Frontiers in Earth Science | New and Recent Articles

Constructing deep underground tunnels faces severe challenges when the surrounding rock contains weak, unstable layers. This study investigates how the angle and spacing of these weak layers lead to the deformation and collapse of deep tunnel structures. A particle flow simulation, based on a 1,000–m-deep tunnel, was developed to recreate the physical behavior of the surrounding rock and observe …

Determining the lower limits of pore and throat sizes for shale oil occurrence is essential for reservoir evaluation, yet existing methods yield a single fixed threshold that fails to capture the heterogeneity of interbedded systems. This study addresses this limitation through integrated characterization of 59 core samples from the Chang 7 Member, Longdong area, Ordos Basin, using high-pressure …

The Jiao-Liao-Ji belt is one of three major Paleoproterozoic orogenic belts within the North China Craton, yet its tectonic evolution remains controversial. To address this, we investigated the crustal structure using receiver function analysis of 38 broadband seismic stations from profile NCISP-10, which traverses the Liaodong region in the northeastern North China Craton. Our results reveal tha…

Accurate prediction of landslide displacement is central to early warning of geological disasters, yet existing data-driven models predominantly employ convolutional neural networks on regular grids, which fail to match the irregular spatial distribution of actual monitoring points and lack physical interpretability. In this paper, we propose a Graph Spatio-Temporal Attention Network (GSTA-Net) t…

IntroductionPerforming arts intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is an important carrier of regional cultural memory and living transmission. This study takes provincial-level performing arts ICH projects in Heilongjiang Province as the research object and examines their spatial distribution and influencing factors.MethodsThis study uses GIS spatial analysis to analyze their spatial distribution ch…

This paper constitutes Part C of a three-part review series addressing tsunamigenic earthquakes in the Makran Subduction Zone (MSZ), with a specific focus on tsunami hazard and risk assessment methodologies. It provides a comprehensive, multidisciplinary synthesis of probabilistic and deterministic tsunami hazard assessments and associated risk analyses developed for the MSZ, integrating advances…

Accurate landslide susceptibility mapping (LSM) remains challenging because of uncertainty in both model selection and non-landslide sample definition. To address these issues, this paper developed an LSM framework based on the Inter.iamb-Tabu algorithm while explicitly considering non-landslide sampling, using Gangu County, China, as the research area. 124 landslides were established through rem…

Rapid demand for energy has led to an increase in new techniques for hydrocarbon exploration to avoid uncertainty. Evaluating hydrocarbon potential and estimating porosity is a persistent challenge using seismic and well log data in reservoirs. Seismic post-stacked inversion is a robust method for detailed reservoir characterization that produces more precise and comprehensive subsurface images t…

In order to explore the stability failure mechanism of reinforced concrete pipes during jacking in soft soil stratum and the influencing laws of various factors, a method for determining the pipe instability considering the pipe-soil contact state, pipe deflection, jacking force, buoyancy and slurry pressure was proposed through theoretical analysis. The applicability of this method was verified …

Coupled effects of bedding and water significantly influence the dynamic response and stability of rock mass structures. Layered slate served as the primary subject of this investigation. Standard slate samples with diverse bedding angles were prepared under both natural and saturated states. Impact compression tests were performed using a Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar system. High-speed photograp…

Recent studies reveal the widespread occurrence of mid-lithospheric discontinuities (MLDs) in continental lithosphere, yet their origin and role in lithospheric evolution remain debated. We present a high-resolution three-dimensional electrical resistivity model of the North China Craton (NCC) to characterize the electrical properties of the seismically defined MLDs. The NCC comprises the thinned…

The thickness of sediments above bedrock controls seismic site response and groundmotion amplification, but is difficult to map at high resolution in urban areas with sparse boreholes. This control is captured by the shallow equivalent thickness—the effective sediment-layer thickness that reproduces the observed near-surface resonance, rather than the purely geometric depth to bedrock. Convention…

The determination of perforation parameters is the key to hydraulic fracturing (HF) fracture reconstruction. Studying the effect of perforation parameters on HF fracture reconstruction can effectively increase the volume of reservoir reconstruction. The Qiongzhusi Formation, due to its proven rich shale gas content, has important strategic significance for shale gas development in Southwest China…

In high-resolution remote sensing imagery, near-shore water bodies typically exhibit tortuous shorelines, fragmented lakeshore coves, and superimposed disturbances such as building reflections, vegetation shadows, and mixed substrates, posing significant challenges to the fine extraction of water boundaries. Although deep learning-based semantic segmentation has substantially improved water body …

Urban discomfort under thermal–humidity stress poses escalating challenges in rapidly urbanizing and climatically sensitive regions. This study investigates the driving role of wet-bulb temperature (Tw) in shaping urban comfort dynamics across the Lanzhou–Xining urban agglomeration from 2000 to 2024. A multi-source framework is developed to derive high-resolution Tw using meteorological reanalysi…

The objective is to demonstrate that spatially variable ice-surface roughness is an important, and so far overlooked, component of melt processes in the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS), linking the analysis of spatial ice-surface roughness (SISR) derived from satellite laser altimeter data with essential components of surface energy balance modeling, particularly of sensible heat flux. Specific result…

The efficient development of deep coal-rock gas resources, exemplified by the pioneering No. 8 coal seam (buried >2000 m) in the Daning-Jixian Block, Ordos Basin, is of strategic importance. This study investigates the critical role of fracturing fluid flowback behavior in determining post-fracturing productivity. Based on systematic analysis of flowback parameters and dynamic data, we evaluate t…

A systematic investigation was performed on the petrological and geochemical characteristics of Late Pleistocene beachrocks in the Paipu area, Danzhou City, northwestern Hainan Island. The results demonstrate that relative to the average composition of the Upper Continental Crust (UCC), the beachrocks are significantly enriched in MgO and CaO, slightly enriched in MnO, and depleted in all other e…

The Penggongmiao complex pluton, located in the Nanling metallogenic belt of South China, provides a critical record of Early Paleozoic (Caledonian) magmatism, but the genesis and mineralization potential of the biotite monzogranite of the pluton have not been constrained. This study presents new whole-rock geochemistry, zircon U–Pb ages, and Sr–Nd–Hf isotopic data for the Penggongmiao biotite mo…

Successful unconventional oil and gas production relies on horizontal drilling and hydraulic stimulation. Wellbore casing deformation–including distributed bending (buckling), zones of ovality, and discrete shearing–can hinder deployment of downhole tools and, in severe cases, lead to complete well loss. Geological factors (e.g., stress and pore pressure states, rock properties) represent root ca…