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The study aims to understand geometry and evolution of accommodation zones along restraining and releasing bends in strike slip systems which is often complex and characterized by sharp change in polarity, resulting in a difficult characterization of traps location. A batch of sandbox modelling experiments was performed using a layered scaled sand material. The setup parameters of the wooden baseplates used in the first two experiments (SS1 and SS2) are basement offset of 6.5 cm/3 cm, 90°/90° stepovers in releasing and restraining bends of total 96 cm length and 25 cm width. The third experiment (SS3) was performed with basement offset of 6.5 cm/3 cm, 156°/126° stepovers in releasing and restraining bends of total 96 cm length and 25 cm width. The experiments were performed with special attention to the role of syn-kinematic sedimentation and the pre-existing structure of the basement. A sequence of pop-up and pull-apart structures was produced. Along the main structures, complex fault trend was compatible with a sinistral riedel distribution and a counterclockwise rotation of pre-existent elements. Change of fault's polarity at depth and dip direction flipping of high angle faults in accommodation zones were clearly observed. Even more, progressive propagation of the pop-up structures produces a spectacular inversion of adjacent extensional structures. Comparing results of the model with the Seagap fault zone, it is possible to put in evidence similar fault orientation and distribution. Internal structures developed were strongly influenced by syn-kinematic sedimentation as observed by characteristic helicoidal shape of growth faults. The analogue models clearly describe how boundary faults of the pull-apart basin along a paired bend, initially characterized by a normal kinematic can be subsequently inverted in the later stages, which can potentially have a strong impact on the petroleum system.

A new zosterophyllopsid species is formally described from the Lower Devonian of the central Rhenish Massif. This species, for which we propose the name Zosterophyllum confertum sp. nov., is common and hitherto restricted to Siegenian strata in terms of the regional (Rhenish) stratigraphic frame. It can easily be identified by the construction of its fertile parts (sporangia and strobilus shape), which are usually found in association with the axes. Among other characters, the new species is characterised in particular by the possession of very compact and terminally positioned mature strobili, which taper distally and comprise up to seven rows of helically and counter clockwise inserted, regularly spaced sporangia.

Reconstructing the history of Philippine Sea (PHS) plate motion is important for better understanding of the tectonics of the surrounding plates. It is generally considered that the PHS plate migrated northward since Eocene, but its rotation has not been constrained well; some reconstructions incorporated a large clockwise rotation but others did not. This is mainly because the difficulty of collecting oriented rocks from the mostly submerged PHS plate hindered establishing an apparent polar wander path. In this study, we conducted a paleomagnetic study of oriented cores taken using an ROV-based coring apparatus from the Hyuga Seamount on the northern part of the Kyushu-Palau Ridge, a remnant arc in the stable interior of the PHS plate. Stepwise thermal and alternating-field demagnetizations were applied to specimens taken successively from two ~ 30 cm long limestone cores of middle to late Oligocene age, and characteristic remanent magnetization directions could be isolated. Declination and inclination of D = 51.5° and I = 39.8°, respectively, were obtained as the mean of the two cores. The easterly-deflected declination means ~ 50° clockwise rotation of the PHS plate since middle to late Oligocene. In addition, ~ 5° latitudinal change of the site is estimated from the mean inclination. The result implies that the Kyushu-Palau Ridge was located to the southwest of the present position in middle to late Oligocene, and that PHS plate rotation as well as the Shikoku and Parece Vela Basin spreading contributed to the eastward migration of the Izu-Ogasawara (Bonin) Arc to the current position.

Eastward transport and clockwise rotation of crust around the southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau dominates active deformation east of the Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis. Current crustal movement inferred from GPS measurements indicates ongoing distortion of the traces of the active Red River fault and the Mesozoic Yalong-Yulong-Longmen Shan thrust belt. By extrapolating current rates back in time, we infer that this pattern of deformation developed since 10.1 ± 1.5 Ma. This date of initiation is approximately synchronous with a suite of tectonic phenomena, both near and far, within the wide Eurasia/Indian collision zone, including the initiation of slip on the Ganzi-Yushu-Xianshuihe fault and crustal thinning and E-W extension by normal faulting on N-S–trending rifts in the plateau interior. Accordingly, the eastward movement of eastern Tibet and the clockwise rotation of that material seem to be local manifestations of a larger geodynamic event at ca. 10–15 Ma that changed the kinematic style and reorganized deformation not only on the plateau-wide scale, but across the entire region affected by the India/Eurasia collision. Convective removal of some or all of Tibet's mantle lithosphere seems to offer the simplest mechanism for these approximately simultaneous changes.

A new high-resolution (500 × 500 m), three-dimensional hydrodynamic model was applied to Lake Winnipeg to study summer and winter water circulation, temperature, and ice-cover during 2016–17. The model was run with a combination of buoy-based observations and the outputs from the Global Environmental Multiscale model forcing. Four primary riverine inflows and two outflows were considered in the model. The bathymetry from a previous study by the authors was revised using a 2018 survey covering the South Basin and the Narrows. Comparisons of this new model with the previous model setup (2 km resolution) show noticeable improvements in all simulated parameters. In the Narrows, where seiche-driven flows have predominant oscillation periods of ~27 h and ~17 h, the RMSE of simulated currents is 0.1 m s−1, half of that of the previous simulations. The new model was able to reasonably simulate the spatial development of ice-cover over the lake. The ice-free period circulation results show that there are two clockwise and counterclockwise gyres in the North Basin, and a weak seasonal clockwise gyre in the South Basin. Monthly circulation patterns differ from those during short wind events due to spatiotemporal variability of wind patterns. The materials from the Red and the Winnipeg Rivers need ~50 days to reach the Narrows before transported from the South Basin to the North Basin. The daily inter-basin exchange flow oscillations during the ice-free period can range up to ~3.5 × 104 m3 s−1, while under-ice daily exchanges are always northwards with values depending on inflowing riverine discharge up to ~0.5 × 104 m3 s−1.

To clarify the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC) system around a downstream region of Noto Peninsula (NP) where Toyama Trough (TT) causes a discontinuity of the along shelf-current, numerical experiments were performed using two-layered ocean model with simplified bottom topography. When a current trapped by the continental slope representing an offshore branch of TWC (OB) encounters the NP and TT, the OB was trapped by the coast facing the TT. A clockwise lee-eddy developed between a current axis and a coastline over the TT, which results in a current path transition offshore (CPT). The OB finally adjusted to a current path which crosses TT by shifting from the discontinuity point of the continental slope. If a coastal current representing a coastal branch of the TWC (CB) developed under this situation, the CB also formed lee-eddy within the identical region of the OB’s eddy, resulting in CPT. Period for the CPT of the CB was shorter with increase of the OB volume transport. These results indicate that the OB acted to accelerate CPT of the CB within the TT. To support these results, observational data comprising mooring current, tidal, and CTD measurements obtained in and around the TT, along with the output from high-resolution data-assimilated ocean model DR_C were analyzed. Although the lee-eddy of the CBs was generated in every summer, the CPT events did not fully develop when the OB was absent over the continental slope because of the slow growth rate of the lee-eddy.

