Structural and fabric analyses of basal slip zone of the Jin’nosuke-dani landslide, northern central Japan: its application to the slip mechanism of decollement

We describe in detail the deformation structures and textures of a large-scale landslide body that developed in the Betto-dani Valley in northern central Japan. We studied the shape-preferred orientation of clasts and clay flakes and the development of internal shear planes within the slip zone of the landslide. The slip has an average rate of 5–10 cm/year under the overburden pressure of approximately 1.6 MPa; these values are similar to those of the proto-decollement zone of the Nankai accretionary prism in SW Japan. The anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility of samples obtained from the slip zone reveals that the long axes of clay flakes define an imbricate structure. The slip was due to a long-term periodical creep, which occurs during the thaw seasons with an average slip rate of 0.16–0.32 μm/min. During the creep, the long axes of grains including clay flakes in the slip zone are developed from parallel to perpendicular to the slip direction. The observed textures provide a clue to elucidate the deformation textures and process in the decollement zone of the Nankai prism.     

New radiolarian ages from the Troodos ophiolite and their tectonic implications

Abstract Newly obtained radiolarian biostratigraphic age combined with previous isotopic age of the Troodos ophiolite shows that the ophiolite becomes systematically younger from east to west: Turonian, early Campanian, and late Campanian. The youngest late Campanian part of the ophiolite is directly covered by the volcaniclastic sediment derived from an active island arc, whereas the older part is covered by pelagic radiolarite. These facts constitute evidence that the Troodos ophiolite was probably emplaced during the subduction of an active spreading ridge.     

Gonadal histology and serum vitellogenin levels of bigeye tuna Thunnus obesus from the Northern Pacific Ocean--absence of endocrine disruption bio-indicators

Endocrine disrupting chemicals such as organochlorines have been detected in a large number of marine fish. Histological observation of the gonads, measurement of serum vitellogenin (VTG) level and of liver polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) content were performed to evaluate the reproductive health and the contamination with endocrine disruptors in bigeye tuna Thunnus obesus, collected in the northern Pacific Ocean in 1999 and 2000. Abnormalities commonly found in species affected by endocrine disruptors such as the presence of oocytes in the testis or elevated serum VTG levels were not found in any of males examined. Both males and females had only small amounts of liver PCB content. The results suggest that currently there is little if any risk of organochlorine contamination or endocrine disruption of gonadal function in bigeye tuna from the northern Pacific Ocean. However, further studies are necessary to evaluate the health status of the open sea fishery resources.     

Methane-induced dolomite “chimneys” on the Kuroshima Knoll, Ryukyu islands, Japan

The Kuroshima Knoll is about 26 km south of Ishigaki Island in the southern part of the Ryukyu Arc. The area is considered to be the source area of “The 1771 Yaeyama Earthquake Tsunami”, which was due to the submarine landslide caused by an earthquake. It has been cleared from some investigations using “Dolphin 3K” and “Shinkai 2000” that there are large-scale dead Calyptogena colonies, many gravels of fallen dolomite chimneys and carbonates on the top of the Knoll [Matsumoto, T., Uechi, C., Kimura, M., 1997; Machiyama, H., Matsumoto, T., Matsumoto, R., Hattori, M., Okano, M., Iwase, R., Tomaru, H., 2001b.]. Carbonates of Kuroshima Knoll have various shapes and macroscopic textures. These have been classified into 4 types; shell crust (pavement), chimney, burrow, and nodule. It is clear that all chimney and burrow carbonates are composed of dolomite, while shell curst and nodule are composed of calcite, sometimes both calcite and dolomite. These carbonates are considered to have been formed by cold seep, because they are characterized by the light carbon isotopic ratio (semi-biogenic) and the heavy oxygen isotopic ratio. This suggests that methane hydrate layers develop under this survey area and the water that has the heavy oxygen and the light carbon isotopic ratio is derived from the dissociation of methane hydrate.     

