The Mayombe chain of Congo is part of the West Congo Belt, which belonged to the western Gondwana supercontinent. It consists of Paleoproterozoic gneisses and schists that are tectonically stacked and overthrust Neoproterozoic low-grade metamorphic rocks. Although Neoproterozoic context of the chain is relatively well established, the tectono-metamorphic evolution of its Paleoproterozoic basement still under discussion.

Petrography, garnet chemistry and phase equilibria modelling were used to constrain tectono-metamorphic evolution of meta-plutonic and meta-sedimentary rocks from the Western Domain of the Mayombe chain. Microprobe analysis reveals three garnet types: (i) 2-stage garnets with distinct cores (Grt1) and rims (Grt2), (ii) unzoned garnet showing narrow diffusion zones along cracks and rims and (iii) syn-kinematic garnet with normal growth zoning. These complex and simple features of garnet growth are, respectively, related to a polycyclic evolution linked in this area to: (i) the superposition of Eburnean (c. 2000 Ma) and Pan-African (c. 600 Ma) orogenies and (ii) a monocyclic evolution related to a single Pan-African event taking into account ages of the protoliths. The oldest metamorphic assemblage (Eburnean) is preserved in amphibolite facies conditions marked by the first generation of garnet, whereas the younger (Pan-African) event varies from amphibolite facies in the southwest (4–6 kbar, 550°C–600°C) to greenschist facies in the northeast (4–6 kbar at 450°C–550°C) confirming the westward increase in metamorphic grade during the Pan-African event. Mineral equilibria modelling shows also a relatively HP episode culminated at 11.5–12.5 kbar and 525°C–550°C which tectonic environment stills less understood.

Decimetre-scale carbonaceous macrofossils from the Mesoproterozoic Gaoyuzhuang Formation in the Yanshan Range are known as the current oldest unambiguous evidence of macroscopic multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we reported a new SIMS zircon age of 1588.8 ± 6.5 Ma from a volcanic tuff in the Qianxi County of Hebei Province, about 11 m above the macrofossil’s horizon. This new age provides a direct age constraint on the macroscopic eukaryotic fossils from the Gaoyuzhuang Formation. It indicates that macroscopic life with the moderate diversity and certain morphological complexity had already evolved at the beginning of the Mesoproterozoic, and implies a possibility of discovering macroscopic eukaryotes in earlier rocks. This study also calls for a stratigraphic framework to integrate biological and environmental studies in different regions for a better understanding of the evolution of multicellular organisms and environmental change during this important period.

The East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM) has a profound effect on the winter climate in East Asia. The modern EAWM variability is tightly linked to the high-latitude Northern Hemisphere climate change through the Siberian High and can also be regulated by the low-latitude El Niño-Southern Oscillation through oceanic or atmospheric teleconnections. However, the Quaternary EAWM evolution has long been only attributed to the high-latitude climate change, resulting in the uncertainty in interpreting the out-of-phased EAWM variation recording in the East Asian continent and marginal seas. Here we presented a sediment record at Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Site U1427 in the southern Japan Sea to reconstruct the EAWM evolution since the last glacial maximum. By combining our record with previous reconstructions and simulations, we found the synchronous relationship between winter monsoon in northern and southern regions of East Asia from ∼24 to 8 ka, but anti-correlated relationship since ∼8 ka. We proposed the winter insolation and Atlantic meridional overturning circulation were the main drivers from last glacial to early Holocene, and then ENSO became a dominant factor in controlling the regional heterogeneity of EAWM evolution in the middle and late Holocene. This research explains much of the controversy in the Quaternary EAWM records and highlights the low-high latitude interaction in East Asian winter climate change.

