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Representatives of the subfamily Lonsdaleiinae Chapman, 1893 are common in the Mississippian of the western Palaeotethys. A general analysis of the origin, distribution and evolution of that subfamily has been undertaken. The most probable hypothesis for the origin of the genus Lonsdaleia McCoy, 1849 is to acquire colonialism via the genus Axophyllum Milne Edwards and Haime, 1851. Actinocyathus d’Orbigny, 1849 would be a descendant of Lonsdaleia by increasing integration in the colonies. The first occurrences of Lonsdaleia have been recorded in the lower Visean from northern Britain and northern Tianshan Mountains of northwestern China, but the diversification and migration to the whole Palaeotethys only happened in the late Visean. Three hypotheses are proposed on that matter. The Serpukhovian was also a period of migrations and diversification for these genera. Both Lonsdaleia and Actinocyathus have been recorded in Bashkirian refuges, the Sverdrup Basin in northern Laurasia and the Tindouf Basin in northern Africa, respectively. The division of the western Palaeotethys into six subprovinces based on the distribution of corals is proposed.

Inhibition of the tumour suppressive function of p53 (encoded by TP53) is paramount for cancer development in humans. However, p53 remains unmutated in the majority of cases of glioblastoma (GBM)—the most common and deadly adult brain malignancy(1,2). Thus, how p53-mediated tumour suppression is countered in TP53 wild-type (TP53(WT)) GBM is unknown. Here we describe a GBM-specific epigenetic mechanism in which the chromatin regulator bromodomain-containing protein 8 (BRD8) maintains H2AZ occupancy at p53 target loci through the EP400 histone acetyltransferase complex. This mechanism causes a repressive chromatin state that prevents transactivation by p53 and sustains proliferation. Notably, targeting the bromodomain of BRD8 displaces H2AZ, enhances chromatin accessibility and engages p53 transactivation. This in turn enforces cell cycle arrest and tumour suppression in TP53(WT) GBM. In line with these findings, BRD8 is highly expressed with H2AZ in proliferating single cells of patient-derived GBM, and is inversely correlated with CDKN1A, a canonical p53 target that encodes p21 (refs. (3,4)). This work identifies BRD8 as a selective epigenetic vulnerability for a malignancy for which treatment has not improved for decades. Moreover, targeting the bromodomain of BRD8 may be a promising therapeutic strategy for patients with TP53(WT) GBM.

Despite the importance of south Cumbrian sections for the Arundian¿Holkerian (mid Viséan) boundary, beyond the stratotype proposed at Barker Scar in 1976, little else is known regionally about this boundary and its relationship to adjacent formations. We re-evaluate the Dalton Formation, making its upper and lower boundaries regionally more consistent and precisely-defined, in good quality outcrops with associated biostratigraphy. The Dalton Formation is formally divided into the Blackstone Member and overlying Raven's Member. Rich foraminiferal assemblages of the Cf4¿ subzone are recognized in the BlackstoneMember and the lower to mid Raven's Member in nine sections. The Cf4¿¿Cf4¿ boundary is recognized in the underlying Red Hill Limestone Formation in 3 sections. The upper part of the Raven'sMember shows the first appearance of taxa assigned to the Cf5¿ and Cf5ß subzones of the Holkerian in three of the sections. Bentonitic shales in the mid and upper-most part of the Raven's Member were evaluated for zircon and apatite geochronology, although only 4 out of 504 analyses yielded Carboniferous ages, indicating an almost entirely detrital source. This detritus was northerly or northeasterly-derived and predominantly from the Southern Uplands Terrane with subsidiary input from the Lewisian Complex or eastern Greenland sources. Petrographic analysis identified 13 microfacies indicating that the Dalton Formation represents the inner to outer part of a southward inclined shelf, in which east¿west changes inmicrofacies were generated by synsedimentary faulting inherited from northwest¿southeast aligned basement structures., Wearegrateful to the comments by E. Kulagina and an anonymous reviewer. MWHwasinpartfundedbyNERC(grant NE/P00170X/1).PC is grateful to the financial support by the project CGL2016-78738 of the Spanish Ministry ofScienceandInnovation.DC issupportedinpartbya research grant from Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) under Grant Number 13/RC/2092_P2 (iCRAG, the SFI Research Centre in Applied Geosciences).VassilKarloukovski,TerezaKamenikova,DavidMindham, Courtney Sprain and Shihu Li helped collect some of the samples. The log and sampling for Grubbins 2a and 2b sections, was co-measured by Cathy Hollis. Natural England, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Holker Hall Estate, theArnsideSilverdaleAONB,andtheLandownersofCrosthwaite and Lyth, allowed access, permission and permits to collect samples from these sections.

