Carbon isotope fractionation between graphite and diamond during shock experiments

Abstract— Carbon isotopic compositions were measured for shock‐produced diamond and shocked graphite formed at peak pressures ranging from 37 to 52 GPa. The δ¹³C values of diamonds produced in a sealed container were generally lower than that of the initial graphite. The differences in the carbon isotopic composition between initial graphite and shocked graphite/diamond may reflect kinetic isotopic fractionation during the oxidation of the graphite/diamond and/or analytical artifacts possibly induced by impurities in the samples. The pressure effect on the isotopic fractionations between graphite and diamond can be estimated from the δ¹³C values of impurity‐free diamonds produced using a vented container from which gases, including oxygen, in pore spaces escaped during or after the diamond formation (e.g., 0.039 ± 0.085‰ at a peak pressure of 52 GPa). Any isotopic fractionation induced by shock conversion of graphite to diamond is too small to be detected in natural shock‐induced diamond‐graphite systems related to terrestrial impact cratering processes.     

Anisotropic phase transition of rutile under shock compression

Shock recovery experiments for single crystal and powdered specimens of TiO₂ with the rutile structure were performed in the pressure range up to 72 GPa. Single crystal specimens were shocked parallel to [100], [110] and [001] directions. X-ray powder diffraction analysis showed that the amount of -PbO₂ type TiO₂ produced by shock-loading depended strongly on the shock propagation direction. The maximum yield (about 70%) was observed for shock loading to 36 GPa parallel to the [100] direction. In the [001] shock direction, the yield is much smaller than that of the [100] direction. This anisotropic yield was consistent with the observed anisotropy of the phase transition pressure in shock compression measurements. However, transformation to the -PbO₂ type cannot explain the large volume change observed above about 20 GPa. On the basis of the high pressure behavior of MnF₂, we assumed that the high pressure phase was either fluorite or distorted fluorite type and that the phase conversion to the -PbO₂ type was induced spontaneously in the pressure reduction process.We present a displacive mechanism of phase transition under shock compression from the rutile structure to the fluorite structure, in which the rutile [100] is shown to correspond to the fluorite [001] or [110] and the rutile [001] to the fluorite [110]. Direct evidence is obtained by examining the [100] shocked specimen by high resolution electron microscopy.     

Mantle process beneath Philippine Sea back-arc spreading ridges: A synthesis of peridotite petrology and tectonics

Abstract In order to obtain a general view of the mantle process beneath a back‐arc basin spreading ridge, the diversity of peridotite petrology and tectonic occurrences in two back‐arc basin spreading ridges from the Philippine Sea were examined: the Parece Vela Rift and the Mariana Trough. The Parece Vela Basin spreading ridge (Parece Vela Rift) was a physically fast/intermediate‐spreading ridge, although many tectono‐magmatic features resemble those of slow‐ to ultraslow‐spreading ridges. Two unusual features of the Parece Vela Rift further demonstrate the uniqueness of the ridge: full‐axial development of oceanic core complexes and exposure of mantle peridotite at segment midpoints. The Parece Vela Rift yields a lithological assemblage of residual but still fertile lherzolite/harzburgite, plagioclase‐bearing harzburgite and dunite; similar assemblages are reported from the equatorial Mid‐Atlantic Ridge at the Romanche Fracture Zone and the ultraslow‐spreading ridges from the Indian and Arctic Oceans. The tectono‐magmatic characteristics of the Parece Vela Rift suggest that diffuse porous melt flow and pervasive melt–mantle interaction were the important mantle processes there. Globally, this ‘porous melt flow‐type’ mantle process is likely to occur beneath a segment midpoint of the ridge having a thick lithosphere, typically an ultraslow‐spreading ridge. In contrast, the Mariana Trough is a typical slow‐spreading ridge, exposing mantle peridotite at segment ends. The Mariana Trough yields a lithological assemblage of residual harzburgite and veined harzburgite, a common assemblage among the global abyssal peridotite suite. The tectono‐magmatic characteristics of the Mariana Trough suggest that channeled melt/fluid flow and limited melt–mantle interaction are the important mantle processes there, because of the colder wall‐rock peridotite in the segment end. This ‘channeled melt flow‐type’ mantle process is likely to occur in the shallow lithospheric mantle at the segment ends of any spreading ridges.     

对流层平流层气溶胶粒子的形态和化学组成

分析研究了１９９３年和１９９４年的８月、９月在香河地区上空采集的单个气溶胶粒子的形态及化学元素和化合物的组成。结果表明：１９９３年,在对流层大气中的气溶胶颗粒经常出现不规则形的粒子,可能是土壤粒子;而在平流层大气中的颗粒以具有“卫星”结构的硫酸粒子为主;硫酸铵粒子则经常出现在对流层的中、下部。香河地区上空颗粒物的化学元素组成比较复杂,单一化学元素组成的粒子较少,粒子主要含有Ｓｉ,Ｆｅ,Ａｌ和Ｓ等元素。气溶胶的化合物有硫酸盐、硅酸盐、硝酸盐和磷酸盐等     

