene boundary provides the closest geological analog to modern anthropogenic CO2 emissions. The cause(s) of and responses to the resulting Paleocene –Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) and attendant carbon isotopic excursion (CIE) remain enigmatic and intriguing despite over 30 years of intense study. CIE records from the deep sea are generally thin due to its short duration and slow sedimentation rates, and they are truncated due to corrosive bottom waters dissolving carbonate sediments. In contrast, PETM coastal plain sections along the US mid-Atlantic margin are thick, generally having an expanded record of the CIE. Drilling here presents an opportunity to study the PETM onset to a level of detail that could transform our understanding of this important event. Previous drilling in this region provided important insights, but existing cores are either depleted or contain stratigraphic gaps. New core material is needed for well-resolved marine climate records. To plan new drilling, members of the international scientific community attended a multi-staged, hybrid scientific drilling workshop in 2022 designed to maximize not only scientifically and demographically diverse participation but also to protect participants’ health and safety during the global pandemic and to reduce our carbon footprint. The resulting plan identified 10 sites for drill holes that would penetrate the Cretaceous –Paleogene (K –Pg) boundary, targeting the pre-onset excursion (POE), the CIE onset, the rapidly deposited Marlboro Clay that records a very thick CIE body, and other Eocene hyperthermals. The workshop participants developed several primary scientific objectives related to investigating the nature and the cause(s) of the CIE onset as well as the biotic effects of the PETM on the paleoshelf. Additional objectives focus on the evidence for widespread wildfires and changes in the hydrological cycle, shelf morphology, and sea level during the PETM as well as the desire to study both underlying K –Pg sediments and overlying post-Eocene records of extreme hyperthermal climate events. All objectives address our overarching research question: what was the Earth system response to a rapid carbon cycle perturbation? © Author(s) 2024.
Keywords: Carbon footprint; Coremaking; Earth system models; Infill drilling; Stratigraphy; Anthropogenics; Carbon injections; CO 2 emission; Coastal plain; Deep sea; Ecosystem response; Paleocene-Eocene boundaries; Paleocene-eocene thermal maximums; Paleogene; Short durations; Sea level

Peak-ring magnetism: Rock and mineral magnetic properties of the Chicxulub impact crater - Mendes, Bruno Daniel Leite; Kontny, Agnes; Poelchau, Michael; Fischer, Lennart A.; Gaus, Ksenia; Dudzisz, Katarzyna; Kuipers, Bonny W. M.; Dekkers, Mark J. (GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA BULLETIN, 2024)

Microbial diversity and biogeochemical interactions in the seismically active and CO2- rich Eger Rift ecosystem - Lipus, Daniel; Jia, Zeyu; Sondermann, Megan; Bussert, Robert; Bartholom{aus, Alexander; Yang, Sizhong; Wagner, Dirk; Kallmeyer, Jens (Environmental Microbiome, 2024)

International Continental Scientific Drilling Project of the Songliao Basin: Terrestrial Geological Records of the Cretaceous Dinosaur Age - Wang, Chengshan; Gao, Yuan; Wang, Pujun; Wu, Huaichun; L{u, Qingtian; Zhu, Yongyi; Wan, Xiaoqiao; Zou, Changchun; Huang, Yongjian; Gao, Youfeng; Xi, Dangpeng; Wang, Wenshi; et al. (Earth Science Frontiers, 2024)
Over the past century global temperatures continue to rise, and the Earth may enter a greenhouse period in the future with no ice at the poles. The Cretaceous was a typical greenhouse period in deep time, and thus understanding the Cretaceous climate is significant for interpreting past climate changes and predicting future trends. The International Continental Scientific Drilling Project of the Songliao Basin is the world's first continental scientific drilling project to penetrate the Cretaceous continental strata within the framework of the ICDP. This project is aimed to investigate Cretaceous terrestrial climate and environmental changes, and to explore the mechanisms of massive terrestrial organic matter accumulation and enrichment. Spanning 16 years, this project achieves a continuous and complete 8187-meter core with a recovery rate exceeding 97%, establishes a high-precision chronostratigraphic framework for the Cretaceous continental strata in the Songliao Basin, reconstructs multi-temporal-scale terrestrial climate cycles and climate events during the Cretaceous period, reveals the mechanisms of Cretaceous sea-level fluctuations, and confirms marine incursion events in the Songliao Basin. The International Continental Scientific Drilling Project of the Songliao Basin has promoted global collaboration among geologists to study Cretaceous greenhouse climates, leading to a series of high-impact research achievements. It has provided crucial scientific support for the sustainable development of oil and gas exploration in the Songliao Basin, and has generated significant social benefits and substantial international and domestic influence. The International Continental Scientific Drilling Project of the Songliao Basin represents a milestone stage in exploring deep-time Earth, and it is foreseeable that in the future, humans will continue enhancing the understanding of deep-time climate and environmental evolution with the aid of scientific drilling. © 2024 Science Frontiers editorial department. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Climate change; Earth (planet); Infill drilling; Petroleum prospecting; Sea level; Sustainable development; Basin; Chronostratigraphic framework; Continental scientific drillings; Cretaceous; Drilling projects; International continental scientific drilling program; Marine incursion; Marine incursion event; Pa-leoclimate; Songliao; Greenhouses

Material and mechanical properties of young basalt in drill cores from the oceanic island of Surtsey, Iceland - Jackson, M.D.; Heap, M.J.; Vola, G.; Ardit, M.; Rhodes, J.M.; Peterson, J.G.; Tamura, N.; Gudmundsson, M.T. (Bulletin of the Geological Society of America, 2024)
Characterization of 2017 drill core samples from Surtsey, an oceanic island produced by 1963 –1967 eruptions in the offshore extension of Iceland’s east rift zone, reveals highly heterogeneous microstructural, physical, and mechanical properties in subaerial, submarine, and subseafloor basaltic deposits. The connected porosity varies from 42% in weakly consolidated lapilli tuff in a submarine inflow zone to 21% in strongly lithified lapilli tuff in upper subseafloor deposits near the explosively excavated conduit. Permeability, however, varies over six orders of magnitude, from 10−18 m2 to 10−13 m2. Uniaxial compressive strength, P-wave velocity, and thermal conductivity are also highly variable: 10 –70 MPa, 1.48 –3.74 km·s−1, and 0.472 –0.862 W·m−1·K−1, respectively. Synchrotron X-ray microdiffraction analyses integrated with major-element geochemistry and quantitative X-ray powder diffraction analyses describe the initial alteration of fresh glass, incipient consolidation of a fine-ash matrix, and partial closure of pores with mineral cements. Permeability, micromechanical, and thermal property modeling highlight how porosity and pore size in eruptive fabrics–modified through diverse cementing microstructures–influence the physical properties of the pyroclastic deposits. Borehole temperatures, 25 –141 °C (measured from 1980 to 2018), do not directly correlate with rock strength properties; rather, the abundance and consolidation of a binding fine-ash matrix appears to be a primary factor. Analytical results integrated with archival data from 1979 drill core samples provide reference parameters for geophysical and heat transfer studies, the physical characteristics of pyroclastic deposits that lithify on a decadal scale, and the stability and survival of oceanic islands over time. For permission to copy, contact editing@geosociety.org © 2024 Geological Society of America
Keywords: Iceland; Surtsey; Basalt; Clay alteration; Drilling rigs; Pore size; Scale (deposits); Submarine geology; Underwater mineral resources; X ray diffraction analysis; Drill core; Fine ashes; Icelands; matrix; Mechanical; Oceanic islands; Property; Pyroclastic deposits; Sub-seafloor; Thermal; basalt; decadal variation; mechanical property; pyroclastic deposit; underwater environment; X-ray diffraction; Compressive strength

Living in the deep at the top of the world - Thomas, Camille; Wang, J.; Berg, J.; Haberzettl, T.; Kipfer, R.; Vogel, H. (Past Global Changes Magazine, 2024)

Leveraging Spatial Metadata in Machine Learning for Improved Objective Quantification of Geological Drill Core - Grant, Lewis J. C.; Massot-Campos, Miquel; Coggon, Rosalind M.; Thornton, Blair; Rotondo, Francesca C.; Harris, Michelle; Evans, Aled D.; Teagle, Damon A. H. (Earth and Space Science, 2024)
Here we present a method for using the spatial x –y coordinate of an image cropped from the cylindrical surface of digital 3D drill core images and demonstrate how this spatial metadata can be used to improve unsupervised machine learning performance. This approach is applicable to any data set with known spatial context, however, here it is used to classify 400 m of drillcore imagery into 12 distinct classes reflecting the dominant rock types and alteration features in the core. We modified two unsupervised learning models to incorporate spatial metadata and an average improvement of 25% was achieved over equivalent models that did not utilize metadata. Our semi-supervised workflow involves unsupervised network training followed by semi-supervised clustering where a support vector machine uses a subset of M expert labeled images to assign a pseudolabel to the entire data set. Fine-tuning of the best performing model showed an f1 (macro average) of 90%, and its classifications were used to estimate bulk fresh and altered rock abundance downhole. Validation against the same information gathered manually by experts when the core was recovered during the Oman Drilling Project revealed that our automatically generated data sets have a significant positive correlation (Pearson's r of 0.65 –0.72) to the expert generated equivalent, demonstrating that valuable geological information can be generated automatically for 400 m of core with only ∼24 hr of domain expert effort. © 2024 The Authors. Earth and Space Science published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Geophysical Union.
Keywords: Oman; coordinate; data set; drilling; image analysis; machine learning; rock; satellite imagery; support vector machine