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The interaction between the Earth's surface and deep geodynamic processes has a great influence on sedimentary patterns and characteristics of sedimentary systems, especially in the continental margin, such as the southern part of the East China Sea Continental Shelf Basin (ECSCSB). However, the exact processes and dynamics are poorly understood. The numerical tool (Badlands) was adopted to simulate the geological evolution of the southern ECSCSB during the Mesozoic transitional regime of the West Pacific continental margin, between 200 and 100 Ma. The numerical model involving four-dimensional (4D) sequence stratigraphy was validated by comparing with the tectono-morphology, sedimentary environments and sediment distribution. According to our findings, the transition was mainly controlled by three structural stages. The first transitional stage of the southern ECSCSB was mainly controlled by lithospheric-scale tectonic evolution. In the second stage, the dynamic topography contributed to slow regional uplift, while the last stage showed mantle-induced dynamic subsidence. The model results on 4D geomorphic characteristics, sediment distribution of basin evolution and deep dynamic topography, provided a quantitative image for geological evolution of the West Pacific continental margin in the Mesozoic.

The sedimentary basin is a basic geological unit in the Earth system: its formation and evolution are controlled mainly by plate tectonics and geodynamics, which have produced a variety of basin types. The development and evolution of various basins depend not only on the tectonic effect of lithospheric plate but also on sublithospheric, and Earth surface actions. Basin classification schemes based on the theories of platform–geosyncline or plate tectonics could neither include all basin types nor reflect the complex processes of basin formation and evolution. From the viewpoint of Earth system, we proposed a new basin classification scheme based on geodynamic mechanism—that is, lithospheric plate, sublithospheric, and Earth surface actions. In our geodynamic classification, we employed a series of geodynamic settings of basin formation and evolution, including the lithospheric plate, sublithospheric, and Earth surface environments, the dynamic regimes of basin formation and evolution, such as tectonic setting (extension, compression and shearing), the thermal processes and gravity effects, the various natures of basin basement and crustal types (continental, oceanic, or transitional crust), and the history of basin sedimentary filling and tectonic paleogeography successively, as the controlling factors for basin classification. This new geodynamic classification scheme highlights both the role of the lithosphere and the effects of the sublithospheric and the Earth surface actions on controlling the basin formation and evolution. The basic dynamic types of basin classification include the prototype basin forming under a single tectonic, thermal, or gravity regime and the superimposed basin as well as residual basin forming under multistage thermal and/or tectonic regimes. Thus, this classification scheme could provide an evolving understanding of lithosphere, crust–mantle interaction, and geodynamic processes as well as of hydrocarbon accumulation and metallogenic mechanisms in sedimentary basins and would help in the synthetic exploration of various resources.

Records of the thermal-age path of orogenic rocks are crucial in understanding subduction and collisional processes between a continent and an arc. Tectonic events and thermochronological data of the Taiwan Orogen have been extensively investigated. We use the zircon U Pb youngest ages as the (initial) subduction age, the Raman Spectroscopy of Carbonaceous Material, 40Ar/39Ar age of mica porphyroblasts, whole-rock Lu Hf isochron age and thermal results as prograde peak metamorphic condition during subduction and basal accretion, and the apatite fission-track data for cooling age of the Taiwan Orogen to illuminate the subduction and collisional processes between the Eurasian Plate and the Luzon Arc. The Hsuehshan Range Nappe in the west of the Taiwan Orogen, whose subduction was initiated at 12 Ma, reached peak metamorphism with a temperature of ~250 °C to 490 °C at a depth of 8 km during the interval 6–2.5 Ma, mainly by basal superimposed accretion. The isothermal dwelling during peak metamorphism condition of the Hsuehshan Range suggests that tectonic underplating through basal superimposed accretion contribute significantly to the formation of the Taiwan Orogen, and led to a sudden increase of subduction and decollement depths, and slow downward thickening of the orogenic wedge and mountain root growth. Located in the east of the Taiwan Orogen, the Yuli Beltsubduction was initiated at 15.4–16 Ma, and attained peak metamorphism at a depth of 40 km, with a temperature of 550–560 °C and a pressure of 10.5–13 kbar during the interval 12.2–4.4 Ma due to basal superimposed accretion. The exhumation of the Hsuehshan Range commenced at ~2.5 Ma, which is later than that of the Yuli Belt at ~3.4 Ma. Such distinct and different thermal-age paths of the Hsuehshan Range and the Tananao Complex indicate that different tectonic wedges in the Taiwan Orogen are formed through different subduction and accretional processes.

Revision of foraminifers, algae and problematic algae of well-known late Viséan formations in the Jerada syncline in the Eastern Meseta, Azrou-Khenifra Basin in the Central Meseta and Oued Cherrat in the Western Meseta, suggests that the recognition of the chronostratigraphic units within this period lacks most of the foraminiferal markers in the Western European foraminiferal biozonations. Many taxa recorded in the Moroccan Meseta are considered as late Asbian guides in Western Europe, but in the Meseta, they are first recorded in the early Brigantian. Although some foraminiferal taxa are proposed as guides for the early Brigantian in Morocco, this substage is far more easily recognized by the algal and problematic algal assemblages. In contrast, the late Brigantian, and thus, the equivalent to the lower part of the Serpukhovian, is recognized by typical foraminifers that have been also recorded in Western Europe. Moreover, the algae do not display any significant change at this level. The unusual and unrepresentative foraminiferal assemblages recorded from the Brigantian in Morocco, suggest that most of the numerous outcrops and sections ascribed to the late Asbian in the literature should be revised because, as is demonstrated in a few cases in this study, those outcrops probably belong to younger Brigantian chronostratigraphic units.

