The Tarim Basin is the major source of aeolian dust in the northern hemisphere. Glacial activity in the mountains, transportation by rivers and homogenization by wind are believed to be responsible for dust production within the basin. However, the major source(s) and homogenization process(es) are not clear. Moreover, provenance studies on fine fractions have never been conducted. Here, we measured electron spin resonance (ESR) signal intensity and the crystallinity index of quartz in fine (< 16 μm) and coarse (> 64 μm) fractions of river sediments, dry lake sediments and mountain loess to examine the process(es) that produce aeolian dust. The result suggests that the coarse fraction of the river sediment was derived from the bedrock in the drainage area. The ESR signal intensity and crystallinity index of the fine fraction of river sediments from the Tian Shan Mountains and mountainous rivers in the westernmost Kunlun and Pamir mountains are also similar to the coarse fraction, suggesting the same sources. However, the ESR signal intensity and crystallinity index of the fine fraction of river sediments from the Kunlun Mountains are different from the coarse fraction and converge towards values close to the average for the fine fraction of river sediments and mountain loess. Convergence of the ESR and crystallinity index values for the fine fraction of river sediments from the Kunlun Mountains can be explained by contamination of the river sediments by aeolian dust. The convergent values resulted from the homogenization of fine detrital material by repeated recycling within the basin.

Mountain building in the Al-Hajar Mountains (NE Oman) occurred during two major shortening stages, related to the convergence between Africa–Arabia and Eurasia, separated by nearly 30 Ma of tectonic quiescence. Most of the shortening was accommodated during the Late Cretaceous, when northward subduction of the Neo-Tethys Ocean was followed by the ophiolites obduction on top of the former Mesozoic margin. This shortening event lasted until the latest Santonian – early Campanian. Maastrichtian to Eocene carbonates unconformably overlie the eroded nappes and seal the Cretaceous foredeep. These neo-autochthonous post-nappe sedimentary rocks were deformed, along with the underlying Cretaceous tectonic pile, during the second shortening event, itself including two main exhumation stages. In this study we combine remotely sensed structural data, seismic interpretation, field-based structural investigations and apatite (U–Th)/He (AHe) cooling ages to obtain new insights into the Cenozoic deformation stage. Seismic interpretation indicates the occurrence of a late Eocene flexural basin, later deformed by an Oligocene thrusting event, during which the post-nappe succession and the underlying Cretaceous nappes of the internal foredeep were uplifted. This stage was followed by folding of the post-nappe succession during the Miocene. AHe data from detrital siliciclastic deposits in the frontal area of the mountain chain provide cooling ages spanning from 17.3 to 42 Ma, consistent with available data for the structural culminations of Oman. Our work points out how renewal of flexural subsidence in the foredeep and uplift of the mountain belt were coeval processes, followed by layer-parallel shortening preceding final fold amplification.

The early Ordovician (∼385 Ma) Power Steps Formation, Newfoundland, Canada, exposes a well-preserved mudstone-dominated clinothem that serves as an excellent archive for understanding how mud has been produced, transported and converted into mudstone prior to the evolution of globally widespread, deep soil horizons. Sedimentological analysis of four sandstone and five mudstone facies, along the Ochre Cove clinothem, reveal that mud and sand were delivered by unidirectional currents and experienced episodic reworking by storm waves. Petrographic examination and X-ray diffraction from described mudstone facies reveal significant variability in the distribution of illite versus chlorite between the lower and upper part of the Ochre Cove clinothem. This research highlights that in the present-day clay mineral fraction, illite is often detrital whereas chlorite originated via the alteration of silt-sized, highly unstable, mafic (volcanoclastic?) grains. Throughout all sedimentologic facies, albeit in different proportions, these mafic lithic grains were diagenetically altered via in situ weathering before significant compaction occurred, resulting in the precipitation of significant volumes of pore-bridging, silica- and iron-rich chlorite cement. Compositional, diagenetic and textural attributes across the Ochre Cove mud clinothem vary as a function of starting composition, hydrodynamic sorting and grain density. Given that a significant proportion of clay minerals has been generated via in situ transformation of a mafic, non-stable precursor assemblage, we recommend future studies to incorporate detailed petrographic description along with X-ray diffraction analyses when aiming to employ trends in whole-rock clay mineral data as a proxy in provenance and palaeoclimate studies of very old (pre-Devonian) mudstones and sandstones.

