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de Kock MO, Malatji I, Wabo H, Mukhopadhyay J, Banerjee A, Maré LP. High-latitude platform carbonate deposition constitutes a climate conundrum at the terminal Mesoproterozoic. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2024. [PMID: 38448467 PMCID: PMC10918070 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46390-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
During the Mesoproterozoic Era, 1600 to 1000 million years ago, global climate was warm with very little evidence of glaciation. Substantial greenhouse warming would have been required to sustain this ice-free state given 5-18% lower solar luminosity. Paleomagnetic data reported here place voluminous ca. 1.2 Ga shallow marine carbonate deposits from India at an unexpectedly high latitude of around 70° from the equator. Previous studies noted high latitudes, but their implication was never considered. Here, we evaluate the temporal-latitudinal distribution of neritic carbonate deposits across the Proterozoic and identify similar deposits from North China that together with those from India are seemingly unique to the late Mesoproterozoic. A uniformitarian interpretation implies that this is cold-water carbonate deposition, but facies similarity with low-latitude neritic deposits rather suggests a hotter climate and elevated polar ocean temperatures of 15-20° or higher. This interpretation represents a climate conundrum that would require much greater greenhouse warming than documented for the Mesoproterozoic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michiel O de Kock
- Department of Geology, University of Johannesburg, PO Box 524, Auckland Park, South Africa.
| | - Ingrit Malatji
- Department of Geology, University of Johannesburg, PO Box 524, Auckland Park, South Africa
| | - Herve Wabo
- Department of Geology, University of Johannesburg, PO Box 524, Auckland Park, South Africa
| | - Joydip Mukhopadhyay
- Department of Geology, University of Johannesburg, PO Box 524, Auckland Park, South Africa
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Odisha, Berhampur, India
| | - Amlan Banerjee
- Geological Studies Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, 203 B. T. Road, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - L P Maré
- Council for Geoscience, Private Bag X112, Pretoria, South Africa
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2
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Smit MA, Musiyachenko KA, Goumans J. Author Correction: Archaean continental crust formed from mafic cumulates. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1324. [PMID: 38351105 PMCID: PMC10864302 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45941-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Matthijs A Smit
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2020-2207 Main Mall, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
- Department of Geosciences, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Frescativägen 40, SE-104 05, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Kira A Musiyachenko
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2020-2207 Main Mall, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Jeroen Goumans
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2020-2207 Main Mall, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, Canada
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3
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Smit MA, Musiyachenko KA, Goumans J. Archaean continental crust formed from mafic cumulates. Nat Commun 2024; 15:692. [PMID: 38267412 PMCID: PMC10808207 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-44849-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Large swaths of juvenile crust with tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) composition were added to the continental crust from about 3.5 billion years ago. Although TTG magmatism marked a pivotal step in early crustal growth and cratonisation, the petrogenetic processes, tectonic setting and sources of TTGs are not well known. Here, we investigate the composition and petrogenesis of Archaean TTGs using high field-strength-element systematics. The Nb concentrations and Ti anomalies of TTGs show the overwhelming effects of amphibole and plagioclase fractionation and permit constraints on the composition of primary TTG melts. These melts are relatively incompatible element-poor and characterised by variably high La/Sm, Sm/Yb and Sr/Y, and positive Eu anomalies. Differences in these parameters are not indicative of melting depth, but instead track differences in the degree of melting and fractional crystallisation. Primary TTGs formed by the melting of rutile- and garnet-bearing plagioclase-cumulate rocks that resided in proto-continental roots. The partial melting of these rocks is part of a causal chain that links TTG magmatism to the formation of sanukitoids and K-rich granites. Together, these processes explain the growth and differentiation of the continental crust during the Archaean without requiring external forcing such as meteorite impact or the start of global plate tectonics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthijs A Smit
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2020-2207 Main Mall, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
- Department of Geosciences, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Frescativägen 40, SE-104 05, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Kira A Musiyachenko
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2020-2207 Main Mall, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Jeroen Goumans