High-resolution foraminiferal biostratigraphy of carbonates immediately below and near the base of the Holkerian Substage in three sections of the South Cumbria Shelf allows the recognition of the Cf5α and Cf5β subzones. The most complete section at Grubbins Wood is almost free of dolomitisation. At the White Scar Quarry and Barker Scar sections, minor faunal gaps are inferred at the base of one or both subzones, respectively. The Grubbins Wood section has the most limited exposure, whereas White Scar Quarry has extensive exposure of this interval, especially the basal horizons of the subzones, compared to Barker Scar. The Grubbins Wood section, because of its exceptional foraminiferal record is more suitable for the establishment of a coincident boundary stratotype for the mid Viséan and Holkerian boundary at the base of the Cf5β subzone. However, the Barker Scar section should be retained as the Holkerian unit stratotype for Britain, with the base of the Holkerian repositioned lower in the section, at the base of the Cf5β subzone. White Scar is a suitable unit-parastratotype, filling data gaps due to possible faunal gaps and dolomitisation at Barker Scar. The rich foraminiferal assemblages allow good global correlation with other regional zonations, which if refined in other countries, would allow a more affirmative global chronostratigraphic basal boundary for the middle Viséan., Natural England, Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Holker Hall Estate, the Arnside Silverdale AONB, and the Landowners of Crosthwaite and Lyth, allowed access, permission and permits to collect samples from these sections. MWH was part funded by NERC (grant NE/P00170X/1). We thank John Murray and two other anonymous reviewers for their many helpful comments and suggestions which have significantly improved the paper.

This study uses faunal abundance data and stable isotope analysis of leporid (cottontail and jackrabbit) bone samples from the northwest Mexican archaeological sites of La Ferreria and La Quemada to infer properties of their past environmental landscapes in northern Mesoamerica. While the results suggest generally similar environmental conditions through time at La Quemada, the faunal abundance data and stable isotope results suggest that the environment became greener and wetter through time at La Ferreria. Notably, the period of peak population, architectural construction, and greatest trade at La Ferreria coincided with this period of environmental change. We discuss the merit of combining faunal abundance index information with stable isotope variables, as well as the social-environmental implications of the results.

Five types of reefs are described from the northern and southern parts of the Azrou-Khenifra Basin generated by the interactions of microbes and coral communities. The type 1 microbial reefs grew in both shallow- and deep-water settings, with a strong control by glacioeustasy. Type 2 microbial reefs developed in more tranquil periods, associated with common intermounds, and where only a single major regressive-transgressive sequence is recognised. Type 3 microbial reefs developed in constant deeper water conditions, generated by higher rates of subsidence in the basin, and creating an overall deepening-upward sequence. Type 4 microbial reefs recognised in the northern part of the basin have no clear counterparts in southern outcrops, but they are likely the capping strata observed in the latter area. Rugose corals allow to define a Type 5 reef, unrelated to microbial facies, and are recorded in oolitic-bioclastic backshoals or quiet inner platform settings. The presence of similar reefs in both the northern and southern parts of the basin demonstrates that conditions were not as different as previously proposed, and a lithostratigraphical, environmental uniformity occurs, which permits the analysis of different subsidence rates and glacioeustastic influence. In the Azrou-Khenifra Basin, the reefs, as well as other regional features, suggest that the basin, overall, evolved from an extensional tectonic regime during the early Brigantian into a complex extensional or compressional regime during the early Serpukhovian, passing into a predominantly compressional phase during the late Serpukhovian in a polyphase tectonic inversion during the onset of the Variscan Orogeny in the region.

This study provides evidence of the value of using isotopic data from faunal remains to understand human diet and mobility patterns when human remains are not available for examination. In this research, bone apatite, bone collagen, and enamel apatite from fauna recovered from recent excavations of the Dixon site (13WD8), an Oneota complex site (AD 1300–1400) in western Iowa, were analyzed for δ13C, δ15N, δ18O, and 87Sr/86Sr values. The goals of this study were to gather information about human and animal diet and mobility and faunal procurement strategies of humans in the late prehistoric period of upper midwestern North America and to contribute to the growing literature using domesticated dogs as surrogates for humans in isotopic studies of dietary patterns. The results of this study find that the people occupying the Dixon site were subsisting on agricultural products, including maize, in conjunction with the gathered wild resources and hunted fauna, which included both large and small local game. While the Oneota complex is thought to be associated with some amount of seasonal migration, there is no evidence of these movements offered via this study's data nor is there strong evidence of long-distance hunting. Domesticated canids were an important part of the Dixon settlement and were fed human foodstuffs and scraps, including maize. At times, these canids were also a source of food. As a substitute for analyses of human remains, this study uses the canine surrogacy approach (CSA) and argues that the canid data would be similar to the human data from the Dixon settlement. A Bayesian stable-isotope mixing model (MixSiar) was used to quantitatively interpret the stable-isotope values of the Dixon canids, and it suggests that bison hunting was a specialization of the human population occupying the Dixon site.