Modern studies suggest that the upper ocean heat content (OHC) in the tropical Indian Ocean (TIO) is a better qualitative predictor of the Indian summer monsoon rainfall (ISMR). But it is still unknown how the OHC is mechanically linked to ISMR and whether it can be applied to long-term climate changes. By analyzing reanalysis datasets across the 20th century, we illustrate that in contrast to those anomalies associated with stronger ISM westerlies, higher ISMR is accompanied with summer surface high pressure and east wind anomalies from the South China Sea to the Bay of Bengal (BOB), and is loosely related to increased western TIO OHC during decayed phases of positive Indian Ocean dipole (IOD) and of El Niño. Except for 1944–1968 AD, this interannually lagged ISMR response to winter OHC is insignificant, probably suppressed by those simultaneous effects of positive IOD and El Niño on ISMR. In our paleoclimatic simulations, this modern observed lagged response is interrupted by seasonally reversed insolation anomalies at the 23,000-year precessional band. Our sensitivity experiments further prove that, the ISMR can be simultaneously reduced by positive IOD-like summer OHC anomalies both for modern and precessional situations. This damping effect is mainly contributed by the warmer western TIO that triggers anomalous surface high pressure, easterly winds, and drastically reduced rainfall from BOB to Arabian Peninsula, but with slightly increased rainfall in the northern ISM region. And the cooler southeastern TIO will only moderately increase rainfall in the southern ISM region.

The Jurassic magmatic record in the southern Colombian (Northern Andes) includes numerous subduction-related I-type calc-alkaline granitoids with diverse structures and textures, formed in two main episodes at ∼195 to 165 Ma and ∼165 to 145 Ma. We provide new insights into the mineral chemistry, estimates of intensive parameters and petrogenetic processes of 12 plutonic occurrences in the region, grouped in 4 petrographic associations. Primary mineral assemblages include labradorite-to-oligoclase, alkali feldspars, ferroan enstatite, Mg-rich augite to ferroan-diopside, tschermakite to hastingsite and hornblende and Mg-rich annite; Fe-rich phlogopite and actinolite are post-magmatic phases. Amphibole chemistry indicates that the older (195–165 Ma) Jurassic bodies formed from relatively highly oxidized (fO2 values buffered at −0.1 ≤ NNO ≤ +1.4) hydrous (∼4 to 6 wt % H2O) magmas and their differentiation involves significant crustal assimilation and/or magma mixing, fractional crystallization and late-magmatic re-equilibration processes. In contrast, the younger (165–145 Ma) Jurassic intrusives, derived from subducted-modified mantle sources, record moderately lower oxidized hydrous conditions (fO2 values −0.7 to 0.8 ≤ NNO; ∼5 wt % H2O) with magma evolution mainly controlled by fractional crystallization and late-magmatic re-equilibration processes. Clinopyroxene-only, amphibole-only and amphibole-plagioclase thermobarometry estimations suggest that the Jurassic occurrences crystallized over variable temperature (647°C–1087°C) and pressure (0.7–6.3 kbar) conditions, corresponding to emplacement depths ranging from ∼15, ∼8 to 11, ∼5 to 7 and <4 km along the arc crustal column. The obtained data combined with time evolution allow the identification of exhumed and fragmented arc blocks in the Jurassic magmatic system and provide an essential link between the orogenic deformation event poorly constrained in the Northern Andes.

The relationship of the Late Cretaceous amphibolite-facies Akrotiri and Vari subunits on the Greek islands of Tinos and Syros to similar occurrences in the Aegean is not fully understood, but a correlation with the Asterousia Crystalline Complex on Crete and corresponding rocks in the Upper Cycladic Unit on other islands of the archipelago is a plausible interpretation. There is currently no clear evidence that the Akrotiri subunit represents a fragment of the metamorphic sole of the nearby Tsiknias ophiolite, as there are differences in field appearance, geochemistry, metamorphic grade and retrograde overprint. Felsic rocks from amphibolite-gneiss sequences of the Akrotiri and Vari subunits are interpreted as reworked igneous rocks with minor admixture of terrigenous material. The Triassic U–Pb zircon age (c. 240 Ma) of such a gneiss from Syros indicates the magmatic crystallization age of the original source rocks. A similar interpretation is suggested for the studied Akrotiri gneiss, but is less clear due to the not fully clarified significance of the presumed Pb loss thought to be responsible for the considerable U–Pb age range of the dated zircons (c. 256–114 Ma). The Vari gneiss sensu strictu is closely associated with metadioritic rocks containing a Triassic zircon population (c. 238 Ma). The protolith is probably plutonic, but a mixture of volcanic and plutonic detritus cannot be excluded. Riebeckitic amphiboles occur in all rock types of the Akrotiri subunit, indicating late overprinting at elevated pressures, which is not known from similar occurrences in the southern Aegean.