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2020-2207 Main Mall, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, Canada
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4
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Huang B, Liu M, Kusky TM, Johnson TE, Wilde SA, Fu D, Deng H, Qian Q. Changes in orogenic style and surface environment recorded in Paleoproterozoic foreland successions. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7997. [PMID: 38042882 PMCID: PMC10693560 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43893-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The Earth's interior and surficial systems underwent dramatic changes during the Paleoproterozoic, but the interaction between them remains poorly understood. Rocks deposited in orogenic foreland basins retain a record of the near surface to deep crustal processes that operate during subduction to collision and provide information on the interaction between plate tectonics and surface responses through time. Here, we document the depositional-to-deformational life cycle of a Paleoproterozoic foreland succession from the North China Craton. The succession was deposited in a foreland basin following ca. 2.50-2.47 Ga Altaid-style arc-microcontinent collision, and then converted to a fold-and-thrust belt at ca. 2.0-1.8 Ga due to Himalayan-style continent-continent collision. These two periods correspond to the assembly of supercratons in the late Archean and of the Paleoproterozoic supercontinent Columbia, respectively, which suggests that similar basins may have been common at the periphery of other cratons. The multiple stages of orogenesis and accompanying tectonic denudation and silicate weathering, as recorded by orogenic foreland basins, likely contributed to substantial changes in the hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere known to have occurred during the Paleoproterozoic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Huang
- Badong National Observation and Research Station of Geohazards, State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, Center for Global Tectonics, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China.
| | - Man Liu
- Badong National Observation and Research Station of Geohazards, State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, Center for Global Tectonics, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Timothy M Kusky
- Badong National Observation and Research Station of Geohazards, State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, Center for Global Tectonics, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Tim E Johnson
- Badong National Observation and Research Station of Geohazards, State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, Center for Global Tectonics, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
- School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, the Institute for Geoscience Research, Timescales of Mineral Systems Group, Curtin University, Perth, WA, 6102, Australia
| | - Simon A Wilde
- School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, the Institute for Geoscience Research, Timescales of Mineral Systems Group, Curtin University, Perth, WA, 6102, Australia
| | - Dong Fu
- Badong National Observation and Research Station of Geohazards, State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, Center for Global Tectonics, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Hao Deng
- Badong National Observation and Research Station of Geohazards, State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, Center for Global Tectonics, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Qunye Qian
- Badong National Observation and Research Station of Geohazards, State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, Center for Global Tectonics, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
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5
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Olierook HKH, Fougerouse D, Doucet LS, Liu Y, Rayner MJ, Danišík M, Condon DJ, McInnes BIA, Jaques AL, Evans NJ, McDonald BJ, Li ZX, Kirkland CL, Mayers C, Wingate MTD. Emplacement of the Argyle diamond deposit into an ancient rift zone triggered by supercontinent breakup. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5274. [PMID: 37726314 PMCID: PMC10509175 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40904-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Argyle is the world's largest source of natural diamonds, yet one of only a few economic deposits hosted in a Paleoproterozoic orogen. The geodynamic triggers responsible for its alkaline ultramafic volcanic host are unknown. Here we show, using U-Pb and (U-Th)/He geochronology of detrital apatite and detrital zircon, and U-Pb dating of hydrothermal titanite, that emplacement of the Argyle lamproite is bracketed between 1311 ± 9 Ma and 1257 ± 15 Ma (2σ), older than previously known. To form the Argyle lamproite diatreme complex, emplacement was likely driven by lithospheric extension related to the breakup of the supercontinent Nuna. Extension facilitated production of low-degree partial melts and their migration through transcrustal corridors in the Paleoproterozoic Halls Creek Orogen, a rheologically-weak rift zone adjacent to the Kimberley Craton. Diamondiferous diatreme emplacement during (super)continental breakup may be prevalent but hitherto under-recognized in rift zones at the edges of ancient continental blocks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo K H Olierook
- Timescales of Mineral Systems Group, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA, 6845, Australia.