Investigation of orbital and sub-orbital Milankovitch cycles from borehole logging data: Examples from Cretaceous and Quaternary lake sediments - Zeeden, Christian; Wu, Huaichun; Fang, Qiang; Pierdominici, Simona; Vinnepand, Mathias; Sardar Abadi, M.; Ulfers, Arne (Past Global Changes Magazine, 2024)

International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) workshop on the Fucino paleolake project: The longest continuous terrestrial archive in the MEditerranean recording the last 5 Million years of Earth system history (MEME) - Giaccio, Biagio; Wagner, Bernd; Zanchetta, Giovanni; Bertini, Adele; Cavinato, Gian Paolo; De Franco, Roberto; Florindo, Fabio; Hodell, David A.; Neubauer, Thomas A.; Nomade, S'ebastien; Pereira, Alison; Sadori, Laura; et al. (Scientific Drilling, 2024)

Internal structure of the volcanic island of Surtsey and surroundings: Constraints from a dense aeromagnetic survey - Sayyadi, Sara; Gudmundsson, Magnus T.; White, James D.L.; J'onsson, Thorsteinn; Brown, Maxwell C.; Jackson, Marie D. (Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 2024)

Interaction between basement detachment fault, rift onset unconformity, and overlying basin fills: An example from the Songliao basin of a Cretaceous active continental margin volcanic rift in northeast Asia - Wang, Pujun; Yang, Zhuolong; Gao, Youfeng; Qu, Xuejiao; Liu, Haibo; Yin, Yongkang; Wang, Chengshan; Wan, Xiaoqiao; Chen, Shumin (Marine and Petroleum Geology, 2024)

Integrated Rock Mass Characterization of the Lower Continental Crust Along the ICDP-DIVE 5071_1_B Borehole in the Ivrea-Verbano Zone - Li, J.; Caspari, E.; Greenwood, A.; Pierdominici, S.; Lemke, K.; Venier, M.; K{uck, J.; Baron, L.; Pistone, M.; Petri, B.; Ziberna, L.; Het'enyi, G. (Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 2024)
Abstract The first borehole 5071_1_B of the ICDP-Drilling the Ivrea-Verbano zonE (DIVE) project in Italy, which intersects the Massone antiform, provides a unique opportunity to integrate downhole geophysical measurements with observations from 100% recovered drill core in rarely drilled lithologies. The objective of this study is to petrophysically and structurally characterize the rock mass and constrain factors influencing the seismic velocity in the lower continental crust. A comprehensive data set, comprising core, well log and vertical seismic profiling data, was collected. The structural analysis indicates that the axial plane of the intersected tightly folded antiform is slightly tilted at the borehole location and thus the borehole intersects the hinge zone at the top and its limb in the lower part of 5071_1_B. Numerous open natural fractures with variable dips and two dominant dip azimuthal orientations are identified along the borehole, which affect the electrical and acoustic properties. The velocities at the core, well log and seismic scale are consistent but lower than intrinsic seismic velocities of the lower continental crust, since they are not only affected by fractures but also by micro cracks at the 5071_1_B in situ conditions. A systematic lithology correlation is not evident for these properties. However, a cluster analysis of gamma ray and magnetic susceptibility logs shows an excellent agreement with the logged core lithologies in the presence of remarkable spatial variability. Furthermore, the main lithologies are grouped into three distinct clusters, suggesting two types of kinzigites with distinct magnetic and radiogenic properties.
Keywords: rock physics; well logging; Ivrea-Verbano zone; rock mass characterization; lower continental crust

Integrated chronostratigraphic framework for Cretaceous strata in the Songliao Basin; [松辽盆地白垩纪综合年代地层格架] - Wu, Huaichun; Li, Shan; Wang, Chengshan; Chu, Runjian; Wang, Pujun; Gao, Yuan; Wan, Xiaoqiao; He, Huaiyu; Deng, Chenglong; Yang, Guang; Huang, Yongjian; Gao, Youfeng; et al. (Earth Science Frontiers, 2024)

Precambrian impact structures and ejecta on earth: A review - Koeberl, Christian; Schulz, Toni; Huber, Matthew S. (Precambrian Research, 2024)

In situ stress state of deep basement in the Songliao Basin: Evidence from in situ stress measurement in SK-2 borehole; [松辽盆地深部基底地应力状态: 来自松科2 井地应力实测数据的证据] - Wang, Bin; Sun, Dongsheng; Li, Awei; Yang, Yuehui; Chen, Qunce (Earth Science Frontiers, 2024)

Plant cuticle as a possible palaeo-Hg proxy: Implications from Hg concentration data of extant Ginkgo L. and extinct ginkgoaleans - Zhang, Li; Wang, Yongdong; Ruhl, Micha; Kov'acs, Emma Blanka; Xu, Yuanyuan; Zhu, Yanbin; Lu, Ning; Chen, Hongyu (Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 2024)

The >250-kyr Lake Chala record: A tephrostratotype correlating archaeological, palaeoenvironmental and volcanic sequences across eastern Africa - Martin-Jones, Catherine; Lane, Christine S.; Blaauw, Maarten; Mark, Darren F.; Verschuren, Dirk; Meeren, Thijs; Van Daele, Maarten; Wynton, Hannah; Blegen, Nick; Kisaka, Mary; Leng, Melanie J.; Barker, Philip (Quaternary Science Reviews, 2024)
Regional tephrostratigraphic frameworks connect palaeoclimate, archaeological and volcanological records preserved in soils or lake sediments via shared volcanic ash (tephra) layers. In eastern Africa, tracing of tephra isochrons between geoarchaeological sequences is an established chronostratigraphic approach. However, to date, few long tephra records exist from sites with continuous depositional sequences, such as lake sediments, which offer the potential to connect local and discontinuous sequences at the regional scale. Long lake sediment sequences may also capture more complete eruptive histories of understudied volcanic centres. Here, we present and date the tephrostratigraphic record of a >250,000-year (>250-kyr) continuous sediment sequence extracted from Lake Chala, a crater lake on the Kenya-Tanzania border near Mt Kilimanjaro. Single-grain glass major and minor element analyses of visible and six cryptotephra layers reveal compositions ranging from mafic foidites and basanites to more evolved tephri-phonolites, phonolites, trachytes and a single rhyolite. Of these, nine are correlated to scoria cone eruptions of neighbouring Mt Kilimanjaro or the Chyulu volcanic field ∼60 km to the north; seven are correlated to phonolitic eruptions of Mt Meru, ∼100 km to the west; and four to voluminous trachytic eruptions of Central Kenyan Rift (CKR) volcanoes located ∼350 km to the north. The only rhyolitic tephra layer, a cryptotephra, correlates to the 73.7-ka BP (before present, taken as 1950 CE) Younger Toba Tuff (YTT) from Sumatra. Two of the CKR tephra layers provide direct ties with terrestrial sequences relevant to Middle Stone Age archaeology of the eastern Lake Victoria basin in Kenya. Absolute age estimates obtained by direct 40Ar/39Ar dating of 10 tephra layers are combined with six 210Pb and 162 14C dates covering the last 25-kyr and the well-constrained known age of the YTT to build a first absolute chronology for the full Lake Chala sediment sequence. The uninterrupted >250-kyr Lake Chala sedimentary archive represents a unique tephrostratotype sequence for eastern Africa, optimising the chronological value of tephra correlations in regional palaeoenvironmental, archaeological and volcanological research. Further study of cryptotephra in the Lake Chala sequence and additional geochemical characterisation and dating of ancient volcanic eruptions from nearby and further afield may eventually produce a regionally connected and detailed tephrostratigraphic framework for eastern equatorial Africa. © 2024 The Authors
Keywords: Africa; East African Lakes; Lake Victoria; Argon; Geochemistry; Geochronology; Sediments; Volcanoes; Africa; Argon dating; East African Rift; East african rift system; Holocenes; Lake chala; Lake sediments; Palaeoclimate; Pleistocene; Rift systems; Tephrochronology; archaeology; chronology; crater lake; geochemistry; geochronology; Holocene; lacustrine deposit; Mesolithic; paleoclimate; tephrochronology; volcanic ash; Lakes

