(Press-News.org) A team of researchers has made strides in understanding the formation of massif-type anorthosites, enigmatic rocks that only formed during the middle part of Earth’s history. These plagioclase-rich igneous rock formations, which can cover areas as large as 42,000 square kilometers and host titanium ore deposits, have puzzled scientists for decades due to conflicting theories about their origins.
A new study published in Science Advances on Aug. 14 highlights the intricate connections between Earth’s evolving mantle and crust and the tectonic forces that have shaped the planet throughout its history. It also provides new ways to explore when plate tectonics began, how subduction dynamics operated billions of years ago and the evolution of Earth’s crust.
The research team, led by Rice’s Duncan Keller and Cin-Ty Lee, studied massif-type anorthosites to test ideas about the magmas that formed them. The research focused on the Marcy and Morin anorthosites, classic examples from North America’s Grenville orogen that are about 1.1 billion years old.
By analyzing the isotopes of boron, oxygen, neodymium and strontium in the rocks as well as conducting petrogenetic modeling, the researchers discovered that the magmas that formed these anorthosites were rich in melts derived from oceanic crust altered by seawater at low temperatures. They also found isotopic signatures corresponding to other subduction zone rocks such as abyssal serpentinite.
“Our research indicates that these giant anorthosites likely originated from the extensive melting of subducted oceanic crust beneath convergent continental margins,” said Keller, the Clever Planets Postdoctoral Research Associate, Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences and the study’s lead author. “Because the mantle was hotter in the past, this process directly connects the formation of massif-type anorthosites to Earth’s thermal and tectonic evolution.”
The study, which combines classical methods with the novel application of boron isotopic analysis to massif-type anorthosites, suggests that these rocks formed during very hot subduction that may have been prevalent billions of years ago.
Because massif-type anorthosites don’t form on Earth today, the new evidence linking these rocks to very hot subduction on the early Earth opens new interdisciplinary approaches for understanding how these rocks chronicle the physical evolution of our planet.
“This research advances our understanding of ancient rock formations and sheds light on the broader implications for Earth’s tectonic and thermal history,” said Lee, the Harry Carothers Wiess Professor of Geology, professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences and study co-author.
The study’s other co-authors include William Peck of the Department of Earth and Environmental Geosciences at Colgate University; Brian Monteleone of the Department of Geology and Geophysics at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; Céline Martin of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the American Museum of Natural History; Jeffrey Vervoort of the School of the Environment at Washington State University; and Louise Bolge of the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University.
This study was supported by NASA and the U.S. National Science Foundation.
END
Researchers unveil mysteries of ancient Earth
Rice-led geochemistry study advances understanding of ancient rock formations
2024-08-14
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
UNC-Chapel Hill launches the Institute for Risk Management and Insurance Innovation
2024-08-14
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is launching the Institute for Risk Management and Insurance Innovation, a new interdisciplinary research and innovation hub that will leverage the expertise of faculty and students from various disciplines across campus to address complex challenges in risk management and insurance.
“The institute will address the financial risks arising from a growing number of threats to our state and beyond, ranging from extreme weather to cybersecurity,” explains Vice Chancellor for Research Penny Gordon-Larsen. “UNC-Chapel Hill is a world leader in translating extreme environmental events into financial risk and now seeks to expand ...
Integrating positive psychology and autism: A roundtable
2024-08-14
A new Roundtable Discussion in the peer-reviewed journal Autism in Adulthood explores how the two fields of positive psychology and autism might integrate and benefit each other, and the autism community at large. Click here to read the Roundtable.
The Roundtable was co-moderated by Patricia Wright, PhD, MPH who is the Executive Director of Proof Positive: Autism Wellbeing Alliance, an organization committed to integrating autism services and the field of positive psychology and Rachel Moseley, ...
UC Irvine scientists create material that can take the temperature of nanoscale objects
2024-08-14
Irvine, Calif., Aug. 14, 2024 — University of California, Irvine scientists recently discovered a one-dimensional nanoscale material whose color changes as temperature changes. The team’s results appeared in Advanced Materials.
“We found that we can make really small and sensitive thermometers,” said Maxx Arguilla, UC Irvine professor of chemistry whose research group led the study. “It’s one of the most applied and translatable works to come out of our lab.”
Arguilla ...
Dark rituals: Understanding society's fascination with death and disaster
2024-08-14
Understanding why the popularity of organised events steeped in themes of death, disaster and suffering, such as the well-known Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), Jack the Ripper Walking Tours and Remembrance Sunday, could be key to a deeper understanding of society, say researchers from the University of Surrey.
In a study published by Annals of Tourism Research, researchers introduce a comprehensive framework to analyse these events, drawing from fields as diverse as thanatology (the scientific study of death and the practices associated with it), dark tourism, and collective memory ...
Combining computational methods and experimental techniques to unlock floating offshore wind potential
2024-08-14
A collaboration between researchers from Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering (WSE) and Portland State University (PSU) aims to help unlock the vast potential of floating offshore windfarms in the United States by improving understanding of wind-wave-turbine interactions, which if not accounted for properly, can greatly reduce the power output of a group of wind turbines.