[Abstract Normal faults grow either by radial propagation and segment linkage or by accruing displacement without a proportional increase in fault length. To test these competing models of fault growth, a novel 2D seismic stratigraphic interpretation of the recent Fucino Basin of the central Apennines (Italy) has been performed. The Fucino is a major Pliocene‐Quaternary non‐marine ‘extensional collapse basins’, developed immediately after the Apenninic compressional strain had locally abated, and bounded by seismogenic faults that generate strong (Mw = 6–7) and destructive earthquakes. The Fucino is an overall dual polarity half‐graben, built around two border fault systems: the northern one lies along the east‐northeast striking Avezzano‐Bussi regional fault‐zone; the other, south‐eastern trending, bounds the basin to the east. Two separate fault‐driven depocentres of fluvio‐lacustrine sequences (maximum thicknesses of ~1,750 m) are present. One is associated to the northern border faults, with mainly Late Pliocene activity; the second is to the hanging‐wall of the eastern border‐faults and reveals a stepwise Pleistocene‐Recent activity. Tectonic depocentres have migrated clockwise through time, and new‐born fault systems have developed at the south‐eastern basin periphery (Gioia dei Marsi area). This, together with the progressive accumulation of throw in time without significant fault lengthening, suggests that the model of fault growth by segment linkage is not the best explanation for this basin. Instead, the stepwise onset and growth of the Fucino extensional collapse faulting, and its ongoing earthquake hazard, may have been promoted by polyphase inversion tectonics of inherited deep‐seated zones of weaknesses (e.g. Avezzano‐Bussi Line)., The Fucino is an overall dual polarity half‐graben, built around two border fault systems: the northern one lies along the east‐northeast striking Avezzano‐Bussi regional fault‐zone; the other, south‐eastern trending, bounds the basin to the east. Two separate fault‐driven depocentres of fluvio‐lacustrine sequences (maximum thicknesses of ~1,750 m) are present. The northern border fault showed mainly a Late Pliocene activity; the eastern border‐faults reveal a stepwise Pleistocene‐Recent activity. Tectonic depocentres have migrated clockwise through time, and new‐born fault systems have developed at the south‐eastern basin periphery (Gioia dei Marsi area). This, together with the progressive accumulation of throw in time without significant fault lengthening, suggests that the model of fault growth by segment linkage is not the best explanation for this basin. ]

In this paper, a hexagonal prism inlet chamber is used to form a swirling flow for the film cooling, and three kinds of compound angle of film hole ( γ = 10°, 20°, 30°) with clockwise swirling or counterclockwise swirling are used for numerical simulation studies. The influence of different compound angles of film hole and the swirling directions for the film cooling effectiveness are obtained. The results show that the film cooling effectiveness and spanwise cooling coverage range of the clockwise swirling or counterclockwise swirling flow both are low when the compound angle of film hole is 10°. With the increasing compound angle of film hole, the kidney shaped vortex of film hole exit gradually weakens until it disappears, which reduces the entrainment effect by the coolant jet. So that the spanwise coverage range of two swirling modes is obviously improved. When the compound angle of film hole is 30° compared to 10°, the average spanwise film cooling effectiveness of clockwise swirling and counterclockwise swirling are increased by about 133.75 and 212.6%, respectively. The average spanwise film cooling effectiveness on the downstream of film hole for counterclockwise swirling is increased by about 140% compared with clockwise swirling.

The clockwise spiral of troughs marking the Martian north polar plateau forms one of the planet’s youngest megastructures. One popular hypothesis posits that the spiral pattern resulted as troughs underwent poleward migration. Here, we show that the troughs are extensively segmented into enclosed depressions (or cells). Many cell interiors display concentric layers that connect pole- and equator-facing slopes, demonstrating in-situ trough erosion. The segmentation patterns indicate a history of gradual trough growth transversely to katabatic wind directions, whereby increases in trough intersections generated their spiral arrangement. The erosional event recorded in the truncated strata and trough segmentation may have supplied up to ~25% of the volume of the mid-latitude icy mantles. Topographically subtle undulations transition into troughs and have distributions that mimic and extend the troughs’ spiraling pattern, indicating that they probably represent buried trough sections. The retention of the spiral pattern in surface and subsurface troughs is consistent with the megastructure’s stabilization before its partial burial. A previously suggested warm paleoclimatic spike indicates that the erosion could have occurred as recently as ~50 Ka. Hence, if the removed ice was redeposited to form the mid-latitude mantles, they could provide a valuable source of near-surface, clean ice for future human exploration.

The western Qinling Mountains, located between the East Kunlun fault and the West Qinling fault, hold the key to investigating the outward expansion of the Tibetan Plateau. We use up-to-date GPS observations to derive high spatial–temporal resolution crustal velocity and strain rate fields for this region. Our results suggest that a series of NEE-trending faults bounding the eastern margin of the western Qinling Mountains experience right-lateral strike slip with low rates of ~ 1 mm/yr. In addition, our results suggest that crustal deformation of the western Qinling Mountains could be governed by a right-lateral shear zone trending NNE at a rate of ~ 6 mm/yr, producing a clockwise rotation of subblocks: left-lateral and right-lateral strike slip on the NWW-trending and NEE-trending faults, respectively. The eastward extrusion of the Tibetan Plateau along the western Qinling Mountains is limited further east. In contrast, the NNE-ward expansion of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau is the primary motion which extends through the western Qinling Mountains and the Longxi block. The results of this study improve our understanding of the outward expansion of the Tibetan Plateau influenced by the Indian–Eurasian collision.

The North China Craton (NCC) is one of the oldest cratons in the world. Currently, the destruction mechanism and geodynamics of the NCC remain controversial. All of the proposed views regarding the issues involve studying the internal density structure of the NCC lithosphere. Gravity field data are among the most important data in regard to investigating the lithospheric density structure, and gravity gradient data and gravity data each possess their own advantages. Given the different observational plane heights between the on-orbit GOCE (Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer) satellite gravity gradient and terrestrial gravity and the effects of the initial density model on the inversion results, sequential inversion of the gravity gradient and gravity are divided into two integrated processes. By using the preconditioned conjugate gradient (PCG) inversion algorithm, the density data are calculated using the preprocessed corrected gravity anomaly data. Then, the newly obtained high-resolution density data are used as the initial density model, which can serve as constraints for the subsequent gravity gradient inversion. Several essential corrections are applied to the four gravity gradient tensors (Txx, Txz, Tyy, Tzz) of the GOCE satellite, after which the corrected gravity gradient anomalies (T′xx, T′xz, T′yy, T′zz) are used as observations. The lithospheric density distribution result within the depth range of 0–180 km in the NCC is obtained. This study clearly illustrates that GOCE data are helpful in understanding the geological settings and tectonic structures in the NCC with regional scale. The inversion results show that in the crust the eastern NCC is affected by lithospheric thinning with obvious local features. In the mantle, the presented obvious negative-density areas are mainly affected by the high-heat-flux environment. In the eastern NCC, the density anomaly in the Bohai Bay area is mostly attributed to the extension of the Tancheng–Lujiang major fault at the eastern boundary. In the western NCC, the crustal density anomaly distribution of the Qilian block is consistent with the northwest–southeast strike of the surface fault belt, whereas such an anomaly distribution experiences a clockwise rotation to a nearly north–south direction upon entering the mantle.

In estuaries, the morphology of inland and offshore areas usually evolves synergistically. This study examines the decadal link between longitudinal changes in morphology of branching channels and movement of the offshore depo-center (where sediment deposition rate is maximum) of the Yangtze River estuary, under intense human interference. Integrated data analysis is provided on morphology, runoff discharge, and ebb partition ratio from 1950 to 2017. Channel-volume reductions and change rates between isobaths in branching channels reflect the impact of estuarine engineering projects. Ebb partition ratio and duration of discharge ≥ 60 000 m3 s-1 act as proxies for the water excavating force in branching channels and runoff intensity. It is found that deposition occurs in the lower/upper sub-reaches (or further downstream/upstream channels) of the inland north/south branching channels, and the offshore depo-center moves southward or southeastward, as runoff intensity grows; the reverse occurs as runoff intensity declines. This is because the horizontal circumfluence in the Yangtze estuary rotates clockwise as ebb partition ratios of the north/south branching channels increase/decrease for increasing runoff, and conversely rotates anticlockwise for decreasing runoff. Land reclamation activities, the Deepwater Channel Project, and the Qingcaosha Reservoir have impacted greatly on longitudinal changes of morphology in the North Branch and the South Passage and on ebb partition ratio variations in the North/South Channel and the North/South Passage. Dam-induced runoff flattening has enhanced deposition in the upper/lower sub-reaches of the north/south branching channels and caused northward movement of the offshore depo-center, except in areas affected by estuarine engineering projects. Dam-induced longitudinal evolution of branching channel morphology and offshore depo-center movement will likely persist in the future, given the ongoing construction of large cascade dams in the upper Yangtze and the completion of major projects in the Yangtze estuary.