Precipitation variability and environmental change across late Quaternary glacial-interglacial cycles in lowland Central America: Insights from Lake Pet'en Itz'a (Guatemala) sediments - Mart'inez-Abarca, Rodrigo; P'erez, Liseth; Bauersachs, Thorsten; Schenk, Frederik; Kutterolf, Steffen; Brenner, Mark; Guilderson, Thomas; Correa-Metrio, Alex; Anselmetti, Flavio S.; Brown, Robert; Ariztegui, Daniel; Macario-Gonz'alez, Laura; et al. (Quaternary Science Reviews, 2024)

Terminal glacial overdeepenings: Patterns of erosion, infilling and new constraints on the glaciation history of Northern Switzerland - Buechi, Marius W.; Landgraf, Angela; Madritsch, Herfried; Mueller, Daniela; Knipping, Maria; Nyffenegger, Franziska; Preusser, Frank; Schaller, Sebastian; Schnellmann, Michael; Deplazes, Gaudenz (Quaternary Science Reviews, 2024)

Identification of the Campanian Ignimbrite in the Dead Sea and consequent time-transgressive hydroclimatic shifts in the Eastern Mediterranean - Kearney, Rebecca J.; Schwab, Markus J.; Redant, Daniel; Neugebauer, Ina; Appelt, Oona; Blanchet, C'ecile; Fietzke, Jan; G{unter, Christina; M{uller, Daniela J. M.; Tjallingii, Rik; Brauer, Achim (Scientific Reports, 2024)

Workshop report: Afar Dallol Drilling - ONset of sedimentary processes in an active rift basin (ADD-ON) - Foubert, A.; Keir, D.; Atnafu, B.; Kidane, T.; Consortium (Scientific Drilling, 2024)

Vegetation response to climate changes in the eastern Arctic during the Middle Gelasian age of the Early Pleistocene - Lozhkin, Anatoly V.; Anderson, Patricia M.; Korzun, Julia A.; Nedorubova, Ekaterina Yu. (Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 2024)
Palynological analysis of sediments from El'gygytgyn Lake document vegetation changes in the Eastern Arctic from early marine isotope stage (MIS) 74 to late MIS 80 (c.2.1 –1.9 MA) and close the last remaining gap in the El'gygytgyn pollen record. Cooler climates were characterized by a mix of Larix forest-tundra, shrub Betula tundra, and herb-dominated communities. During interglaciations, Larix forests with tree Betula and Alnus, and perhaps with a minor component of Picea and tree Pinus, characterized areas that today are tundra. These forests included a rich shrub understory of Betula, Duschekia, Salix, and Pinus pumila. Although MIS 77 has been considered a “super” interglaciation, the data do not indicate that this stage was exceptionally warm. Interstadial conditions are denoted by pollen assemblages that indicate the regional vegetation was dominated by Larix forest -tundra and an absence of Pinus pumila. The palynological results from this Early Pleistocene interval demonstrate the need to: 1) modify the El'gygytgyn age model; 2) reevaluate the relationship of sediment facies to climate change; and 3) reconsider the occurrence and/or definition of “super” interglaciations. © 2023
Keywords: Arctic; Chukchi; Elgygytgyn Lake; Russian Federation; climate change; glaciation; interglacial; isotopic analysis; marine isotope stage; paleobotany; palynology; Pleistocene; pollen; vegetation cover

Timing and duration of the early Hettangian marine inundation in the Polish Basin: Organic carbon isotopes and astronomical calibration of the Triassic-Jurassic transition of the Niekła'n PIG core (Holy Cross Mountains, SE Poland) - Lodowski, Damian G.; Martinez, Mathieu; Hesselbo, Stephen P.; Hodbod, Marta; Leng, Melanie J.; Pie'nkowski, Grzegorz; Bra'nski, Paweł; Pointer, Robyn (Volumina Jurassica, 2024)

Timescales of mafic magmatic fractionation documented by paleosecular variation in basaltic drill core, Snake River Plain volcanic province, Idaho, USA - Shervais, John W.; Potter, Katherine E. (Bulletin of the Geological Society of America, 2024)

The optimum fire window: applying the fire-productivity hypothesis to Jurassic climate states - Hollaar, Teuntje P.; Belcher, Claire M.; Ruhl, Micha; Deconinck, Jean-François; Hesselbo, Stephen P. (Biogeosciences, 2024)
Present-day fire frequency is related to a productivity-aridity gradient on regional and global scales. Optimum fire conditions occur at times of intermediate productivity and aridity, whereas fire is limited at the high productivity (moisture) and aridity (no fuel) endmembers. However, the current global fire activity pattern is reinforced by the predominant burning of grasslands. Here we test the intermediate fire-productivity hypothesis for a period on Earth before the evolution of grasses, the Early Jurassic, and explore the fire regime of two contrasting climatic states: the cooling of the Late Pliensbachian Event (LPE) and the warming of the Sinemurian-Pliensbachian Boundary (SPB). Palaeo-fire records are reconstructed from fossil charcoal abundance, and changes in the hydrological cycle are tracked via clay mineralogy, which allows inference of changes in fuel moisture status. Large fluctuations in the fossil charcoal on an eccentricity timescale indicate two modes of fire regime at the time. Wildfires were moisture-limited in a high-productivity ecosystem during eccentricity minima for both the SPB and the LPE. During eccentricity maxima fires increased, and an optimum fire window was reached, in which periodically greater seasonality in rainfall and temperatures led to intermediate states of productivity and aridity. The LPE experienced more extreme climatic endmembers compared to the SPB, with the fire regime edging closer to moisture limitationduring eccentricity minima, and experienced more pronounced seasonality during eccentricity maxima, explained by the overall cooler climate at the time. This study illustrates that the intermediate-productivity gradient holds up during two contrasting climatic states in the Jurassic. © 2024 Copernicus Publications. All rights reserved.
Keywords: aridity; grass; grassland; Jurassic; paleoecology; paleoenvironment; rainfall; seasonality; wildfire

The Nam Co Drilling Project, Tibet Plateau (NamCore): A one-million-year sedimentary record from the Third Pole - Henderson, A. C. G.; Wang, J.; Zhu, L.; Haberzettl, T.; Ju, J.; Vogel, H.; Clarke, L. (Past Global Changes Magazine, 2024)

The Merensky-Bastard interval at Hackney, eastern Bushveld Complex: results of a combined Sr –Nd-isotopic investigation - Magson, Justine; Roelofse, Frederick; Bybee, Grant; Bolhar, Robert (Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 2024)

The ICDP Dead Sea drilling project: A window into the past 220 kyrs of hydroclimate and seismicity of the Eastern Mediterranean-Levant - Waldmann, Nicolas; Stein, M.; Party, DSDDP Scientific (Past Global Changes Magazine, 2024)

The COSC-2 drill core and its well-preserved lower Palaeozoic sedimentary succession – an unexpected treasure beneath the Caledonian nappes - Lehnert, Oliver; Almqvist, Bjarne; Anderson, Mark; Andersson, Jenny; Cuthbert, Simon; Calner, Mikael; Carter, Isabel; Callegari, Riccardo; Juhlin, Christopher; Lorenz, Henning; Madonna, Claudio; Meinhold, Guido; et al. (Estonian Journal of Earth Sciences, 2024)

The Barberton Drilling Project's Buck Reef Chert core BARB3 – Sedimentary facies and depositional environment of a 3.4 Ga marine platform succession - Hofmann, A. (Precambrian Research, 2024)

Technical status and development suggestions of extra‑deep scientific drilling equipment (in Chinese with English abstract);[特深科学钻探装备技术现状与发展建议] - Zhang, Z.; Ran, H.; Zhang, Y.; Chen, S.; Liu, D. (Drilling Engineering, 2024)

Radiolytic support for oxidative metabolism in an ancient subsurface brine system - Nisson, Devan M.; Kieft, Thomas L.; Castillo, Julio; Perl, Scott M.; Onstott, Tullis C. (ISME Communications, 2024)

Technical scheme and research suggestion of deviation prevention and correction for myriametric extra‑deep scientific well (in Chinese with English abstract); [万米科学特深井防斜纠斜技术方案及研究建议] - Zhang, H.; Cao, L.; Wang, W.; Yan, J.; Shi, S.; Wang, Y.; Xue, Q. (Drilling Engineering, 2024)

Taxonomic and functional partitioning of Chloroflexota populations under ferruginous conditions at and below the sediment-water interface - Vuillemin, A.; Ruiz-Blas, F.; Yang, S.; Bartholomaus, A.; Henny, C.; Kallmeyer, J. (FEMS Microbiol Ecol, 2024)

