Phylogenetic reconstructions of the relationships among extant taxa can be used to infer the nature of the processes that have generated contemporary patterns of biotic diversity. In this study, we present a molecular phylogenetic hypothesis for the conifer family Podocarpaceae based upon three DNA fragments that have been sampled for approximately 90 taxa. We use Bayesian relaxedclock methods ...

Understanding climate change and its potential impact on species, populations and communities is one of the most pressing questions of twenty-fi rst-century conservation planning. Palaeobiogeographers working on Cenozoic fossil records and other lines of evidence are producing important insights into the naturally dynamic nature of climate and the equally dynamic response of species, population...

[1] We report on seismic and petrological data that provide new constraints on the geological evolution of the Amerasia Basin. A seismic reflection transect across the Makarov Basin, located between the Mendeleev and Lomonosov Ridges, shows a complete undisturbed sedimentary section of Mesozoic/Cenozoic age. In contrast to the Mendeleev Ridge, the margin of the Lomonosov Ridge is wide and shows...

[1] Although mantle slabs ultimately drive plate motions, the mechanism by which they do so remains unclear. A detached slab descending through the mantle will excite mantle flow that exerts shear tractions on the base of the surface plates. This ‘‘slab suction’’ force drives subducting and overriding plates symmetrically toward subduction zones. Alternatively, cold, strong slabs may effectivel...

Northwest of Syria is part of one of the very active deformation belt on the Earth today. This area and the western part of Syria are located along the great rift system (Left-Lateral or AfricanSyrian Rift System). Those areas are tectonically active and caused a lot of seismically events. The AL-Ghab Graben complex is situated within this wide area of Cenozoic deformation. The system formed, i...

Newly discovered fossil fish material from the Cretaceous Dinosaur Park Formation of Alberta, Canada, documents the presence of a tropical fish in this northern area about 75 million years ago (Ma). The living relatives of this fossil fish, members of the Characiformes including the piranha and neon tetras, are restricted to tropical and subtropical regions, being limited in their distribution ...

Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Science, P.O. Box 9825, Beijing 100029, China Institut des Sciences de l’Environnement, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, H3C 3P8, Canada Laboratory for Ecological Forecasting and Global Change, College of Forestry, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China ...

The fossil remains of euryhaline organisms in the Mesozoic±Cenozoic, non-marine sedimentary records of eastern China may have resulted from either marine transgressions or inland hypersaline lacustrine environments. Paleontological and organic geochemical results of this study have provided new evidence for marine transgressional events in the gigantic freshwater lake Songliao during the late C...

Introduction: The SE Tibetan Plateau is distinct from other margins due to its high elevation, long wavelength, and low relief. A clear understanding of the Cenozoic exhumation history this region key special geomorphological process associated mechanisms. Previous thermochronological studies have either focused on vertical sections or horizontal variations in local regions. However, spatiotemp...

The recent statistics suggests that over 60% of active Cenozoic subduction initiation (SI) cases are related to the strike-slip fault. A number previous studies have shown lithospheric weak zone is a necessary condition for SI. However, direct effect motion on weakening and SI has rarely been investigated in numerical models due challenge complex 3D boundary conditions. In this study, new model...