Sediment fingerprinting has been widely used to distinguish discrete sediment sources; however, application to intra‐storm sediment source variability has received relatively little focus despite the benefit being long recognized. In this investigation, sediment fingerprinting was applied to a 53‐hr storm event sampled hourly to determine sediment source dynamics throughout the event. Sediment sources were differentiated using 16 variables, and source contribution determined using Bayesian and Frequentist mixing models for comparison. Both models provided comparable source predictions for the dominant source estimates and the general temporal pattern. The Frequentist model appeared to exhibit some unreliable values coinciding with low GOF and attributed to inherent model structure. The Bayesian model showed higher uncertainty, likely due to the “process error” utilized associated with single sample mixtures. High variability in sediment source contribution was observed between hourly time steps; however, local smoothing reveals temporal trends during the event. A higher average proportion of mudstone is found in the falling limb (0.544) compared with the rising limb (0.464), and the reverse is observed for mountain range (0.218 vs. 0.283) and unconsolidated (0.073 vs. 0.055). In the initial hours of the storm, mudstone source contribution significantly drops, whereas mountain range and unconsolidated contributions peak. The SSC‐Q clockwise hysteresis indicates proximal sediment sources, suggesting the mudstone sediment is stored channel sediment and easily entrained. This sediment flushes through, coinciding with a drop as the distal mountain range and unconsolidated sources arrive to peak contribution. The wider Manawatū discharge and sediment load then arrive, delivering increasing levels of mudstone throughout the remainder of the event while mountain range sediment diminishes. Spatial representation of the sediment source contribution was derived from distributing sediment source loads to the spatial extent of the source material according to sub‐catchment sediment loads and was weighted according to slope. This provided an effective means to visualize the origin of the sediment and a better spatial interpretation of sediment fingerprinting results, which is typically limited by poor spatial resolution.

The sediment dynamics of (peri-)glacial catchments can be highly variable and complex. Understanding these dynamics and their underlying causes is not only of interest from a scientific perspective but also required to address the practical problems with which they are often associated. In order to better understand the sediment dynamics of glaciated mountainous catchments, suspended sediment fluxes in the 9.1 km2 Djankuat catchment (North Caucasus, Russia) were monitored intensively during the 2017 ablation season. The intra-event suspended sediment dynamics were studied using a newly proposed simple hysteresis index (SHI), quantifying to what extent evolutions in sediment concentration are characterized by a clockwise or anticlockwise hysteresis loop. The resulting catchment suspended sediment yield was 1033 t km−2 year−1, with the glacier itself contributing 72% of the suspended sediment load. However, during rainfall events, also hillslope erosion in the proglacial area became a very significant sediment source. Clockwise hysteresis loops occurred in 61.8% of the events, while anticlockwise in 11.8%. On the other hand, only 47.8% of the total suspended sediment flux was transported during clockwise events. Our observations clearly indicate that events showing a stronger clockwise pattern (i.e., a higher SHI) are associated with a larger sediment input from the proglacial area. Overall, our results provide data and insights on sediment dynamics in an understudied environment. They illustrate that the type and characteristics of sediment concentration hysteresis loops are to some extent linked to the dominant sediment sources during the event. As such, the proposed methodology and SHI may also help with a better understanding of sediment dynamics in other environments.

Current characteristics and vertical variations during summer and autumn in the southern East China Sea were investigated by measuring current profile, tide, wind, and wave data for 90 d from July 28 to October 25, 2015. Our results are: (1) The current was mainly a (clockwise) rotating flow, displaying reciprocating flow characteristics, and vertically the current directions were the same throughout the vertical profile. (2) The horizontal current speed was strongest during August (summer) with an average speed of 51.8 cm/s. The average current speeds during spring tides were highest in August and weakest in September, with speeds of 59.9 and 42.8 cm/s, respectively. (3) Considerable differences exist in average current speeds in different layers and seasons. The highest average current speeds were found in the middle–upper layers in August and in the middle–lower layers in September and October. (4) The residual current speed was highest in August, when the speed was 12.5–47.1 cm/s, whereas the vertical average current speed was 34.3 cm/s. The depth-averaged residual current speeds in September and October were only 50% of that in August, and the residual current direction gradually rotated in a counter-clockwise direction from the lower to surface layers. (5) Typhoon waves had a significant influence on the currents, and even affected the middle and lower water layers at depths of >70.0 m. Our results showed that the currents are controlled by the dynamic interplay of the Taiwan Warm Current, incursion of the Kuroshio Current onto the continental shelf, and monsoonal changes.

The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed basin on Earth and a unique subject for the analysis of tidal dynamics. Tides in the basin are produced directly by the tide-generating forces. Using the Princeton Ocean Model (POM), we examine details of the spatial and temporal features of the tidal dynamics in the Caspian Sea. We present tidal charts of the amplitudes and phase lags of the major tidal constituents, together with maps of the form factor, tidal range, and tidal current speed. Semi-diurnal tides in the Caspian Sea are determined by a Taylor amphidromic system with anticlockwise rotation. The largest M2 amplitude is 6 cm and is located in Türkmen Aylagy (called Turkmen Bay hereafter). For the diurnal constituents, the Absheron Peninsula separates two individual amphidromes with anticlockwise rotation in the north and in the south. The maximum K1 amplitudes (up to 0.7–0.8 cm) are located in (1) the south-eastern part of the basin, (2) Türkmenbaşy Gulf, (3) Mangyshlak Bay; and (4) Kizlyar Bay. As a result, the semi-diurnal tides prevail over diurnal tides in the Caspian Sea. The maximum tidal range, of up to 21 cm, has been found in Turkmen Bay. The strongest tidal currents have been located in the straits to the north and south of Ogurja Ada, where speeds reach 22 and 19 cm s−1, respectively. Numerical simulations of the tides using different mean sea levels (within a range of 5 m) indicate that spatial features of the Caspian Sea tides are strongly sensitive to changes in mean sea level.

The high-grade complexes along the northern Moldanubian periphery of the central Bohemian Massif provide an outstanding structural record of all episodes of the Variscan collisional evolution. Kinematics and timing of orogenic processes have been examined by structural and microstructural study of middle and lower crustal rocks combined with xenotime and monazite geochronology. Four distinct tectonic events have been identified in the studied units. A first relict sub-horizontal fabric S1 associated with the HP/HT metamorphism is developed only in the lower crustal rocks and was related to back-arc extension or lower crustal flow in a supra-subduction domain. This fabric was at c. 340 Ma completely reworked to the sub-vertical foliation S2 by the major collisional thickening leading to the lower and middle crust juxtaposition. Thereafter, the extensional collapse of thickened orogenic system caused strong refolding to the HT sub-horizontal fabric at c. 325 Ma. The region was subsequently affected by the NNE–SSW oriented horizontal shortening related to the dextral shearing and clockwise rotation of crustal blocks adjacent to the large scale dextral shear zone, the Elbe Zone. It led to the fragmentation and reorientation of the Moldanubian margin to the current position. Supplementary material:https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.5708800.v1

As an important segment of the North China Craton, the Trans-North China Orogen (TNCO) has experienced strong tectonic deformation and magmatic activities since the Cenozoic and is characterized by significant seismicity. To understand the mechanism of the crustal deformation and seismic hazards, we determined the crustal thickness (H), Vp/Vs ratio (κ) and crustal anisotropy (the fast polarization direction φ and splitting time τ) beneath the TNCO and its adjacent areas by analyzing receiver function data recorded by a dense seismic array. The (H, κ) and (φ, τ) at a total of 309 stations were measured, respectively. The Moho depth varies from ∼30 km beneath the western margin of the Bohai bay basin to the maximum value of ∼48 km beneath the northern Lüliang Mountain, which shows the positive and negative correlations with the elevation and the Bouguer anomaly. The average φ is roughly parallel to the strikes of the faults, grabens and Mountains in this study area, whereas a rotating distribution is shown around the Datong-Hannuoba volcanic regions. Based on the φ measured from the Moho Ps and SKS/SKKS phases, we propose that the crustal deformation and seismic hazards beneath the TNCO could be due to the counterclockwise rotation of the Ordos block driven by the far-field effects of the India-Eurasian collision.

