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Probabilistic Determination of the Role of Faults and Intrusions in Helium‐Rich Gas Fields Formation (2024)
Journal Article
Halford, D. T., Karolytė, R., Andreason, M. W., Cathey, B., Cathey, M., Dellenbach, J. T., …Ballentine, C. J. (2024). Probabilistic Determination of the Role of Faults and Intrusions in Helium‐Rich Gas Fields Formation. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 25(6), Article e2024GC011522. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024gc011522

Natural gas fields with economic helium (>0.3 He %) require the radioactive decay of crustal uranium (U) and thorium (Th) to generate He and tectonic/structural regimes favorable to releasing and concentrating He. An unknown is determining the role o... Read More about Probabilistic Determination of the Role of Faults and Intrusions in Helium‐Rich Gas Fields Formation.

Spatial migration of temporal earthquake clusters driven by the transfer of differential stress between neighbouring fault/shear-zone structures (2024)
Journal Article
Roberts, G., Sgambato, C., Mildon, Z., Iezzi, F., Beck, J., Robertson, J., …Mitchell, S. (2024). Spatial migration of temporal earthquake clusters driven by the transfer of differential stress between neighbouring fault/shear-zone structures. Journal of Structural Geology, 181, Article 105096. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2024.105096

Uncertainty concerning the processes responsible for slip-rate fluctuations associated with temporal clustering of surface faulting earthquakes is a fundamental, unresolved issue in tectonics, because strain-rates accommodated by fault/shear-zone str... Read More about Spatial migration of temporal earthquake clusters driven by the transfer of differential stress between neighbouring fault/shear-zone structures.

Older than you think: using U–Pb calcite geochronology to better constrain basin-bounding fault reactivation, Inner Moray Firth Basin, western North Sea (2023)
Journal Article
Tamas, A., Holdsworth, R. E., Tamas, D. M., Dempsey, E. D., Hardman, K., Bird, A., …Selby, D. (2023). Older than you think: using U–Pb calcite geochronology to better constrain basin-bounding fault reactivation, Inner Moray Firth Basin, western North Sea. Journal of the Geological Society, 180(5), https://doi.org/10.1144/jgs2022-166

Like many rift basins worldwide, the Inner Moray Firth Basin (IMFB) is bounded by major reactivated fault zones, including the Helmsdale Fault and the Great Glen Fault (GGF). The Jurassic successions exposed onshore close to these faults at Helmsdale... Read More about Older than you think: using U–Pb calcite geochronology to better constrain basin-bounding fault reactivation, Inner Moray Firth Basin, western North Sea.

An onshore-offshore interpretation of structures in the Devonian rocks of the Pentland Firth, Scotland using high resolution bathymetry and drone-enabled field observations. (2023)
Journal Article
Utley, T. A., Holdsworth, R. E., Walker, R. J., Dempsey, E. D., McCaffrey, K. J., Dichiarante, A., & Jones, T. L. (2023). An onshore-offshore interpretation of structures in the Devonian rocks of the Pentland Firth, Scotland using high resolution bathymetry and drone-enabled field observations. Journal of Structural Geology, 174, Article 104922. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2023.104922

Strong tidal currents in the Pentland Firth separating NE Scotland and Orkney have stripped recent seafloor sediments revealing geological structures in parts of the Devonian Orcadian Basin that are otherwise limited to narrow coastal outcrops. Here... Read More about An onshore-offshore interpretation of structures in the Devonian rocks of the Pentland Firth, Scotland using high resolution bathymetry and drone-enabled field observations..