Based on 30 high-resolution U-Th dating controls, we reconstruct stalagmite δ18O records from 45 to 15 thousand years ago (ka B.P., before AD 1950) from the Shizhu Cave, which is located in southwestern China under the influence of both the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) and the East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM). By integrating with the other stalagmite δ18O records in Asia during the middle to late last glacial, our results reveal two main moisture trajectories: one from the Indian Ocean, through the Shizhu Cave towards central China, and the other from the Pacific Ocean to central and northern China. The systematic decrease of the average values of stalagmite δ18O records from oceans to inland China reveals a spatial pattern of water vapour fractionation and moisture trajectory during the middle to late last glacial. In contrast, the variation amplitude, which is defined as the departures apart from the background δ18O records during Heinrich stadials 1 to 4 (HS1–HS4), show an increasing trend from the coastal oceans to mid-latitude inland China, presenting a ‘coastal-inland’ pattern, which can be interpreted by the enhanced East Asian Winter Monsoon (EAWM) and the weakened EASM. More specifically, the enriched stalagmite δ18O records in the EASM region during HS1 to HS4 are caused by the decreased summer rainfall amount or/and the increased proportion of summer moisture resources from the Pacific Ocean. These new observations deepen our understanding of the complicated stalagmite δ18O records in the EASM region.

The cliff and foreshore sections at Blue Anchor Bay, north Somerset, provide a detailed picture of the transitional Triassic–Jurassic succession. The site has been recorded as a location for fossil fishes for over 200 years, and yet the assemblages from the bone beds have not been described. Here, we present new observations on the two bone beds and find major faunal differences: the classic basal bone bed at Blue Anchor Bay contains an assemblage dominated by osteichthyan teeth, unexpected because elsewhere the ichthyofauna is usually dominated by chondrichthyans. The upper bone bed at Blue Anchor Bay is indeed more typical, being dominated by teeth of hybodont chondrichthyans. We report two unusual finds, first five teeth of the rare shark Parasycylloides turnerae, only the fifth such record in the UK. Further, we report here for the first time a tooth of the pycnodontiform Eomesodon, the first report of this taxon from the Triassic of the UK or Europe. The two bone beds are distinguished not only by different assemblages, but also by evidence of different degrees of anoxia and water depth: the upper bone bed contains abundant pyrite and marcasite, indicating highly anoxic conditions, and perhaps deposition in deeper water than the basal bone bed.

The Indo-Pacific Warm Pool (IPWP) significantly influences the global hydrological cycle through its impact on atmospheric-oceanic circulation. However, gaining a comprehensive understanding of the hydrologic climate dynamics within the IPWP and its broader effects on the global climate have been hindered by spatial and temporal limitations in paleoclimate records on orbital timescales. In this study, we reconstructed precipitation records (approximated from δ18Osw-ivc) over the past 450 kyr, based on planktonic foraminiferal Mg/Ca and δ18O data obtained from International Ocean Discovery Program Site U1486 in the western tropical Pacific. The δ18Osw-ivc record revealed a generally consistent pattern with precession variations over the past 450 kyr, closely corresponding to changes in boreal summer insolation at the equator. The δ18Osw-ivc record displayed an anti-phased relationship with Chinese speleothem δ18O records on the precession band, with lower precipitation in the western tropical Pacific and higher precipitation in the East Asia summer monsoon region during periods of high Northern Hemisphere summer insolation. This anti-phased correlation primarily resulted from the north-south migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), influenced by the interhemispheric insolation contrast. By considering additional δ18Osw-ivc records from various locations within the IPWP region, we identified synchronous precipitation changes within the IPWP on the precession band. The synchronization of precipitation on both margins of the ITCZ’s seasonal range and differences between central and marginal regions of the ITCZ within the IPWP revealed the expansion and contraction of the ITCZ on precession band.

