AbstractThe rheological properties of the mantle govern plate tectonics and mantle convection, yet constraining the rheological parameters remains a significant challenge. Laboratory experiments are usually performed under different temperature-pressure-strain-rate conditions than those of natural environments, leading to substantial uncertainties when extrapolating the parameters to real-world conditions. While traditional Bayesian inversion with Monte Carlo sampling methods offers sufficient exploration of the parameter space and accurate inversion results, the excessive computational cost limits its practical application to complex nonlinear problems. To address these limitations, we integrate finite-difference-based geodynamic forward modeling with Automatic Differentiation (AD) to build a framework to invert non-linear rheological parameters. By incorporating multisource observational data, including surface velocities and topography, we are able to invert critical rheological parameters of the lithosphere and mantle, including the viscosity pre-exponential factor, activation energy, stress exponent, yield stress, and plate-interface viscosity. To validate the method, a series of models with different levels of complexity from single- to multiple-subduction systems and consideration of data noises are designed to generate synthetic data that are further used for inversion. Our method can successfully restore the rheological parameters under various conditions, with minimal errors between predicted and true values, underscoring its stability and broad applicability. In general, this study introduces a highly efficient and practical geodynamic forward and inverse modeling approach that can be used to infer the rheology of the mantle.
AbstractSeismic waveforms are essential for deciphering the subsurface structures of the Earth. Traditional methods for seismic waveform selection rely heavily on manual identification by experienced seismologists, which can be inconsistent and challenging when complex structures or huge amount of seismic data volumes are involved. Recent advancements in machine learning, particularly supervised learning techniques, have shown promising progress in addressing these challenges; however, their dependence on large labeled datasets limits their application to weak or rare seismic phases. In this study, we propose a new strategy using hierarchical clustering for seismic waveform identification, which does not need labeled dataset and minimizes extensive parameter settings. Our strategy is especially powerful when dealing with multiple waveform phases that may shift according to epicentral distance or may be distorted due to attenuation or other factors. We apply our strategy to identify various seismic wave of both P and S phases, especially those sampling deep Earth such as SKS-SKPdS and ScP phases. The results show that the strategy performs excellently and can identify different anomalous signals. Our approach empowers researchers to conduct more detailed studies in previously overlooked regions or datasets, thereby leading to a better understanding of deep Earth’s structures.
SUMMARYRock glaciers are specific landforms consisting of a mixture of rock debris, ice, liquid water, and air. In the Alps, active rock glaciers are generally found at high elevations above 2500 m. Active rock glaciers creep and can develop anomalous slide-like behaviors called destabilization. Induced polarization is a non-intrusive geophysical method that has proven to be sensitive to the hydrogeological properties of porous media. In August 2023, we performed four induced polarization profiles at Plan-du-Lac (Vanoise, France), on a multi-unit rock glacier complex with a front located at a low altitude of 2200 m). Our goal was to determine its architecture and its water and ice contents in relation with its activity rate. The survey included two transverse high-resolution profiles with a 5 m spacing between the electrodes and two other longitudinal profiles with a 20 m spacing between the electrodes allowing a depth of investigation of roughly 200 m to image the rock glacier from its terminal front up to its root. The conductivity and normalized chargeability tomograms were inverted and then used to get the water content and cation exchange capacity (a proxy for the clay content) tomograms. In most of the units, ice has disappeared and the landforms associated with the former rock glacier were characterized by low water and clay contents with respect to the basement. This was consistent with these units being mostly formed by rock debris with a low water saturation except at their bases, which are water-saturated. Ice remains were found at the roots of the rock glacier, with a volume content up to ∼10 per cent (vol. per cent) for profile P2 and 16 per cent for profile P4. The roots of the rock glacier complex were still creeping as shown by InSAR data. This case study demonstrates the usefulness of the induced polarization method to quantitatively characterize gravitational instabilities associated with coarse materials and transitional rock glaciers.
SUMMARYIn October 2023, an earthquake sequence comprising four ∼ MW 6.0 events struck Herat Province in northwestern Afghanistan, causing severe casualties and property losses. The geometry of seismogenic faults and the mechanisms of the earthquake sequence are essential for regional seismic hazard assessment, but still remain poorly constrained. With Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) techniques, we extracted high-resolution co- and early post-seismic deformations of the events. Through a two-step inversion method, we inferred the geometry of the causative faults and the distributed slip models. The earthquake sequence ruptured two intersecting low-dip thrust faults, indicating that the complex geometry may have played a key role in controlling the propagation of the events. The ruptures of the four major events are clearly imaged at depths of 1-10 km without reaching the surface, showing a pattern of first spreading westwards, then jumping eastwards to the bend segment, and finally rupturing an adjacent fault. Post-seismic deformation further reveals reactivation of a secondary fault splay which underwent afterslip. Shallow afterslip up-dip of the co-seismic rupture dominates post-seismic deformation during 10 months following the earthquake sequence. Relying on the evolution of afterslip, we infer that significant rate-strengthening property in the shallow bend section may have hindered further co-seismic rupture propagation. Combining obtained results and the complex geological setting of the Herat region, we suggest that the earthquake sequence reflects N-S crustal shortening between two branches of the western Herat Fault System.