- John de Laeter Centre, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA, 6845, Australia.
| | - Denis Fougerouse
- School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA, 6845, Australia
| | - Luc S Doucet
- Earth Dynamics Research Group, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences and The Institute for Geoscience Research (TIGeR), Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA, 6845, Australia
- State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, China
| | - Yebo Liu
- Earth Dynamics Research Group, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences and The Institute for Geoscience Research (TIGeR), Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA, 6845, Australia
| | | | - Martin Danišík
- John de Laeter Centre, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA, 6845, Australia
| | - Daniel J Condon
- British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham, NG12 5GG, UK
| | - Brent I A McInnes
- John de Laeter Centre, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA, 6845, Australia
| | - A Lynton Jaques
- Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra ACT, 2000, Australia
| | - Noreen J Evans
- John de Laeter Centre, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA, 6845, Australia
| | - Bradley J McDonald
- John de Laeter Centre, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA, 6845, Australia
| | - Zheng-Xiang Li
- Earth Dynamics Research Group, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences and The Institute for Geoscience Research (TIGeR), Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA, 6845, Australia
- Laoshan Laboratory, 266237, Qingdao, China
| | - Christopher L Kirkland
- Timescales of Mineral Systems Group, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA, 6845, Australia
| | - Celia Mayers
- John de Laeter Centre, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA, 6845, Australia
| | - Michael T D Wingate
- John de Laeter Centre, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA, 6845, Australia
- Geological Survey of Western Australia, 100 Plain Street, East Perth, WA, 6004, Australia
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6
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Abdel-Rahman AM, El-Desoky HM, Shebl A, El-Awny H, Amer YZ, Csámer Á. The geochemistry, origin, and hydrothermal alteration mapping associated with the gold-bearing quartz veins at Hamash district, South Eastern Desert, Egypt. Sci Rep 2023; 13:15058. [PMID: 37700069 PMCID: PMC10497572 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-42313-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Integrating diverse techniques and datasets, significantly enhances the accurate identification of various mineral deposits. This work aims to determine different types of mineral deposits in the Hamash district (Southern Eastern Desert, Egypt) by combining structural features (derived from ALOS PALSAR DEM), alteration zones (detected using ASTER and Sentinel-2), and ore mineralogy. Multispectral imaging, such as ASTER and Sentinel-2 satellite data, provides a cost-effective and efficient tool for lithological and hydrothermal alteration mapping utilizing selective band ratios (SBR), directed principal component analysis (DPCA), feature-oriented false-color composites (FFCC), and constrained energy minimization (CEM). The deductions drawn from the analysis of ASTER and Sentinel 2 satellite data are solidly corroborated through meticulous investigations of pre-existing lithological maps in the study area, on-site validation via fieldwork, and robust laboratory analysis, attesting to reliable results. Validation of remote sensing results was performed through field observations, petrographic investigations, X-ray diffraction technique (XRD), and SEM-EDX analyses. Based on ore mineralogy derived from XRD and SEM results the quartz-vein-associated ore minerals in the Hamash district include chalcopyrite, pyrite, hematite, goethite, bornite, covellite, and gold. According to the present paragenesis, the mineralization in the study area is classified into three types: sulfide mineralized zone, transitional zone, and supergene zone. Using an ore microscope, our studies identified that the alteration zones include gold-bearing sulfide minerals as well as the minerals goethite and malachite. In gold-bearing quartz samples, the concentrations of Cu, As, Ag, and Sb are positively correlated with Au at the degree of shear deformation. According to data gathered from the fire assay results, Au content varied from 0.027 to 57.20 ppm, along with Cu (10-6484 ppm), Ag (0.5-20.5 ppm), As (5-2046 ppm), Zn (3-1095 ppm), Pb (2-1383 ppm), and Sb (5-23). Our results confirmed that the Hamash region is one of the most important gold-bearing sites, with gold concentrations ranging from 0.027 up to 57.20 ppm. Furthermore, the current contribution highlighted four stages in the paragenetic sequence of the recorded ores, including magmatic, metamorphic, hydrothermal, and supergene by origin, indicating a considered similarity with the known Egyptian gold sites regarding host rocks, mineralization style, alteration assemblage, and several ore mineral conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed M Abdel-Rahman
- Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, PO Box 11884, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Hatem M El-Desoky
- Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, PO Box 11884, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ali Shebl
- Department of Mineralogy and Geology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary.