Archaeological studies at Coxcatlan Cave in the Tehuacan Valley of southern Puebla, Mexico, have been instrumental to the development of the chronology for the region and for our understanding of the origins of food production in the Americas. This article refines the Preceramic chronology of the Tehuacan Valley by presenting 14 new accelerated mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon ages from faunal bone samples uncovered from early depositional levels of the rock shelter. Although bones associated with the El Riego (9893–7838 cal BP), Coxcatlan (7838–6375 cal BP), and Abejas (6375–4545 cal BP) phase zones of the cave yielded ages similar to those of the previously proposed chronology for the region, bones from the Ajuereado phase zones at the base of the cave yielded surprisingly old ages that range from 33,448 to 28,279 cal BP, a time prior to the Last Glacial Maximum. Because these early ages are many thousands of years older than current models estimate for the peopling of the Americas, they require reassessments of the artifacts and ecofacts excavated from these early zones.

detailed biostratigraphy is established, using the high foraminiferal abundance and diversity at Trowbarrow Quarry, which is also proposed as a stratotype section for the late Asbian (late Visean), a substage not previously formally subdivided. The foraminiferal assemblages suggest that the early Asbian has to be revised, which has implications for the chronostratigraphy of many late Visean outcrops in Britain, which are probably erroneously interpreted. From the upper part of the Park Limestone Formation at Trowbarrow Quarry, near the base of the section, the transition between foraminifers assigned to the early and late Asbian (Cf6a¿b to Cf6c subzones) is identified. The Urswick Limestone Formation contains excellent biostratigraphic records of many important taxa, enabling the subdivision of the formation into five foraminiferal assemblage zones for the late Asbian, namely Cf6c1a, Cf6c1b, Cf6c2a, Cf6c2b and Cf6c2c. The last assemblage is currently recognized only in the North Pennines and at Trowbarrow. These assemblages enable revision of the stratigraphic range of many taxa used as biostratigraphic markers in Britain and Ireland. Owing to its excellent foraminiferal record, the late Asbian subdivisions will significantly facilitate the reinterpretation of other wellknown Asbian platform carbonate successions in Britain. Although there are some faunal differences, the base of the late Asbian can be confidently correlated to other European zonal schemes, with its base being equivalent to the base of the former V3bc or more recent MFZ14 foraminiferal zones of Belgium, and the base of the Mikhailovian Substage in Russia., We would like to thank Q. Sheng and M. Aretz for their constructive comments. PC is grateful for the financial support by the project CGL2016-78738 of the Spanish Ministry of Research and Innovation. MWH and TK were funded by NERC (grant NE/P00170X/1). Vassil Karloukovski, David Mindham, Courtney Sprain and Annique Van der Boon helped collect the samples. Natural England, Lancaster City Council and Arnside-Silverdale AONB provided access and permits to collect samples from the quarry. Robin Grayson provided useful additional information. We acknowledge support of the publication fee by the CSIC Open Access Publication Support Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI).

Foraminiferal revision of the Holkerian Stratotype of Britain at Barker Scar, Holker Hall, south Cumbria, UK, allows the subdivision of the section into the Cf4¿, Cf5¿ and Cf5ß subzones (the latter being further subdivided into lower Cf5ß1 and upper Cf5ß2 intervals). The base of Cf5¿ subzone at the base of bed C and base of Cf5ß subzone from the middle part of bed C, occur at 14 m and 10.5 m, respectively, below the traditional basal boundary of the Holkerian at bed K. The lower boundaries of these foraminiferal subzones occur within the main interval affected by dolomitization in the section, which poses problems in defining precisely the bases for these subzones. Nevertheless, in spite of the dolomitization, a more or less continuous foraminiferal record allows a solid correlation of the base of the Cf5ß with the preserved succession in the Livian Substage (defined in Belgium, but also used in France), and it is assumed that the base of this substage should correspond to the base of the Cf5¿ subzone. The base of the Cf5¿ subzone can be correlated with the base of the Russian Tulian Substage, since it contains many taxa in common with the Holkerian. However, further investigation is needed to establish other levels of correlation (e. g., base of the Cf5ß subzone) higher up in the Holkerian substage. All of these problems suggest that the Holkerian, as it is currently recognised, and the Barker Scar stratotype section, in particular, should be reconsidered, and a new para-stratotype section, ideally devoid of dolomitization, should be located and investigated, in order to corroborate the occurrence of the Cf5¿ and Cf5ß foraminiferal subzones compared to those recognised in the Barker Scar Stratotype. These modifications would allow identification of an apparent synchronous faunal event forming the basis of a future subdivision of the Viséan., We would like to thank D. Vachard and C. N. Waters for their constructive comments. 457 PC is grateful to the financial support by the project CGL2016-78738 of the Spanish 458 Ministry of Research and Innovation. MWH was funded by NERC (grant 459 NE/P00170X/1). Vassil Karloukovski, Tereza Kamenikova, David Mindham and 460 Courtney Sprain helped collect the samples. Holker Hall Estate, and Natural England 461 allowed access and permits to collect samples from Barker Scar.