Superhot Geothermal - Experience and Outlook in Iceland - P'alsson, Bjarni (Transactions - Geothermal Resources Council, 2024)

Supergene formation of sulfur-rich, tochilinite-bearing serpentinites in the Oman ophiolite - Trauth, M. H.; Asrat, A.; Fischer, M. L.; Hopcroft, P. O.; Foerster, V.; Kaboth-Bahr, S.; Kindermann, K.; Lamb, H. F.; Marwan, N.; Maslin, M. A.; Schaebitz, F.; Valdes, P. J. (Nat Commun, 2024)

Supergene formation of sulfur-rich, tochilinite-bearing serpentinites in the Oman ophiolite - Leong, James Andrew; Obeso, Juan Carlos; Sharp, Thomas; Shock, Everett; Kelemen, Peter (Lithos, 2024)

Subsurface Microbial Colonization at Mineral-Filled Veins in 2-Billion-Year-Old Mafic Rock from the Bushveld Igneous Complex, South Africa - Suzuki, Yohey; Webb, Susan J.; Kouduka, Mariko; Kobayashi, Hanae; Castillo, Julio; Kallmeyer, Jens; Moganedi, Kgabo; Allwright, Amy J.; Klemd, Reiner; Roelofse, Frederick; Mapiloko, Mabatho; Hill, Stuart J.; et al. (Microbial Ecology, 2024)

Spatio-temporal variations of climate along possible African-Arabian routes of H. sapiens expansion - Fischer, Markus L.; Munz, Philipp M.; Asrat, Asfawossen; Foerster, Verena; Kaboth-Bahr, Stefanie; Marwan, Norbert; Schaebitz, Frank; Schwanghart, Wolfgang; Trauth, Martin H. (Quaternary Science Advances, 2024)
Eastern Africa and Arabia were major hominin hotspots and critical crossroads for migrating towards Asia during the late Pleistocene. To decipher the role of spatiotemporal environmental change on human occupation and migration patterns, we remeasured the marine core from Meteor Site KL 15 in the Gulf of Aden and reanalyzed its data together with the aridity index from ICDP Site Chew Bahir in eastern Africa and the wet-dry index from ODP Site 967 in the eastern Mediterranean Sea using linear and nonlinear time series analysis. These analyses show major changes in the spatiotemporal paleoclimate dynamics at 400 and 150 ka BP (thousand years before 1950), presumably driven by changes in the amplitude of the orbital eccentricity. From 400 to 150 ka BP, eastern Africa and Arabia show synchronized wet-dry shifts, which changed drastically at 150 ka BP. After 150 ka BP, an overall trend to dry climate states is observable, and the hydroclimate dynamics between eastern Africa and Arabia are negatively correlated. Those spatio-temporal variations and interrelationships of climate potentially influenced the availability of spatial links for human expansion along those vertices. We observe positively correlated network links during the supposed out-of-Africa migration phases of H. sapiens. Furthermore, our data do not suggest hominin occupation phases during specific time intervals of humid or stable climates but provide evidence of the so far underestimated potential role of climate predictability as an important factor of hominin ecological competitiveness. © 2024 The Authors

Shaped and filled by the Rhine Glacier: the overdeepened Tannwald Basin in southwestern Germany - Schuster, Bennet; Gegg, Lukas; Schaller, Sebastian; Buechi, Marius W.; Tanner, David C.; Wielandt-Schuster, Ulrike; Anselmetti, Flavio S.; Preusser, Frank (Scientific Drilling, 2024)

Seismic structure of the Balmuccia Peridotite from a high-resolution refraction and reflection survey - Pasiecznik, Damian; Greenwood, Andrew; Bleibinhaus, Florian; Het'enyi, Gy{orgy (Geophysical Journal International, 2024)

Sedimentary Paleoenvironment and Organic Matter Enrichment Characteristics of Lacustrine Shahezi Shale in Songliao Basin: Insights from the Continental Scientific Drilling - Han, Shuangbiao; Du, Xin; He, Yufei; Wang, Chengshan; Huo, Mengxia; Mu, Xiaoyan; Wang, Ye; Huang, Jie; Zhang, Chenxin (ACS OMEGA, 2024)

Rhenium-platinum group elements reveal seawater incursion induced massive lacustrine organic carbon burial - Qin, Zheng; Liu, Jingao; Cui, Huan; Konhauser, Kurt O.; Huang, He; Xu, Dongtao; Gao, Yuan; Wu, Huaichun; Wang, Chengshan (Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 2024)

Impact-Generated Fragmentation, Porosity, and Permeability Within the Chicxulub Impact Structure - Alexander, Amanda M.; Marchi, Simone; Johnson, Brandon C.; Wiggins, Sean E.; Kring, David A. (Earth and Space Science, 2024)

Progress and prospect of the Chinese Continental Environmental Scientific Drilling (CESD) program - Sun, Y.; Song, Y.; Ai, L.; Liu, X.; An, Z. (Past Global Changes Magazine, 2024)

ICDP workshop on the Lake Victoria Drilling Project (LVDP): scientific drilling of the world's largest tropical lake - Berke, M. A.; Peppe, D. J.; Team (Scientific Drilling, 2024)

Aspects of the biological carbon cycle in a ca. 3.42-billion-year-old marine ecosystem - Reinhardt, M.; Thiel, V.; Duda, J.-P.; Hofmann, A.; Bajnai, D.; Goetz, W.; Pack, A.; Reitner, J.; Schanofski, M.; Sch{onig, J.; Whitehouse, M.J.; Drake, H. (Precambrian Research, 2024)
Microbial life on Earth was well established in the Paleoarchean, but insight into early ecosystem diversity and thus, the complexity of the early biological carbon cycle is limited. Here we investigated four carbonaceous chert samples from the lower platform facies of the ca. 3.42-billion-year-old Buck Reef Chert, Barberton greenstone belt. The analysis on multiple scales revealed exceptionally well-preserved carbonaceous matter, even on molecular level (aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons), resulting from rapid silicification. Geochemical evidence from stable carbon and multiple sulfur isotopes supports the presence of different microbial metabolisms in the Paleoarchean ecosystem. The local biological carbon cycle was dominated by photoautotrophs, but autotrophic sulfate reducers and methane- or acetate-producing microbes were also present. In areas of microbial methane or acetate release, methanotrophs or acetotrophs contributed to the overall biomass. These results highlight the metabolic diversity in the lower platform environment of the Buck Reef Chert, and underline that an advanced biological carbon cycle already existed in the early Archean. © 2024 The Authors
Keywords: Archean; carbon cycle; chert; geochemistry; greenstone belt; marine ecosystem; metabolism; paleoecology; species diversity

Combining orbital tuning and direct dating approaches to age-depth model development for Chew Bahir, Ethiopia - Trauth, Martin H.; Asrat, Asfawossen; Fischer, Markus L.; Foerster, Verena; Kaboth-Bahr, Stefanie; Lamb, Henry F.; Marwan, Norbert; Roberts, Helen M.; Schaebitz, Frank (Quaternary Science Advances, 2024)
The directly dated RRMarch2021 age model (Roberts et al., 2021) for the ∼293 m long composite core from Chew Bahir, southern Ethiopia, has provided a valuable chronology for long-term climate changes in northeastern Africa. However, the age model has limitations on shorter time scales (less than 1 –2 precession cycles), especially in the time range <20 kyr BP (kiloyears before present or thousand years before 1950) and between ∼155 and 428 kyr BP. To address those constraints we developed a partially orbitally tuned age model. A comparison with the ODP Site 967 record of the wetness index from the eastern Mediterranean, 3300 km away but connected to the Ethiopian plateau via the River Nile, suggests that the partially orbitally tuned age model offers some advantages compared to the exclusively directly dated age model, with the limitation of the reduced significance of (cross) spectral analysis results of tuned age models in cause-effect studies. The availability of this more detailed age model is a prerequisite for further detailed spatiotemporal correlations of climate variability and its potential impact on the exchange of different populations of Homo sapiens in the region. © 2024 The Authors