The Indian Ocean and East Asia are the most famous monsoonal regions, and the climate of East Asia is affected by the change in wind direction due to monsoons. The vertical motion of the atmosphere is closely related to the amount of precipitation in whichever particular region. Climate diagnosis and statistical analysis were used to study the vertical motion of air over the Indian Ocean and its relationship with the climate in East Asia. The vertical motion of air over the Indian Ocean had a significant correlation with the climate in China—especially with precipitation in the Tibetan Plateau and the Yangtze River Basin—as a result of the interaction of the vertical motion of air from the Indian Ocean, the Tibetan Plateau and the subpolar region in the Northern Hemisphere. The vertical motion over the Indian Ocean was weakened from 1981 to 2010, except at a height of 500 hPa in winter. The vertical motion of air over the Indian Ocean had a period of 7–9 years in summer and 9–12 years in winter. An ascending motion was dominant over most of the Indian Ocean throughout the year and the central axis of the ascending motion changed from a clockwise rotation from winter to summer to a counterclockwise rotation from summer to winter as a result of the monsoonal circulation over the Indian Ocean. These results will provide a theoretical reference for a comprehensive understanding of the climate in Asia and contribute to work on climate prediction in these regions.

Table S1: GPS velocity data in a Eurasian-fixed Reference Frame (velocity in mm/yr); Table S2: GPS velocity data in a South China Block-fixed Reference Frame (velocity in mm/yr); Table S3: GPS stations in the South China Block used to define the Euler Vector for transformation of reference frame (velocity in mm/yr); Table S4: Interpolated velocities of the points on current fault trace and extension line of undeflected fault segment, and the averages of each pair of corresponding points (velocity in mm/yr); Table S5: Position and backward velocity of points on current fault trace (velocity in mm/yr); Table S6: Points inferred from the best estimate of duration time; Table S7: Points on smoothed original fault trace.

Four Crimean archeological monuments bearing traces of specific deformations in their structures are considered. Detailed analysis of these structures revealed that they suffered from seismic impacts in the medieval period: such deformations as interblock cracks, cracks in windows and window sills, clockwise or counterclockwise rotations of wall sections, upslope toppling, deformation (short-term opening) arch structures, etc. Archeological and historical analysis allowed chronological stratification of these seismogenic deformations, making it possible to identify and date several medieval earthquakes. Traces of one of them (which occurred in the second half of the 15th century) were found at three monuments: the Ilka tile production center, the Mangup fortress, and the Chorgun tower. Maximum seismic impacts, which caused damage to the Ilka tile production center (one of its kilns), Chorgun tower, and the Theodoro Palace of Dominus, apparently originated from the West Crimean seismogenic zone, where earthquakes with M ≥ 6.5 can occur. This earthquake dates back to the second half of the 15th century. Earlier, this earthquake was known only from one historical source and did not raise much confidence among researchers. However, the discovery and description of seismogenic deformations of the Funa fortress, attributed to the year 1423, made it possible to prove the occurrence of another strong seismic event in Crimea in the second half of the 15th century, in addition to the well-known earthquake of 1423.

Deriving eruption source parameters from geophysical data is critical for volcano hazard mitigation, yet remains a challenging task in most volcanoes worldwide. In this work, we explored the temporal relationship between geophysical signals and eruptive parameters measured during six explosive episodes from the New South-East Crater of Mt. Etna (Italy). The quadratic reduced seismic velocity and pressure were calculated to track the temporal variation of volcanic elastic radiation, and the lava fountain height was estimated by thermal camera image processing. The temporal relationships between these geophysical and eruptive time series were studied. In particular, the first considered lava fountain exhibited a “clockwise hysteresis” pattern: higher seismic amplitude with respect to the fountain height during the waxing phase as compared to the waning phase. We also calculated the regression parameters for both linear and power laws, linking seismo-acoustic and eruptive time series. For the linear regressions, we found fairly constant values of the scaling factors in five out of six eruptive episodes, which can be considered as a promising step to derive eruption source parameters from geophysical data in real-time. Regarding power law regressions, a clear relationship was observed between the exponents determined for the power law linking quadratic reduced velocity and lava fountain height, and the time interval duration from the previous eruption. These results suggest that the condition of the uppermost part of the plumbing system (e.g. viscosity of residing magma and conduit conditions) play a key role in the seismic energy generation during the eruptions.

The Anaximander Mountains and the Rhodes Basin at the junction of Cyprus and Hellenic arcs are one of the tectonically most complex regions in the eastern Mediterranean. Harmonically-tilted Messinian and the uppermost Messinian–Pliocene successions across the northern and eastern margins of the Rhodes Basin showed that these regions experienced dramatic subsidence exceeding ~1500–2500 ms (~1125–1875 m @ 1500 m s−1) during the upper Pliocene–Quaternary. Tilted upper Pliocene–Quaternary growth strata wedges showing apparent north-directed downlap along the northern foothills of the Anaximander Mountain suggested that this region experienced ~1000–2500 ms (~750–1125 m) concomitant uplift. The absence of faults showing extensional stratigraphic separations and the relative subsidence rates calculated using amount of tilting collectively suggest that the Rhodes Basin experienced sagging of its deeper basinal regions, which is attributable to the loading effect of the building of the Tauride Mountains modified by the vertical axis rotations of the Beydaglari Block and the Island of Rhodes, and the horizontal axis rotation of the Anaximander Mountain. Messinian and uppermost Messinian–Pliocene were tectonically relatively quiet as shown by the harmonically structured and isopachous successions across the Rhodes Basin and Anaximander Mountain. This interval coincides with the paleomagnetically-determined 9° counterclockwise vertical axis rotation of the Island of Rhodes. The dramatic subsidence observed within the Rhodes Basin and the concommitant uplift of the Anaximander Mountain and its western extension occurred broadly coincident with southeast tilting of the Island of Rhodes and its associated 500–600 m subsidence between 2.5 and 1.8 Ma, the northwest tilting between 1.5 and 1.1 Ma, and the associated re-emergence of the southeastern coast. The large counterclockwise rotation of the Island of Rhodes since 0.8 Ma corresponds with the enormous subsidence observed across the northeastern sector of the Rhodes Basin, which brought the shelf-edge deltas from the near-sea level to their present-day depth of 1200–1500 m.

Formation of eastern frontier of the Siberian craton is bound to the riftogenny processes, which split the continent at the end of the Middle Paleozoic. The paleomagnetic data obtained on middle Paleozoic kimberlites and bazites from a zone of dynamic influence of the Vilyui paleorift indicate a turn of the Aldan terreyn rather Angaro-Anabar clockwise in the post-late Devonian time. The corner of a turn of terreyn gradually increases in east direction and reaches 22° for east flank of the Charo-Sinsk dyke belt.

The eastern boundary of the Siberian Craton was formed as a result of rifting that split the continent late in the Middle Paleozoic. The paleomagnetic data derived from the Middle Paleozoic kimberlites and basites that were formed in the zone of the dynamic effect of the Vilyui paleorift attest to the clockwise rotation of the Aldan terrane relative to the Angara–Anabar terrane during the post-Late Devonian time. The amount of rotation of the terranes increases gradually eastward and reaches 22° on the eastern flank of the Chara–Sinsk dyke belt.

Curvature of fold-and-thrust belts (FTBs) is a rather common feature in foreland basins. The problem of how curves in FTBs originate is essential for understanding the propagation of deformation and tectonic history of orogens. In this study, we carried out systematic paleomagnetic studies in the westernmost part of the Qiulitage FTB, southern Tian Shan foreland, where thrusting, strike-slip fault, and tectonic boundary coexist. Our new results suggest that the study area has been subjected to similar to 20 degrees clockwise rotations after similar to 5Ma. Oroclinal test of the paleomagnetic data across the FTB suggests that oroclinal bending caused by the formation of the curved Qiulitage FTB is the dominate reason for these tectonic rotations. The Kalayuergun dextral strike-slip transfer fault delimiting the western boundary of the Qiulitage FTB is a thin-skinned structure accommodating the discrepancy in horizontal displacement on both sides of it. These results also suggest that the formation of the curved Qiulitage FTB should not be older than similar to 5Ma, indicating that the southern Tian Shan foreland has experienced significant tectonic shortening since the latest Miocene to early Pliocene. Our new results, together with previous studies on deformation history, estimates of crustal shortening, GPS observations and earthquake records, suggest that the southern Tian Shan foreland has been subjected to significant deformation during the past similar to 5million years, and the crustal shortening is still ongoing.