The succession in the Tizra Formation shows an excellent exposure of a small open marine platform where alternating microbial boundstones (buildups) and oolitic/bioclastic grainstone (shoals) and packstone facies tempestites occur repetitively for a sort interval only 0.55 Myr, an scenario unknown in the geological record. The relatively small extent of the platform allows a detailed study of facies and ecological variations, to determine the controlling factors for the growth and evolution of the platform (tectonics, glacioeustatism, terrigenous input), as well as the particular environmental/ecological conditions for the formation of microbial buildups and oolitic shoals (turbidity, energy, nutrients, chemical variations). Although microbial mounds are well-known during the Palaeozoic, the close relationship with ooids, as observed in the studied succession, is unusual, particularly for the frequent ooids embedded in the microbial facies, an ecological parameter used by previous authors to identified shallower stages in the microbial growths. Petrographic analysis of the ooids, as well as their ecological conditioning, suggest that less than 40% of samples yield ooids generated in situ, whereas there is a predominance of transported ooids. Ooids formed in situ, which include large irregular and elongated ooids, were generated in calmer water than the typical rounded and egg-shaped ooids. The occurrence of the predominant types of ooids in shallower-water grainstones with in situ generation, and in the deepest-water microbial facies, suggest their ease of transport. The higher production of ooids occurs during the shallowing phases of the cycles, whereas they were more easily transported during the deepening phases, whereas in the microbial buildups, no features of in situ ooid generation are found.

Foraminifers, calcareous algae and incertae sedis Algospongia of late Asbian to late Brigantian age in limestones from East Fife, East Lothian and Northumberland, enable the base of the late Brigantian to be recognised in all these areas. Preservation of the late Asbian and early Brigantian limestones in cyclothemic successions is generally poor. The St Monans White Limestone (St Monans, Fife), First Abden Limestone (Kirkcaldy, Fife), Middle Longcraig Limestone (East Lothian) and Lower Bath-House Wood/Middle Bath-House Wood (Northumberland) were confidently correlated by their foraminiferal assemblages. These limestones are all assigned to the top of the Assemblage 6 in northern England (Single Post Limestone). The St Monans Brecciated/St Monans Little/Charlestown Main limestones (St Monans, Fife) and the Second Abden/Seafield Tower limestones (Kirkcaldy, Fife), Upper Longcraig/Lower Skateraw limestones (East Lothian), Upper Bath-House Wood/Shotto Wood limestones and Eelwell Limestone (Northumberland) are assigned to the Assemblage 7 in northern England (Scar Limestone and Five Yard Limestone). The paired Middle/Upper Skateraw limestones (East Lothian) and the Acre Limestone (Northumberland) contain representatives of the Assemblage 8 from northern England (Three Yard Limestone). Higher up in the succession, in Northumberland, the foraminiferal assemblage in the Sandbanks Limestone can be compared with Assemblage 9 in northern England (Four Fathom Limestone). Above the Great Limestone and Little Limestone, with their characteristic Pendleian assemblages, the Sugar Sands Limestone and Corbridge Limestone contain Arnsbergian foraminiferal assemblages, typical of the Lower Felltop Limestone in northern England. The Lower Foxton Limestone is correlated with the Upper Felltop Limestone, whereas the Thornbrough Limestone in Northumberland lacks diagnostic Arnsbergian taxa.

The tectonic evolution history of the South China Sea (SCS) is important for understanding the interaction between the Pacific Tectonic Domain and the Tethyan Tectonic Domain, as well as the regional tectonics and geodynamics during the multi-plate convergence in the Cenozoic. Several Cenozoic basins formed in the northern margin of the SCS, which preserve the sedimentary tectonic records of the opening of the SCS. Due to the spatial non-uniformity among different basins, a systematic study on the various basins in the northern margin of the SCS constituting the Northern Cenozoic Basin Group (NCBG) is essential. Here we present results from a detailed evaluation of the spatial-temporal migration of the boundary faults and primary unconformities to unravel the mechanism of formation of the NCBG. The NCBG is composed of the Beibu Gulf Basin (BBGB), Qiongdongnan Basin (QDNB), Pearl River Mouth Basin (PRMB) and Taixinan Basin (TXNB). Based on seismic profiles and gravity-magnetic anomalies, we confirm that the NE-striking onshore boundary faults propagated into the northern margin of the SCS. Combining the fault slip rate, fault combination and a comparison of the unconformities in different basins, we identify NE-striking rift composed of two-stage rifting events in the NCBG: an early-stage rifting (from the Paleocene to the Early Oligocene) and a late-stage rifting (from the Late Eocene to the beginning of the Miocene). Spatially only the late-stage faults occurs in the western part of the NCBG (the BBGB, the QDNB and the western PRMB), but the early-stage rifting is distributed in the whole NCBG. Temporally, the early-stage rifting can be subdivided into three phases which show an eastward migration, resulting in the same trend of the primary unconformities and peak faulting within the NCBG. The late-stage rifting is subdivided into two phases, which took place simultaneously in different basins. The first and second phase of the early-stage rifting is related to back-arc extension of the Pacific subduction retreat system. The third phase of the early-stage rifting resulted from the joint effect of slab-pull force due to southward subduction of the proto-SCS and the back-arc extension of the Pacific subduction retreat system. In addition, the first phase of the late-stage faulting corresponds with the combined effect of the post-collision extension along the Red River Fault and slab-pull force of the proto-SCS subduction. The second phase of the late-stage faulting fits well with the sinistral faulting of the Red River Fault in response to the Indochina Block escape tectonics and the slab-pull force of the proto-SCS.