Combined Neutron and X-Ray Tomography–A Versatile and Non-Destructive Tool in Planetary Geosciences - Martell, J.; Alwmark, C.; Woracek, R.; Alwmark, S.; Hall, S.; Ferrière, L.; Daly, L.; Koch, C. Bender; Hektor, J.; Johansson, S.; Helfen, L.; Tengattini, A.; et al. (Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 2024)
With several upcoming sample return missions, such as the Mars Sample Return Campaign, non-destructive methods will be key to maximizing their scientific output. In this study, we demonstrate that the combination of neutron and X-ray tomography provides an important tool for the characterization of such valuable samples. These methods allow quantitative analyses of internal sample features and also provide a guide for further destructive analyses with little to no sample treatment, which maintains sample integrity, including minimizing the risk of potential contamination. Here, we present and review the results from four case studies of terrestrial impactites and meteorites along with their analytical setup. Using combined X-ray and neutron tomography, a Ni-Fe silicide spherule, that is, projectile material, was located within a Libyan Desert Glass sample and the distribution of hydrous phases was pinpointed in selected impactite samples from the Chicxulub IODP-ICDP Expedition 364 drill core and the Luizi impact structure, as well as in the Miller Range 03346 Martian meteorite. © 2024. The Authors.
Keywords: impact structure; iron; Mars; meteorite; nickel; spherule; X-ray tomography

Combined Geophysical Methods in Extreme Environments–An Example from the Dead Sea - Lazar, Michael; Cheng, Linjing; Basson, Uri (Remote Sensing, 2024)
The application of geophysical methods in saline environments is limited in their ability to discern shallow subsurface geology and tectonics due to the high subsurface conductivity, which can play havoc with the geophysical signal. Recent changes in the hypersaline Dead Sea provided the opportunity to demonstrate the effectiveness and adequacy of the terrestrial frequency domain electromagnetic (henceforth FDEM) method in such settings. Since the International Continental Drilling Program (ICDP) 5017-3-C borehole was cored in 2011 in a water depth of 2.1 m, the lake level has dropped by almost 15 m, exposing some 320 m of a new, salt-encrusted shore. An FDEM survey was carried out on what is now land across the borehole. The results of the survey were compared to downhole gamma ray logging data. Three lithologies were found based on gamma-ray cutoff values, and they are in agreement with changes in apparent electric conductivity. The FDEM survey supplied additional spatial information on the subsurface geology, highlighting areas of fluid flow and fracturing, which were found to be aligned with the trend of small strike-slip faults and earthquake clusters from previous studies. The FDEM method is a reliable way of discerning shallow subsurface geology, even in harsh conditions where other geophysical methods are limited. © 2024 by the authors.
Keywords: Boreholes; C (programming language); Flow of fluids; Frequency domain analysis; Geophysics; Structural geology; Continental tectonics; Dead sea; Downhole methods; Extreme environment; Geophysical methods; Neotectonics; Saline environment; Shallow subsurface; Strike-slip and transform; Subsurface geology; Strike-slip faults

Climate, environment and human history in lowland Central America: Insights from Guatemalan lake sediments - Mart'inez-Abarca, Rodrigo; P'erez, Liseth; Brenner, Mark; Schenk, Frederik; Obrist-Farner, Jonathan; Correa-Metrio, Alex; Bauersachs, Thorsten; Schwalb, Antje (Past Global Changes Magazine, 2024)

Chicxulub's Legacy: Breakthroughs from scientific drilling, tsunamis, global climate upheaval and mass extinction - P'erez-Cruz, L.; Urrutia-Fucugauchi, J. (Past Global Changes Magazine, 2024)

Characterizing shallow fault zones by integrating profile, borehole and array measurements of seismic data and distributed acoustic sensing - Rein, Nikolaus; Isken, Marius P.; Domigall, Dorina; Ohrnberger, Matthias; Hannemann, Katrin; Krueger, Frank; Korn, Michael; Dahm, Torsten (NEAR SURFACE GEOPHYSICS, 2024)
Keywords: borehole; seismic array; tomography; traveltime

Candidatus Desulforudis audaxviator dominates a 975 m deep groundwater community in central Sweden - Westmeijer, G.; van Dam, F.; Kiet{av{ainen, Riikka; Gonzalez-Rosales, C.; Bertilsson, Stefan; Drake, H.; Dopson, Mark (Commun Biol, 2024)

CALDERA: a scientific drilling concept to unravel Connections Among Life, geo-Dynamics and Eruptions in a Rifting Arc caldera, Okataina Volcanic Centre, Aotearoa New Zealand - Massiot, C.; Adam, L.; Boyd, E. S.; Cary, S. C.; Colman, D. R.; Cox, A.; Hughes, E.; Kilgour, G.; Lelli, M.; Liotta, D.; Lloyd, K. G.; Marr, T.; et al. (Scientific Drilling, 2024)

BASE (Barberton Archean Surface Environments) - drilling Paleoarchean coastal strata of the Barberton Greenstone Belt - Heubeck, Christoph; Beukes, Nic; De Kock, Michiel; Homann, Martin; Javaux, Emmanuelle J.; Kakegawa, Takeshi; Lalonde, Stefan; Mason, Paul; Mashele, Phumelele; Paprika, Dora; Rippon, Chris; Tice, Mike; et al. (Scientific Drilling, 2024)
The BASE (Barberton Archean Surface Environments) scientific drilling project aimed at recovering an unweathered continuous core from the Paleoarchean Moodies Group (ca. 3.2Ga), central Barberton Greenstone Belt (BGB), South Africa. These strata comprise some of the oldest well-preserved sedimentary strata on Earth, deposited within only a few million years in alluvial, fluvial, coastal-deltaic, tidal, and prodeltaic settings. They represent a very-high-resolution record of Paleoarchean surface conditions and processes. Moodies Group strata consist of polymict conglomerates, widespread quartzose, lithic and arkosic sandstones, siltstones, shales, and rare banded-iron formations (BIFs) and jaspilites, interbedded with tuffs and several thin lavas. This report describes objectives, drilling, and data sets; it supplements the operational report. Eight inclined boreholes between 280 and 495m length, drilled from November 2021 through July 2022, obtained a total of 2903m of curated core of variable quality through steeply to subvertically dipping, in part overturned stratigraphic sections. All drilling objectives were reached. Boreholes encountered a variety of conglomerates, diverse and abundant, mostly tuffaceous sandstones, rhythmically laminated shale-siltstone and banded-iron formations, and several horizons of early-diagenetic silicified sulfate concretions. Oxidative weathering reached far deeper than expected. Fracturing was more intense, and BIFs and jaspilites were thicker than anticipated. Two ca. 1km long mine adits and a water tunnel, traversing four thick stratigraphic sections within the upper Moodies Group in the central BGB, were also sampled. All boreholes were logged by downhole wireline geophysical instruments. The core was processed (oriented, slabbed, photographed, described, and archived) in a large, publicly accessible hall in downtown Barberton. A geological exhibition provided background explanations for visitors and related the drilling objectives to the recently established Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains World Heritage Site. A substantial education, outreach, and publicity program addressed the information needs of the local population and of local and regional stakeholders. © 2024 Christoph Heubeck et al.
Keywords: Boreholes; Infill drilling; Iron; Shale; Stratigraphy; Sulfur compounds; Weathering; Archaean; Banded iron formations; Banded iron-formations; Banded-iron formations; Barberton; Greenstone belts; Paleoarchean; Scientific drilling; Siltstones; Surface environments; Sandstone

Automatic lithology identification in meteorite impact craters using machine learning algorithms - Yirenkyi, Steven; Boateng, Cyril D.; Ahene, Emmanuel; Danuor, Sylvester K. (Scientific Reports, 2024)

Assessment of branched glycerol monoalkyl glycerol tetraether (brGMGT)-based paleothermometry in the 250,000-year sediment record of Lake Chala, equatorial East Africa - Baxter, A.J.; Peterse, F.; Verschuren, D.; Sinninghe Damst'e, J.S. (Organic Geochemistry, 2024)
Branched glycerol monoalkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGMGTs), a relatively understudied group of bacterial membrane lipids structurally similar to branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs), appear to be strongly influenced by temperature in terrestrial settings. In surficial bottom sediments of East African lakes, the abundance of brGMGTs relative to the sum of brGMGTs and brGDGTs (%brGMGT) and brGMGT distribution are strongly related to local mean annual air temperature (MAAT), stimulating development of new paleothermometers. However, applications of these methods to lake-sediment records are currently lacking. Here we investigate brGMGT concentrations and distributions in 916 samples throughout the 250,000-year (250-kyr) sediment sequence from Lake Chala, a presently fresh and permanently stratified (meromictic) tropical crater lake. All seven previously identified brGMGTs occur abundantly, reflected in a relatively high average %brGMGT of 19%. BrGMGTs and brGDGTs concentrations throughout the sequence are strongly correlated (R = 0.83, p < 0.001), suggesting that their producers and/or associated ecological niches substantially overlap. Clear distinction can be made between brGMGTs produced predominantly in the bottom sediments (H1034a and H1034c) versus the anoxic lower water column (H1020a-c and H1034b). Although a 17-month monitoring study of Lake Chala suggested brGMGTs are primarily produced in the sediments, down-core data assign greater importance to aquatic production than previously estimated. Instead of reflecting temperature, %brGMGT variations showed greatest similarity to GDGT proxies reflecting lake depth and/or mixing regime. BrGMGT-based temperature models produce ambiguous reconstructions, showing little similarity to known global temperature trends or the brGDGT-based mean summer temperature (MST) reconstruction from the same sediments. © 2024 The Authors
Keywords: East Africa; Glycerol; Lipids; Surficial sediments; Branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether; Branched glycerol monoalkyl glycerol tetraether; DeepCHALLA; East Africa; H-shaped; H-shaped GDGT; ICDP; Lake chala; Lake sediments; Paleoclimates; Tetraethers; air temperature; crater lake; lipid; paleoclimate; relative abundance; sediment transport; water column; Lakes