Typhoon Lionrock (2016) was unusual among tropical cyclones (TCs) in that it formed east of the monsoon gyre in the western North Pacific, and moved counterclockwise. It rapidly intensified in the monsoon gyre in an environment of weak upper-tropospheric winds and vertical wind shear. This study used a 3-km mesh nonhydrostatic model to examine the warm-core intensification of Typhoon Lionrock, which was associated with cyclone-scale vigorous convection [i.e., convective bursts (CBs)]. The simulation reproduced the multiple CBs at intervals of 1 day or shorter, which were related to the diurnal cycles and other short time-scale variations in the TC convection. Each CB tended to precede peak temperature anomalies near the TC center by 0–12 h, indicating that the warm-core intensification occurred due to diabatic heating released by the vigorous eyewall convection. Notably, updrafts due to convection during the intensification phase were stronger than those occurring during the mature and decay phases, and the maximum temperature anomaly of the upper-tropospheric warm core rapidly increased during eyewall formation. In addition, this study indicated that most of the asymmetric inner-core vigorous convection associated with CBs, which was induced by the vertical wind shear, contributed to the warm-core intensification. Furthermore, the budget analysis of potential temperature within the TC inner core showed that adiabatic heating due to subsidence from near the tropopause within the eye, often following CBs, was essential in developing the eye. The lag correlation suggested the lag time between the CBs and the subsidence within the eye was 3–9 h.

The tectonic evolution of SE Anatolia is associated with the collision between the Taurides and the Arabian Platform in the early Cenozoic, after the final closure of the southern branch of the Neotethys ocean during Late Cretaceous to Early Eocene times. The ongoing deformation was characterized by northward movement of Arabia, followed by westward extrusion of Anatolia, having been displaced along the northern and eastern Anatolian transform faults. The neotectonic deformation history between the Anatolian Plate and the Arabian platform since the closure of the southern Neotethyan oceanic basin from Late Cretaceous to present has not been studied in detail paleomagnetically. Therefore we carried out a paleomagnetic study of Mesozoic and Cenozoic rocks at 34 localities along the Bitlis-Zagros suture zone in SE Anatolia located in the boundary region between the Taurides and the Arabian platform and delimited by the Dead Sea Fault. Paleomagnetic results from the area show clockwise rotations of 35.6° ± 14.1° and 26.7° ± 8.0° with respect to the African plate from Upper Jurassic - Lower Cretaceous and Upper Cretaceous limestones, respectively. The paleomagnetic results indicate also an earlier deformation/opening due to the Dead Sea Fault Zone (DSFZ). Farther north on the Tauride Block, counterclockwise rotation of −34.5° ± 12.5° is recorded by Upper Cretaceous limestones. In the SE of the study area on the northern margin of Arabia, however, smaller counterclockwise rotations of -12.3° ± 8.3° and −2.5° ± 10.0° in Late Cretaceous and −12.7° ± 13.6° in middle Eocene rocks show relative tectonic stability. Middle Miocene rocks close to the suture zone show counterclockwise rotation by about −39.4° ± 10.9°, while farther away from the suture zone counterclockwise rotations of −21.9° ± 9.9° and −7.5° ± 5.8° are observed. Paleolatitudinal motion from south to north from the Late Jurassic to the Present is in concordance with the apparent polar wander path of Eurasia and Africa.

The Labrador Current is part of the anticlockwise subpolar gyre and plays a major role in the formation of North Atlantic Deep Water. It is influenced by the West Greenland and Baffin currents supplying warmer Atlantic and cold polar waters, respectively. During the early Holocene, at the final stage of the last deglaciation, meltwater and iceberg discharge caused highly variable conditions in the Labrador Current. In order to assess its sensitivity to such freshening, this study provides a well-resolved Holocene paleoclimatic record from the Labrador Shelf. Based on benthic foraminiferal faunal and alkenone biomarker analyses, we differentiated four distinct climatic periods in the western Labrador Sea. From 8.9 to 8.6 ka BP, the Labrador Shelf was dominated by polar water outflow from Baffin Bay and covered by perennial sea ice. Between 8.6 and 7.4 ka BP, a strong subsurface inflow of warmer Atlantic water masses is ascribed to an intensification and redirection of the West Greenland Current. At 7.4 ka BP, the decreased influence of Atlantic water masses on the Labrador Shelf marks the establishment of winter convection leading to the formation of Labrador Sea Water in the central basin. Concurrently, an intensified polar water outflow through the Canadian Gateways strengthened the inner Labrador Current, and higher primary productivity suggests longer spring blooms because of a shorter sea-ice season during the Holocene Thermal Maximum. In the late Holocene after 3 ka BP, periodic fluctuations of primary productivity may tentatively be correlated with stronger and weaker northwesterly winds.

The outward expansion of the northeastern Iranian Plateau is mainly accommodated by a series of widely distributed range-normal thrust and range-parallel strike-slip faults. However, the role of the strike-slip faults in this region's strain-partitioning kinematics remains unclear. The occurrence of the 5 April 2017 Mw 6.1 Mashhad earthquake provides us a rare opportunity to study this topic because this earthquake struck the southern Binalud Mountains, which are experiencing an oblique convergence between the northward-moving Lut Block and the NW-striking Binalud and Kopeh Dagh mountain ranges. We process two paired ascending and descending Sentinel-1A radar-image observations to determine the relative contributions from the dip and strike-dip subcomponents in such an oblique collisional domain. The interferograms along the line-of-sight direction and their converted horizontal and vertical displacements indicate that a thrust with a right-lateral strike-slip fault controlled the rupture process of the Mashhad earthquake, with the maximum dextral shearing and vertical displacements reaching 19.5 cm and 14 cm, respectively. Coseismic surface deformation measurements are also used to estimate the fault geometry and invert the slip distribution along the underlying seismogenic fault. Our best-fit faulting model suggests that the coseismic rupture occurred on a fault plane with a dip angle of 37.5° and strike angle of 324°. The strike-slip subcomponent was more significant than the dip-slip, approaching ∼95 cm, and the dip-slip varied from 10 cm to 47 cm. The seismic-moment release of our preferred fault model is 1.71 × 1018 Nm, equivalent to a Mw 6.16 earthquake event. We also use the preferred fault model to calculate the Coulomb failure stress (CFS) change at the nearby receiver faults. Combined with an analysis of historical earthquakes and the consistent dextral river deflections along the strike-slip fault systems of the southern Binalud and Kopeh Dagh Mountains, we speculate that the seismogenic structure that triggered the Mashhad earthquake should have been one strand fault of the NW–SE-striking Kashafrud fault system. The strike-slip faults in NE Iran play an important role in accommodating the lateral transport of crustal material from the convergence front of the Lut Block and Binalud fragments and providing commonly distributed anticlockwise rotation around a vertical axis.

To reveal the geometry of the seismogenic structure of the Aug. 8, 2017 MS 7.0 Jiuzhaigou earthquake in northern Sichuan, data from the regional seismic network from the time of the main event to Oct. 31, 2017 were used to relocate the earthquake sequence by the tomoDD program, and the focal mechanism solutions and centroid depths of the ML ≥ 3.5 events in the sequence were determined using the CAP waveform inversion method. Further, the segmental tectonic deformation characteristics of the seismogenic faults were analyzed preliminarily by using strain rosettes and areal strains (As). The results indicate: (1) The relocated MS 7.0 Jiuzhaigou earthquake sequence displays a narrow ~ 38 km long NNW-SSE-trending zone between the NW-striking Tazang Fault and the nearly NS-striking Minjiang Fault, two branches of the East Kunlun Fault Zone. The spatial distribution of the sequence is narrow and deep for the southern segment, and relatively wide and shallow for the northern segment. The initial rupture depth of the mainshock is 12.5 km, the dominant depth range of the aftershock sequence is between 0 and 10 km with an average depth of 6.7 km. The mainshock epicenter is located in the middle of the aftershock region, showing a bilateral rupture behavior. The centroid depths of 32 ML ≥ 3.5 events range from 3 to 12 km with a mean of about 7.3 km, consistent with the predominant focal depth of the whole sequence. (2) The geometric structure of the seismogenic fault on the southern section of the aftershock area (south of the mainshock) is relatively simple, with overall strike of ~150° and dip angle ~75°, but the dip angle and dip-orientation exhibit some variation along the segment. The seismogenic structure on the northern segment is more complicated; several faults, including the Minjiang Fault, may be responsible for the aftershock activities. The overall strike of this section is ~159° and dip angle is ~59°, illustrating a certain clockwise rotation and a smaller dip angle than the southern segment. The differences between the two segments demonstrate variation of the geometric structure along the seismogenic faults. (3) The focal mechanism solutions of 32 ML ≥ 3.5 events in the earthquake sequence have obvious segmental characteristics. Strike-slip earthquakes are dominant on the southern segment, while 50% of events on the northern segment are thrusting and oblique thrusting earthquakes, revealing significant differences in the kinematic features of the seismogenic faults between the two segments. (4) The strain rosettes for the mainshock and the entire sequence of 31 ML ≥ 3.5 aftershocks correspond to strike-slip type with NWW-SEE compressional white lobes and NNE-SSW extensional black lobes of nearly similar size. The strain rosette and As value of the entire sequence of 22 ML ≥ 3.5 events on the southern segment are the same as those of the MS 7.0 mainshock, indicating that the tectonic deformation here is strike-slip. However, the strain rosette of the entire sequence of 10 ML ≥ 3.5 events on the northern segment show prominent white compressional lobes and small black extensional lobes, and the related As value is up to 0.52, indicating that the tectonic deformation of this segment is oblique thrusting with a certain strike-slip component. Differences between the two segments all reveal distinctly obvious segmental characteristics of the tectonic deformation of the seismogenic faults for the Jiuzhaigou earthquake sequence.