Andean-type, bivergent crustal shortening in the Rinkian orogen: New constraints on the tectonic evolution of Laurentia–West Greenland in the Paleoproterozoic (2023)
Journal Article
Grocott, J., Thrane, K., McCaffrey, K. J., Sleath, P. R., & Dziggel, A. (2023). Andean-type, bivergent crustal shortening in the Rinkian orogen: New constraints on the tectonic evolution of Laurentia–West Greenland in the Paleoproterozoic. Geosphere, https://doi.org/10.1130/ges02614.1

The “Rinkian belt” of West Greenland is a metamorphic terrain of Paleoproterozoic age comprising: (1) the north Rinkian fold-thrust belt (FTB)—a pro- or fore-arc domain, highly deformed and metamorphosed with widespread anatexis; (2) the Prøven Igneo... Read More about Andean-type, bivergent crustal shortening in the Rinkian orogen: New constraints on the tectonic evolution of Laurentia–West Greenland in the Paleoproterozoic.

Negation Invariant Representations of 3D Vectors for Deep Learning Models applied to Fault Geometry Mapping in 3D Seismic Reflection Data (2023)
Journal Article
Kluvanec, D., McCaffrey, K. J., Phillips, T. B., & Al Moubayed, N. (2023). Negation Invariant Representations of 3D Vectors for Deep Learning Models applied to Fault Geometry Mapping in 3D Seismic Reflection Data. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, https://doi.org/10.1109/tgrs.2023.3273329

We can represent the orientation of a plane in 3D by its normal vector. However, every plane has two normal vectors that are negatives of each other. We propose four novel representations of vectors in 3D that are negation invariant and can be used b... Read More about Negation Invariant Representations of 3D Vectors for Deep Learning Models applied to Fault Geometry Mapping in 3D Seismic Reflection Data.

Strike-slip influenced stratigraphic and structural development of the Foula Sandstone Group, Shetland: implications for offshore Devonian basin development on the northern UK continental shelf (2023)
Journal Article
Utley, T. A. G., Holdsworth, R. E., Blackbourn, G. A., Dempsey, E., Strachan, R. A., McCaffrey, K. J. W., …Walker, R. J. (2023). Strike-slip influenced stratigraphic and structural development of the Foula Sandstone Group, Shetland: implications for offshore Devonian basin development on the northern UK continental shelf. Journal of the Geological Society, 180(3), https://doi.org/10.1144/jgs2022-148

The island of Foula, located 25 km SW of Shetland, preserves a gently folded, 1.6 km thick sequence of Middle Devonian sandstones spectacularly exposed in kilometre-long cliff sections >350 m high. These rocks unconformably overlie likely Precambrian... Read More about Strike-slip influenced stratigraphic and structural development of the Foula Sandstone Group, Shetland: implications for offshore Devonian basin development on the northern UK continental shelf.

Geology and evolution of fissure systems in fractured basement rocks, Calabria, southern Italy: implications for sub-unconformity reservoirs and aquifers (2023)
Journal Article
Hardman, K., Holdsworth, R., Palladino, G., Prosser, G., Killingback, Z., & McCaffrey, K. (2023). Geology and evolution of fissure systems in fractured basement rocks, Calabria, southern Italy: implications for sub-unconformity reservoirs and aquifers. Journal of the Geological Society, 180(3), https://doi.org/10.1144/jgs2022-085

Basement-hosted fissure-fill networks in sub-unconformity settings are increasingly recognized globally and have the potential to act as important subsurface reservoirs and/or migration pathways for hydrocarbons, geothermal fluids and groundwater. We... Read More about Geology and evolution of fissure systems in fractured basement rocks, Calabria, southern Italy: implications for sub-unconformity reservoirs and aquifers.

The influence of crustal strength on rift geometry and development – insights from 3D numerical modelling (2023)
Journal Article
Phillips, T. B., Naliboff, J. B., McCaffrey, K. J., Pan, S., van Hunen, J., & Froemchen, M. (2023). The influence of crustal strength on rift geometry and development – insights from 3D numerical modelling. Solid Earth, 14(4), 369-388. https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-369-2023

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 rheologica... Read More about The influence of crustal strength on rift geometry and development – insights from 3D numerical modelling.

