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Ancient volcanic scars in Kazakhstan are exposing a lost world beneath the steppe
- Two distinct volcanic pulses in eastern Kazakhstan mark a two-stage volcanic history.
- Older volcanism dates to about 345 million years ago, indicating an island-chain setting.
- Younger volcanism is dated to roughly 303 million years ago after collisions thickened the crust.
- Tiny zircon grains provided precise timing for the volcanic events.
- Low niobium and tantalum levels pointed to early plate sinking in the rocks.
- Researchers link past volcanism to Kazakhstan's mineral wealth and ore deposits.
- Modern Kazakhstan has no listed Holocene volcanoes, reflecting a long volcanic calm.
- Geologic mapping preserves two vanished tectonic stages in the region's rock record.
- Zircon dating anchored a firm timeline for the eastern belt's volcanic history.
- The study appears in Geodynamics & Tectonophysics, extending knowledge of Kazakhstan's late volcanism.
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