Sediments within accretionary complexes, preserving key information on crust growth history of Central Asian Orogenic Belt, did not get enough attention previously. Here, we conduct comprehensive geochemical study on the turbidites from the North Tianshan Accretionary Complex (NTAC) in the Chinese West Tianshan orogen, which is a good example of sediments derived from juvenile materials. The turbidites, composed of sandstone, siltstone, and argillaceous siliceous rocks, are mainly Carboniferous. All the investigated samples have relatively low Chemical Index of Alteration values (35–63) and Plagioclase Index of Alteration values (34–68), indicating relatively weak weathering before erosion and deposition. The sandstone and siltstone, and slate samples display high Index of Compositional Variability values of 0.89–1.50 and 0.89–0.93, suggesting a relatively immature source. The sandstones and siltstones were mainly derived from intermediate igneous rocks, and the slates from felsic igneous rocks, formed in oceanic/continental arc settings. The investigated samples roughly display high positive εNd(t) values (mainly at +5.5 to +7.9, except one spot at +0.8), with corresponding Nd model ages at 672 Ma–522 Ma (except one at ∼1.1 Ga). Combined with the previous studies, we suggest that the turbidites in the NTAC were mainly derived from intermediate to felsic igneous rocks with juvenile arc signature, and thus the northern Chinese West Tianshan is a typical site with significant Phanerozoic crust growth.

To define the amount, thermal maturity and type of organic matter (OM), a comprehensive analysis of major and trace elements, organic carbon isotope and organic geochemistry was conducted on Lutetian black shales found in the Everek (Bayburt) region of northeastern Turkey. Total organic carbon (TOC) levels in the shale samples range from 0.62% to 6.75%, and type II–III to type III kerogen is generated, displaying a combination of high terrigenous and low marine OM. The δ13C values (ranging from –28.22‰ to –28.23‰), aromatic hydrocarbon compounds (methyl phenanthrene, dibenzothiophene, tri-aromatic and monoaromatic steroids), saturated hydrocarbon compounds (sterane and terpane), acyclic isoprenoids, n-alkane distribution (n-C13–n-C36) and inorganic geochemical characterization support that the black shales were deposited in a terrestrial-marine transition environment and had a high proportion of terrestrial OM with small amounts of marine OM preserved in relatively arid to hot climate and oxic to suboxic conditions. The analysis of biomarker thermal maturity markers, Tmax (ranging from 449–458 oC) and estimated vitrinite reflectance (varying from 0.92 to 1.08%) values suggest that the black shales have reached the oil window. As a result, black shales are thought to contain low to high amounts of TOC, have a mixed kerogen type, reach a high thermal maturity level and produce little hydrocarbons.

The Khopoli intrusion is a small olivine gabbro intrusion exposed in the Konkan Plain, in the western part of the Deccan Traps continental flood basalt province. It intrudes lavas of the Neral and Thakurvadi formations, which belong to the lower part of the Western Ghats stratigraphic sequence and mainly comprise small-scale compound pāhoehoe flows and sheet lobes, respectively. Many of these lavas contain abundant cumulus olivine and clinopyroxene. The Khopoli intrusion is of considerable interest because its olivine gabbros are among the most magnesian Deccan rocks known, with bulk-rock MgO contents reaching 27 wt.%. Textural, mineralogical and geochemical features indicate that the olivine gabbros are olivine-pyroxene cumulates formed from an evolved tholeiitic basalt melt. Much of the original outcrop of the intrusion (mapped in 1980) is now lost owing to large-scale urban and industrial development. We have remapped the intrusion and obtained a 40Ar/39Ar age of 67.3 ± 1.5 Ma (2σ) on fresh intercumulus plagioclase grains separated from one of the olivine gabbros, which is consistent with the age of the host volcanic sequence. Measured true density values of 2.93 to 3.13 g/cm3 for olivine gabbros of the Khopoli intrusion suggest possible shallow causes for at least some of the high gravity anomalies found in the Deccan Traps.