Mid-crustal reactivation processes linked to frictional melting and deep void development during seismogenic slip: examples from the Lewisian Complex, NW Scotland (2023)
Journal Article
Hardman, K., Holdsworth, R., Scott, L., Dempsey, E., & McCaffrey, K. (2023). Mid-crustal reactivation processes linked to frictional melting and deep void development during seismogenic slip: examples from the Lewisian Complex, NW Scotland. Journal of the Geological Society, 180(2), https://doi.org/10.1144/jgs2022-037

Exhumed examples of ancient fault voids formed during seismic slip at depths >10 km are well preserved in the Assynt Terrane of the Lewisian Complex, NW Scotland. They are interpreted to have formed during regional Mesoproterozoic (c. 1.55 Ga; ‘Assyn... Read More about Mid-crustal reactivation processes linked to frictional melting and deep void development during seismogenic slip: examples from the Lewisian Complex, NW Scotland.

Stranding continental crustal fragments during continent breakup: Mantle suture reactivation in the Nain Province of Eastern Canada (2023)
Journal Article
Heron, P. J., Peace, A., McCaffrey, K., Sharif, A., Yu, A., & Pysklywec, R. (2023). Stranding continental crustal fragments during continent breakup: Mantle suture reactivation in the Nain Province of Eastern Canada. Geology, 51(4), 362-365. https://doi.org/10.1130/g50734.1

Earth’s continental crust has evolved through a series of supercontinent cycles, resulting in a patchwork of Archean cores surrounded by terranes, fragments, and slivers of younger crustal additions. However, the dispersal (and/or stranding) of conti... Read More about Stranding continental crustal fragments during continent breakup: Mantle suture reactivation in the Nain Province of Eastern Canada.

Using UAV-Based Photogrammetry Coupled with In Situ Fieldwork and U-Pb Geochronology to Decipher Multi-Phase Deformation Processes: A Case Study from Sarclet, Inner Moray Firth Basin, UK (2023)
Journal Article
Tamas, A., Holdsworth, R. E., Tamas, D. M., Dempsey, E. D., Hardman, K., Bird, A., …Selby, D. (2023). Using UAV-Based Photogrammetry Coupled with In Situ Fieldwork and U-Pb Geochronology to Decipher Multi-Phase Deformation Processes: A Case Study from Sarclet, Inner Moray Firth Basin, UK. Remote Sensing, 15(3), Article 695. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15030695

Constraining the age of formation and repeated movements along fault arrays in superimposed rift basins helps us to better unravel the kinematic history as well as the role of inherited structures in basin evolution. The Inner Moray Firth Basin (IMFB... Read More about Using UAV-Based Photogrammetry Coupled with In Situ Fieldwork and U-Pb Geochronology to Decipher Multi-Phase Deformation Processes: A Case Study from Sarclet, Inner Moray Firth Basin, UK.

Surface faulting earthquake clustering controlled by fault and shear-zone interactions (2022)
Journal Article
Mildon, Z. K., Roberts, G. P., Faure Walker, J. P., Beck, J., Papanikolaou, I., Michetti, A. M., …Vittori, E. (2022). Surface faulting earthquake clustering controlled by fault and shear-zone interactions. Nature Communications, 13(1), Article 7126. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-34821-5

Surface faulting earthquakes are known to cluster in time from historical and palaeoseismic studies, but the mechanism(s) responsible for clustering, such as fault interaction, strain-storage, and evolving dynamic topography, are poorly quantified, a... Read More about Surface faulting earthquake clustering controlled by fault and shear-zone interactions.

No Unique Scaling Law for Igneous Dikes (2022)
Journal Article
Gill, S., Walker, R., McCaffrey, K., & Greenfield, C. (2022). No Unique Scaling Law for Igneous Dikes. Journal of Geophysical Research. Solid Earth, 127(9), Article e2022JB024120. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022jb024120

In linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM), veins, dikes, and sills grow in length when the stress intensity factor urn:x-wiley:21699313:media:jgrb55827:jgrb55827-math-0001 at the tip reaches a critical value: the host rock fracture toughness urn:x-... Read More about No Unique Scaling Law for Igneous Dikes.