- Department of Geology, Tanta University, Tanta, 31527, Egypt.
| | - Hamada El-Awny
- Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, PO Box 11884, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Yahia Z Amer
- Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, PO Box 11884, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Árpád Csámer
- Department of Mineralogy and Geology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary
- Cosmochemistry and Cosmic Methods Research Group, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary
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7
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Chowdhury W, Trail D, Miller M, Savage P. Eoarchean and Hadean melts reveal arc-like trace element and isotopic signatures. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1140. [PMID: 36854670 PMCID: PMC9975215 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36538-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Constraining the lithological diversity and tectonics of the earliest Earth is critical to understanding our planet's evolution. Here we use detrital Jack Hills zircon (3.7 - 4.2 Ga) analyses coupled with new experimental partitioning data to model the silica content, Si+O isotopic composition, and trace element contents of their parent melts. Comparing our derived Jack Hills zircons' parent melt Si+O isotopic compositions (-1.92 ≤ δ30SiNBS28 ≤ 0.53 ‰; 5.23 ≤ δ18OVSMOW ≤ 9.00 ‰) to younger crustal lithologies, we conclude that the chemistry of the parent melts was influenced by the assimilation of terrigenous sediments, serpentinites, cherts, and silicified basalts, followed by igneous differentiation, leading to the formation of intermediate to felsic melts in the early Earth. Trace element measurements also show that the formational regime had an arc-like chemistry, implying the presence of mobile-lid tectonics in the Hadean. Finally, we propose that these continental-crust forming processes operated uniformly from 4.2 to at least 3.7 Ga.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wriju Chowdhury
- Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA.
| | - Dustin Trail
- grid.16416.340000 0004 1936 9174Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627 USA
| | - Martha Miller
- grid.16416.340000 0004 1936 9174Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627 USA
| | - Paul Savage
- grid.11914.3c0000 0001 0721 1626School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews, Bute Building, St Andrews, Scotland KY16 9TS UK
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8
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Caxito FDA, Alkmim FF. The role of V-shaped oceans and ribbon continents in the Brasiliano/PanAfrican assembly of western Gondwana. Sci Rep 2023; 13:1568. [PMID: 36709389 PMCID: PMC9884301 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-28717-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Western Gondwana amalgamated by collision of continental blocks that did not form prior conjugated margins (extroversion), and by typical Wilson cycles, when continental blocks that rifted away giving birth to new oceans were subsequently re-joined in approximately the same position (introversion). The introverted systems are characterized by the opening of V-shaped basins through rifting and hyperextension of various continental pieces (micro- and ribbon continents) from a former Central African Block. These continental fragments lost substantial parts of their mantle lithosphere and became decratonized while drifting towards the external Goiás-Pharusian ocean. Protracted seafloor spreading and consumption through subduction of the internal and external oceans, respectively, ultimately led to multiple, diachronous collisions with other continental blocks detached from Rodinia (Amazonian, West Africa, Embu, etc.). These collisions pushed the ribbon continents back and closed the introverted basins, squeezing and incorporating the reworked basement tracts between the main colliding blocks and the rigid remainder of the Central African Block (the São Francisco-Congo craton). Continental extrusion and lateral escape tectonics ensued, generating thousands-of-km long networks of anastomosing directional shear zones (keirogens), as a consequence of both the accretionary systems developed between the involved blocks and the highly deformable nature of the decratonized ribbon continents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabrício de Andrade Caxito
- grid.8430.f0000 0001 2181 4888CPMTC Research Center and Departamento de Geologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG 31270‑901 Brazil
| | - Fernando Flecha Alkmim
- grid.411213.40000 0004 0488 4317Departamento de Geologia, Escola de Minas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG 35400-000 Brazil
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9