The presence of a carbonate platform that interfingers towards the west with slope facies allows for the identification of an ancient lower Palaeozoic continental margin in the Western Precordillera of Argentina. The Los Sombreros Formation is essential for the interpretation of the continental slope of the Precordillera, which accreted to Gondwana as part of the Cuyania Terrane in the early Palaeozoic. The age of these slope deposits is controversial; therefore, a precise biostratigraphic scheme is critical to reveal the evolution of the South American continental margin of Gondwana. The study of lithic deposits of two sections of the Los Sombreros Formation, the El Salto and Los Túneles sections, provides important information for further understanding the depositional history of the slope. At El Salto section, the conodonts recovered from an allochthonous block refer to the Cordylodus proavus Zone (upper Furongian). The conodonts recovered from the matrix of a calclithite bed of the Los Sombreros Formation in the Los Túneles section are assigned to the Lenodus variabilis Zone (early Darriwilian), providing a minimum age for this stratigraphic unit. In addition, clasts from this sample yielded conodonts from the Paltodus deltifer − Macerodus dianae zones (upper Tremadocian). The contrasting conodont colour alterations and preservation states from the elements of two latter records, coming from the same sample, argue the reworked clasts originated in the carbonate platform and later transported to the slope during the accretion process of the Precordilleran Terrane to the South American Gondwanan margin during the Middle–Late Ordovician.

This paper presents a comprehensive study of the zircon geochronology, geochemistry and Sr–Nd isotope geology of Devonian mafic rocks developed in the East Kunlun orogenic belt, northern Tibetan Plateau, and reveals their mantle sources, petrogenesis and geodynamic implications for continental exhumation. The zircon geochronology of typical samples indicates that these mafic rocks crystallized at 406∼408 Ma. They can be classified into two different groups based on petrographic observations and geochemical compositions. Group 1 rocks exhibit low TiO2 and FeOt contents and Nb/Y ratios and have enriched mid-ocean ridge basalt (E-MORB)-like compositions with slight negative Nb and Ta anomalies. However, Group 2 rocks have distinctly high TiO2 and FeOt contents and Nb/Y ratios, comparable to typical Fe–Ti-rich mafic rocks worldwide. All the samples exhibit weak enrichments in light rare earth elements, Nb and Ta relative to the primitive mantle. Based on geochemical and isotopic studies, Group 1 rocks are suggested to be derived from depleted asthenospheric mantle that was metasomatized by c. 3–5 % continental crustal components, while Group 2 rocks originated from partial melting of enriched lithospheric mantle. The high contents of Fe, Ti and Nb for Group 2 rocks could be attributed to a high degree of olivine crystallization under low fO2 conditions with delayed nucleation of Fe–Ti oxides. Combining those results with other geological data, we conclude that slab break-off was the key factor causing exhumation of eclogites and triggering flare-up of the Devonian magmatism, and that continental collision or continental subduction may have initiated at 431∼436 Ma.

The concept of the Tommotian Regional Stage of the Siberian Platform has been closely linked to the idea of the ‘Cambrian Explosion’ of animals and protists when the entire Earth system shifted rapidly into Phanerozoic mode. We conducted a multidisciplinary study of an informal ‘synstratotype’ of the lower Tommotian boundary in the upper Mattaia Formation, Kessyusa Group in the Olenek Uplift, NE of the Siberian Platform. The Mattaia Formation characterizes an upper shoreface to inner-shelf depositional setting and provides important faunal ties and correlation with carbonate-dominated and aliminosiliciclastic open-shelf areas. A section of the upper Mattaia Formation at Boroulakh, Olenek River is suggested here as a model for the Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point for the base of the Cambrian Stage 2. This level contains the lowermost occurrence of the cosmopolitan fossil helcionelloid mollusc Aldanella attleborensis. Section global markers near the base of the stage include a positive excursion of δ13C values reaching +5.4‰, a U–Pb zircon date of 529.7 ± 0.3 Ma, massive appearance of diverse small skeletal fossils (including Watsonella crosbyi), a sudden increase in diversity and abundance of trace fossils, as well as a conspicuous increase in depth and intensity of bioturbation. Coincidently, it is this level that has always been regarded as the lower Tommotian boundary on the Olenek Uplift.