The Pliensbachian–Toarcian succession of North Yorkshire provides a global reference for the interval incorporating the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE, ∼183 Ma). Major and trace element, carbon stable-isotope (δ13Corg) and total organic carbon (TOC) data for the Dove’s Nest core, drilled close to the classic outcrop sections of the Yorkshire coast, demonstrate geochemical, mineralogical and grain-size trends linked to sea level and climate change in the Cleveland Basin. High-resolution correlation between the core and outcrop enables the integration of data to generate a comprehensive chemostratigraphic record. Palaeoredox proxies (Mo, U, V, TOC/P, DOP and Fe speciation) show a progressive shift from oxic bottom waters in the late Pliensbachian through dysoxic–anoxic conditions in the earliest Toarcian to euxinia during the T-OAE. Anoxia–dysoxia persisted into the middle Toarcian. Elemental and isotope data (Re, Re/Mo, δ34SCAS, δ98Mo and ε205Tl) from the coastal sections evidence global expansion of anoxic and euxinic seafloor area driving drawdown of redox-sensitive metals and sulfate from seawater leading to severe depletion in early Toarcian ocean water. The record of anoxia–euxinia in the Cleveland Basin largely reflects global-scale changes in ocean oxygenation, although metal depletion was temporarily enhanced by periods of local basin restriction. Osmium and Sr isotopes demonstrate a pulse of accelerated weathering accompanying the early Toarcian hyperthermal, coincident with the T-OAE. The combined core and outcrop records evidence local and global environmental change accompanying one of the largest perturbations in the global carbon cycle during the last 200 Ma and a period of major biotic turnover.

Petrographical and geochemical data from the Togo structural unit (TSU), also referred to as the Atacora structural unit, are presented together with the existing dataset; geochemical and age data from the sedimentary and metasedimentary rocks from the passive margin sequences of the Dahomeyide belt in Ghana to infer their provenance and depositional setting and expand the discussion on the Rodina–Gondwana supercontinent assembly during the Pan-African orogeny. The metasedimentary rocks of the TSU are quartzites and phyllites. The framework grains of the quartzites consisting dominantly of quartz and small amounts of feldspar grains and relict lithic fragments classify them as quartz arenite, subarkose and sublitharenite. Generally, the studied rocks show similar rare-earth element and multi-element patterns, which imply derivation from similar sources. Elemental ratios, including (La/Lu)N, Th/Sc and La/Sc, suggest sediments sourced from intermediate to felsic rocks. Provenance and depositional setting indicators of the TSU suggest deposition in a passive margin setting, with the West African and Amazonian cratons’ granitoids and granitic gneisses as possible provenance, akin to siliciclastic rocks of the Buem structural unit and the Voltaian Supergroup of the Volta Basin. The deformational history of the TSU is similar to those of the Buem structural unit and the eastern margin of the Voltaian Supergroup, indicating the effect of the Pan-African orogeny on the passive margin of the Dahomeyide belt. We, therefore, propose the formation and evolution of a Neoproterozoic passive margin unit, which was tectonically deformed during the Rodinia–Gondwana supercontinent cycle.

The origin of eclogite-bearing granitoid gneisses and metapelites of the Chuacús Complex is investigated. This complex represents the internal basement massif of the Guatemala Suture Zone, a part of the western North America–Caribbean plate boundary. LA-ICP-MS U-Pb and trace element zircon data are combined with whole-rock Sm-Nd and Lu-Hf isotopes to re-evaluate granitoid petrogenesis and inquire into the sedimentary record. New granitoid ages of ca. 1030–1010 Ma are reported, adding to those already known of ca. 1100, 990 and 225 Ma. Stenian A-type granitoids within the bimodal Cubulco unit formed by mixing of magmas derived from late Palaeoproterozoic crust and mantle-derived melts produced in an extensional setting during Rodinia assembly. During the Tonian, an extended (or later) period of extensional tectonics produced peraluminous granitoids (Pachajob gneiss) by anatexis of rejuvenated late Mesoproterozoic crust. After a hiatus encompassing most of the Neoproterozoic, marine sedimentation occurred between the Ediacaran and the early Palaeozoic as recorded by the Palibatz schist, a sequence formed by detritus sourced from peri-Gondwanan continental areas. No evidence of middle to late Palaeozoic magmatism or sedimentation was found in the studied area. Late Triassic granitoids (Agua Caliente unit) were produced by mixing melts from late Mesoproterozoic crust with enriched mantle magmas in response to post-collisional thinning during the western Pangea breakup. This extensional stage led to considerable thinning of the Chuacús crust and its evolution into a passive margin that would be prone to subduct during the Cretaceous.