The Central Ox Mountains (2022)
Book Chapter
Ryan, P. D., McCaffrey, K., Chew, D. M., Graham, J. R., & Long, B. (2022). The Central Ox Mountains. In P. D. Ryan (Ed.), A Field Guide to the Geology of Western Ireland (107-130). Springer Verlag. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97479-4_4

The Central Ox Mountains is a southwest—northeast trending inlier of Dalradian rocks, mostly attributed to the Argyll Group, that lie along a major fault, the Fair Head—Clew Bay Line (FCL). Deposition was associated with rift related magmatism. These... Read More about The Central Ox Mountains.

The Geology of Western Ireland: A Record of the ‘Birth’ and ‘Death’ of the Iapetus Ocean (2022)
Book Chapter
Ryan, P. D., Chew, D. M., Cliff, R. A., Costanzo, A., Daly, J. S., Dewey, J. F., …Yardley, B. W. (2022). The Geology of Western Ireland: A Record of the ‘Birth’ and ‘Death’ of the Iapetus Ocean. In P. D. Ryan (Ed.), A Field Guide to the Geology of Western Ireland (405-421). Springer Verlag. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97479-4_11

This chapter reviews the evidence found in the remarkable and varied geology of western Ireland (Fig. 1) for the opening and the closing of the Iapetus Ocean adjacent to the Laurentian margin. The geology visited is briefly reviewed along with a shor... Read More about The Geology of Western Ireland: A Record of the ‘Birth’ and ‘Death’ of the Iapetus Ocean.

Correlating deformation events onshore and offshore in superimposed rift basins: The Lossiemouth Fault Zone, Inner Moray Firth Basin, Scotland (2022)
Journal Article
Tamas, A., Holdsworth, R. E., Underhill, J. R., Tamas, D. M., Dempsey, E. D., McCarthy, D. J., …Selby, D. (2022). Correlating deformation events onshore and offshore in superimposed rift basins: The Lossiemouth Fault Zone, Inner Moray Firth Basin, Scotland. Basin Research, 34(4), 1314-1340. https://doi.org/10.1111/bre.12661

The separation and characterisation of different deformation events in superimposed basins can be challenging due to the effects of overprinting and/or fault reactivation, combined with a lack of detailed geological or geophysical data. This paper sh... Read More about Correlating deformation events onshore and offshore in superimposed rift basins: The Lossiemouth Fault Zone, Inner Moray Firth Basin, Scotland.

Structural geometry and evolution of the Rukwa Rift Basin, Tanzania: Implications for helium potential (2021)
Journal Article
Mulaya, E., Gluyas, J., McCaffrey, K., Phillips, T., & Ballentine, C. (2022). Structural geometry and evolution of the Rukwa Rift Basin, Tanzania: Implications for helium potential. Basin Research, 34(2), 938-960. https://doi.org/10.1111/bre.12646

The Rukwa Rift Basin, Tanzania is regarded as a modern example of a cratonic rift zone despite complex polyphase extensional and episodic inversion structures. We interpret 2D seismic reflection data tied to wells to identify and describe structures... Read More about Structural geometry and evolution of the Rukwa Rift Basin, Tanzania: Implications for helium potential.

New onshore insights into the role of structural inheritance during Mesozoic opening of the Inner Moray Firth Basin, Scotland (2021)
Journal Article
Tamas, A., Holdsworth, R. E., Underhill, J. R., Tamas, D. M., Dempsey, E. D., Hardman, K., …Selby, D. (2022). New onshore insights into the role of structural inheritance during Mesozoic opening of the Inner Moray Firth Basin, Scotland. Journal of the Geological Society, 179(2), jgs2021-066. https://doi.org/10.1144/jgs2021-066

The Inner Moray Firth Basin (IMFB) forms the western arm of the North Sea trilete rift system that initiated mainly during the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous with the widespread development of major NE–SW-trending dip-slip growth faults. The IMFB is... Read More about New onshore insights into the role of structural inheritance during Mesozoic opening of the Inner Moray Firth Basin, Scotland.