The Bohai Sea is a shallow semi-enclosed inner sea with an average depth of 18 m and is located at the west of the northern Yellow Sea. The climatological circulation pattern in summer of the Bohai Sea is studied by using a wave-tide-circulation coupled model. The simulated temperature and the circulation agree with the observation well. The result shows that the circulation pattern of the Bohai Sea is jointly influenced by the tidal residual current, wind and baroclinic current. There exists an obvious density current along the temperature front from the west part of the Liaodong Bay to the offshore area of the Huanghe Estuary. In the Liaodong Bay there exists a clockwise gyre in the area north to the 40°N. While in the area south to the 40°N the circulation shows a two-gyre structure, the flow from the offshore area of the Huanghe Estuary to the Liaodong Bay splits into two branches in the area between 39°N and 40°N. The west branch turns into north-west and forms an anti-clockwise gyre with the south-westward density current off the west of the Liaodong Bay. The east branch turns to the east and forms a clockwise gyre with the flow along the east coast of the Liaodong Bay. The forming mechanism of the circulation is also discussed in this paper.

The Chenghai fault zone, an important part of the Dali fault system, is instrumental in comprehending the crustal deformation of the southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. Detailed remote sens...

The sustained seafloor geodetic measurement is crucial, even yet sparse in time and space, to constrain the undersea crustal deformation near the plate boundaries. We present an integrated analysis of a decade of GNSS/Acoustic data collected at a site 60 km to the east of the northeast coast of Taiwan near the opening axis of the Okinawa trough back-arc basin. As a result, we obtained the horizontal and vertical positioning time series of the benchmark with eighteen measurements from 2009 to 2019. The positioning time series of the benchmark shows a southeastward movement at a rate of 43±5 mm/yr since 2012 with respect to the Yangtze plate. The horizontal motion can be explained by the clockwise block rotation of the Yonaguni block united with the northern part of the Central Range. In addition, the vertical displacement of the transponder array shows the rapid subsidence of 22±9 mm/yr from 2012 to 2019. The fast subsidence rate and the negative free-air gravity anomaly in this region indicate that the crustal thinning is compensated mainly by the surface deformation instead of the upward migration of the Moho. Considering the offset in 2012 due to the change of transponder array, the horizontal positioning time series of our site is best explained by two linear lines with a slope change in July 2013. The timing of the velocity change roughly coincides with the change of the periphery seismicity rate and the dike intrusion 150 km away from the site. The results show the potential of the seafloor geodesy site in accessing the temporal variation in the deformation rate near the spreading center of the Okinawa Trough, which is not accessible by on-land GNSS stations.

[This study suggests that the Bohai Bay Basin is a composite extensional‐transtensional basin and that the counter‐clockwise rotation in the direction of Pacific Plate subduction drove the clockwise rotation of the basin velocity field. , Abstract A well‐constrained plate deformation model may lead to an improved understanding of sedimentary basin formation and the connection between subduction history and over‐riding plate deformation. Building quantitative models of basin kinematics and deformation remains challenging often due to the lack of comprehensive constraints. The Bohai Bay Basin (BBB) is an important manifestation of the destruction of the North China Craton, and records the plate kinematic history of East Asia during the Cenozoic. Although a number of interpretations of the formation of the BBB have been proposed, few quantitative basin reconstruction models have been built to test and refine previous ideas. Here, we developed a quantitative deformation reconstruction of the BBB constrained with balanced cross‐sections and structural, stratigraphic and depositional age data. Our reconstruction suggests that the basin formation process was composed of three main stages: Paleocene‐early Eocene (65–42 Ma) extension initiation, middle Eocene‐early Oligocene (42–32.8 Ma) extension climax and post‐Oligocene (32.8–0 Ma) post‐extensional subsidence. The deformation of the BBB is spatially heterogeneous, and its velocity directions rotated clockwise during the basin formation process. The reconstruction supports the interpretation that the BBB formed via strike‐slip faulting and orthogonal extension and that the basin is classified as a composite extensional‐transtensional basin. We argue that the clockwise rotation of the basin velocity field was driven by the counter‐clockwise rotation in the direction of Pacific Plate subduction. The kinematics of the BBB imply that the Pacific Plate may have been sufficiently coupled to the over‐riding East Asian Plate during the critical period of Pacific Plate reorganization. The new reconstruction provides a quantitative basis for studies of deformation processes not only in the vicinity of the BBB, but also more broadly throughout East Asia.]

Crustal material eastward extrusion from the Tibetan Plateau is closely related to the strike-slip faults in the SE margin of the Tibetan Plateau. The left-lateral strike-slip Xianshuihe–Xiaojiang ...

Kinematic analysis of faults in Trinidad reveals three main stages of the tectonic evolution of the southeastern Caribbean–South American plate boundary. During Stage 1, folding and thrusting occurred and are truncated by a Middle Miocene unconformity. This shortening event has been related by previous workers to the initial, oblique collision of the Great Arc of the Caribbean with the passive margin of South America. We propose that Stage 1 Middle Miocene east-northeast-trending compression documented in this study initially had a more northwest–southeast direction and has been rotated in a clockwise direction during this collision. This tectonic stage resulted in clockwise rotation of structures along the southeastern Caribbean plate margin within a broad, right-lateral, strike-slip zone. During Stage 2 in the late Miocene and middle Pliocene, south-southeast-trending shortening uplifted the Central Range, formed prominent north-dipping thrusts, bounded by oblique ramps such as the Los Bajos right-lateral strike-slip fault and formed piggy-back basins. This north-northwest–south-southeast trend of compression is compatible with coeval right-lateral shear on the El Pilar fault zone in Trinidad. We interpret this pattern of coeval thrusts and strike-slip faults of Stage 2 as the result of strain partitioning. In Stage 3 during the late Pliocene–Quaternary, the stress field rotated counterclockwise and east-southeast-trending compression reactivated previous thrusts as right-lateral, strike-slip faults, such as the Central Range fault. The rotation of the trend of compression deactivated previous, east–west-trending, strike-slip faults such as the eastward extension of the El Pilar fault zone into Trinidad. The polyphase tectonic evolution of Trinidad occurs in the regional context of the eastward motion of the Caribbean plate with propagation of the southern Subduction-Transform Edge Propagator (STEP) fault.

We used the interpolation method of two-dimensional vector velocity field data based on Green’s function to conduct coupled interpolation with a Poisson’s ratio of 0.5 for 1966 horizontal velocity field data from 1999 to 2017 and obtained the uniform velocity field and strain rate field with a grid of 1°. The main results are as follows: the eastern Himalayan structure as the center, the eastern Lhasa block, the eastern Qiangtang block, the Sichuan-Yunnan block, and the Burma block form a strong deformation rate zone of continuous deformation in the fan-shaped region, which has been a strong deformation rate zone for earthquakes of magnitude 7 or higher in continental China since 1963. Besides, the eastward movement of crustal material in the Tibetan Plateau is blocked by the stable South China block. Therefore, the direction of crustal material movement is deflected, which gradually forms a clockwise rotation motion system centered on the eastern Himalayan structure. Finally, our research shows that the influencing factors of strong earthquakes include velocity change, non-uniform strain distribution, accumulation of larger strain, and the difference of the second strain rate invariant. Strong earthquakes are closely related to the difference in energy accumulation in space.