Analyzing complex single grain feldspar equivalent dose distributions for luminescence dating of glacially derived sediments - Firla, Gustav; L{uthgens, Christopher; Neuhuber, Stephanie; Schmalfuss, Clemens; Kroemer, Ernst; Preusser, Frank; Fiebig, Markus (Quaternary Geochronology, 2024)
Overdeepened valleys are structures scoured into the underlying substrate by glaciers that have been subsequently filled with sediment, which recorded the environmental history of the adjacent landscape. Investigated here is an overdeepened structure that was formed beneath the Salzach Paleoglacier west of Freilassing, Bavaria (southern Germany). In a previous study, infinite infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) ages have been determined for the lower part of the core using a multi-grain approach. Applying single-grain feldspar luminescence dating allows to identify the unsaturated signals, previously masked by multi-grain signal averaging. Identification of the normally distributed leading edge in equivalent dose (De) distributions allows for the dismissal of low value De (LOVED) grains that appear to reflect underestimating outliers. Measurement of eleven samples distributed along the entire length of the core yielded two distinct age clusters, for which fading corrected IRSL50 and uncorrected pIRIR225 ages agree within uncertainties. Whereas the younger age cluster at the top of the sequence is attributed to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3, the older age cluster is assigned to MIS 6. It is shown that single grain pIRIR measurements will allow to resolve the infill chronology of overdeepened structures in the Alps, at least for the last ca. 200 ka. Overall, the present study represents a further step towards understanding and handling complex De distributions often encountered in single grain feldspar luminescence dating. This contributes to better understand the frequently observed age offset between single grain and single-aliquot measurements. © 2024 The Authors

Continental scientific drilling and microbiology: (extremely) low biomass in bedrock of central Sweden - Westmeijer, George; Escudero, Cristina; Bergin, Claudia; Turner, Stephanie; Ståhle, Magnus; Mehrshad, Maliheh; Leroy, Prune; Buck, Moritz; L'opez-Hern'andez, Pilar; Kallmeyer, Jens; Amils, Ricardo; Bertilsson, Stefan; et al. (Biogeosciences, 2024)
Scientific drilling expeditions offer a unique opportunity to characterize microbial communities in the subsurface that have long been isolated from the surface. With subsurface microbial biomass being low in general, biological contamination from the drilling fluid, sample processing, or molecular work is a major concern. To address this, characterization of the contaminant populations in the drilling fluid and negative extraction controls are essential for assessing and evaluating such sequencing data. Here, rock cores down to 2250m depth, groundwater-bearing fractures, and the drilling fluid were sampled for DNA to characterize the microbial communities using a broad genomic approach. However, even after removing potential contaminant populations present in the drilling fluid, notorious contaminants were abundant and mainly affiliated with the bacterial order Burkholderiales. These contaminant microorganisms likely originated from the reagents used for isolating DNA despite stringent quality standards during the molecular work. The detection of strictly anaerobic sulfate reducers such as Candidatus Desulforudis audaxviator suggested the presence of autochthonous deep biosphere taxa in the sequenced libraries, yet these clades represented only a minor fraction of the sequence counts (<0.1 %), hindering further ecological interpretations. The described methods and findings emphasize the importance of sequencing extraction controls and can support experimental design for future microbiological studies in conjunction with continental drilling operations. © 2024 George Westmeijer et al.
Keywords: Sweden; bacterium; bedrock; biomass; biosphere; DNA; drilling fluid; microbiology

An age-depth model for Lake Bosumtwi (Ghana) to reconstruct one million years of West African climate and environmental change - Vinnepand, Mathias; Zeeden, Christian; Wonik, Thomas; Gosling, William; Noren, Anders; K{uck, Jochem; Pierdominici, Simona; Voigt, Silke; Abadi, Mehrdad Sardar; Ulfers, Arne; Danour, Sylvester; Afrifa, Kweku; et al. (Quaternary Science Reviews, 2024)
Situated within a 1.07 million-year-old meteorite crater, Lake Bosumtwi in Ghana stands as a pivotal location for comprehending climatic, ecological and environmental fluctuations within the sub-Saharan region of West Africa. The region's susceptibility to seasonal environmental shifts and climate oscillations is heightened by the annual movements of the tropical rain belt driven by atmospheric circulation. Yet, there is no satisfying age-depth model available for the entire sedimentary sequence strongly limiting our understanding of changes in this circulation pattern and associated (broad-scale) environmental responses during the last million years in the local to regional context of Lake Bosumtwi. To overcome this, we statistically examine the cyclicity in total natural gamma ray (NGR) data on a core from the lake's centre and create a cyclostratigraphic age-depth model. The calculated maximum age of 946 ka agrees well with the meteorite impact age (∼10 % offset). In order to refine this purely statistical approach, we also perform a correlative age-depth model using 33 tie points accounting for the complexity of climatic and environmental imprints to the NGR record that may exceed direct insolation related effects. Special attention is paid to the core's robustly dated (14C, OSL, U/Th) uppermost part covering the last 200 ka. Here, high NGR and co-varying K counts coincide with warm periods (except of the water-saturated and unconsolidated Holocene part) and the inverse for glacials and stadials. Based on this, we define tie points for correlating our NGR data to the age-depth model of a NE Atlantic SST record. Comparing our results to the correlation target, other global climate records and Sahara dust flux data reveals striking similarities and supports a proxy understanding with increased in wash of K-enriched terrigenous material from the crater rims in warm and moist periods (high NGR) and K-depleted dust input in stadials possibly contributing to low NGR values in addition to reduced input of K-enriched sediments from the crater rims. Our correlative age model results in precession amplitudes matching eccentricity well, providing further support especially because an over-tuning is unlikely with the used 33 tie points. Overall we provide crucial chronological context to numerous datasets along with environmental constrains that can be used to study the potential habitat availability of early anatomically modern humans in West Africa. © 2023
Keywords: Ashanti; Ghana; Lake Bosumtwi; Sahara; Climate change; Climate models; Dust; Gamma rays; Meteorites; Rain; Sediments; Tropics; Climate dynamics; Depth models; Environmental change; ICDP; Lake bosumtwi; Natural gamma ray; Quaternary; Tie points; West Africa; Western africa; atmospheric circulation; climate variation; crater; environmental change; gamma radiation; potash; Quaternary; sedimentary sequence; Lakes

Advances in research on terrestrial paleoclimate in the mid-Cretaceous hothouse earth (in Chinese with English abstract); [白垩纪中期热室地球陆地古气候研究进展] - Yang, L.; Gao, Y.; Wu, Z.; Zhang, Q. (Quaternary Sciences, 2024)

Active seismic surveys for drilling target characterization in Ossola Valley: International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) project Drilling the Ivrea-Verbano zonE (DIVE) phase I - Greenwood, Andrew; Baron, Ludovic; Zanetti, Alberto; M{untener, Othmar; Barago, Nicolò; Berno, Davide; Bleibinhaus, Florian; Bonazzi, Mattia; Candioti, Lorenzo; Henchoz, Steve; Maurizio, Gerado; M'etraux, Valentin; et al. (Scientific Drilling, 2024)
Drilling target locations of the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) project Drilling the Ivrea-Verbano zonE (DIVE) have been initially proposed based on geological knowledge of surface outcrops and the structural context of the Ivrea-Verbano zone (IVZ) and of the Insubric Line. For the determination of the exact locations of drilling sites as well as for drilling geometry planning, we have carried out a series of active seismic experiments to image the subsurface at high resolution. The two drilling sites of project DIVE in Ossola Valley, one near Ornavasso and the other in Megolo di Mezzo, in the central part of the Ivrea-Verbano zone have been surveyed with site-specific velocity models and a seismic data processing chain. The findings have been interpreted in relation with the outcropping structures. These suggest a reasonable continuity from the surface. They also guide the planned borehole orientations: near-vertical at DT-1B (Ornavasso) into the tightly folded Massone Antiform and at 15-20° from the vertical in Megolo across a flank of the broad Proman Anticline. The seismic surveys indicate that the sedimentary overburden is up to 50 m deep at the specific drill sites and can be minimized by relocating the proposed locations. The seismic surveys also indicate that the center of the Ossola Valley contains about 550 m of sedimentary infill, defining the interface of bedrock and Quaternary glacial sediments at about 300 m below sea level. © 2024 Andrew Greenwood et al.
Keywords: Geological surveys; Glacial geology; Glaciers; Hydrogeology; Jurassic; Miocene; Seismic prospecting; Seismic response; Structural geology; Active seismic; Continental scientific drillings; Drilling projects; Drilling targets; High resolution; Phase I; Seismic surveys; Site-specific; Target characterization; Target location; Sedimentology