Impact fragmentation experiments of basalts and pyrophyllites

Results of impact fragmentation experiments for basalts and pyrophyllites are reported. Aluminum cylindrical projectiles were impacted on cubic basalt and pyrophyllite targets at velocities of 70 to 990 m/sec. The targets and projectiles were 20 g to 3.3 kg and 2 to 20 g in weight respectively. Weights of the fragments produced by impacts were measured and the size distributions of fragments were examined. Data of the largest fragment mass (m_L) normalized to the original target mass (M_t), m_L/M_t, correlate better with the nondimensional impact stress, P_I, a new scaling parameter introduced by H. Mizutani, Y. Takagi, and S. Kawakami (1984, in preparation) than the conventional projectile's kinetic energy per unit target mass, E/M_t, used in the previous studies. All the m_L/M_t data for basalts obtained in the present study are summarized by m_L/M_t = 2.95 × 10^?2P_I^?1 where P_I = P₀L³/YR³, P₀ = peak shock pressure, L = projectile size, R = target size and Y = material strength of target. For aluminum targets, however, the m_L/M_t is 2.5 orders of magnitude larger than that for brittle targets at impacts with the same P_I. Size distributions of fragments expressed in a log N - log (m/M_t) diagram divided into three regimes bounded by two inflection points. In each regime the curve is expressed by $\text{N (>}\text{m}\text{M}{}_{\mathrm{t}}\text{) = A (}\text{m}\text{M}{}_{\mathrm{t}}\text{)}{}^{\mathrm{?a}}$. The slopes, a, of the log $\text{N -}\text{log}\text{(}\text{m}\text{M}{}_{\mathrm{t}}\text{)}$ curves in the regimes of a large and a medium size range are positively correlated with the nondimensional impact stress, P_I, and expressed as a = C₃ + a₃log P_I. The slopes, a, in the smallest size range are, on the other hand, nearly constant and have values of $\text{0.5}\text{to}\text{0.7 (}\text{1}\text{2}\text{?}\text{2}\text{3}\text{)}$. Present results indicate that the impact fragmentation is scaled well by the new scaling parameter, P_I, of Mizutani, Takagi, and Kawakami and that the present experimental data may shed new light on planetary impact processes.     

New insights on the origin of troctolites from the breakaway area of the Godzilla Megamullion (Parece Vela back‐arc basin): The role of melt‐mantle interaction on the composition of the lower crust

The troctolites and olivine‐gabbros from the Dive 6 K‐1147 represent the most primitive gabbroic rocks collected at the Godzilla Megamullion, a giant oceanic core complex formed at an extinct spreading segment of the Parece Vela back‐arc basin (Philippine Sea). Previous investigations have shown that these rocks have textural and major elements mineral compositions consistent with a formation through multistage interaction between mantle‐derived melts and a pre‐existing ultramafic matrix. New investigations on trace element mineral compositions basically agree with this hypothesis. Clinopyroxenes and plagioclase have incompatible element signatures similar to that of typical‐MORB. However, the clinopyroxenes show very high Cr contents (similar to those of mantle clinopyroxene) and rim having sharply higher Zr/REE ratios with respect to the core. These features are in contrast with an evolution constrained by fractional crystallization processes, and suggest that the clinopyroxene compositions are controlled by melt‐rock interaction processes. The plagioclase anorthite versus clinopyroxene Mg#[Mg/(Mg + Fe^Tot)] correlation of the Dive 6 K‐1147 rocks shows a trend much steeper than those depicted by other oceanic gabbroic sections. Using a thermodynamic model, we show that this trend is reproducible by fractionation of melts assimilating 1 g of mantle peridotite per 1 °C of cooling. This model predicts the early crystallization of high Mg# clinopyroxene, consistent with our petrological observation. The melt‐peridotite interaction process produces Na‐rich melts causing the crystallization of plagioclase with low anorthite component, typically characterizing the evolved gabbros from Godzilla Megamullion.     

The effect of a hydrous phase on P‐wave velocity anisotropy within a detachment shear zone in the slow‐spreading oceanic crust: A case study from the Godzilla Megamullion,Philippine Sea

We studied the contributions of plagioclase, clinopyroxene, and amphibole to the P‐wave velocity properties of gabbroic mylonites of the Godzilla Megamullion (site KH07‐02‐D18) in the Parece Vela Rift of the central Parece Vela Basin, Philippine Sea, based on their crystal‐preferred orientations (CPOs), mineral modes, and elastic constants and densities of single crystals. The gabbroic mylonites have been classified into three types based on their microstructures and temperature conditions: HT1, HT2 and medium‐temperature (MT) mylonites. The P‐wave velocity properties of the HT1 mylonite are dominantly influenced by plagioclase CPOs. Secondary amphibole occurred after deformation in the HT1 mylonite, so that its effect on P‐wave velocity anisotropy is minimal due to weak CPOs. Although the HT2 mylonite developed deformation microstructures in the three minerals, the P‐wave velocity properties of the HT2 mylonite are essentially isotropic, resulting from the destructive interference of different P‐wave velocity anisotropy patterns produced by the distinct CPOs of the three constituent minerals (i.e., plagioclase, clinopyroxene, and amphibole). The P‐wave velocity properties of the MT mylonite are influenced mainly by amphibole CPOs, whereas the effect of plagioclase CPOs on P‐wave velocity anisotropy becomes very small with a decrease in the intensity of plagioclase CPOs. As a result, the gabbroic mylonites tend to have weak P‐wave velocity anisotropy in seismic velocity, although their constituent minerals show distinct CPOs. Such weakness in the whole‐rock P‐wave velocity anisotropy could result from the destructive contributions of the different mineral CPOs with respect to the structural framework (foliation and lineation). These results show that amphibole has a high potential for P‐wave velocity anisotropy by aligning both crystallographically and dimensionally during deformation in the hydrous oceanic crust. The results also suggest that the effect of a hydrous phase on P‐wave velocity anisotropy within the detachment shear zone in a slow‐spreading oceanic crust varies depending on the degree of deformation and on the timing of hydrothermal activity.     