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Ivan Z, Anthony I S K, R Hugh S, Daniela R, Fawna K, Johannes H, Tim E J, Klaus G, Roberto F W, Jeff D V, Laure M, Sandra S R. Greenstone burial-exhumation cycles at the late Archean transition to plate tectonics. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7893. [PMID: 36550109 PMCID: PMC9780361 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35208-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Converging lines of evidence suggest that, during the late Archean, Earth completed its transition from a stagnant-lid to a plate tectonics regime, although how and when this transition occurred is debated. The geological record indicates that some form of subduction, a key component of plate tectonics-has operated since the Mesoarchean, even though the tectonic style and timescales of burial and exhumation cycles within ancient convergent margins are poorly constrained. Here, we present a Neoarchean pressure-temperature-time (P-T-t) path from supracrustal rocks of the transpressional Yilgarn orogen (Western Australia), which documents how sea-floor-altered rocks underwent deep burial then exhumation during shortening that was unrelated to the episode of burial. Archean subduction, even if generally short-lived, was capable of producing eclogites along converging lithosphere boundaries, although exhumation processes in those environments were likely less efficient than today, such that return of high-pressure rocks to the surface was rare.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zibra Ivan
- grid.466784.f0000 0004 0599 8367Geological Survey of Western Australia, 100 Plain Street, 6004 East Perth, WA Australia ,grid.1002.30000 0004 1936 7857School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment, Monash University, Clayton, VIC Australia
| | - Kemp Anthony I S
- grid.1012.20000 0004 1936 7910School of Earth Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, 6009 Australia
| | - Smithies R Hugh
- grid.466784.f0000 0004 0599 8367Geological Survey of Western Australia, 100 Plain Street, 6004 East Perth, WA Australia ,grid.1032.00000 0004 0375 4078School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, the Institute for Geoscience Research (TIGeR), Timescales of Mineral Systems group, Curtin University, Bentley, Australia
| | - Rubatto Daniela
- grid.5734.50000 0001 0726 5157Institute of Geological Sciences, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland ,grid.9851.50000 0001 2165 4204Institut des Sciences de la Terre, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Korhonen Fawna
- grid.466784.f0000 0004 0599 8367Geological Survey of Western Australia, 100 Plain Street, 6004 East Perth, WA Australia
| | - Hammerli Johannes
- grid.1012.20000 0004 1936 7910School of Earth Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, 6009 Australia ,grid.9851.50000 0001 2165 4204Institut des Sciences de la Terre, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Johnson Tim E
- grid.1032.00000 0004 0375 4078School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, the Institute for Geoscience Research (TIGeR), Timescales of Mineral Systems group, Curtin University, Bentley, Australia
| | - Gessner Klaus
- grid.466784.f0000 0004 0599 8367Geological Survey of Western Australia, 100 Plain Street, 6004 East Perth, WA Australia
| | - Weinberg Roberto F
- grid.1002.30000 0004 1936 7857School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment, Monash University, Clayton, VIC Australia
| | - Vervoort Jeff D
- grid.30064.310000 0001 2157 6568School of the Environment Washington State University Pullman, Pullman, WA 99164-2812 USA
| | - Martin Laure
- grid.1012.20000 0004 1936 7910Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation and Analysis, the University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009 Australia
| | - Romano Sandra S
- grid.466784.f0000 0004 0599 8367Geological Survey of Western Australia, 100 Plain Street, 6004 East Perth, WA Australia ,grid.1012.20000 0004 1936 7910School of Earth Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, 6009 Australia
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10
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Peng Y, Kusky T, Wang L, Luan Z, Wang C, Liu X, Zhong Y, Evans NJ. Passive margins in accreting Archaean archipelagos signal continental stability promoting early atmospheric oxygen rise. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7821. [PMID: 36535961 PMCID: PMC9763395 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35559-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Significant changes in tectonic style and climate occurred from the late Archaean to early Proterozoic when continental growth and emergence provided opportunities for photosynthetic life to proliferate by the initiation of the Great Oxidation Event (GOE). In this study, we report a Neoarchaean passive-margin-type sequence (2560-2500 million years ago) from the Precambrian basement of China that formed in an accretionary orogen. Tectonostratigraphic and detrital zircon analysis reveal that thermal subsidence on the backside of a recently amalgamated oceanic archipelago created a quiet, shallow water environment, marked by deposition of carbonates, shales, and shallow water sediments, likely hosts to early photosynthetic microbes. Distinct from the traditional understanding of passive margins generated by continental rifting, post-collisional subsidence of archipelago margins represents a novel stable niche, signalling initial continental maturity and foreshadowing great changes at the Archaean-Proterozoic boundary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaying Peng
- grid.503241.10000 0004 1760 9015State Key Lab of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, Center for Global Tectonics, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Timothy Kusky
- grid.503241.10000 0004 1760 9015State Key Lab of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, Center for Global Tectonics, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China ,grid.503241.10000 0004 1760 9015Badong National Observatory and Research Station for Geohazards, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Lu Wang