Knowledge of the displacement history of the series of continental fragments in Northeast Asia is key to understanding the plate kinematic evolution of the western peri-Pacific tectonic domain. Pal...

The U.S. Army Corps Regulatory Program considers the loss (impacts) and gain (compensatory mitigation) of aquatic resource functions as part of Clean Water Act Section 404 permitting and compensatory mitigation decisions. To better inform this regulatory decision-making, the Regulatory Program needs transparent and objective approaches to assess the function and condition of aquatic resources, including streams. Therefore, the Regulatory Program needs function-based stream assessments (1) to characterize a stream’s condition or function, (2) to improve understanding of the impact of a proposed action on an aquatic resource, and/or (3) to inform the development of stream compensatory mitigation tools rooted in stream condition and/or function. A function-based stream assessment can provide regulatory decision makers with the resources to objectively consider alternatives, minimize impacts, assess unavoidable impacts, determine mitigation requirements, and monitor the success of mitigation projects. A multiagency National Committee on Stream Assessment (NCSA) convened to create these guidelines to inform the development of new methods and evaluation of both national-level and regional methods currently in use. The resulting guidelines present nine phases, including rationale and recommendations to facilitate work efforts. The NCSA hopes that this technical guide promotes transparency, technical defensibility, and consistent application of stream assessments in the Regulatory Program.

This article presents baseline isotope values for plant and animal samples collected from across southern California. A total of 80 samples representing 50 species were collected and analyzed for this project. This original dataset includes 31 plant species, 13 finfish species, 3 mollusk species, 2 crustacean species, and 1 echinoderm. Plant samples were collected by the authors and an undergraduate research assistant in San Diego and Santa Barbara counties. Animal samples were procured from local fishers in San Diego and Santa Barbara. All samples were subjected to stable isotope analysis at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). In this paper we present our new δ13C and δ15N data alongside previously published values from three other studies [1] , [2] , [3] . The previously published values reproduced here were derived from a mix of modern and archaeological samples. Together, these data represent the most complete dataset currently available for southern California baseline stable isotope values. The full combined dataset can be found in the Supplemental Data included with this paper, while Table 1 presents a comparison of defatted and untreated faunal specimens. These data will be of use to archaeologists and ecologists conducting future isotope studies on the Pacific Coast of North America.

In this study, middle to late Mississippian microfossil assemblages from the Maritimes Basin of eastern Canada (Nova Scotia, SW Newfoundland, and New Brunswick) are closely compared to those from Western Paleotethys basins. The comparison is focused mainly on foraminifers and calcareous algae. Most foraminifers and algae described from the Maritimes Basin are considered cosmopolitan, and the occurrence in western Europe and northern Africa of taxa previously considered endemic to the North America Realm suggests a close paleobiogeographic relationship. This European/African correlation is further supported by other foraminiferal/algal taxa, the importance of which were previously overlooked, including:Plectogyranopsisex gr.P. hirosei(Okimura, 1965),MikhailovellaGanelina, 1956,Koktjubina windsorensis(Mamet, 1970),Polysphaerinella bullaMamet, 1973,MstiniaDain in Dain and Grozdilova, 1953,HaplophragminaReitlinger, 1950,OmphalotisShlykova, 1969,PseudolituotubaVdovenko, 1971,PseudoendothyraMikhailov, 1939,Saccamminopsis(Sollas, 1921) Vachard and Cózar, 2003,KamaenellaMamet and Roux, 1974, andAnthracoporellopsisMaslov, 1956. Some species recorded in the Maritimes Basin have been typically recorded in Britain and Ireland in the southern platform of Laurussia. This implies a connection via the Rhenohercynian Ocean, whereas statistical analyses suggest that Maritimes Basin assemblages are closer to those of the Gondwana platform, which could have been established via the Paleotethys Ocean, and also with terranes northwest of the Variscan Front, in which its most logical connection should be with a still-open Rheic Ocean during the Visean and early Serpukhovian. Those taxa demonstrate a more-or-less continuous faunal and microfloral interchange between the Maritimes Basin and the Western Paleotethys paleobiogeographic realm. Furthermore, the width of the Paleotethys and Rheic oceans separating these regions is not considered excessive, particularly during the late Visean and early Serpukhovian.

The correlation of disparate mid- to late Visean platform carbonate successions of the Great Scar Limestone Group across northern England formerly relied heavily upon a coral and brachiopod biozonation scheme erected in the early twentieth century. This subsequently guided the development of a regional chronostratigraphic scheme some sixty years later that continues to be used to the present day, broadly coinciding with development of new lithostratigraphical nomenclatures, different for each distinct structural area. Correlation problems encountered within these lithostratigraphic units from study of their foraminiferal assemblages, as well as critical analysis of the stratotype sections for the Holkerian and Asbian substages, questions the veracity of the long-established coral and brachiopod biostratigraphy. This study appraises the lithostratigraphical and biostratigraphical relationships of late Arundian to late Asbian limestones across the Askrigg and Alston blocks, the Stainmore Trough and flanks of the Lake District Block. It considers the correlation and potential rationalization of lithostratigraphic units, comments on revisions to the definition of the Holkerian and Asbian substage stratotypes and the suitability of the various biostratigraphical guide fossils.

