Experimental annealing of galena samples with known deformation histories shows that this mineral has the necessary properties to be a valuable source of information about low-grade deformational environments. Annealed galena displays recovery and/or recrystallization features dependent upon the type of texture inherited from the tectonic event, which in turn is closely linked to deformation te...

The Himalayan range exposes a spectacular assemblage of metamorphic rocks from the midand deep crust that have fostered numerous models of how the crust responds to continental collisions. Recent petrogenetically based petrologic and geochronologic studies elucidate processes with unprecedented resolution and critically test models that range from continuum processes to one-time events. The pro...

Hillslopes in humid regions are typically convex to concave in profi le and have a relatively thick, continuous regolith cover. Conversely, hillslopes in arid regions are typically cliff-dominated and have a relatively thin, discontinuous regolith cover. The difference between these two end-member slope forms is classically attributed to climate, but climate, tectonics, and lithology all play a...

We present a new algorithm for modeling a self-consistent set of global plate polygons. Each plate polygon is composed of a finite list of plate margins, all with different Euler poles. We introduce a "Continuously Closed Plate" (CCP), such that, as each margin moves independently, the plate polygon remains closed geometrically as a function of time. This method solves emerging needs in computa...

A global compilation of deep-sea isotopic records suggests that Maastrichtian ocean-climate evolution was tectonically driven. During the early Maastrichtian the Atlantic intermediate-deep ocean was isolated from the Pacific, Indian, and Southern Oceans; deep water formed in the high-latitude North Atlantic and North Pacific. At the early/late Maastrichtian boundary a major reorganization of oc...

From Oligocene to Recent times a series of tectomcally controlled coastal embayments fonned on the Pacific fore-arc side of the southern Central American island-arc system. Each of these basins shows characteristic stratal geometries and facies distributIOns reflecting the complex interaction of changes of sea level. volcaniclastic input. and tectonic activity (subsidence, uplift). Sequential s...

Numerical models show that maximum dike width at oceanic spreading centers should scale with axial lithospheric thickness if the pre-diking horizontal stress is close to the Andersonian normal faulting stress and the stress is fully released in one dike intrusion. Dikes at slow-spreading ridges could be over 5 m wide and maximum dike width should decrease with increasing plate spreading rate. H...

Ecological studies often are subjected to unintentional biases, suggesting that improved research designs for hypothesis testing should be used. Double-blind ecological studies are rare but necessary to minimize sampling biases and omission errors, and improve the reliability of research. We used a double-blind design to evaluate associations between nests of red wood ants (Formica rufa, RWA) a...

A number of tectonic models have been proposed for the Tibetan Plateau, which origin, however, remains poorly understood. In this study, investigations of the shear wave velocity (Vs) and density (ρ) structures of the crust and upper mantle evidenced three remarkable features: (1) There are variations in Vs and ρ of the metasomatic mantle wedge in the hanging wall of the subduction beneath diff...