- grid.503241.10000 0004 1760 9015State Key Lab of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, Center for Global Tectonics, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhikang Luan
- grid.503241.10000 0004 1760 9015State Key Lab of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, Center for Global Tectonics, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Chuanhai Wang
- grid.503241.10000 0004 1760 9015State Key Lab of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, Center for Global Tectonics, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Xuanyu Liu
- grid.503241.10000 0004 1760 9015State Key Lab of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, Center for Global Tectonics, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Yating Zhong
- grid.503241.10000 0004 1760 9015State Key Lab of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, Center for Global Tectonics, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Noreen J. Evans
- grid.1032.00000 0004 0375 4078School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, John de Laeter Centre, Curtin University, Perth, WA 6845 Australia
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11
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Huang G, Mitchell RN, Palin RM, Spencer CJ, Guo J. Barium content of Archaean continental crust reveals the onset of subduction was not global. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6553. [PMID: 36323691 PMCID: PMC9630499 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34343-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Earth’s earliest continental crust is dominated by tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite (TTG) suites, making these rocks key to unlocking the global geodynamic regime operating during the Archaean (4.0–2.5 billion years ago [Ga]). The tectonic setting of TTG magmatism is controversial, with hypotheses arguing both for and against subduction. Here we conduct petrological modeling over a range of pressure–temperature conditions relevant to the Archaean geothermal gradient. Using an average enriched Archaean basaltic source composition, we predict Ba concentrations in TTG suites, which is difficult to increase after magma generated in the source. The results indicate only low geothermal gradients corresponding to hot subduction zones produce Ba-rich TTG, thus Ba represents a proxy for the onset of subduction. We then identify statistically significant increases in the Ba contents of TTG suites worldwide as recording the diachronous onset of subduction from regional at 4 Ga to globally complete sometime after 2.7 Ga. Only subduction zone can produce Ba-rich TTG, representing a proxy for the onset of subduction. Statistical increases in Ba contents of Archaean TTGs reveal the diachronous onset of subduction from regional at 4 Ga to globally complete after 2.7 Ga
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangyu Huang
- grid.9227.e0000000119573309State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100029 Beijing, China
| | - Ross N. Mitchell
- grid.9227.e0000000119573309State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100029 Beijing, China ,grid.410726.60000 0004 1797 8419College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049 Beijing, China
| | - Richard M. Palin
- grid.4991.50000 0004 1936 8948Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3AN UK
| | - Christopher J. Spencer
- grid.410356.50000 0004 1936 8331Department of Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6 Canada
| | - Jinghui Guo
- grid.9227.e0000000119573309State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100029 Beijing, China ,grid.410726.60000 0004 1797 8419College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049 Beijing, China
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12
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Slagter S, Hao W, Planavsky NJ, Konhauser KO, Tarhan LG. Biofilms as agents of Ediacara-style fossilization. Sci Rep 2022; 12:8631. [PMID: 35606399 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-12473-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Earth's earliest fossils of complex macroscopic life are recorded in Ediacaran-aged siliciclastic deposits as exceptionally well-preserved three-dimensional casts and molds, known as "Ediacara-style" preservation. Ediacara-style fossil assemblages commonly include both macrofossils of the enigmatic Ediacara Biota and associated textural impressions attributed to microbial matgrounds that were integral to the ecology of Ediacara communities. Here, we use an experimental approach to interrogate to what extent the presence of mat-forming microorganisms was likewise critical to the Ediacara-style fossilization of these soft-bodied organisms. We find evidence that biofilms can play an instrumental role in fostering fossilization. Rapid silica precipitation associated with macroorganism tissues is enhanced in the presence of mat- and biofilm-forming microorganisms. These results indicate that the occurrence of microbial mats and biofilms may have strongly shaped the preservational window for Ediacara-style fossils associated with early diagenetic silica cements, and therefore influenced the distribution and palaeoecological interpretation of the Ediacara Biota fossil record.
