Ross N. Mitchell
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View article: Flow boiling-driven intensive growth of critical minerals during short-lived events
Flow boiling-driven intensive growth of critical minerals during short-lived events Open
Enrichment of critical metal tellurium (Te) in shallow crustal settings is often linked to hydrothermal boiling, yet the mechanisms driving Te-silica co-precipitation under dynamic fluid flow conditions remain unresolved. Here, we experime…
View article: Paired magnetic susceptibility and geochemistry of young volcanism in Iceland and Tengchong, China
Paired magnetic susceptibility and geochemistry of young volcanism in Iceland and Tengchong, China Open
Two recent Quaternary volcanic provinces in Iceland and Tengchong, China were investigated with magnetic susceptibility and geochemistry. Despite their similar age, the two volcanic systems have different tectono-magmatic settings (influen…
View article: Extremely cold ocean temperatures in iron formation brine pools of snowball Earth
Extremely cold ocean temperatures in iron formation brine pools of snowball Earth Open
For the severe low-latitude “snowball Earth” glaciations, glacial deposits occurring on all continents is well-established. However, cold, salty, ice-covered oceans—a salient prediction of snowball Earth—is difficult to establish geologica…
View article: Multipolarized radar reveals shallow subsurface structure and middle-late Amazonian aqueous activity in Utopia Planitia, Mars
Multipolarized radar reveals shallow subsurface structure and middle-late Amazonian aqueous activity in Utopia Planitia, Mars Open
The Martian subsurface preserves a record of the geological and climatic evolution of Mars beyond that exposed at the surface. The Zhurong rover of the Tianwen-1 mission landed in southern Utopia Planitia on Mars and conducted a high-frequ…
View article: Tracing Mantle Sources to Tectono–Magmatic Settings: Machine Learning Classification of Basalts Over the Past 1 Billion Years
Tracing Mantle Sources to Tectono–Magmatic Settings: Machine Learning Classification of Basalts Over the Past 1 Billion Years Open
The geochemical heterogeneity of the mantle, recorded by mantle‐derived basalts, offers crucial insights into the evolution of mantle sources. However, recognizing mantle end‐members of basalts is challenging, as traditional trace element …
View article: Long-term history of continental weathering and particle transport to the sea
Long-term history of continental weathering and particle transport to the sea Open
Here, we explore the long-term history of chemical weathering and particle transport from the continents to the oceans by leveraging the histories of Zr/Al, Rb/Al, and Na/Al in marine sediments over the last 2000 My. We interpret these dat…
View article: 2.2-billion-year-old KREEP-rich volcanism on the Moon
2.2-billion-year-old KREEP-rich volcanism on the Moon Open
The Moon's KREEP component-rich in potassium (K), rare earth elements (REE), and phosphorus (P)-is considered a critical heat source sustaining prolonged volcanic activity. However, Chang'e mission samples reveal a lack of KREEP signatures…
View article: A more reduced mantle beneath the lunar South Pole–Aitken basin
A more reduced mantle beneath the lunar South Pole–Aitken basin Open
The oxygen fugacity (fO2) of the lunar mantle is of pivotal significance in comprehending the formation and evolution of the Moon. However, the fO2 of the lunar farside mantle remains unknown due to the lack of samples returned from the fa…
View article: Is One Sample Enough? Testing the Importance of Lateral Sedimentary Variability in Cyclostratigraphy
Is One Sample Enough? Testing the Importance of Lateral Sedimentary Variability in Cyclostratigraphy Open
Cyclostratigraphic studies of sedimentary rocks traditionally sample assuming that one sample per sedimentary horizon is sufficient. But is one sample enough? This is important to address because if two or more measurements per horizon imp…
View article: Toward a More Stable Supercontinent Columbia in the Statherian
Toward a More Stable Supercontinent Columbia in the Statherian Open
During the mid‐Proterozoic, nearly all of Earth's continents collided to form supercontinent Columbia. However, the exact timing of its formation is still debated, with estimates ranging from 1.8 to 1.6 Ga. This period, known as the Stathe…
View article: Petrogenesis of Coexisting Agpaitic and Potassic Syenites in Late Triassic Yangyuan Alkaline Complex, North China
Petrogenesis of Coexisting Agpaitic and Potassic Syenites in Late Triassic Yangyuan Alkaline Complex, North China Open
Agpaitic nepheline syenite complexes are globally rare, yet their unique mineralogy and potential for critical metal mineralization make them an important focus of research. Here we investigate the Yangyuan Alkaline Complex from the circum…
View article: Climate-change-enhanced habitat diversification for the Middle Jurassic Yanliao Biota in East Asia
Climate-change-enhanced habitat diversification for the Middle Jurassic Yanliao Biota in East Asia Open
The Jurassic Period was characterized by the dominance of dinosaurs and the rise of early mammals, with the Yanliao Biota (∼167–157 Ma) in East Asia notable for its exceptional fossil preservation and diverse life forms. However, the drive…
View article: Modelling Partial Melting in Sinking Greenstone Belts With Implications for Archaean Continental Crust Formation
Modelling Partial Melting in Sinking Greenstone Belts With Implications for Archaean Continental Crust Formation Open
Tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite (TTG) gneisses are the dominant component of Archaean continental crust, with their parent magmas generally thought to have formed due to the partial melting of hydrated basalts; however, this process typ…
View article: Modeling the stratigraphic record of glacioeustatic sea-level rise and sediment starvation following Snowball Earth
Modeling the stratigraphic record of glacioeustatic sea-level rise and sediment starvation following Snowball Earth Open