The thrust top intermontane basins that are located to the east of the Hazara-Kashmir syntaxis (HKS) in NW Himalaya are ∼NW–SE oriented and run parallel to the strike of the major Himalayan thrusts, which is in contrast to the similar basins that lie at the west of HKS (e.g., Peshawar basin). Although these basins are similar in age yet their structural orientation differs, which has not been previously investigated in much details. Therefore, here we investigate the structural details using the 30m shuttle radar topography, seismicity, earthquake centroid moment tensors solutions, previously published works, and geological fieldwork at Anantnag, Kashmir, where bedrock geology and Plio-Pleistocene to Holocene sediments are mapped. The three tectonic model for the formation of Kashmir basin are investigated and new data are produced to refine the existing knowledge on the formation of Kashmir and Peshawar basins. Our results establish that Kashmir basin is definitely neither a pull-apart basin nor a rift basin, and we reinforce that the basin can be formed in a piggyback structural style. We demonstrate that intermontane basins on either side of the HKS have rotated during their evolutionary journey. The estimated >45° clockwise rotation of Kashmir basin is in contract to the 120 km long left-lateral strike-slip fault, the Jhelum fault (JF), which has dominantly left-lateral strike-slip movement at north, and oblique in south. We show that the JF largely controls the formation rotation and the present configuration of regions on either side of the HKS. The published paleomagnetic data supports our results and show that basin formation, lateral extent, geometry, and rotation are controlled by faulting where the emergence of the main boundary thrust fault system seems to have largely controlled the formation and lateral extent of the Kashmir basin, while as the JF has contributed toward the translation, rotation and present structural configuration of the intermontane basins in the region.

The Nlonako anorogenic complex (NAC) is located in the south western part of the Cameroon Line and is superposed on the N50E section of the central Cameroon shear zone. It is suggested to be a ring complex of 10 km diameter which was emplaced as sill intrusive body during the Tertiary. In order to do characterize the Nlonako complex shape and characterize the tectonic history in the study area and surrounding, spatial technology (Landsat 8 ETM+ and SRTM images) were used for geological mapping and structural reconstruction based on lineament analysis. Data extracted from Landsat 8 ETM and SRTM images show a sub-circular shape for the NAC and the superposition of field and petrographic data from our previous research works confirm the fact that the NAC is a ring or annular complex slightly elongated NNE-SSW, thus it is known as the Nlonako ring complex (NRC). Map of lineament synthesis and the SRTM image of the study area display NE-SW, NW-SE and N-S trend structures. (1) The dominant NE-SW trend mostly displayed by the NRC and its basement rock is parallel to (i) the main metamorphic foliation trend and (ii) to the central Cameroon shear zone regional fault, corresponds to the trending of the regional foliation, structures and the Ngondo pluton elongated shape. (2) The secondary N-S direction may correspond to the late deformational phase in the area because, the N-S-related structures transposing NE-SW structures towards a meridional direction in the NRC basement rock. (3) The NW-SE trend corresponds to the direction of NW-SE fault cross cutting the NRC. Field data and synthetic lineament map enable to identify: (1) a Compressive deformational phase D1 whose main markers are NNW-SSE to NW-SE S1 foliation; (2) an early left-lateral deformational phase D2 characterized by anticlockwise rotation of clasts and NE-SW sinistral transposition of early structures; (3) a NE-SW right-lateral deformational phase D3 marked by clockwise rotation and dextral transposition of preexisting structures as well as the NE-SW S3 foliation and (4) a late left-lateral deformational phase D4 marked by the N-S transposition of NE-SW dextral D3-related structures by late sinistral shear movement. This suggests a more complex tectonic history for the Pan-African Belt in Cameroon showing at least three shear phases, that is a right-lateral phase, sandwich by two left-lateral phases.

The present study reports on the vertical structure of the current profile of the Jharkhali of Sundarban ecosystem. The clay embankments constructed along the Sundarbans for coastal protection are facing severe erosion problem due to tidal current, extreme water levels, storm surges, overtopping and breaches in embankments which lead to widespread flooding. The understanding of the current profile of Sundarban aquatic system with respect to depth of water column is essential for suitable engineering design for embankment. It will be used for conservation of coastal resources and inhabitants of the Sundarbans from the natural disasters. The tidal range during the present study was 6.1 m and 5 tidal constituents viz. M2, S2, K1, O1, and N2 are predominant at Jharkhali. The minimum (114.55 cm/s) and maximum (134.45 cm/s) current speed were observed at bottom and mid depth respectively. The maximum speed at bottom is also due to longitudinal salinity gradients, which may induce larger velocities in the lower part of the water column. The vertical velocity profiles during flood are characterized by a near bed maximum. The maximum speed usually occurs during mid-flood and mid-ebb periods and also varying with moon phase, usually maximum and minimum speed were observed during spring tide and neap tide respectively. This trend is persisting in the entire water column from the surface to bottom. The direction of the current is controlled by orientation of the river channel and adjacent tributaries. In general, water travels towards North and WNW direction during flood tide and E & ESE direction during ebb tide. Interestingly, about 80-degree difference in current direction was noticed between surface and bottom current with clockwise spiral movement.

Volcanic flank collapses often result in giant debris avalanches that are capable of travelling tens of kilometres across the ocean floor and generating tsunamis that devastate distant communities. The San Andres Landslide on El Hierro, Canary Islands, represents one of the few places in the world where it is possible to investigate the landslide mass and fault planes of a volcanic collapse structure. In this study, a new conceptual model for the development of this enormous slump is presented on the basis of structural geological and geomorphological measurements, petrological and microstructural analyses, and cosmogenic radionuclide dating. Structural geological and geomorphological measurements indicate that the fault plane records two distinct events. Petrological and microstructural analyses demonstrate that a thin layer of frictionite covers the surface of the fault in contact with an oxidised tectonic breccia that transitions into the underlying undeformed basanite host rock. This frictionite comprises a heterogeneous cataclastic layer and a translucent silica layer that are interpreted to represent two separate slip events on the basis of their architecture and crosscutting relationships. Cosmogenic 3He dating reveals a maximum exposure age of 183 ± 17 ka to 52 ± 17 ka. Arguments are presented in support of the idea that the first slip event took place between 545 ka and 430 ka, prior to significant clockwise rotation of El Hierro, and the second slip event took place between 183 ka and 52 ka, perhaps in association with one of the giant debris avalanches that occurred around that time. This is the first time that more than one slip event has been recognised from the fault plane of the San Andres Landslide. It is also believed to be the first time a silica layer resulting from frictional melt has been described in a volcanic setting.

A new merged high-frequency radar (HFR) data set collected using SeaSonde and WERA (WEllen RAdar) systems was used to examine the ocean surface circulation at diurnal, seasonal and inter-annual time scales along the south-west coast of Australia (SWWA), between 29&deg, &ndash, 32&deg, S. Merging was performed after resampling WERA data on the coarser SeaSonde HFR grid and averaging data from the two HFR systems in the area of common overlap. Direct comparisons between WERA and SeaSonde vectors in their overlapping areas provided scalar and vector correlation values in the range Ru = [0.24, 0.76], Rv = [0.39, 0.83], &rho, = [0.44, 0.75], with mean bias between velocity components in the range [&minus, 0.02, 0.28] ms&minus, 1, [&minus, 0.16, 0.16] ms&minus, 1 for the U, V components, respectively. The lower agreement between vectors was obtained in general at the boundaries of the HFR domains, where the combined effects of the bearing errors, geometrical constraints, and the limited angular field of view were predominant. The combined data set allowed for a novel characterization of the dominant features in the region, such as the warmer poleward-flowing Leeuwin Current (LC), the colder Capes Current (CC) and its northward extensions, the presence of sub-mesoscale to mesoscale eddies and their generation and aggregation areas, along with the extent offshore of the inertial-diurnal signal. The contribution of tides was weak within the entire HFR domain (&lt, 10% total variance), whilst signatures of significant inertial- and diurnal-period currents were present due to diurnal&ndash, inertial resonance. A clear discontinuity in energy and variance distribution occurred at the shelf break, which separates the continental shelf and deeper offshore regions, and defined the core of the LC. Confined between the LC and the coastline, the narrower and colder CC current was a feature during the summer months. Persistent (lifespan greater than 1 day) sub-mesoscale eddies (Rossby number O (1)) were observed at two main regions, north and south of 31.5&deg, S, offshore of the 200 m depth contour. The majority of these eddies had diameters in the range 10&ndash, 20 km with 50% more counter clockwise rotating (CCW) eddies compared to clockwise (CW) rotating eddies. The northern region was dominated by CCW eddies that were present throughout the year whilst CW eddies were prevalent in the south with lower numbers during the summer months.

