Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Minerals01:26

Minerals

Minerals are essential nutrients that the human body needs in small amounts to work properly. They play a vital role in many bodily functions, such as building strong bones and transmitting nerve impulses. Some minerals are needed for hormone production or to maintain a normal heartbeat. Major minerals include calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, sodium, chlorine, and magnesium, while trace minerals include iron, manganese, copper, iodine, zinc, cobalt, fluoride, and selenium.
Acid Mine Drainage01:19

Acid Mine Drainage

Mining activities that disturb sulfide-rich rocks, particularly those containing pyrite (FeS₂), initiate a cascade of geochemical and microbiological processes with serious environmental implications. When exposed to air and water, pyrite undergoes oxidation, releasing sulfate, ultimately forming sulfuric acid and mobilizing heavy metals into surrounding water systems. This phenomenon, known as acid mine drainage (AMD), results in low pH waters laden with toxic elements that threaten aquatic...
Microbes and Other Elemental Cycles01:24

Microbes and Other Elemental Cycles

Microbial activity plays a pivotal role in the biogeochemical cycling of iron and manganese, especially at the redox gradients characteristic of stratified aquatic environments. These cycles are driven by microbial transformations between oxidized and reduced forms of the metals, allowing organisms to exploit them for metabolic energy and structural purposes.Iron Cycling Across Redox GradientsIn neutral, oxygen-rich surface waters, iron is predominantly found in its oxidized, insoluble ferric...
Speciation Rates01:07

Speciation Rates

Speciation can proceed at markedly different rates, and evolutionary biologists commonly describe these differences through the models of gradualism and punctuated equilibrium. Both patterns explain how new species arise, but they differ in the tempo and continuity of evolutionary change. In both cases, evolutionary change arises from heritable variation within populations, with natural selection often shaping traits that improve survival and reproduction under specific environmental conditions.
Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition02:33

Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition

Some solids can transition directly into the gaseous state, bypassing the liquid state, via a process known as sublimation. At room temperature and standard pressure, a piece of dry ice (solid CO2) sublimes, appearing to gradually disappear without ever forming any liquid. Snow and ice sublimate at temperatures below the melting point of water, a slow process that may be accelerated by winds and the reduced atmospheric pressures at high altitudes. When solid iodine is warmed, the solid sublimes...
Formation of Complex Ions03:45

Formation of Complex Ions

A type of Lewis acid-base chemistry involves the formation of a complex ion (or a coordination complex) comprising a central atom, typically a transition metal cation, surrounded by ions or molecules called ligands. These ligands can be neutral molecules like H2O or NH3, or ions such as CN− or OH−. Often, the ligands act as Lewis bases, donating a pair of electrons to the central atom. These types of Lewis acid-base reactions are examples of a broad subdiscipline called coordination...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Impact heating and the hidden Hadean.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2026
Same author

Tectonic and climatic implications of the Aleutian Arc initiation ≥56 million years ago.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Predicting the preservation of buried ore deposits using deep-time landscape evolution modeling.

Science advances·2025
Same author

The moving mantle beneath Hawaii: A new look at an old bend.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2025
Same author

Formation and composition of Earth's Hadean protocrust.

Nature·2025
Same author

Phanerozoic icehouse climates as the result of multiple solid-Earth cooling mechanisms.

Science advances·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Kinematic History of a Salient-recess Junction Explored through a Combined Approach of Field Data and Analog Sandbox Modeling
06:55

Kinematic History of a Salient-recess Junction Explored through a Combined Approach of Field Data and Analog Sandbox Modeling

Published on: August 5, 2016

How subduction evolution drives sediment-hosted mineralisation along craton edges.

Hojat Shirmard1, Ben Mather2, Ehsan Farahbakhsh3

  • 1EarthByte Group, School of Geosciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. hojat.shirmard@sydney.edu.au.

Nature Communications
|June 10, 2026
PubMed
Summary

Mineral deposits form along craton edges due to mantle enrichment and lithospheric weakening caused by subduction. This process, driven by mantle return-flow cells, pre-conditions the lithosphere for metallogenesis, guiding resource exploration.

More Related Videos

Sediment Core Extrusion Method at Millimeter Resolution Using a Calibrated, Threaded-rod
06:06

Sediment Core Extrusion Method at Millimeter Resolution Using a Calibrated, Threaded-rod

Published on: August 17, 2016

Deployment and Retrieval of Mineral Samplers
05:52

Deployment and Retrieval of Mineral Samplers

Published on: January 20, 2026

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Kinematic History of a Salient-recess Junction Explored through a Combined Approach of Field Data and Analog Sandbox Modeling
06:55

Kinematic History of a Salient-recess Junction Explored through a Combined Approach of Field Data and Analog Sandbox Modeling

Published on: August 5, 2016

Sediment Core Extrusion Method at Millimeter Resolution Using a Calibrated, Threaded-rod
06:06

Sediment Core Extrusion Method at Millimeter Resolution Using a Calibrated, Threaded-rod

Published on: August 17, 2016

Deployment and Retrieval of Mineral Samplers
05:52

Deployment and Retrieval of Mineral Samplers

Published on: January 20, 2026

Area of Science:

  • Earth Sciences
  • Geodynamics
  • Economic Geology

Background:

  • Sediment-hosted mineral deposits are concentrated near craton edges.
  • The geodynamic controls driving this mineralisation pattern are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the tectonic and geodynamic factors controlling mineralisation at craton edges.
  • To establish a predictive geodynamic framework for continental resource distribution.

Main Methods:

  • Integration of a 1.8 Ga global plate motion model.
  • Craton-edge mapping using full-waveform seismic tomography.
  • Geodynamic modelling and analysis of a global mineral deposit database.

Main Results:

  • Mineralised craton edges consistently form 800–1800 km from subduction zones.
  • Geodynamic models reveal mantle return-flow cells focus stress and weakening at these distances.
  • This mechanically driven weakening enhances permeability and volatile infiltration, promoting metallogenesis.

Conclusions:

  • Subduction-craton coupling is a primary control on sediment-hosted mineral systems.
  • The findings provide a geodynamic framework for understanding deep-time resource distribution.
  • Subduction near cratons enriches the mantle and facilitates mineral formation along continental margins.