The Paleoproterozoic Stollberg Zn-Pb-Ag plus magnetite ore field contains SVALS-type stratabound, limestone-skarn hosted sulphide deposits within volcanic (bimodal felsic and mafic rocks)/volcaniclastic rocks metamorphosed to the amphibolite facies. The sulphide ores consist of semi-massive to disseminated to vein-network sphalerite-galena and pyrrhotite (with subordinate pyrite, chalcopyrite, arsenopyrite and magnetite). Thermochemical considerations and stabilities of minerals in the systems K-Al-Si-O-H and Fe-S-O and sulphur isotope values for sulphides of δ34SVCDT = +1.12 to +5.71 ‰ suggest that sulphur most likely formed by inorganic reduction of seawater sulphate that was carried in hydrothermally modified seawater fluid under the following approximate physicochemical conditions: T = 250o–350 oC, δ34SΣS = +3 ‰, I = ∼1 m NaCl and a total dissolved S content of ∼0.01 to 0.1 moles/kg H2O. However, a magmatic contribution of sulphur cannot be discounted. Carbon and oxygen isotope compositions of calcite in altered rocks spatially associated with mineralisation show values of δ13CVPDB = −2.3 to −0.8 ‰ and δ18OVSMOW = +9.5 to +11.2 ‰, with one anomalous sample exhibiting values of δ13CVPDB = −0.1 ‰ and δ18OVSMOW = +10.9 ‰. Most carbonates in ore show lighter C and O isotope values than those of Proterozoic (Orosirian) limestones and are likely the result of premetamorphic hydrothermal alteration involving modified seawater followed by decarbonation during regional metamorphism. The isotopically light C and O isotope values are consistent with those for carbonates spatially associated with other SVALS-type deposits in the Bergslagen ore district and suggest that such values may be used for exploration purposes.

Based on a new cored succession at Winterswijk, evidence is uncovered of the end-Triassic mass-extinction (ETME) event in a subsurface sedimentary succession of the Netherlands. The ETME was one of the most devastating events for the biosphere during the Phanerozoic era. Massive volcanism from the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province initiated the breakup of the supercontinent Pangea and resulted in terrestrial and marine extinction pulses, which drastically altered the course of life on Earth. The newly cored material reveals a sedimentary succession representing a shallow marine setting dominated by laminated black shale and claystone deposits. A high-resolution palynostratigraphic dataset provides evidence for a late Rhaetian vegetation assemblage that displays a stepwise decline of arborescent tree vegetation that is transiently replaced by a community of ferns and fern allies. Geochemical records link this major disturbance in palynofloral biodiversity to a pulse of volcanic activity as evidenced by a negative excursion in stable organic carbon isotopes. Shifts towards drier climate conditions, as inferred from sedimentary elemental composition, suggest continental aridification strongly influenced the terrestrial realm following volcanic pulses. Presence of reworked material suggests unstable soils that were affected by increased erosion rates, inhibiting the re-establishment of conifer tree vegetation. Comparison of our findings with other contemporaneous European Triassic-Jurassic boundary sections confirms the progression of the end-Triassic extinction, which exhibits a two-phased structure. The presence of the ETME in the subsurface of the Netherlands provides further evidence towards our understanding of terrestrial extinction with emphasis on the decline of vegetation.