Variation of precipitation in Langtang Valley,Himalayas

The variation of the δ 18O in precipitation and the relationship with precipitation amountat Kyangjin Base House and Yala Glacier Camp in Langtang Valley, Nepal Himalayas were ana-lyzed. The variations of the δ 18O with precipitation had great scatter, and the correlations betweenthe δ18O and precipitation changed with time on the synoptic scale. On the seasonal scale, therewas marked amount effect at Kyangjin Base House. However, the δ18O-precipitation gradient wassmaller than that on the synoptic scale. Because of the maintenance of the basic equilibrium be-tween stable isotopic compositions in atmospheric vapor and precipitation, the evaporation en-richment was light during the rainy season. Therefore, the variation of stable isotopic compositionsin precipitation was independent on the sampling intervals. Simulations show that the rainfall inLangtang Valley was not the outcome of the initial condensation of ocean vapor that originatedfrom low latitudes. The stable isotopic compositions in precipitation were greatly depleted due tothe strong rainout of the vapor from oceans as the vapor was raised over the Himalayas     

Mesozoic radiolarians and radiolarian-bearing sequences in the circum-Pacific regions: A report of the symposium-'Radiolarians and Orogenic Belts'

Abstract This paper contains extended abstracts of the seven papers presented at the symposium 'Radiolarians and Orogenic Belts' held at the seventh meeting of the International Association of Radiolarian Paleontologists (INTERRAD). Important results of the symposium include the following: (1) Upper Paleozoic and Mesozoic cherts are widely distributed within accretionary complexes in the circum-Pacific orogenic belt. Radiolarian dating reveals that long durations of chert sedimentation in a pelagic environment are recorded on both sides of Pacific-rim accretionary complexes (e.g. New Zealand, Japan, Russian Far East, Canadian Cordillera). (2) Triassic radiolarian faunas from New Zealand and the Omolon Massif, northeast Siberia are similar in composition and are characterized by the absence of typical Tethyan elements. This suggests that radiolarian faunal provincialism may have been established as early as the Triassic. High-latitude radiolarian taxa exhibit a bi-polar distribution pattern. (3) The Lower Triassic interval in chert dominant pelagic sequences is mechanically weaker than other levels and acted as a décollement in accretionary events. This lithologic. contrast in physical property is considered to reflect radiolarian evolution, such as the end-Permian mass extinction.     

Subaqueous eruption and emplacement of the Shinjima Pumice, Shinjima (Moeshima) Island, Kagoshima Bay, SW Japan

The Shinjima Pumice is a fines-depleted pumice lapilli tuff emplaced several thousands years ago at about 100–140 m below sea level. This 40-m-thick deposit comprises many poorly defined flow units, which are 1–10 m thick, diffusely stratified and showing upward-coarsening of pumice clasts with a sharp to transitional base. Parallel to wavy diffuse stratifications are commonly represented by alignment of pumice clasts, especially in the lower half of the flow units. Pumice clasts of block to coarse-lapilli size commonly have thermal-contraction cracks best developed on the surfaces, demonstrating that they were hot but cooled down to the ambient temperatures prior to their emplacement. These features are suggestive of the direct origin of the Shinjima Pumice from subaqueous eruptions. A theoretical consideration on the behavior of subaqueous eruption plumes and hot and cold pumice clasts suggests that subaqueous eruption plumes commonly collapse by turbulent mixing with the ambient water and are transformed into water-logged mass flows.     

Anhydrous and water-saturated melting experiments of an olivine andesite from Mt Yakushi-Yama, northeastern Shikoku, Japan

Abstract Melting experiments have been carried out on an olivine andesite of Mt Yakushi-Yama from the Miocene Setouchi volcanic belt in northeastern Shikoku, Japan. This andesite has been characterized by a low ratio of FeO*/Mg° (= 0.78). Phase relations have been determined within the pressure range of 2.8 to 19.3 kbar at 1000-1300°C under anhydrous and water-saturated conditions. At pressures less than 8.8 kbar, olivine is a liquidus phase. Orthopyroxene appears on the liquidus at 9.3 kbar under the anhydrous conditions. The multiple saturation point rises up to 17.5 kbar for water-saturated experiments. The andesite melt coexists with olivine and orthopyroxene just below the liquidus at 8.8–9.3 kbar and 1230°C for dry conditions, and at 17.5 kbar and 1060°C under water-saturated conditions. These experimental results indicate that the Yakushi-Yama olivine andesite magma could coexist with a harzburgitic mantle at depths between about 30 and 60 km, and at temperatures between 1060 and 1230°C. Experimental data also suggest a possibility that a high magnesian andesite magma would be generated by a direct partial melting of the uppermost harzburgitic mantle under anhydrous conditions.     

Age model, physical properties and paleoceanographic implications of the middle Pleistocene core sediments in the Choshi area, central Japan

Abstract   A continuous, well-preserved core was obtained from the Choshi area, on the Pacific side of Japan, to investigate paleoceanographic and paleoclimatic changes around the northwestern Pacific region during the middle Pleistocene. Siliciclastic sequences in the core are divided into five formations – the Obama, Yokone, Kurahashi and Toyosato Formations in the Inubo Group and the Katori Formation, in ascending order. Examination of calcareous nannofossils and magnetic polarities detected four datums in the core sediments of the Inubo Group: the top of Reticulofenestra asanoi , the base of Helicosphaera inversa , the top of Pseudoemiliania lacunosa and the Brunhes–Matuyama boundary. Fourteen marine isotope stages (MIS24–MIS11) were identified in the δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C records based on detected datums and the graphic correlation with the standard stack oxygen isotope curve. Magnetic susceptibility and gamma-ray attenuation porosity evaluator density were also measured and low values characterize the glacial intervals. Biogenic sedimentation by primary production may be larger during the glacial periods because of invasions of nutrient-rich northern surface-waters related to the southward shift of the Kuroshio front in the Choshi area.     