We use apatite fission track ages from sediments recovered by the International Ocean Discovery Program in the Laxmi Basin, Arabian Sea, to constrain exhumation rates in the western Himalaya and Karakoram since 15.5 Ma. With the exception of a Triassic population in the youngest 0.93 Ma samples supplied from western Peninsular India, apatite fission track ages are overwhelmingly Cenozoic, largely <25 Ma, consistent with both a Himalaya–Karakoram source and rapid erosion. Comparison of the minimum cooling age of each sample with depositional age (lag time) indicates an acceleration in exhumation between 7.8 and 7.0 Ma, with lag times shortening from ∼6.0 Myr at 8.5–7.8 Ma to being within error of zero between 7.0 and 5.7 Ma. Sediment supply at 7.0–5.7 Ma was largely from the Karakoram, and to a lesser extent the Himalaya, based on U–Pb zircon ages from the same samples. This time coincides with a period of drying in the Himalayan foreland caused by weaker summer monsoons and Westerly winds. It also correlates with a shift of erosion away from the Karakoram, Kohistan and the Tethyan Himalaya towards more erosion of the Lesser and Greater Himalaya and Nanga Parbat, as shown by zircon U–Pb provenance data, and especially after 5.7 Ma based on Nd isotope data. Samples younger than 5.7 Ma have lag times of ∼4.5 Myr, similar to Holocene Indus delta sediments.

We investigated the microscopic mineral characteristics of modern eolian dust particulates and the trace-element compositions of the siliciclastic fractions of these samples, collected from the Philippine Sea in 2014 and 2015, and conducted an air mass backwards trajectory analysis of dust particulates in the spring and winter of 2015, to better constrain the provenances and transport dynamics of dust delivered to this region. The microscopic minerals show obvious signatures of dust deposition and physical abrasion, indicating long-distance wind transport from the Asian deserts. The trace-element compositions (Zr–Th–Sc) display a binary mixture of eolian materials derived from the eastern Asian deserts and the central Asian deserts, which is similar to the result of the Sr–Nd isotopic compositions of modern sediment trap sediments collected on the Benham Rise in 2015. We demonstrate that modern dust sediments in the Philippine Sea primarily originate from the Ordos Desert (generally > 80%), while the contributions of the Taklimakan Desert and the Badain Jaran Desert are small. Eolian dust particulates raised from source regions are predominantly transported to the Philippine Sea by the East Asian winter monsoon, but not by the westerlies. In addition, our results indicate that increased precipitation in the source regions can result in relatively low dust fluxes in the Philippine Sea, and there is a period of 6–7 days for eolian dust originating from source areas to be delivered to the Philippine Sea.

We report new U–Pb isotopic data for detrital zircons from Cambrian–Ordovician strata on the northern margin of the western Yangtze Block, which together with published U–Pb isotopic data for coeval strata in the South China Block, provide critical constraints on the provenance of these sediments and further shed light on the early Palaeozoic position of the South China Block in the context of Gondwana. Detrital zircons in this study yield four major age peaks in the early Palaeoproterozoic, early Neoproterozoic, middle Neoproterozoic and late Neoproterozoic – early Palaeozoic. The dominant age population of 900–700 Ma matches well with magmatic ages from the nearby Panxi–Hannan Belt, which indicates that Cambrian–Ordovician sedimentary rocks in the western Yangtze Block were mainly of local derivation. However, compilations of detrital zircon ages for the Cambrian–Ordovician strata from the Cathaysia Block and the eastern Yangtze Block show that both blocks are dominated by late Mesoproterozoic- and early Neoproterozoic-aged detrital zircons, which suggests a remarkable exotic input with typical Gondwana signatures. According to the integrated detrital zircon age spectra of the Cambrian–Ordovician sedimentary rocks from the entire South China Block and palaeocurrent data, the South China Block should have been linked with North India and Western Australia within East Gondwana. Specifically, the Cathaysia Block was located adjacent to Western Australia, while the Yangtze Block was connected with North India.