The project combines developing a new computational method for enhancing the accuracy of Large Eddy Simulations (LES) – a mathematical computer model that depicts the wind field within floating offshore windfarms, with advanced experimental ...
Twelve Ochsner Health hospitals recognized for efforts to improve outcomes for Americans with heart disease and stroke
2024-08-14
NEW ORLEANS, La. – Twelve Ochsner Health owned and affiliated hospitals are among the more than 3,000 nationwide that participate in the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® (GWTG) and other programs to improve outcomes for Americans who experience heart disease or stroke.
Heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 5 causes of death in the United States, respectively. These health crises require swift and proven treatment to ensure the best outcomes for patients. The American Heart Association, celebrating 100 years of work to advance health and hope for everyone, everywhere, ...
Hydrometeorology and location affect hospitalizations for waterborne infectious diseases in the US
2024-08-14
An analysis of 12 years of data collected from over 500 hospitals in 25 different states shows that weather, geographic location, and urban or rural location all appear to influence hospitalizations for waterborne infectious diseases, according to a study published August 7, 2024 in the open-access journal PLOS Water by Victoria Lynch and Jeffrey Shaman from Columbia University.
Waterborne infectious diseases caused by bacteria, parasites, and viruses still affect over 7,000,000 people annually in the United States. Lynch and Shaman analyzed potential links between weather and hospitalizations for waterborne ...
Alzheimer’s cognitive decline predicted by patient’s age, sex, and irregular heart rhythm
2024-08-14
Older age, female sex, irregular heart rhythms, and daily activity levels can help to predict how much Alzheimer’s Disease patients’ cognitive function will decline, and how much they will depend on their caregivers over the next two years. The results suggest new ways to predict cognitive decline in patients, and that caregivers need to be considered in treatment plans. 'Liane Kaufmann from the Ernst von Bergmann Clinic in Potsdam, Germany, Josef Marksteiner from the General Hospital in Hall, Austria, and colleagues present these findings in the open access journal PLOS ...
Gender-sensitive job titles may affect women’s interest in job ads
2024-08-14
A new study suggests that the use of gender-sensitive language in the title of job advertisements may influence the level of interest demonstrated by female potential applicants. Dominik Hetjens of Technische Universität Dresden, Germany, and Stefan Hartmann of Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Germany, present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on August 14, 2024.
German is one of many languages in which every noun is grammatically masculine, feminine, or neutral. For instance, ...
CNIO researchers discover a 'switch' for the desire to engage in physical activity: Two proteins that get activated in the muscle during exercise
2024-08-14
"We have discovered a muscle-brain pathway that controls the eagerness to train more when we exercise," explains Guadalupe Sabio, a researcher at the Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO).
One of the proteins identified activates the area of the brain that controls movement. Obese patients have lower blood levels of this protein.
This result suggest it may be possible to develop drugs for people specially in need of the benefits that come from exercise, but are reluctant to do it.
The ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Optical biosensor rapidly detects monkeypox virus
New drug targets for Alzheimer’s identified from cerebrospinal fluid
Neuro-oncology experts reveal how to use AI to improve brain cancer diagnosis, monitoring, treatment
Argonne to explore novel ways to fight cancer and transform vaccine discovery with over $21 million from ARPA-H
Firefighters exposed to chemicals linked with breast cancer
Addressing the rural mental health crisis via telehealth
Standardized autism screening during pediatric well visits identified more, younger children with high likelihood for autism diagnosis
Researchers shed light on skin tone bias in breast cancer imaging
Study finds humidity diminishes daytime cooling gains in urban green spaces
Tennessee RiverLine secures $500,000 Appalachian Regional Commission Grant for river experience planning and design standards
AI tool ‘sees’ cancer gene signatures in biopsy images
Answer ALS releases world's largest ALS patient-based iPSC and bio data repository
2024 Joseph A. Johnson Award Goes to Johns Hopkins University Assistant Professor Danielle Speller
Slow editing of protein blueprints leads to cell death
Industrial air pollution triggers ice formation in clouds, reducing cloud cover and boosting snowfall
Emerging alternatives to reduce animal testing show promise
Presenting Evo – a model for decoding and designing genetic sequences
Global plastic waste set to double by 2050, but new study offers blueprint for significant reductions
Industrial snow: Factories trigger local snowfall by freezing clouds
Backyard birds learn from their new neighbors when moving house
New study in Science finds that just four global policies could eliminate more than 90% of plastic waste and 30% of linked carbon emissions by 2050
Breakthrough in capturing 'hot' CO2 from industrial exhaust
New discovery enables gene therapy for muscular dystrophies, other disorders
Anti-anxiety and hallucination-like effects of psychedelics mediated by distinct neural circuits
How do microbiomes influence the study of life?
Plant roots change their growth pattern during ‘puberty’
Study outlines key role of national and EU policy to control emissions from German hydrogen economy
Beloved Disney classics convey an idealized image of fatherhood
Sensitive ceramics for soft robotics
Trends in hospitalizations and liver transplants associated with alcohol-induced liver disease
[Press-News.org] Researchers unveil mysteries of ancient EarthRice-led geochemistry study advances understanding of ancient rock formations