We analyze deformation of the Fars Arc in the eastern Zagros, Iran, including earthquake slip vectors, GPS velocities, paleomagnetism data, and fold orientations, to understand how this fold‐and‐thrust belt works, and so better understand the generic issue of fold‐and‐thrust belt curvature. The Fars Arc is curved, convex southwards. GPS‐derived rotation rates are ≤0.5° Myr‐1: rotation is clockwise west of 53° E, and counter‐clockwise to the east. These rotation senses are opposite to previous predictions of passive “bookshelf” models for strike‐slip faults during north‐south convergence. West of 53° E, average GPS vectors, thrust earthquake slip vectors, strain axes derived from GPS data and orthogonal directions to fold trends are all aligned, towards ~218°. East of this meridian, the average GPS vector is towards 208°, but the averages of the other datasets are distinctly different, all towards ~190°. We propose that fault blocks in eastern Fars, each ~20‐40 km long, rotate predominantly counter‐clockwise, whereas in western Fars the regional clockwise rotation takes place mainly on the array of active right‐lateral faults in this area. Thus localized block faulting and rotations accumulate to produce the overall strain and regional curvature. Active folds of different orientations in eastern Fars intersect to produce domal interference patterns, without involving separate deformation phases, indicating that fold interference patterns should not be interpreted in terms of changing stress orientations unless there is clear evidence. Fars Arc curvature is best explained by deformation being restricted at tectonic boundaries at its eastern and western margins, without significant gravitational spreading.

Surface circulation in Sagami Bay located in the south of Honshu, Japan, was analyzed using high-frequency (HF) radar located at Izu Oshima Island and at Arasaki (the Miura Peninsula). Prominent current direction indicated counterclockwise circulation in the western part and could not be defined in the eastern part of Sagami Bay. EOF 1st mode score indicated that surface circulation is influenced by the inflow of the Kuroshio water. Stronger currents inflow via Oshima east channel generated counterclockwise circulation in the northern part of Sagami Bay. Weaker currents inflow via Oshima east channel led to clockwise circulation. Kuroshio warm water inflow from Oshima west channel led to counterclockwise circulation. These circulations were defined by sea level anomalies at Mera, Oshima, and Kozu islands. The EOF 2nd mode implied wind-driven current. Higher modes indicated dipole modes (North–South or East–West) and eddy-like mode. Consequently, three or more patterns for surface currents were found in Sagami Bay.

In the Central Western Carpathians (CWC), most published paleomagnetic results from Permo-Mesozoic rocks document extensive remagnetizations and come from thin-skinned thrust units that have undergone multistage deformation. We present results from lower Triassic redbeds from the autochthonous cover overlying the basement that carry a primary magnetization. Petromagnetic results indicate that the dominant ferromagnetic carrier is hematite, while magnetic susceptibility and its anisotropy are controlled by both ferromagnetic and paramagnetic minerals. Magnetic fabrics document weak deformation related to Late Cretaceous shortening. The directions of the high unblocking temperature remanence components pass both reversal and fold tests, attesting to their primary nature. Paleomagnetic inclinations are flatter than expected from reference datasets, suggesting small latitudinal separation between the CWC and stable Europe. Paleomagnetic declinations are mostly clustered within individual mountain massifs, implying their tectonic coherence. They show only minor differences between the massifs, indicating a lack of significant vertical-axis tectonic rotations within the studied central parts of the CWC. The paleomagnetic declinations are therefore representative of the whole of the CWC in terms of regional paleogeographic interpretations, and imply moderate counterclockwise rotations (c. 26°) of the region with respect to stable Europe since the Early Triassic.

The Chiwei Platform is an isolated submarine topographic high located on the northwestern slope of the southern Okinawa Trough. It is separated from the East China Sea Shelf by a wedge-shaped submarine valley corresponding to a deep basin (Chiwei Depression). Newly acquired seismic reflection profiles and P-wave velocity models demonstrate that the acoustic basement of the platform is shallow and only covered by thin sediments or is even exhumed. Similarities in seismic reflection and P-wave velocity structures between the Chiwei Platform, East Chiwei Seamount and Diaoyudao Uplift suggest that the Chiwei Platform is a high-standing relict basement high formed during the back-arc rifting of the Okinawa Trough. It lies in the transition zone in which the directions of the back-arc rifting centers clockwise rotated from the NE-SW to E-W southwestwardly. Southwest of the transition zone, the southern Diaoyudao Uplift is left-laterally shifted relative to the middle Diaoyudao Uplift and might be disconnected from the latter due to the presence of the Chiwei Depression. The original southern Diaoyudao Uplift exhibited a basement high resembling the middle and northern Diaoyudao Uplift. However, this NE-SW-trending basement high was destroyed and collapsed due to oblique dissections of the E-W-trending rifting centers along with westward propagation of the southern Okinawa Trough. Since nonmagnetic prerifted basement rocks have not been drilled on the Diaoyudao Uplift, the Chiwei Platform is a preferential drilling site where the prerifted basement rocks can readily be obtained due to its high-standing position and thin sedimentary cover. This work can provide supplementary constraints on the basement properties of the Ryukyu back-arc region and help to better understand the evolution of the southern Okinawa Trough.

International audience; The Gulf of Mexico is an isolated oceanic basin whose nature, structure and age are not fully elucidated, mostly because seafloor spreading isochrons have not been identified in this basin so far. We compiled and processed all publicly available marine magnetic data to produce a new magnetic anomaly map of the Gulf of Mexico. This map reveals a fan-like set of intermediate-wavelength (>100 km) magnetic anomalies related to seafloor spreading. Our magnetic anomaly-based plate reconstructions (1) support a counterclockwise rotation of the Yucatán Block around a pole located NW of Cuba, (2) accommodate the fracture zone trends depicted by the gravity data, and (3) suggest that the Continent-Ocean Boundary lies immediately south of the Houston magnetic anomaly, close to the shoreline, implying that oceanic crust underlies a significant part of the Sigsbee salt province. Our attempt to identify the intermediate wavelength anomalies by comparison with filtered Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scales dates the onset of seafloor spreading before the Tithonian (>150 Ma) and its cessation at the Berriasian (140 Ma).

The Chuan-Dian Fragment (CDF), in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau, is crucially important for understanding the intra–continental deformation behavior of the blocks between the stable Yangtze craton and the Indian Plate after the Indian-Asian collision. The Beiya porphyry-skarn gold–polymetallic deposit at the northwestern part of the fragment may provide an important paleomagnetic result for understanding the deformation behavior of the CDF. The paleomagnetic study of mineralized and intrusive rocks from the ~35 Ma Beiya deposit reveals a high temperature component with site–mean direction of D = 337.6°, I = 32.6°, k = 74.8, with α95 = 4.4°. Our results show that the Beiya deposit experienced 21.5° ± 3.1° of anticlockwise rotation relative to the stable part of the South China Block since ~35 Ma. The stable part of the Dali faulted-block is deduced to have experienced ~20° clockwise rotation based on a comparison of the fold-axis strike of Triassic strata between the Beiya deposit and surrounding stable area. A best-fit linear regression of the fold-axis strike direction and the tectonic rotation at each sampling site reveals that differential tectonic rotation occurred, accompanied by the horizontal deflection of strata within the CDF.