The study area is located across the Kalahari Craton – Maud Belt boundary in Dronning Maud Land (DML), Antarctica. The ∼1100 Ma Maud Belt in the east is situated where the ∼900–600 Ma East African and ∼530–500 Ma Kuunga orogenies overlap. The Kalahari Craton cover in the west of the study area comprises ∼1100 Ma Straumsnutane Formation lavas in Straumsnutane. In Straumsnutane, early ∼1100 Ma low-grade structures suggest top-to-the-NW deformation. Younger ∼525 Ma structures suggest conjugate top-to-ESE and -WNW transport under low-grade conditions. Western Straumsnutane and Ahlmannryggen do not show the same complex deformation, the intense deformation being restricted to NE Straumsnutane along the eastern margin of the Kalahari Craton. In Sverdrupfjella, in the east, the Maud Belt is underlain by medium-grade, deformed ∼1140 Ma supracrustal gneisses and younger intrusions. Four deformation phases in the gneisses comprise D1 + D2 with top-to-the-N and -NW folds, D3 top-to-the-S and -SE folding and D4 brittle faulting. Syn-D3 emplacement of granitoid veins is inferred at ∼490 Ma. Comparison of the deformation vergence of NE Straumsnutane with western Sverdrupfjella suggests D1 in Straumsnutane is correlatable with D1 + D2 Mesoproterozoic structures in western Sverdrupfjella. D2 deformation in Straumsnutane can be correlated with D3 structures and Cambrian-age granites in Sverdrupfjella. D2 deformation in eastern Straumsnutane and D3 in western Sverdrupfjella are inferred to have occurred in a mega-nappe footwall, implying the Ritscherflya Supergroup cratonic cover in eastern Straumsnutane was partially submerged in the footwall, the mega-nappe formed during Gondwana amalgamation, involving collision between N and S Gondwana in the Kuunga Orogeny, ∼530–500 Ma ago.

West Junggar in the southwestern Central Asian Orogenic Belt is a critical area for the study of the Junggar oceanic basin and may also reveal tectonic evolutionary events before the final closure of the Palaeo-Asian Ocean. The sedimentary formations and paragenetic associations of the Upper Carboniferous Chengjisihanshan Formation in southern West Junggar jointly reveal a back-arc basin setting with zircon U–Pb ages of 313–310 Ma for the basaltic rocks. Geochemically, the basaltic rocks are tholeiitic with low SiO2 (47.76–52.06 wt %) and K2O (0.05–0.74 wt %) but high MgO (6.55–7.68 wt %) contents and Mg no. (52.9–58.9) values. They display slightly flat rare earth element patterns with weak positive Eu anomalies, and show enrichments in large ion lithophile elements relative to high field strength elements with negative Nb and Ta anomalies, exhibiting both N-MORB-like and arc-like signatures, similar to the back-arc basin basalt from the Mariana Trough. The high positive zircon εHf(t) and bulk εNd(t) values as well as high initial Pb isotopes, together with relatively high Sm/Yb and slightly low Th/Ta ratios imply a depleted spinel lherzolitic mantle source metasomatized by slab-derived fluids. The field and geochemical data jointly suggest that the volcanic rocks within the Chengjisihanshan Formation were formed in an intra-oceanic back-arc basin above the northwestward subduction of the Junggar oceanic lithosphere in southern West Junggar. The confirmation of the Late Carboniferous back-arc basin basalts, together with other geological observations, indicate that an arc-basin evolutionary system still existed in southern West Junggar at c. 310 Ma, and the Junggar Ocean closed after Late Carboniferous time.

The study area belongs to the Singhbhum metamorphic belt of Jharkhand, situated in the eastern part of India. The spatial distribution of the index minerals in the pelitic schists of the area shows Barrovian type of metamorphism. Three isograds, viz. garnet, staurolite and sillimanite, have been delineated and the textural study of the schists has revealed a time relation between crystallization and deformation. Series of folds with shifting values of plunges in the supracrustal rocks having axial-planar schistosity to the folds have been widely cited. Development of these folds could be attributed to the second phase of deformation. In total, two phases of deformation, D1 and D2, in association with two phases of metamorphism, M1 and M2, have been lined up in the study area. Chemographic plots of reactant and product assemblages corresponding to various metamorphic reactions suggest that the pattern of metamorphic zones mapped in space is in coherence with the temporal-sequential change during prograde metamorphism. The prograde P–T evolution of the study area has been obtained using conventional geothermobarometry, internally consistent winTWQ program and Perple_X software in the MnNCKFMASHTO model system. Our observations suggest that the progressive metamorphism in the area is not related to granitic intrusion or migmatization but that it was possibly the ascending plume that resulted in the M1 phase of metamorphism followed by D1 deformation. The second and prime metamorphic phase, M2, with its possible heat source generated by crustal overloading, was preceded by D1 and it lasted until late- to post-D2 deformation.