K–Ar ages of the basaltic rocks from Far East Russia: Constraints on the tectono-magmatism associated with the Japan Sea opening

K–Ar ages of the Cenozoic basaltic rocks from the Far East region of Russia (comprising Sikhote-Alin and Sakhalin) are determined to obtain constraints on the tectono-magmatic evolution of the Eurasian margin by comparison with the Japanese Islands, Northeast China, and the formation of the back-arc basin. In the early Tertiary stage (54–26 Ma), the northwestward subduction of the Pacific Plate produced the active continental margin volcanism of Sikhote-Alin and Sakhalin, whereas the rift-type volcanism of Northeast China, inland part of the continent began to develop under a northeast–southwest-trending deep fault system. In the early Neogene (24–17 Ma), a large number of subduction-related volcanic rocks were erupted in connection with the Japan Sea opening. After an inactive interval of the volcanism ∼ 20–13 Ma ago, the late Neogene (12–5 Ma) volcanism of Sikhote-Alin and Sakhalin became distinct from those of the preceding stages and indicated within-plate geochemical features similar to those of Northeast China, in contrast to the Japan Arc which produces island arc volcanism. During the Japan Sea opening, the northeastern Eurasian margin detached and became a continental island arc system, and an integral part of continental eastern Asia comprising Sikhote-Alin, Sakhalin and Northeast China, and the Japan Arc with a back-arc basin. The convergence between the Eurasian Plate, the Pacific Plate and the Indian Plate may have contributed to the Cenozoic tectono-magmatism of the northeastern Eurasian continent.     

Mineralogy and petrology of sample 67075 and the origin of lunar anorthosites

Plagioclase in cataclastic anorthosite 67075 occurs as angular matrix grains and as recrystallized clasts of micro-anorthosite. Olivines are Fe-rich and fall into two compositional groupings. Large grains of pyroxene show exceptionally well-developed exsolution lamellae analogous to those observed in pyroxenes from layered complexes. The low-Ca component in both pigeonites and augites shows varying degrees of inversion to orthopyroxene. The lattices of host and lamellae may deviate slightly (up to 2°) from the ideal orientation. Very slow cooling from magmatic temperatures is required to produce the coarse exsolution textures and inversion features. Augite macrocrystals are distinctly subcalcic indicating crystallization at temperatures around1100 ± 50°C while host-lamellae pairs and small grains in lithic clasts and matrix indicate reequilibration on a micron scale to temperatures less than 800°C. Pyroxene compositions tend to cluster into two groups both of which are among the most Fe-rich reported for highland pyroxenes. Ti and Al contents of pyroxenes are very low and Ti, Cr, and Mn follow well-established magmatic differentiation trends. The high Cr content may reflect low?O₂ conditions and/or early crystallization of olivine and plagioclase.The⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios in lunar anorthosites are the lowest reported for any lunar rock. It is likely that anorthosites formed as cumulates during the major differentiation episode which occurred prior to～4.3AE. Recrystallization features are common and³⁹Ar/⁴⁰Ar ages cluster around 4.0 AE. This may be the result of the intense bombardment prior to 4.0 AE which caused repeated cycles of in-situ fracturing and granulation followed by recrystallization. The low siderophile element content and the inferred slow cooling indicate a plutonic source region (10km) not frequently plumbed by impact events. The Fe-rich silicates indicate crystallization from a melt at an advanced stage of fractionation. However, the low REE abundances are not consistent with late-stage crystallization. Plagioclase apparently crystallized relatively early and was concentrated by flotation and/or convection currents while the mafic minerals crystallized from a fractionated trapped liquid. The chemical, isotopic, and mineralogical data place stringent constraints on the nature of genetically related rocks and the relationship of anorthosites to other members of the ANT suite does not appear to be one ofsimple fractionation. The data presented in this paper are consistent with the Taylor-Jake?model of lunar evolution.     

In-situ survey of nanomolar manganese in seawater using an autonomous underwater vehicle around a volcanic crater at Teishi Knoll,Sagami Bay,Japan

We present the results of a chemical survey at a submarine volcano, Teishi Knoll, obtained using a submersible in-situ Mn analyzer (GAMOS) mounted on an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) platform. During this survey, high-resolution data of dissolved Mn were obtained in three dimensions in nearly real time. The AUV enabled continuous detailed observations along a preprogrammed pathway, which could not have been performed with conventional CTD hydrocasts. During this observation, anomalously high dissolved Mn concentrations were obtained within the crater, corresponding to high water temperatures. The anomalies might be a hydrothermal signature due to volcanic activity from the crater.