We demonstrate a new method that enhances our ability to interpret large data sets commonly used in the earth sciences, including point-clouds and rasters. Implemented as plugins for CloudCompare and QGIS, we use a least-cost-path solver to track structures and contacts through data, allowing expert-guided interpretation in a way that seamlessly utilises computing power to optimise the interpretation process and improve objectivity and consistency. Hide

In this paper, we present a combined structural interpretation of multichannel reflection seismic profiles from offshore northern Mozambique (East Africa), and the conjugate Riiser Larsen Sea (Antarctica). At certain positions at the foot of the continental slope at both basins, the basement is intensely deformed and fractured. We propose this unique deformation zone as tie-point for Gondwana reconstructions. Hide

Andic soils have unique morphological, physical and chemical properties that induce both considerable soil fertility and great vulnerability to land degradation. Here we attempt to show that soils rich in poorly crystalline clay minerals have an utmost ecological importance. Our results are hoped to be a starting point for better understanding the ecological importance of andic soils and also possibly to better consider pedological information in C balance calculations. Hide

This paper clarifies the dialectical relationship between oasification and desertification in arid regions, and it also elucidates the significance of oasification research in Northwest China. Furthermore, the study points out the key point in the oasification research. Hide

I present a new family of analytical flow solutions to the incompressible Stokes equation in a spherical shell. The velocity is tangential to both inner and outer boundaries, the viscosity is radial, and the solution has been designed so that the expressions for velocity, pressure, and body force are simple to implement in (geodynamics) codes. This forms the basis for a numerical benchmark for convection codes and I have implemented it in two finite element codes. Hide

The study was conducted in an oil palm plantation in Malaysia and it seeks to understand why Oil palm performs better on the majority of Malaysian soil and perhaps the tropical environment at large despite the inherently low nutrient capacity of the soils. The study shows how tropical soils are formed and the condition under which they exist in and the criteria to select a suitable soil for Oil palm cultivation. The study emphasizes adequate management as a means of improving Oil palm yield. Hide

The mixture of landfill stabilized waste and rock fragments (LGM) can be used as topsoil substitute during ecological restoration in abandoned quarries. Target species grew best when the volume fraction of landfill stabilized waste was 1 / 2. Moderate compaction enhanced plant growth in LGM when the volume fraction of landfill stabilized waste was lower than 20 %. Hide

Graphite crystallinity irreversibly increases with temperature and it has been calibrated as a thermometer recording peak temperatures experienced by a rock. To examine the possibility of mechanical modifications of graphite structure and the impacts on graphite thermometry we performed deformation experiments. Raman spectroscopy demonstrates a reduction in crystallinity with increasing shear strain, which we attribute to mechanical reworking in the brittle field. Hide

The influences of land-use conversion on soil properties and bacterial communities were assessed. The diversity were detected in four distinct land-use systems through high-throughput sequencing. Land-use changes affected soil properties and bacterial community structure. The microbial dominant taxa were unchanged, but their relative abundances were significantly different, indicating the effects of land-use conversion on bacterial communities were more quantitative than qualitative. Hide

Campi Flegrei is a volcanic caldera that is currently at a state of increased unrest. We used a novel remote sensing approach to measure CO₂ fluxes at the Campi Flegrei. Thanks to its comprehensive spatial coverage, the instrument used gives more representative measurements from large regions containing different CO₂ sources. We find an increase in CO₂ degassing strength. This suggests a greater contribution of the magmatic source to the degassing. Hide

This paper touches upon two fundamental issues in Earth sciences. The first one is an inherent non-uniqueness of modeling results, along with profound difficulty in estimating their uncertainty. The second is concerned with the interaction between the convective mantle and plates, which is barely known. We present a successful workflow for studying the bottom of the lithosphere, where the interaction is supposed to occur, mitigating the non-uniqueness and assessing the uncertainty of the result. Hide

This paper shows how satellite imagery of volcanic SO₂ plumes can be used to reveal subsurface magmatic processes. We achieved this by developing a new numerical technique based on trajectories simulations applied to SO₂ satellite imagery. Our outcomes are SO₂ plume height and flux time-series at high temporal resolution. With this technique we investigate SO₂ emissions during the 2015 Calbuco eruptions and we suggest the presence of excess SO₂ in the first eruption, but not in the second one. Hide

Central and Eastern Anatolia (present day Turkey) accommodated Africa-Eurasia convergence in Cenozoic times. As a result, the region underwent distributed deformation and rotation. We provide a paleomagnetic dataset from sedimentary basins and assesses timing and amount of rotations. The obtained rotation patterns together with known fault zones suggest that south-central Turkey represents a coherently counter-clockwise rotating domain. Hide

In Switzerland, the Opalinus Clay (OPA) formation is favored to host a repository for nuclear waste. Inevitable we must know its deformation behavior. In this study, we focused on the microstructure of gouge, a thin (< 2 cm), drastically strained clay layer at the so-called Main Fault in the Mont Terri rock laboratory. We suggest that in-situ gouge defoms in a more viscous manner than undeformed OPA at laboratory conditions. Moreover, we speculate about the origin and evolution of the gouge layer. Hide