The Barents Sea region of Arctic Norway preserves a thick succession of marine and deltaic Triassic strata that yield an abundant and diverse association of terrestrial and marine palynomorphs. Despite being the principal means for dating and correlation across this vast region, the Upper Triassic palynozonal resolution has remained relatively low. This is problematic due to the thickness of the Upper Triassic Series and since this corresponds to the longest of the three Triassic epochs. This paper presents a refined Middle–Upper Triassic palynozonation for the region, based on a detailed investigation of multiple localities ranging from the Svalbard Archipelago to the southern Barents Sea. The zonation comprises eleven spore-pollen zones: the Carnisporites spiniger, Triadispora obscura and Protodiploxypinus decus zones (Anisian), the Echinitosporites iliacoides Zone (Ladinian), the Semiretisporis hochulii, Podosporites vigraniae, Leschikisporis aduncus, and Protodiploxypinus spp. zones (Carnian), the Classopollis torosus, and Quadraeculina anellaeformis zones (Norian), and the Ricciisporites spp. Zone (Rhaetian). Additionally, two new dinoflagellate cyst zones are defined: the Rhaetogonyaulax arctica (upper Carnian – lower Norian) and Rhaetogonyaulax rhaetica (lower Norian) zones. Three new age-significant palynomorph taxa are described: Kyrtomisporis moerki sp. nov., Podosporites vigraniae sp. nov. and Semiretisporis hochulii sp. nov. The revised palynozonation is compared with previous palynozonal schemes for the Greater Barents Sea region, and its relationship to Triassic palaeoclimate, palaeoenvironments and sequence stratigraphy is discussed.

To properly understand the tectonic history of the Grenville Province it is necessary to have a reliable, scientifically based understanding of the present-day three-dimensional (3D) structure of the orogen. Based on detailed Nd isotope mapping of surface boundaries and Lithoprobe seismic sections, this study provides the first detailed visualization of the 3D structure of the Grenville gneiss belt in Ontario using the SketchUp software package. The 3D visualization supports a model in which thrust geometry was imposed from the top downwards, controlled by the NW boundary of the Central Metasedimentary Belt that originated as a failed back-arc rift zone. The Central Metasedimentary Belt boundary controlled the trajectory of the Allochthon Boundary Thrust, its underlying tectonic duplex and, ultimately, the Grenville Front. This process of superimposed thrusting explains the large-scale change in the trajectory of the Grenville Front north of Georgian Bay that has been called the ‘Big Bend’. To assist in visualizing the 3D model, a fly-through animation is provided in the supplementary material.

Volcanic rocks from the Davis Strait were studied to elucidate the tectonomagmatic processes during rifting and the start of seafloor spreading, and the formation of the Ungava transform zone between Canada and Greenland. The rocks are from the wells Hekja O-71, Gjoa G-37, Nukik-2 and Hellefisk-1, and from dredges on the northern Davis Strait High. Ages range from Danian to Thanetian (dinocyst palynozones P2 to P5, 62.5–57.2 Ma). The rocks are predominantly basaltic, but include picrites on the Davis Strait High. Calculated mantle potential temperatures for the Davis Strait High are c. 1500°C, suggesting the volume of magma generated was large; this is consistent with geophysical evidence for magmatic underplating in the region. The rare earth element patterns indicate residual mantle lithologies of spinel peridotite and, together with Sr–Nd isotopes, indicate melting beneath regionally extensive, depleted asthenosphere beneath a lithosphere of thickness similar to, or thinner than, beneath Baffin Island and distinctly thinner than beneath West Greenland. Some sites include basalts with more enriched compositions. Depleted and enriched basalts in the Hellefisk well show contemporaneous melting of depleted and enriched mantle components in the asthenosphere. The Hekja and Davis Strait High basalts and picrites have unique, ultradepleted compositions with (La/Sm)N < 0.5, (Tb/Lu)N < 1 and Nb/Zr = 0.013–0.027. We interpret these compositions as a product of the melting regime within the Ungava transform zone, where the melting column would be steep-sided in cross-section and not triangular as expected at normal spreading ridges. Magmatism along the transform stopped when the tectonic regime changed from transtension to transpression during earliest Eocene time.