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13
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Leong JAM, Ely T, Shock EL. Decreasing extents of Archean serpentinization contributed to the rise of an oxidized atmosphere. Nat Commun 2021; 12:7341. [PMID: 34930924 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27589-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
At present, molecular hydrogen (H2) produced through Fe(II) oxidation during serpentinization of ultramafic rocks represents a small fraction of the global sink for O2 due to limited exposures of ultramafic rocks. In contrast, ultramafic rocks such as komatiites were much more common in the Early Earth and H2 production via serpentinization was a likely factor in maintaining an O2-free atmosphere throughout most of the Archean. Using thermodynamic simulations, this work quantifies the global O2 consumption attributed to serpentinization during the past 3.5 billion years. Results show that H2 generation is strongly dependent on rock compositions where serpentinization of more magnesian lithologies generated substantially higher amounts of H2. Consumption of >2 Tmole O2 yr-1 via low-temperature serpentinization of Archean continents and seafloor is possible. This O2 sink diminished greatly towards the end of the Archean as ultramafic rocks became less common and helped set the stage for the Great Oxidation Event.
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14
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Olierook HKH, Kirkland CL, Hollis JA, Gardiner NJ, Yakymchuk C, Szilas K, Hartnady MIH, Barham M, McDonald BJ, Evans NJ, Steenfelt A, Waterton P. Regional zircon U-Pb geochronology for the Maniitsoq region, southwest Greenland. Sci Data 2021; 8:139. [PMID: 34035298 PMCID: PMC8149810 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-021-00922-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Zircon U-Pb geochronology places high-temperature geological events into temporal context. Here, we present a comprehensive zircon U-Pb geochronology dataset for the Meso- to Neoarchean Maniitsoq region in southwest Greenland, which includes the Akia Terrane, Tuno Terrane, and the intervening Alanngua Complex. The magmatic and metamorphic processes recorded in these terranes straddle a key change-point in early Earth geodynamics. This dataset comprises zircon U-Pb ages for 121 samples, including 46 that are newly dated. A principal crystallization peak occurs across all three terranes at ca. 3000 Ma, with subordinate crystallization age peaks at 3200 Ma (Akia Terrane and Alanngua Complex only), 2720 Ma and 2540 Ma. Metamorphic age peaks occur at 2990 Ma, 2820-2700 Ma, 2670-2600 Ma and 2540 Ma. Except for one sample, all dated metamorphic zircon growth after the Neoarchean occurred in the Alanngua Complex or within 20 km of its boundaries. This U-Pb dataset provides an important resource for addressing Earth Science topics as diverse as crustal evolution, fluid-rock interaction and mineral deposit genesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo K H Olierook
- Timescales of Mineral Systems Group, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA, 6845, Australia.