SUMMARYIn the last decade, the Dynamic Stern Layer (DSL) model has proven to be a reliable petrophysical model to comprehend induced polarization data at various scales from the representative elementary volume of a porous rock to the interpretation of field data. Preliminary works have demonstrated that such model can be extended to understand the induced polarization properties of ice-bearing rocks and to interpret field-acquired induced polarization data in the context of permafrost. That being said, the direct effect of ice was let aside. We first review the DSL model in presence of ice and discuss the role of ice as an interfacial protonic dirty semi-conductor in the complex conductivity spectra with an emphasis on the role of the complex-valued surface conductivity of ice crystals above 1 Hz. We propose a new combined polarization model including indirect and direct ice effects. By direct effects, we mean the effects associated with change in the liquid water content and salinity of the pore water. By direct effect, we mean the role of the interfacial properties of the ice surface and liquid water is still present in the pore space of the porous composite. In this case, the electrical current is not expected to cross the ice crystals. Instead, it would polarize the surface of the ice crystals and generate a very high chargeability that can reach one depending on the value of the volumetric content of ice. We apply the DSL model to a new set of complex conductivity spectra obtained in the frequency range 10 mHz-45 kHz using a collection of 25 rock samples including metamorphic and sedimentary rocks in the temperature range + 15/+20°C to -10/-15°C. We observe that the model explains very well the observed data in the low-frequency range (10 mHz-1 Hz) without any direct contribution of ice. In the high frequency range (above 1 Hz), we observe a weak contribution possibly associated with the contribution of ice crystals. We establish under what conditions the direct contribution of ice can be neglected. We also investigate the role of porosity, cation exchange capacity, and freezing curve parameters on the complex conductivity spectra of crystalline and non-crystalline rocks during freezing. Laboratory experiments demonstrate that in most field conditions including permafrost conditions, surface conductivity associated with conduction on the surface of clay minerals (and alumino-silicates in general) is expected to dominate the overall conductivity response. Therefore Archie’s law cannot be used as a conductivity equation in this context because of the contribution of surface conductivity. A large experimental and field dataset at the Aiguille du Midi (3842 m a.s.l., French Alps) for the resistivity versus temperature data of granitic rocks demonstrates the role of surface conductivity in the overall conductivity of the rock.
A research group led by Prof. Sun Xiaobing from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, investigated the impact of multiangular polarimetry on the quantification of marine aerosol remote sensing applications.
If you know what diatoms are, it's probably because of their beauty. These single-celled algae found on the ocean floor have ornate glassy shells that shine like jewels under the microscope.
Melting of the Antarctic ice sheet due to global warming has long-term, irreversible societal impacts with important implications for people around the world. Spatial patterns of sea level change from ice sheet mass loss vary in cause, and have worldwide impacts.
Tulane University researchers, collaborating with an international team of scientists, have discovered why some parts of Earth's crust remain strong while others give way, overturning long-held assumptions about how continents break apart.
An international study presents the first global assessment of blue carbon accumulated in the living parts of seagrass plants. According to the results, their leaves, rhizomes and roots store up to 40 million tons of carbon worldwide.
For nearly a decade, Leigh Stearns and collaborators aimed a laser scanner system at Greenland's Helheim Glacier. Their long-running survey reveals that Helheim's massive calving events don't behave the way scientists once thought, reframing how ice loss contributes to sea-level rise.
Three new high-profile studies led by Dr. Yi Yao (Vrije Universiteit Brussel and ETH Zurich) show that while irrigation may be seen as a tool to dampen heat extremes, its benefits will come with adverse impacts.
Publication date: Available online 4 November 2025
Source: Advances in Space Research
Author(s): Sang Woo Kim, Kyeong Ja Kim
Publication date: Available online 30 October 2025
Source: Advances in Space Research
Author(s): Yi Gu, Zihao Li, Hanqing Liu, Qizhang Luo, Huan Liu, Guohua Wu
By the beginning of June this year, approximately 38 million tons of Sargassum drifted towards the coasts of the Caribbean islands, the Gulf of Mexico, and northern South America, marking a negative record. Especially during the summer months, the brown algae accumulate on beaches, decomposing and emitting a foul odor. This not only repels tourists but also threatens coastal ecosystems. In the open ocean, Sargassum seaweed floating on the surface serves as nourishment and habitat for numerous marine species.
A collaborative research team has discovered that the Southern Ocean releases substantially more carbon dioxide (CO2) during the dark austral winter than previously thought. Their new study reveals that this winter outgassing has been underestimated by up to 40%.
Techniques to reflect an additional small portion of sunlight back into space could help cool the planet if deployed globally, but they cannot address the full range of climate impacts or replace emission cuts, according to a Royal Society briefing.
We've gone to the bottom of the ocean to study how its chemistry shapes our planet's climate, even chasing lava-spewing underwater volcanoes to do it. But it turns out we may have missed something far closer to home: the water beneath our feet.
A study published in Nature Climate Change by an international team of scientists from the IBS Center for Climate Physics (ICCP) at Pusan National University in South Korea, presents new evidence that ocean turbulence and a process known as "horizontal stirring" will increase dramatically in the Arctic and Southern Oceans due to human-induced global warming and decreasing sea ice coverage.
Beneath the surface of lakes and coastal waters lies a hidden world of sediment that plays a crucial role in the health of aquatic ecosystems. "Benthic fluxes" of nitrogen and phosphorus, such as releases of these dissolved nutrients from sediments to their overlying waters, can fuel algae growth and toxic harmful algal blooms (HABs), which degrade water quality, disrupt wildlife and recreation, and reduce property values.