The Sichuan–Yunnan–Guizhou (SYG) Pb–Zn metallogenic province is one of the most productive areas of Pb–Zn resources in China. The Fule deposit occurs in Permian carbonate and contains Pb–Zn reserves exceeding 1 Mt. To investigate the sulphur source, in situ S isotopic analysis of sphalerite and pyrite was carried out using nanoscale secondary-ion mass spectrometry. The results show that the δ34S values of the sulphide minerals range from +16.1‰ to +23.0‰, higher than that of marine sulphates hosted in Permian carbonate rocks (+11‰), but similar to that of sulphates over a broader area (+12.9‰ to +25.9‰). The sulphates in the regional rocks could therefore represent an important source of S for the Fule deposit via thermochemical sulphate reduction. The S source of the Fule deposit is different from those of most other Pb–Zn deposits in the SYG Pb–Zn mineralization province, which were mainly derived from the ore-bearing strata. The δ34S values of the early to late generations and some single sulphide crystals from the cores to rims show a slight increasing trend, implying that partial Rayleigh fractionation took place in the Fule deposit. It is suggested that the Fule sulphide precipitation resulted from the mixing of a metalliferous fluid with a H2S-rich fluid derived from the regional strata. Combining the geology, mineralogy and S isotope results with previous Pb isotope studies, it is suggested that the Fule deposit should be attributed to a Mississippi Valley type deposit.

The Permian metavolcano–sedimentary sequence of the Jianglang and Taka domes in the southern Songpan–Ganzi Orogen is composed of bedded marble and sandwiched metabasalt. This study presents geochemistry, C–O–Nd isotope systematics and zircon U–Pb geochronology data to explore the formation mechanism and tectonic setting of its protolith. The marble samples have high δ13CV-PDB (4.0 ‰ to −0.1 ‰) and δ18OV-SMOW (16.3 ‰ to 13.6 ‰) values, with similar εNd(t) values (−5.3 to −7.2) to Late Permian conodonts. They display seawater-like features, e.g. superchondritic Y/Ho ratios, negative Ce and positive La, Gd and Y anomalies, indicating a marine carbonate protolith in oxygen-rich palaeoseawater. Their pronounced positive Eu anomalies suggest a contribution (5 % to 1 %) of submarine high-T hydrothermal fluids. The metabasalt samples show low SiO2, high Fe2O3T and MgO contents. They have low La/Sm, (Th/Ta)PM and (La/Nb)PM ratios, without correlations between MgO and other major/trace elements. These signatures could be attributed to insignificant fractional crystallization and crustal contamination. Their rare earth elements (REE) patterns, trace element profiles and trace element ratios are comparable to those of mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB), suggesting a depleted MORB-type mantle reservoir. Melt modelling illustrates low degrees (<10 %) of partial melting in the spinel stability field at a depth of 30–60 km. Moreover, the metabasalt contains 2453.7–258.9 Ma detrital zircons significantly related to the Palaeoproterozoic crystalline basement, Rodinia supercontinent, Caledonian events and c. 260 Ma Emeishan large igneous province. Combined with previous studies, we advocate that the investigated metavolcano–sedimentary suquence was most likely formed during the Late Permian in a mature back-arc basin of the Palaeo-Tethys ocean.