Rooted in commitment theory, this study examines dedication, perceived investments, and felt constraint, three unique aspects of commitment, in midlife using data gathered from a sample of 224 adults surveyed at ages 43 and 50 years. Positive and negative dimensions of couple relations (partner supportiveness and the extent to which one’s partner is demanding and critical, referred to as strain) assessed longitudinally and midlife-specific circumstances, including being in a first marriage or remarriage and parental and empty nest status, were examined as predictors of commitment at age 50. Latent change score modeling revealed partner support and strain as robust predictors of commitment. Higher levels of partner support at age 43 and a more gradual intraindividual decrease in support between ages 43 and 50 predicted higher dedication and perceived investments and less felt constraint at age 50. Higher age 43 levels of partner strain predicted more perceived investments and felt constraint at age 50, while a more rapid increase in strain predicted less dedication and more felt constraint. Being in a first or remarriage, being a parent, or having an empty nest did not predict commitment. These results highlight the importance of initial levels and changes in couple relations for shaping midlife commitment.

Background and aims Organic matter is often used as an amendment to attempt restoration of degraded soils to improve tree establishment and growth. One key aim is to increase plant available water in the soil profile. The texture of the soil, the type of organic amendment (e.g. compost or biochar), and the native environment of the tree (mesic or xeric) will impact how successful restoration efforts are. We aimed to determine whether compost and biochar amendments, either individually or in combination, would improve plant available water (PAW) in both clay and sand soils. We then aimed to measure whether changes in PAW would translate into increased water use and plant growth of both mesic (Corymbia maculata) or xeric (Eucalyptus torquata) tree species under well-watered (WW) or water deficit (WD) conditions. Methods Clay and sand soils were amended with compost, biochar or a compost and biochar mix, whilst unamended soils acted as controls. Soil moisture characteristics of the soil mixes were determined with samples in the laboratory. Fifteen replicate pots (6 l) of each soil treatment were then planted with either mesic and xeric tree species. All pots and trees were subjected to either a WW or WD irrigation regime for 7 weeks. WD irrigation was a set percentage of the daily WW evapotranspiration (ET). ET was calculated as total pot mass one hour after irrigation (to allow for drainage) minus the total pre-dawn pot mass of the subsequent day. The tree biomass, biomass partitioning, ET, and tree water status were measured throughout the experiment to understand growth and stress responses. Key results The xeric tree species (E. torquata) grown in sand soil had a significant increase in growth with all three OM amendments but did not when grown in clay soil. In contrast, we found no significant growth response for the mesic tree species (C. maculata) when grown in either clay or sand amended with any OM treatment. The ET of the xeric tree species was greater for all the OM amended soils for both WW and WD plants in the sand soil. Conclusions This study shows that OM amendments may improve the soil water properties of sand-based soils which in turn can increase the growth of xeric tree species. However, more expensive organic amendments may not be necessary, nor mixing of OM types, as we found no tree growth differences amongst the three different OM treatments.

The North Qaidam ultra-high pressure (UHP) metamorphic belt in the northern Tibetan Plateau is considered as a typical Alpine-type UHP metamorphic belt due to the Early Paleozoic subduction of the Qaidam Block beneath the Qilian Block. The well-preserved Paleozoic metatexite migmatite, diatexite migmatite, felsic sheet/dyke and anatectic granite in the North Qaidam UHP metamorphic belt provide us with an excellent opportunity to study the generation, transport and final fate of crustal melt and geodynamic processes associated with orogenesis. Based on structural relationships, petrology, geochronology, whole-rock geochemistry and Sr Nd isotope data, the Early Paleozoic anatexis during oceanic subduction to continental collision in the North Qaidam UHP metamorphic belt can be further divided into three stages of development ~470 Ma, 446–428 Ma and 432–420 Ma. The first-stage granitic leucosomes are rich in K, poor in Na with low Sr/Y and enrichment of large ion lithophile elements (LILEs), which were probably derived from partial melting of ancient felsic gneiss in continental arc circumstances during oceanic subduction. The second-stage Na-rich leucosomes and tonalite plutons are characterized by high Na, Sr, Sr/Y and La/Yb and low heavy rare earth elements (HREEs), with positive eNd(t) values of 0.1–4.3 and zircon eHf(t) values of 8.3–10.2, similar to typical tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorites (TTGs). These TTG-like magmas were produced through partial melting of newly emplaced gabbroic rocks with arc affinity under high-pressure (HP) granulite-facies conditions in a thickened lower crust during continental collision. The volumetrically significant migrated plutons evolved from TTG-like melt will become segments of continental crust and contribute to crustal growth, with partial residual products of HP granulite and/or garnet pyroxenite to the mantle by delamination. The third stage of anatexis was preserved in both migmatitic UHP gneiss and eclogite in the Xitieshan and Luliangshan terranes. The Kfs-rich felsic leucosomes inside UHP gneisses in the third stage are characterized by high alkali contents and low mafic component with FeOT + MgO + TiO2 2.0; (2) high La/Yb and Sr/Y, and low Y and HREEs; (3) high Al2O3 and low Mg# values; and (4) enriched in LILEs(e.g., Rb, Ba, K, Sr, Pb) and poor in high field strength elements (HFSEs). Partial melting of UHP eclogite and felsic gneiss during the initial retrogression stage with Pl-rich and Kfs-rich leucosome formation was triggered by dehydration melting involving predominant zoisite and muscovite. The anatectic melts from partial melting of deeply subducted UHP gneiss have accumulated and migrated outside the deeply subducted crustal slice in the form of syn-collisional plutons. The melt evolution from the leucosomes produced at the early exhumation stage to syn-collisional granitoids produced at the late exhumation, might contribute greatly to the exhumation of the North Qaidam UHP metamorphic belt from mantle depths to the lower crustal levels.

