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This article, titled "Spatio-temporal dynamic evolution characteristics and driving mechanism analysis of urban pseudo human settlements," explores the impact of pseudo human settlements on urban production, life, and ecology in China. The study analyzes the spatial and temporal evolution of pseudo human settlements in 14 cities in Liaoning Province from 2011 to 2020. The results show that the overall quality of pseudo human settlements has been on the rise, with a concentration of high-quality development centers and a pattern of high in the central part and low in the surrounding area. The study also identifies the emerging driving forces and leading factors behind the development of pseudo human settlements. This research aims to contribute to the field of human settlements geography and provide insights for the construction of human settlements in the future. [Extracted from the article]

The formation and preservation of cratons--the oldest parts of the continents, comprising over 60 per cent of the continental landmass--remains an enduring problem. Key to craton development is how and when the thick strong mantle roots that underlie these regions formed and evolved. Peridotite melting residues forming cratonic lithospheric roots mostly originated via relatively low-pressure melting and were subsequently transported to greater depth by thickening produced by lateral accretion and compression. The longest-lived cratons were assembled during Mesoarchean and Palaeoproterozoic times, creating the stable mantle roots 150 to 250 kilometres thick that are critical to preserving Earth's early continents and central to defining the cratons, although we extend the definition of cratons to include extensive regions of long-stable Mesoproterozoic crust also underpinned by thick lithospheric roots. The production of widespread thick and strong lithosphere via the process of orogenic thickening, possibly in several cycles, was fundamental to the eventual emergence of extensive continental landmasses--the cratons. Cratons are the oldest parts of the Earth's continents; this Review concludes that the production of widespread, thick and strong lithosphere via the process of orogenic thickening was fundamental to the eventual emergence of extensive continental landmasses., Author(s): D. Graham Pearson [sup.1] , James M. Scott [sup.2] , Jingao Liu [sup.3] , Andrew Schaeffer [sup.4] , Lawrence Hongliang Wang [sup.5] , Jeroen van Hunen [sup.6] , Kristoffer [...]