We present detailed petrography, geochemistry and zircon U–Pb–Hf isotopes of the Mante Aobao granite porphyry in East Ujimqin Banner, Inner Mongolia, with the aim of determining its age and petrogenesis, important for understanding the early Palaeozoic tectonic evolution of the Xing’an–Mongolian Orogenic Belt. The Mante Aobao granite porphyry consists of plagioclase, quartz and minor biotite, but without amphibole. Zircon U–Pb analyses yield ages of 450 ± 1 Ma and 445 ± 2 Ma for the granite porphyry, indicating that it formed during Late Ordovician time. The granite porphyry is metaluminous to slightly peraluminous (aluminous saturation index A/CNK = 0.98–1.11) with high SiO2, K2O and Na2O concentrations and differentiation index (DI = 85–90). Chondrite-normalized rare earth element (REE) patterns display enrichment of light REEs (LREEs) with high ratios of (La/Yb)N and negative Eu anomalies. In the mantle-normalized multi-element variation diagrams, all samples are characterized by depletions of high-field-strength elements (HFSEs; Nb, Ta and Ti) and enrichments of large-ion lithophiles (LILEs; Rb, Th, U and K). These geochemical features indicate that the granite porphyry is a highly fractionated I-type granite and formed in a subduction-related setting. Zircon grains have positive εHf(t) values of +9.2 to +11.2, and TDM2(Hf) ages of 691–821 Ma, suggesting that the granite porphyry was generated by partial melting of Neoproterozoic juvenile crust with involvement of fractional crystallization during magmatic evolution. It is likely that underplating of mantle-derived magmas during Late Ordovician time provided the necessary heat to partially melt this juvenile crust. Combined with the regional geological data, we infer that the Mante Aobao granite porphyry was emplaced in an active continental margin setting that was probably related to the northwards subduction of the Paleo-Asian Plate beneath the South Mongolian Terrane along the Sonid Zuoqi–Xilinhot axis.

We investigate the phased evolution and variation of the South Asian monsoon and resulting weathering intensity and physical erosion in the Himalaya–Karakoram Mountains since late Pliocene time (c. 3.4 Ma) using a comprehensive approach. Neodymium and strontium isotopic compositions and single-grain zircon U–Pb age spectra reveal the sources of the deposits in the east Arabian Sea, and show a combination of sources from the Himalaya and the Karakoram–Kohistan–Ladakh Mountains, with sediments from the Indian Peninsula such as the Deccan Traps or Craton. We interpret shifts in the sediment sources to have been forced by sea-level changes that correlate with South Asian monsoon rainfall variation since late Pliocene time. We collected 908 samples from the International Ocean Discovery Program Hole U1456A, which was drilled in the east Arabian Sea. Time series of hematite content and grain size of the sediments were examined downcore. We found South Asian monsoon precipitation and weathering intensity experienced three phases from late Pliocene time. Lower monsoon precipitation, with a lower variability and strong weathering intensity, occurred during 3.4–2.4 Ma; an increased and more variable South Asian monsoon rainfall, along with strengthened but fluctuating weathering intensity, occurred at 1.8–1.1 Ma; and a reduced rainfall with lower South Asian monsoon precipitation variability and moderate weathering intensity marked the period 1.1–0.1 Ma. Maximum entropy spectral analysis and wavelet transform show that there were orbital-dominated cycles of periods c. 100 and c. 41 ka in these proxy-based time series. We propose that the monsoon, sea level, global temperature and insolation together forced the weathering and erosion in SW Asia.

Trilobites are an iconic group of extinct arthropods that lived in Palaeozoic oceans for c. 270 Ma, before their demise at the end of the Permian Period. Despite their considerable diversity (> 22 000 species) and abundance, particularly in Cambrian and Ordovician rocks, as well as intensive study for well over 200 years, trilobite systematics remains in a state of flux. In this contribution, the complex history of trilobite classification over the last century is briefly reviewed, including the seminal scheme published by Henry Swinnerton in 1915. The cryptogenesis problem, which relates to the supposedly obscure phylogenetic links between major post-Cambrian trilobite clades and their Cambrian sister taxa, is also discussed. Previous studies have suggested that the cryptogenesis problem is largely a taxonomic artefact, but the Cambrian origins of some post-Cambrian groups, such as the orders Proetida and Odontopleurida, are still unclear. Future directions for research on trilobite systematics are outlined, from taxonomic studies involving comprehensive documentation and extensive illustration of morphology at the species level, through to broad-scale phylogenetic analyses that initiate or test hypotheses about relationships across the major groups. Other ongoing issues to be addressed include identifying the sister group of Trilobita, and determining whether certain taxa, such as the suborder Agnostina and Cambrian family Burlingiidae, represent trilobites.