On September 28, 2018, a Mw7.5 earthquake occurred near Sulawesi, Indonesia as a result of strike-slip faulting at shallow depth within the interior of the Molucca Sea Microplate that forms a part of the broader Sunda Plate. Focal mechanism solutions and distribution for the earthquakes indicate rupture occurred on a left-lateral NNW-SSE- to N-S-striking fault. This region has been characterized by complex tectonics in which motions of numerous small microplates are accommodating large-scale convergence between the Australia, Sunda, Pacific and Philippine Sea plates. In this paper, the Coulomb stress calculation verified the WNW-, nearly E-W-trending sinistral strike slip receiver fault in Sulawesi, which is consistent with the giant sinisterly strike-slip fault system across New Guinea, Pacific Tectonic System and the Tethys Tectonic System caused by the oblique convergence. The result has been reconciled within the modern GPS velocity field.

Large trees are often seen as a means of offsetting negative consequences of growing urban densification. To increase the tree canopy cover of dense urban landscapes, developers, planners and urban tree managers are often forced to plant into damaged and compacted sites. Compacted urban soils can hinder the establishment and growth of deep rooted, woody plants by: 1) impeding root exploration and development which is critical for water and nutrient acquisition; 2) reducing infiltration of water into the soil and the availability of water to plants; and 3) reducing gas exchange and the balance between anaerobic and aerobic conditions. At three sites in Melbourne, Australia with compacted and damaged soils, we established four soil remediation treatments: 1 & 2) tillage to 0.25 m with and without 50% (v/v) municipal green waste compost (MGWC) additions, and 3 & 4) tillage to 0.5 m with and without 50% MGWC addition, plus a non-remediated control. Each treatment was replicated (n = 3), and one Corymbia maculata (spotted gum) tree was planted into the centre of each 2 × 2 m treatment plot (n = 15), at all three sites (n = 45). Bulk density and field-saturated hydraulic conductivity were improved by tillage, at least in the short-term. The use of MGWC may maintain these changes for longer. Depending on site soil conditions tree growth may be improved by tillage alone. At one site, we found that additions of MGWC lead to nitrogen immobilisation due to site soil conditions. At another site, deep tillage (with or without MGWC) led to significantly improved tree growth. Compacted and degraded urban soils may be improved through simple tillage and/or organic amendment strategies for the successful establishment of deep rooted woody plants. However, site soil conditions will dictate whether the addition of MGWC is beneficial or not, as one site showed no positive response to any tillage or MGWC. This research has examined a technique that can be used by landscape managers to improve soil physical characteristics and, in certain circumstances, can improve deep-rooted woody plant establishment and growth in challenging compacted urban soil conditions.

The Altun-Qilian-Kunlun Orogen, as a western segment of the Central China Orogen, has experienced a tectonic evolution of the Proto-Tethys Ocean and the Early Paleozoic orogenic movement, to produce multiple-stage Early Paleozoic structures and rocks. The corresponding ophiolites, metamorphic rocks and granites in the orogen show some similarities in petrology and geochemistry, especially isotopic geochronology. This indicates that they should be under the same subduction-accretion system during the Early Paleozoic, while there is diachronism of evolutionary time along strike. Combined with the paleomagnetic data and plate reconstruction, the North Qinling, Central Qilian, Central Altun, Oulongbuluke, Qaidam, East Kunlun and West Kunlun micro-continents from Gondwana made up a chain-like superterrane within the northern Proto-Tethys Ocean. Based on the detailed structural analysis and spatial and temporal distribution of the main rocks, the Proto-Tethys Ocean subducted southward and formed a nearly linear subduction zone. The Tarim-Qaidam Micro-continent was likely to have drifted as a unit, and mostly rotated relatively counterclockwise in the Early Paleozoic. Under the southward oblique subduction-collision, some large-scale dextral strike-slip faults developed, and the relative displacement and rotation of continents/micro-continents and tectonic belts also took place in the region, making the subduction zone bent to form a “S”-shaped pattern in plan view. In this paper, we suggest that they are coupled oroclines and put forward a kinematic evolution model. The Shangdan Ocean likely closed no earlier than the formation of the oroclines, generating a curved suture zone bypassing East Qaidam, further linked southward to the Central Kulun Suture. Although the coupled oroclines was displaced and destroyed by subsequent superimposed structures, especially in the west of the Altun Orogen and east of the Qaidam areas, the Early Paleozoic tectonic unconformity and depositional systems developed in the Tarim Basin, and the “S”-shaped pattern of the paleostructures and hydrocarbon reservoirs provide evidence for its existence.