Accessing Magma: A Necessary Revolution in Earth Sciences and Renewable Energy - Lavallee, Yan; Kendrick, Jackie E.; Eichelberger, John C.; Papale, Paolo; Sigmundsson, Freysteinn; Dingwell, Donald B. (European Review, 2024)

A Time Machine to Pangea's Climate Past - Cantner, Kat; Soreghan, G.S.; Pfeifer, L.S.; Benison, K.C.; Myrbo, Amy (Frontiers for Young Minds, 2024)

A strainmeter array as the fulcrum of novel observatory sites along the Alto Tiberina Near Fault Observatory - Chiaraluce, L.; Bennett, R.; Mencin, D.; Johnson, W.; Barchi, M. R.; Bohnhoff, M.; Baccheschi, P.; Caracausi, A.; Calamita, C.; Cavaliere, A.; Gualandi, A.; Mandler, E.; et al. (Scientific Drilling, 2024)

A seismic ambient noise data classification method based on waveform and frequency-wavenumber analysis: Application to reliable geological interpretation adjacent to Well Songke-2, Northeast China - Jin, Zhong-Yuan; Lu, Zhan-Wu; Fu, Wei; Hou, He-Sheng (Geophysics, 2024)

A new species of benthic ostracod Tuberoloxoconcha: A proxy for glacioeustatic sea-level changes in the Gulf of Corinth - Parisi, R.; Cronin, T.M.; Aiello, G.; Barra, D.; Danielopol, D.L.; Horne, D.J.; Mazzini, I. (Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 2024)

A Lake Record of Geomagnetic Secular Variations for the Last 23 ka From Lake Chala: Toward a Composite Directional Lake Record of the Earth's Magnetic Field for Equatorial East Africa - Di Chiara, A.; Hounslow, M.W.; Maher, B.A.; Karloukovski, V.; Van Daele, M.; Blaauw, M.; Verschuren, D. (Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 2024)

A comprehensive crosshole seismic experiment in glacial sediments at the ICDP DOVE site in the Tannwald Basin - Beraus, Sarah; Burschil, Thomas; Buness, Hermann; K{ohn, Daniel; Bohlen, Thomas; Gabriel, Gerald (Scientific Drilling, 2024)

A 1.1 million-year vegetation history of the Mediterranean region: Scientific drilling reveals sensitivities of forest ecosystems - Donders, T. H.; Oliviera, D.; S'anchez Goñi, M.-F.; Sadori, Laura (Past Global Changes Magazine, 2024)

ICDP workshop on the Deep Drilling in the Turkana Basin project: exploring the link between environmental factors and hominin evolution over the past 4 Myr - Beck, C. C.; Berke, M.; Feibel, C. S.; Foerster, V.; Olaka, L.; Roberts, H. M.; Scholz, C. A.; Cantner, K.; Noren, A.; Kiptoo, G. M.; Muirhead, J.; the Deep Drilling in the Turkana Basin (DDTB) project team (Scientific Drilling, 2024)

A 1 Ma sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) record of catchment vegetation changes and the developmental history of tropical Lake Towuti (Sulawesi, Indonesia) - Ekram, M. A.; Campbell, M.; Kose, S. H.; Plet, C.; Hamilton, R.; Bijaksana, S.; Grice, K.; Russell, J.; Stevenson, J.; Vogel, H.; Coolen, M. J. L. (Geobiology, 2024)
Studying past ecosystems from ancient environmental DNA preserved in lake sediments (sedaDNA) is a rapidly expanding field. This research has mainly involved Holocene sediments from lakes in cool climates, with little known about the suitability of sedaDNA to reconstruct substantially older ecosystems in the warm tropics. Here, we report the successful recovery of chloroplast trnL (UAA) sequences (trnL-P6 loop) from the sedimentary record of Lake Towuti (Sulawesi, Indonesia) to elucidate changes in regional tropical vegetation assemblages during the lake's Late Quaternary paleodepositional history. After the stringent removal of contaminants and sequence artifacts, taxonomic assignment of the remaining genuine trnL-P6 reads showed that native nitrogen-fixing legumes, C3 grasses, and shallow wetland vegetation (Alocasia) were most strongly associated with >1-million-year-old (>1 Ma) peats and silts (114 –98.8 m composite depth; mcd), which were deposited in a landscape of active river channels, shallow lakes, and peat-swamps. A statistically significant shift toward partly submerged shoreline vegetation that was likely rooted in anoxic muddy soils (i.e., peatland forest trees and wetland C3 grasses (Oryzaceae) and nutrient-demanding aquatic herbs (presumably Oenanthe javanica)) occurred at 76 mcd ( 0.8 Ma), 0.2 Ma after the transition into a permanent lake. This wetland vegetation was most strongly associated with diatom ooze (46 –37 mcd), thought to be deposited during maximum nutrient availability and primary productivity. Herbs (Brassicaceae), trees/shrubs (Fabaceae and Theaceae), and C3 grasses correlated with inorganic parameters, indicating increased drainage of ultramafic sediments and laterite soils from the lakes' catchment, particularly at times of inferred drying. Downcore variability in trnL-P6 from tropical forest trees (Toona), shady ground cover herbs (Zingiberaceae), and tree orchids (Luisia) most strongly correlated with sediments of a predominantly felsic signature considered to be originating from the catchment of the Loeha River draining into Lake Towuti during wetter climate conditions. However, the co-correlation with dry climate-adapted trees (i.e., Castanopsis or Lithocarpus) plus C4 grasses suggests that increased precipitation seasonality also contributed to the increased drainage of felsic Loeha River sediments. This multiproxy approach shows that despite elevated in situ temperatures, tropical lake sediments potentially comprise long-term archives of ancient environmental DNA for reconstructing ecosystems, which warrants further exploration. © 2024 The Authors. Geobiology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Keywords: Greater Sunda Islands; Indonesia; Lake Towuti; Malili Lakes; South Sulawesi; Sulawesi; Sulawesi; Sunda Isles; catchment; ground cover; Holocene; landscape ecology; nutrient availability; ooze; paleoecology; paleoenvironment; peatland; seasonality; tropical forest

A Trial Evaluation of Rock Core DCDA Absolute Shear Stress Measurement for Routine Quantitative Mining Hazard Assessment in Deep Underground High Stress Mines - Ogasawara, Hiroshi; Mima, Yoshihiro; Ishida, Akimasa; Mngadi, Siyanda; Higashi, Mitsuya; Yabe, Yasuo; Funato, Akio; Ito, Takatoshi; Nakatani, Masao; Durrheim, Raymond (Materials Transactions, 2024)

Controls on Quaternary geochemical and mineralogical variability in the Koora Basin and South Kenya Rift - Owen, R. Bernhart; Rabideaux, Nathan; Bright, Jordon; Rosca, Carolina; Renaut, Robin W.; Potts, Richard; Behrensmeyer, Anna K.; Deino, Alan L.; Cohen, Andrew S.; Muiruri, Veronica; Dommain, Ren'e (Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 2024)
The South Kenya Rift is comprised of a series of N-S-oriented grabens with sediments that preserve an approximate one-million-year environmental history that reflects the interplay of climate, tectonism and volcanism. This study attempts to disentangle the relative roles of these major controls by comparing the geochemical records preserved in three sedimentary basins. The study focuses on the Koora Basin using bulk geochemical data in a 139-m-long core. This record is then compared with geochemical data and environmental histories from a 196-m-long core at Magadi and outcrops in the Olorgesailie Basin. Four climatic phases (1000 –850; 850 –470; 470 –400; 400 –0 ka) are recognised at Koora, which can also be distinguished in the Magadi and Olorgesailie Basins. However, inter-basin contrasts also suggest that additional, non-climatic factors influenced these geochemical histories, particularly during four intervals. These include 1) the Magadi Transition (MT; ∼770 –700 ka), 2) the Magadi Tectonic Event (MTE; ∼540 ka), 3) the Koora Instability Period (KIP; ∼325 –180 ka), and 4) the Trona Precipitation Period (TPP; ∼105 –0 ka). Prior to the MT, Zr/TiO2, La/Lu, Mo, As, V and Na/Ca in Magadi and Koora cores were similar but afterwards diverged. Major reductions in transition metals at Magadi during the MTE reflect tectonically-induced cross-rift drainage diversion. This contrasts with the Koora and Olorgesailie basins where these metals were constant from ∼1000 to 300 ka. The KIP represents a significant increase in volcanic inputs to the Koora Basin and increased geochemical variability. Bromine (Br), which reflects peralkaline volcanic activity and/or evaporative concentration, is elevated during the KIP at Koora but is below detection limits in the rest of the Koora core. Br in the Magadi core does not correlate with that in the Koora record, suggesting contrasting accumulation processes. The TPP represents a phase of trona precipitation at Magadi but not at Koora. This difference partly reflects increased magmatic CO2 rising along faults in the Magadi basin during a period of increasing aridity. Rare-earth element patterns indicate a major change at Magadi with many anomalies after about 325 ka to the present, caused by the development of hypersaline waters, which did not occur at Koora or Olorgesailie. The geochemical data from the three basins help to partially separate climatic controls from those related to volcanism, tectonism and local geomorphology. © 2023
Keywords: East African Rift; Kenya; Kenya Rift; environmental history; geochemistry; mineralogy; paleolimnology; Quaternary; volcanism; volcanology