- John de Laeter Centre, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA, 6845, Australia.
| | - Christopher L Kirkland
- Timescales of Mineral Systems Group, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA, 6845, Australia
| | - Julie A Hollis
- Department of Geology, Ministry of Mineral Resources, Government of Greenland, P.O. Box 930, 3900, Nuuk, Greenland
| | - Nicholas J Gardiner
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, KT16 9AL, UK
| | - Chris Yakymchuk
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Kristoffer Szilas
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 10, 1350, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Michael I H Hartnady
- Timescales of Mineral Systems Group, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA, 6845, Australia
| | - Milo Barham
- Timescales of Mineral Systems Group, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA, 6845, Australia
| | - Bradley J McDonald
- John de Laeter Centre, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA, 6845, Australia
| | - Noreen J Evans
- John de Laeter Centre, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA, 6845, Australia
| | - Agnete Steenfelt
- Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Øster Voldgade 10, 1350, Copenhagen K, Denmark
| | - Pedro Waterton
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 10, 1350, Copenhagen, Denmark
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15
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Kirkland CL, Hartnady MIH, Barham M, Olierook HKH, Steenfelt A, Hollis JA. Widespread reworking of Hadean-to-Eoarchean continents during Earth's thermal peak. Nat Commun 2021; 12:331. [PMID: 33436605 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20514-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The nature and evolution of Earth's crust during the Hadean and Eoarchean is largely unknown owing to a paucity of material preserved from this period. However, clues may be found in the chemical composition of refractory minerals that initially grew in primordial material but were subsequently incorporated into younger rocks and sediment during lithospheric reworking. Here we report Hf isotopic data in 3.9 to 1.8 billion year old detrital zircon from modern stream sediment samples from West Greenland, which document successive reworking of felsic Hadean-to-Eoarchean crust during subsequent periods of magmatism. Combined with global zircon Hf data, we show a planetary shift towards, on average, more juvenile Hf values 3.2 to 3.0 billion years ago. This crustal rejuvenation was coincident with peak mantle potential temperatures that imply greater degrees of mantle melting and injection of hot mafic-ultramafic magmas into older Hadean-to-Eoarchean felsic crust at this time. Given the repeated recognition of felsic Hadean-to-Eoarchean diluted signatures, ancient crust appears to have acted as buoyant life-rafts with enhanced preservation-potential that facilitated later rapid crustal growth during the Meso-and-Neoarchean.
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16
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Yang B, Steiner M, Schiffbauer JD, Selly T, Wu X, Zhang C, Liu P. Ultrastructure of Ediacaran cloudinids suggests diverse taphonomic histories and affinities with non-biomineralized annelids. Sci Rep 2020; 10:535. [PMID: 31953458 PMCID: PMC6968996 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-56317-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Cloudinids have long been considered the earliest biomineralizing metazoans, but their affinities have remained contentious and undetermined. Based on well-preserved ultrastructures of two taxa, we here propose new interpretations regarding both their extent of original biomineralization and their phylogenetic affinity. One of these taxa is a new cloudinid from Mongolia, Zuunia chimidtsereni gen. et sp. nov., which exhibits key characteristics of submicrometric kerogenous lamellae, plastic tube-wall deformation, and tube-wall delamination. Multiple carbonaceous lamellae are also discovered in Cloudina from Namibia and Paraguay, which we interpret to have originated from chitinous or collagenous fabrics. We deduce that these cloudinids were predominantly originally organic (chitinous or collagenous), and postmortem decay and taphonomic mineralization resulted in the formation of aragonite and/or calcite. Further, based on our ultrastructural characterization and other morphological similarities, we suggest that the cloudinids should most parsimoniously be assigned to annelids with originally organic tubes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Yang
- Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing, 100037, China.
| | - Michael Steiner
- Department of Earth Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, 12249, Germany.
| | - James D Schiffbauer
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, 65211, USA
- X-ray Microanalysis Core Facility, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, 65211, USA
| | - Tara Selly
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, 65211, USA
- X-ray Microanalysis Core Facility, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, 65211, USA
| | - Xuwen Wu
- Laboratory of Marine Organism Taxonomy and Phylogeny, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China
| | - Cong Zhang
- Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing, 100037, China
- School of Earth Science and Engineering, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266590, China
| | - Pengju Liu
- Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing, 100037, China
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