Frontiers in Earth Science | New and Recent Articles

Accurate characterization of salt caverns is a prerequisite for evaluating the feasibility of Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES), yet high-noise urban environments pose challenges for conventional active-source geophysical methods. To address this, our study utilized Microtremor Array Measurements (MAMs) based on the Spatial Autocorrelation (SPAC) method to characterize deep salt caverns for a …

This study addresses the persistent challenges of ambiguous oil-water relationships and poorly defined effective reservoir distribution in high-mud-content sandstone reservoirs of the III Oil Group (Zhujiang Formation, Member 1) within the Wenchang X-3 structure. Utilizing high-precision reprocessed 3D seismic data, we integrate detailed well-seismic calibration with sedimentary models to train a…

This study investigates the mechanical behavior and microstructural evolution of undisturbed Jurica smectite-rich clays from the Querétaro Valley, central Mexico, through consolidated–undrained triaxial testing and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The clays are classified as high-plasticity (CH) soils, with natural water content of about 30%, porosity of ∼66%, and a mineral assemblage dominate…

Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been widely applied to mineral prospectivity mapping; however, their “black-box” nature limits geological interpretability and practical acceptance. To address this issue, this study proposes an explainable convolutional neural network (Ex-CNN) framework that integrates deep learning with SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) and Partial Dependence Plots (…

Shear strength of rock, characterized by the internal friction angle (φ) and cohesion (c), is the basis for the design and stability evaluation of foundation, rock slope and underground excavation. Obtaining φ and c through traditional methods such as laboratory or on-site tests is usually time-consuming and costly. This study adopts three algorithm-optimized machine learning models: Particle Swa…

Deep to ultra-deep tight sandstone reservoirs are characterized by low porosity, low permeability, and strong heterogeneity, and their productivity is jointly controlled by geological, engineering, and development factors. However, the high-dimensional nonlinearity of these variables and their complex interactions make it difficult for conventional methods to accurately identify dominant controls…

At a burial depth of 5,000 m, large gas resources are hosted in Lower Triassic oolitic shoal carbonates in the Puguang Field, Sichuan, China. Dissolution and dolomitization primarily preserve effective porosity and permeability, whereas heterogeneous diagenetic fabrics strongly limit hydrocarbon production. This study characterizes spatial variations in rock texture across the Feixianguan Formati…

In order to effectively manage water quality, current surface water quality must be closely monitored and evaluated. The Water Quality Index (WQI) is currently used to evaluate surface water quality. However, the calculation of WQI is complicated and time-consuming. In order to optimize the surface water quality assessment of the study area, it is essential to conduct research to develop an effic…

Understanding the sedimentary framework and reconstructing deep-time source-to-sink (S2S) systems in rift basins are critical for predicting reservoir distribution and reducing exploration risk in structurally complex offshore settings. We present a geology-informed Bayesian deep learning framework that explicitly encodes geological priors within graph neural networks, variational autoencoders an…

Near dawn on 6 February 2023, at 4:17 a.m. local time, residents of Pazarcık City in southern Turkey experienced powerful shaking. Witnesses described their experiences of being shaken from their sleep, some running to their cars for safety from the damaged buildings. “I have never felt anything like it in the 40 years I’ve lived,” said Erdem, a witness living in Gaziantep. “We were shaken at lea…

This study investigates the provenance of Eastern Zhou Dynasty stone chimes excavated from tombs within the Chu cultural region, employing an integrated analytical approach to elucidate the sources and circulation of high-quality lithic materials. Seven representative stone chime samples from the Shuangdun, Jiunvdun, Jiuliandun, and Leigudun tombs were analyzed using polarizing microscopy and X-r…

Nitrogen (N) is vital for life and widely distributed in Earth’s crust, mantle, and core. Current knowledge is largely limited to surficial biological N cycling, with poorly constrained deep geological cycling and its carrier forms. Here we used transmission electron microscopy to characterize micro-nanoparticles in fault gases and geothermal fluids. We report abundant N-bearing micro-nanoparticl…

IntroductionAccelerating urbanization and rural construction (URC) in China profoundly alter natural systems (land cover, ecosystems, climate regulation). The existing green development index (GDI) systems remain inadequate in capturing anthropogenic impacts on natural ecosystems and lack an integrated framework that combines remote sensing and statistical data. Using these combined parameters, t…

Accurate interpretation of complex fault networks is crucial for ultra-deepwater hydrocarbon exploration, yet traditional towed-streamer (TS) seismic systems frequently fail to image subtle faults due to environmental noise and complex topographies. This study develops an AI-driven fault prediction framework specifically tailored for high-fidelity Ocean Bottom Node (OBN) seismic data. The propose…

The mining-induced failure zone is one of the main water flow channels. Due to the complexity of fracture distribution and groundwater flow in the fractures, calculating the water conductivity of fractures in the mining failure zone is a hot and difficult research topic at present. In order to simultaneously simulate the permeability of the complete rock mass of the floor and the hydraulic conduc…

Significant advances have been made in understanding the growth and linkage of extensional and strike-slip faults. However, under multi-phase tectonic activity, how the reactivation of pre-existing strike-slip faults controls the growth-linkage process of later extensional faults and the associated geomorphic-sedimentary responses remains poorly understood. This study focuses on the Paleogene suc…

The Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) basalt formations found in Mesozoic rift basins along the eastern North American seaboard are postulated as the proximate cause of the end-of-Triassic mass extinction event. CAMP volcanism is identified in onshore basins; however, basin structure and CAMP basalt distribution in the offshore New York Bight Basin (NYBB), Long Island Basin (LIB), and Cen…

During the Cenozoic, the Arabia-Eurasia collision led to deformation series of fold-and-thrusts along the Zagros foreland. This deformation produced a wide and spectacular units of fold trains. Consequently, this area presents an exceptional natural laboratory for examining the fundamental question of how and what mechanism of active fault segments grow in length. Here, we focus on the anticlines…

IntroductionAchieving ethical and sustainable decision-making in agri-food systems necessitates computational methods that integrate empirical data with normative and environmental constraints. Syntheses of existing evidence often fail to capture the intricate relationships between ecological integrity, social equity, and economic feasibility.MethodsTo address these challenges, we propose a machi…