Slab width is a significant factor in controlling subduction zone dynamics, particularly the retreat velocities, which tend to decrease with wider slabs. However, observations of natural narrow subduction zones reveal no correlation between slab width and trench velocities. This suggests that other factors may exert a greater influence. In this study, we employ 3D numerical subduction models to systematically assess the impact of slab width, strength of slab coupling to the lateral plate (LP), and overriding plate (OP) thickness on trench kinematics and geometry. Our models focus on narrow slabs (400–1,200 km), and the results demonstrate that, in the case of narrow subduction zones, the slab width has little effect on trench migration rates and the viscous coupling at the lateral slab edge is only important for very narrow subduction zones (≤800 km). Conversely, the OP thickness emerges as a crucial factor, with increasing plate thickness leading to a strong decrease in trench velocities. These findings provide an explanation for the observed trench velocities in natural narrow subduction zones, where an inverse relationship with OP thickness is evident. Furthermore, our study reveals that not only slab width, but also the OP thickness and the slab coupling to the LP, significantly influence trench geometry. Strong lateral coupling promotes the formation of concave trench geometries, while thick overriding plates favor the development of "w"‐shaped geometries. Overall, a comprehensive understanding of subduction processes necessitates considering the interplay between slab width, OP thickness, and slab coupling to the LP. Plain Language Summary: Subduction zones are the main drivers of plate tectonics and control much of the seismic and volcanic activity on Earth. For that reason, subduction processes have been widely studied in the last few decades. Because of the limited amount of available data, one of the key techniques has been numerical modeling. Some earlier models have shown that the velocity of the trench (long region marking where subduction starts) is affected by the width of the subduction zone, but this is not observed for narrow subduction zones in nature. In this work, we model 3D narrow subduction systems and find that the thickness of the unsubducted overriding plate (OP) affects trench velocities much more than the width of the subduction zone: the thicker the plate, the slower the trench motion. Moreover, the thickness of the OP affects the shape that the trench develops during progressive subduction. Our models explain some key observations in Earth's narrow subduction zones and help to better understand subduction processes. Key Points: Three‐dimensional numerical models of narrow subduction zones including all plates are performedThe effect of slab width, overriding plate (OP) thickness and coupling of the slab with the lateral plate on trench kinematics is studiedOP thickness is the main factor affecting trench retreat velocities in narrow subduction zones [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many rifts are influenced by pre-existing structures and heterogeneities during their evolution, a process known as structural inheritance. During rift evolution, these heterogeneities may aid rift nucleation, growth, and segmentation of faults, encourage linkage of various segments, or even inhibit the formation of faults. Understanding how structural inheritance influences early rift evolution could be vital for evaluating seismic risk in tectonically active areas. The Shanxi Rift in the North of China is an active rift system believed to have formed along the trend of the Proterozoic Trans North China Orogen. However, the influence of these pre-existing structures on the present-day rift architecture is poorly known. Here we use tectonic geomorphological techniques, e.g., hypsometric integral (HI), channel steepness (ksn) and local relief to identify the impact of structural inheritance on the formation of the Shanxi Rift. We found that HI was less sensitive to lithology and may be more valuable in evaluating the tectonic signal. Based on their geomorphic expression we characterise the activity levels of active faults and found that activity is concentrated in the Rift Interaction Zones (RIZs) that formed in between the sub-basins. Furthermore, we found that many faults formed parallel to inherited structures. Based on these observations we propose a new model for the evolution of the Shanxi Rift where inherited structures play an important part in segmenting the rift. Geomorphic indices might prove useful in the study of the evolution of structural inheritance in other active rifts, such as the East African Rift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is an editorial published in the journal Frontiers in Earth Science. It discusses the challenges in seismology related to understanding volcanic islands and their magmatic unrest. Volcanic islands are complex geological features that pose significant geohazards, including volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, landslides, and tsunamis. The editorial emphasizes the importance of seismic monitoring for detecting magmatic movements, issuing pre-eruptive warnings, and mitigating hazards and risks. The document also highlights the need to enhance seismic networks and generate 3D models to improve our understanding of the geodynamic processes driving magma ascent and volcanism. The editorial features four original research articles that explore dynamic subsurface changes, volcano-monitoring methodologies, and complex mantle structures beneath volcanic islands. These studies contribute to the ongoing efforts to understand and manage volcanic hazards and improve forecasting capabilities. [Extracted from the article]

The lateral distribution of strength within the crust is non-uniform, dictated by crustal lithology and the presence and distribution of heterogeneities within it. During continental extension, areas of crust with distinct lithological and rheological properties manifest strain differently, influencing the structural style, geometry and evolution of the developing rift system. Here, we use 3D thermo-mechanical models of continental extension to explore how pre-rift upper crustal strength variations influence rift physiography. We model a 500x500x100 km volume containing 125 km wide domains of mechanically 'Strong' and 'Weak' upper crust along with two reference domains, based upon geological observations of the Great South Basin, New Zealand, where extension occurs perpendicular to distinct geological terranes and parallel to terrane boundaries. Crustal strength is represented by varying the initial strength of 5 km³ blocks. Extension is oriented parallel to the domain boundaries such that each domain is subject to the same 5 mm/yr extension rate. Our modelling results show that strain initially localises in the Weak domain, with faults initially following the distribution of Initial Plastic Strain before reorganising to produce a well-established network, all occurring in the initial 100ky timestep. In contrast, little to no localisation occurs in the Strong domain, which is characterised by uniform strain. We find that although faults in the Weak domain are initially inhibited at the terrane boundaries, they eventually propagate through and 'seed' faults in the relatively stronger adjacent domains. We show characteristic structural styles associated with 'strong' and 'weak' crust and relate our observations to rift systems developed across laterally heterogeneous crust worldwide, such as the Great South Basin, NZ, and the Tanganyika rift, East Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]