Cap carbonates overlying Neoproterozoic Snowball Earth glacial deposits are often interpreted as reflecting either rapid deglaciation or prolonged periods of post-glacial sediment starvation. To evaluate these contrasting depositional mode…
View article: Late Jurassic true polar event revealed by paleomagnetic study in the North China Craton and its implication for regional tectonics and biota evolution in East Asia
Late Jurassic true polar event revealed by paleomagnetic study in the North China Craton and its implication for regional tectonics and biota evolution in East Asia Open
The reorientation of Earth through rotation of its solid shell relative to its spin axis is known as True polar wander (TPW). It is well-documented at present, but the occurrence of TPW in the geologic past remains controversial. This is e…
View article: Dehydration-induced supralithostatic fluid overpressure in metapelites from Northern Korea
Dehydration-induced supralithostatic fluid overpressure in metapelites from Northern Korea Open
Orogenic reconstructions typically assume lithostatic pressure, which can be converted into burial depth. Deviations from lithostatic conditions, such as fluid overpressure, are recognized but poorly understood in natural rocks. Here we in…
View article: Oxygen Driving Hydrogen Into the Inner Core: Implications for the Earth's Core Composition
Oxygen Driving Hydrogen Into the Inner Core: Implications for the Earth's Core Composition Open
Earth's core should contain light elements to account for the density deficit relative to pure iron as inferred from seismic observations. Of particular interest is hydrogen, as planetary accretion models predict the delivery of water poss…
View article: Persistent but weak magnetic field at the Moon’s midstage revealed by Chang’e-5 basalt
Persistent but weak magnetic field at the Moon’s midstage revealed by Chang’e-5 basalt Open
The evolution of the lunar magnetic field can reveal the Moon’s interior structure, thermal history, and surface environment. The mid-to-late-stage evolution of the lunar magnetic field is poorly constrained, and thus, the existence of a l…
View article: Persistent but weak magnetic field at Moon's midlife revealed by Chang'e-5 basalt
Persistent but weak magnetic field at Moon's midlife revealed by Chang'e-5 basalt Open
The evolution of the lunar magnetic field can reveal the Moon's interior structure, thermal history, and surface environment. The mid-to-late stage evolution of the lunar magnetic field is poorly constrained, and thus the existence of a lo…
View article: Sluggish thermochemical basal mantle structures support their long-lived stability
Sluggish thermochemical basal mantle structures support their long-lived stability Open
Large low shear-wave velocity provinces (LLSVPs) in the lowermost mantle are the largest geological structures on Earth, but their origin and age remain highly enigmatic. Geological constraints suggest the stability of the LLSVPs since at …
View article: Conformably Variable Geocentric Axial Dipole at ca. 2.1 Ga: Paleomagnetic Dispersion of the Indin Dyke Swarm, Slave Craton
Conformably Variable Geocentric Axial Dipole at ca. 2.1 Ga: Paleomagnetic Dispersion of the Indin Dyke Swarm, Slave Craton Open
Precambrian paleomagnetic studies are critical for testing paleogeographic reconstructions in deep time but rely on the fidelity of the assumption of the geocentric axial dipole (GAD) hypothesis. With high‐reliability data from mafic dykes…
View article: Long-term reduced lunar mantle revealed by Chang’e-5 basalt
Long-term reduced lunar mantle revealed by Chang’e-5 basalt Open
The redox state of a planetary mantle affects its thermal evolution. The redox evolution of lunar mantle, however, remains unclear due to limited oxygen fugacity (fO2) constraints from young lunar samples. Here, we report vanadium (V) oxyb…
View article: A Model for Melt‐Preferred Orientation and Permeabilities in Deformed Partially Molten Peridotites
A Model for Melt‐Preferred Orientation and Permeabilities in Deformed Partially Molten Peridotites Open
In a deforming partially molten rock, melt concentrates into a grain‐scale melt pocket aligned at a preferred orientation (melt‐preferred orientation, or MPO). However, observing this texture alone provides limited information on the 3D or…
View article: Archaean multi-stage magmatic underplating drove formation of continental nuclei in the North China Craton
Archaean multi-stage magmatic underplating drove formation of continental nuclei in the North China Craton Open
The geodynamic processes that formed Earth’s earliest continents are intensely debated. Particularly, the transformation from ancient crustal nuclei into mature Archaean cratons is unclear, primarily owing to the paucity of well-preserved …
View article: Sediment subduction in Hadean revealed by machine learning
Sediment subduction in Hadean revealed by machine learning Open
Due to the scarcity of rock samples, the Hadean Era predating 4 billion years ago (Ga) poses challenges in understanding geological processes like subaerial weathering and plate tectonics that are critical for the evolution of life. The Ja…
View article: Magnetic Susceptibility Reveals Differential Retrogression in Meta-Mafic Enclave Consistent with Metamorphic P–T Estimation and Petrography
Magnetic Susceptibility Reveals Differential Retrogression in Meta-Mafic Enclave Consistent with Metamorphic P–T Estimation and Petrography Open
Magnetic susceptibility is widely applied in geology, but its use in the study of metamorphic rocks has been limited due to the complex nature of metamorphism. In this study, analyzing a partially retrogressed mafic enclave within Archean …
View article: Discovery of the Naturally Occurring Pure CaTiO3 Cubic Perovskite from Tazheran Massif
Discovery of the Naturally Occurring Pure CaTiO3 Cubic Perovskite from Tazheran Massif Open
As the parent compound of the perovskite-structured family and an analogue of davemaoite CaSiO3 in Earth’s lower mantle, CaTiO3 perovskite is widely used in electronic ceramic materials, immobilizing radioactive waste, and geosciences. Her…