Lithological and physical properties of core samples from the Sagara oil field: Oil occurrence in Sagara core samples

Abstract   A drilling and coring investigation of the Sagara oil field, central Honshu, Japan, was conducted to contribute to the understanding of hydrocarbon migration processes in a forearc basin. Core samples were analyzed to determine lithology, physical properties (specifically gas permeability) and the characteristics of oil occurrence. Gas permeability values greater than approximately 10⁻¹¹ m² constitute the basic precondition for any lithology to serve as a potential fluid conduit or reservoir in the Sagara oil field. Cores recovered from the 200.6-m-deep borehole were primarily composed of alternating siltstone, sandstone and conglomerate, all of which are correlated to the late Miocene Sagara Group. Both sandstone and conglomerate can be classified into two types, carbonate-cemented and poorly to non-cemented, based on matrix material characteristics. Oil stains are generally absent in the former lithology and more common in the latter. Variations in physical properties with respect to gas permeability values are directly related to the presence and character of carbonate cement, with higher permeabilities common in poorly to non-cemented rocks. The relationships between lithology, oil-staining, cementation and permeability indicate that cementation preceded oil infiltration and that cementation processes exerted significant control on the evolution of the reservoir.     

Tectonic implications of new age data for the Meratus Complex of south Kalimantan, Indonesia

Cretaceous subduction complexes surround the southeastern margin of Sundaland in Indonesia. They are widely exposed in several localities, such as Bantimala (South Sulawesi), Karangsambung (Central Java) and Meratus (South Kalimantan).
The Meratus Complex of South Kalimantan consists mainly of mélange, chert, siliceous shale, limestone, basalt, ultramafic rocks and schists. The complex is uncomformably covered with Late Cretaceous sedimentary-volcanic formations, such as the Pitap and Haruyan Formations.
Well-preserved radiolarians were extracted from 14 samples of siliceous sedimentary rocks, and K–Ar age dating was performed on muscovite from 6 samples of schist of the Meratus Complex. The radiolarian assemblage from the chert of the complex is assigned to the early Middle Jurassic to early Late Cretaceous. The K–Ar age data from schist range from 110 Ma to 180 Ma. Three samples from the Pitap Formation, which unconformably covers the Meratus Complex, yield Cretaceous radiolarians of Cenomanian or older.
These chronological data as well as field observation and petrology yield the following constraints on the tectonic setting of the Meratus Complex.
(1) The mélange of the Meratus Complex was caused by the subduction of an oceanic plate covered by radiolarian chert ranging in age from early Middle Jurassic to late Early Cretaceous.
(2) The Haruyan Schist of 110–119 Ma was affected by metamorphism of a high pressure–low temperature type caused by oceanic plate subduction. Some of the protoliths were high alluminous continental cover or margin sediments. Intermediate pressure type metamorphic rocks of 165 and 180 Ma were discovered for the first time along the northern margin of the Haruyan Schist.
(3) The Haruyan Formation, a product of submarine volcanism in an immature island arc setting, is locally contemporaneous with the formation of the mélange of the Meratus Complex.     

Variations of Kuroshio geostrophic transport south of Japan estimated from long-term IES observations

Two inverted echo sounders were maintained on coastal and offshore sides of the Kuroshio south of Japan from October 1993 to July 2004. Applying the gravest empirical mode method, we obtained a time series of geostrophic transport. Estimated transports generally agree well with geostrophic transports estimated from hydrography. Their agreement with the hydrographic transports is better than that of transports estimated from satellite altimetry data. The geostrophic transport is expressed as the surface transport per unit depth multiplied by the equivalent depth. The geostrophic transport varies mostly with the surface transport and fractionally with the equivalent depth. Seasonal variation of the geostrophic transport has a minimum in March and a maximum in September, with a range of about one fifth of the total transport.     

Vertical double silicate maxima in the sea-ice reduction region of the western Arctic Ocean: Implications for an enhanced biological pump due to sea-ice reduction

The R/V Mirai conducted hydrographic surveys in the western Arctic Ocean during summer 2004 (Mirai04) over wide east-west ranges from Alaska to eastern Siberia, where sea-ice cover has been greatly reduced in recent summers. The obtained data reveal differences in silicate profiles between shelf slope areas east and west of the Chukchi Plateau, the ridge that divides the Canada Basin into the Alaskan and east Siberian sides. East of the plateau, a single silicate maximum was found in a layer of Pacific-origin winter water, as examined in many previous studies. In contrast, west of the plateau, we found vertical double silicate maxima, which are reported for the first time in this study. The shallower silicate maximum corresponded to an N** minimum, signaling denitrification at the shelf bottom. This suggests that the shallower silicate maximum was caused by the spreading of shelf water. In contrast, the deeper silicate maximum corresponded to an oxygen minimum and a maximum silicate/phosphate ratio (Si/P), suggesting that this deeper maximum resulted from the decomposition of opal-shelled organisms. We also compared a silicate profile from Mirai04 to aprofile from the Arctic Ocean Section 94 (AOS94) expedition of 1994, a heavy ice year. The results suggest that sea-ice loss has enhanced biological activities, likely resulting in the appearance of the deeper silicate maximum.