Fracture network characterisation of the Balmuccia peridotite using drone-based photogrammetry, implications for active-seismic site survey for scientific drilling - Menegoni, Niccolò; Panara, Yuri; Greenwood, Andrew; Mariani, Davide; Zanetti, Alberto; Het'enyi, Gy{orgy (Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, 2024)

Corrigendum to “Alteration of basaltic glass within the Surtsey hydrothermal system, Iceland – Implication to oceanic crust seawater interaction” [Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 429 (2022) 107581] (Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (2022) 429, (S0377027322001123), (10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2022.107581)) - Prause, Simon; Weisenberger, Tobias B.; Kleine-Marshall, Barbara I.; Monien, Patrick; Rispoli, Concetta; Stef'ansson, Andri (Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 2024)

How to colonize a planet: ICDP project BASE drills Paleoarchean coastal strata of the Barberton Greenstone Belt - Heubeck, Christoph; Beukes, Nic (Past Global Changes Magazine, 2024)

Hot carbonates deep within the Chicxulub impact structure - Kaskes, Pim; Marchegiano, Marta; Peral, Marion; Goderis, Steven; Claeys, Philippe (PNAS Nexus, 2024)

Heat flow and thermal structure in the Koyna seismic zone, western India: Implications for recurrent reservoir triggered seismicity - Goswami, Deepjyoti; Akkiraju, Vyasulu V.; Roy, Sukanta (Tectonophysics, 2024)

Geothermal Play Fairway Analysis, Part 2: GIS methodology - DeAngelo, Jacob; Shervais, John W.; Glen, Jonathan M.; Nielson, Dennis; Garg, Sabodh; Dobson, Patrick F.; Gasperikova, Erika; Sonnenthal, Eric; Liberty, Lee M.; Siler, Drew L.; Evans, James P. (Geothermics, 2024)

Geothermal play fairway analysis, part 1: Example from the Snake River Plain, Idaho - Shervais, John W.; DeAngelo, Jacob; Glen, Jonathan M.; Nielson, Dennis L.; Garg, Sabodh; Dobson, Patrick; Gasperikova, Erika; Sonnenthal, Eric; Liberty, Lee M.; Newell, Dennis L.; Siler, Drew; Evans, James P. (Geothermics, 2024)

Geophysical downhole logging analysis within the shallow-depth ICDP STAR drilling project (central Italy) - Montone, Paola; Pierdominici, Simona; Teresa Mariucci, M.; Mirabella, Francesco; Urbani, Marco; Akimbekova, Assel; Chiaraluce, Lauro; Johnson, Wade; Barchi, Massimiliano Rinaldo (Solid Earth, 2024)

Geochemistry and origins of hydrogen-containing natural gases in deep Songliao Basin, China: Insights from continental scientific drilling - Han, Shuang-Biao; Xiang, Chao-Han; Du, Xin; Xie, Lin-Feng; Huang, Jie; Wang, Cheng-Shan (Petroleum Science, 2024)

From warm to cold: 3.6 million years of paleoclimate history from Lake El’gygytgyn, far-east Russia - Gebhardt, A. C.; Brigham-Grette, J.; Castaneda, I.; Melles, M.; Minyuk, P.; Wennrich, V (Past Global Changes Magazine, 2024)

From Jurassic deep-sea life to deterministic Solar System dynamics: Insights from recurrence plot analysis of ichnological data, Toarcian, Llanbedr (Mochras Farm) borehole, UK - Ninard, Krzysztof; Uchman, Alfred; Pie'nkowski, Grzegorz; Hesselbo, Stephen P. (Volumina Jurassica, 2024)

From coral reefs towards unveiling the deep geobiosphere in extreme rift settings: Afar Dallol Drilling (ADD-ON) - Endeshaw, A.; Foubert, Anneleen; Negga, H.; Atnafu, Balemwal; Rime, V.; Keir, Derek; Kidane, Tesfaye; Team, ADD-On (Past Global Changes Magazine, 2024)

Geophysical logs as proxies for cyclostratigraphy: Sensitivity evaluation, proxy selection, and paleoclimatic interpretation - Peng, Cheng; Zou, Changchun; Zhang, Shuxia; Shu, Jiangbo; Wang, Chengshan (Earth-Science Reviews, 2024)

Explanatory Remarks on the Operational Dataset about Drilling in the Moodies Group of the Barberton Greenstone Belt (BASE - Barberton Archean Surface Environments) - Heubeck, C.; Beukes, N.; Kock, M.; Homann, M.; Javaux, E. J.; Kakegawa, T.; Lalonde, S.; Mason, P.; Tice, M.; Mashele, P.; Paprika, D.; Rippon, C.; et al. (International Continental Scientific Drilling Program, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, 2024)
All datasets provided in the operational dataset (Heubeck et al., 2024) of the ICDP project BASE (ICDP 5069) consist of metadata, data and/or images. Here, a summary of explanations of the tables, data and images exported from the database of the project (mDIS BASE) are given and are complimented by additional information on data from measurements done in the laboratory prior to the sampling party. Finally, the sampling data from the first two sam-pling parties are added. Some basic definitions of identifiers used in ICDP, depths corrections and measurements are also introduced.

Drilling Into Ancient Rock to Learn About Earth’s Past - Mashele, P; Heubeck, C (Frontiers for Young Minds, 2024)

Decoding Subsurface Secondary Mineralisation and its Impact on Cohesive Strength: An Outcome of the Deep Scientific Drilling Program in the Koyna –Warna Seismogenic Region, Western India - PIYAL, Halder; ANUPAM, Sharma; MATSYENDRA, Kumar Shukla; KAMLESH, Kumar (Acta Geologica Sinica - English Edition, 2024)
Keywords: fluid-rock interaction; faults; chlorite; hydrothermal alteration; recurring seismicity

Deep magmatic staging chambers for crustal layered mafic intrusions: An example from the Bushveld Complex of southern Africa - Suzuki, Yohey; Webb, Susan J.; Kouduka, Mariko; Kobayashi, Hanae; Castillo, Julio; Kallmeyer, Jens; Moganedi, Kgabo; Allwright, Amy J.; Klemd, Reiner; Roelofse, Frederick; Mapiloko, Mabatho; Hill, Stuart J.; et al. (Microbial Ecology, 2024)
The deep mafic magmatic staging chambers of layered mafic intrusions have been conjectured but not imaged. Their existence has long been postulated from geochemical models which require multiple magma injections from staging chambers to account for their multi-scale igneous layering and variations in sources and degrees of crustal contamination. For the Bushveld Complex of southern Africa, the world's largest layered mafic intrusion, seismic receiver functions identify a diffuse crust-mantle transition beneath the Complex that suggests high velocity lower crust and/or uppermost lithospheric mantle. Here we present 3D gravity modelling of the Bushveld Complex that includes dense material at the crust-mantle boundary, imaging for the first time, remnants of magma staging chambers. They underlie the whole Bushveld Complex and extend westwards to the Molopo Farms Complex in Botswana. Feeders to the Bushveld Complex coincide with intersections of major faults like the Thabazimbi-Murchison Lineament and Sugarbush Fault with the staging chamber. This identification of magmatic staging chambers beneath the Bushveld relates to similar geophysically imaged lower crustal features beneath the Duluth and Stillwater Complexes. Comparison of seismic and gravity data with geochemical models from other complexes aid in development of models for the magmatic architecture of layered mafic intrusions in general. © 2024 Elsevier B.V.

Evidence of water percolation in granitoid basement in Koyna seismogenic zone: Implications for reservoir triggered seismicity - Modak, Kunal (Journal of Earth System Science, 2024)