The Godzilla Megamullion,the largest oceanic core complex on the earth: a historical review

The Godzilla Megamullion is the largest known oceanic core complex (OCC) on the Earth, located in the Parece Vela Basin in the Philippine Sea. In this article, the history of Godzilla Megamullion study is reviewed for the first time, dividing it into three major phases: (i) the early studies done before Japan's extended continental shelf survey program; (ii) the studies during Japan's extended continental shelf survey program that discovered the OCC; and (iii) the studies by the post‐discovery cruises. The early studies included an interpretation of US nautical chart of the southwestern Pacific and the site surveys for Deep Sea Drilling Project cruises (DSDP Legs 6, 31 and 59). The early studies recognized the presence of the Parece Vela Rift, the extinct spreading axis of the Parece Vela Basin, and established the currently accepted model that the Philippine Sea evolved with eastward progression of backarc spreading and arc migration. The modern understanding of the Parece Vela Basin comes from Japan's extended continental shelf survey program. The program revealed the ultramafic petrology as well as a two‐stage evolution model of the basin. Following these results, the discovery of the Godzilla Megamullion was made in 2001. The studies by the post‐discovery cruises further revealed important characteristics of the OCC, such as the presence of abundant plagioclase‐bearing peridotite and the systematic temporal changes in both deformation microstructures and composition of plagioclase and amphibole in gabbroic mylonites and ultramylonites. Zircon U–Pb ages of gabboric and leucocratic rocks indicate that the terminal phase of Parece Vela Basin spreading was with a significant decline in spreading rate and asymmetry accompanying formation of the Godzilla Megamullion. The estimated denudation rate of the OCC was approximately 2.5 cm/yr; significantly slower than the previous estimate based on poorly constrained magnetic data.     

Geodynamic evolution of a forearc rift in the southernmost Mariana Arc

The southernmost Mariana forearc stretched to accommodate opening of the Mariana Trough backarc basin in late Neogene time, erupting basalts at 3.7–2.7 Ma that are now exposed in the Southeast Mariana Forearc Rift (SEMFR). Today, SEMFR is a broad zone of extension that formed on hydrated, forearc lithosphere and overlies the shallow subducting slab (slab depth ≤ 30–50 km). It comprises NW–SE trending subparallel deeps, 3–16 km wide, that can be traced ≥ ∼30 km from the trench almost to the backarc spreading center, the Malaguana‐Gadao Ridge (MGR). While forearcs are usually underlain by serpentinized harzburgites too cold to melt, SEMFR crust is mostly composed of Pliocene, low‐K basaltic to basaltic andesite lavas that are compositionally similar to arc lavas and backarc basin (BAB) lavas, and thus defines a forearc region that recently witnessed abundant igneous activity in the form of seafloor spreading. SEMFR igneous rocks have low Na₈, Ti₈, and Fe₈, consistent with extensive melting, at ∼23 ± 6.6 km depth and 1239 ± 40°C, by adiabatic decompression of depleted asthenospheric mantle metasomatized by slab‐derived fluids. Stretching of pre‐existing forearc lithosphere allowed BAB‐like mantle to flow along the SEMFR and melt, forming new oceanic crust. Melts interacted with pre‐existing forearc lithosphere during ascent. The SEMFR is no longer magmatically active and post‐magmatic tectonic activity dominates the rift.     

Roles of horizontal processes in the formation of density stratification in Hiuchi-Nada

Roles of horizontal processes in the formation of the density stratification in Hiuchi-Nada are investigated by means of a two-dimensional numerical model. In Hiuchi-Nada, vertically mixed and stratified regions are formed due to the regional difference of the tidal currents, and a tidal front is formed between the two regions. The horizontal mixing across the tidal front suppresses the development of the stratification, which is developed too much in the absence of the horizontal mixing. The moderate, realistic stratification cannot be realized in the model without the horizontal mixing. Density currents are formed due to the density distribution associated with the mixed and stratified states. These currents contribute to the horizontal mixing through the shear effect. Horizontal heat transfer from the outside water generates the vertical circulation and causes the stratification. This effect dominantly appears at the early and late stages of the stratified season. The stratification is initiated before the beginning of the surface heating and persists beyond the end, due to the horizontal heat transfer.