Growth of quartz crystals twinned after Japan Law

The flattened or elongated morphology often observed in contact twinned crystals has been referred to the so-called re-entrant corner effect at twin junctions. To re-investigate the validity of this mechanism, natural quartz crystals twinned after Japan Law have been subjected to re-growth in a commercial synthetic quartz autoclave, and the change in their morphology and surface microtopography by re-growth studied. It is found that although twin re-entrant corners may play a role of preferential growth sites, this role can be weakened considerably and in fact can become almost negligible when crystals grow under high supersaturation condition. Preferential growth at the re-entrant corner of a twin junction is probably due to clusters of dislocations concentrated in the composition plane, and not due to the so-called re-entrant corner effect in its original sense.     

Surface water chemistry and nitrate pollution in Shimabara,Nagasaki, Japan

Groundwater is a finite resource that is threatened by pollution all over the world. Shimabara City, Nagasaki, Japan, uses groundwater for its main water supply. During recent years, the city has experienced severe nitrate pollution in its groundwater. For better understanding of origin and impact of the pollution, chemical effects and surface–groundwater interactions need to be examined. For this purpose, we developed a methodology that builds on joint geochemical analyses and advanced statistical treatment. Water samples were collected at 42 sampling points in Shimabara including a part of Unzen City. Spatial distribution of water chemistry constituents was assessed by describing Stiff and Piper diagrams using major ions concentrations. The nitrate (NO₃?+?NO₂–N) concentration in 45% of water samples exceeded permissible Japanese drinking level of 10 mg L^??1. Most of the samples showed Ca–HCO₃ or Ca–(NO₃?+?SO₄) water types. Some samples were classified into characteristic water types such as Na–Cl, (Na?+?K)–HCO₃, (Na?+?K)–(SO₄?+?NO₃), and Ca–Cl. Thus, results indicated salt water intrusion from the sea and anthropogenic pollution. At the upstream of Nishi River, although water chemistry was characterized as Ca–HCO₃, ion concentrations were higher than those of other rivers. This is probably an effect of disinfection in livestock farming using slaked lime. Positive correlation between NO₃^? and SO₄^2?, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, and Cl^? (r?=?0.32–0.64) is evidence that nitrate pollution sources are chemical fertilizers and livestock waste. Principal component analysis showed that chemistry of water samples can be explained by three main components (PCs). PC1 depicts general ion concentration. PC2 and PC3 share influence from chemical fertilizer and livestock waste. Cluster analyses grouped water samples into four main clusters. One of these is the general river chemistry mainly affected by PC1. The others reflect anthropogenic activities and are identified by the combination of the three PCs.     

Gold Mineralization at the Agawa Prospect in Yamaguchi Prefecture,Southwestern Japan

Agawa gold prospect, located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, southwestern Japan, is a small prospect, where placer gold has been explored and mined since the 17th century. We investigated the prospect to clarify the genesis of the deposit based on the geology, hydrothermal alteration, geochronology, and ore mineralogy. The main mineralized zone of the prospect has a horizontal and vertical extensions of 500 m and 100 m, respectively, and a width of less than 100 m. Gold mineralization in the prospect occurs as dissemination and stockwork veinlets in the intensely sericitized rocks at the apical part of the Agawa dioritic porphyry intrusion at 86.5–88.5 Ma. Mineralization is typified by at least three stages – an early stage characterized by the occurrence of pyrrhotite and native gold; a middle stage by chalcopyrite; and a late stage by pyrite–bornite. Mineral assemblage and fluid inclusion microthermometry estimation suggest a trend of decreasing temperatures from 400°C to 160°C at a constant sulfur fugacity. The mineralizing fluids formed by the mixing of a hypogene fluid of possibly magmatic origin with an external lower‐temperature and lower‐salinity fluid. The mixing process decreased the temperature and salinity of the fluid, resulting in the precipitation of sulfides, native gold and Bi–Te alloys and sulfosalts. The magnetite‐series signature of the Agawa porphyry and related molybdenite‐bearing mineralization indicate that the plutonism of the San‐in granitoids belt extends to the westernmost end of the Honshu Island. The compiled geochronology and distribution of the metallic deposits in the southwestern Japan arc show that transition from ilmenite‐series to magnetite‐series plutonism started earlier in the west, and shifted eastwards with time during the period from Late Cretaceous to Paleogene.     

Talnakhite Associated with Andradite Skarn at Fuka, Okayama Prefecture, Japan

Abstract. Talnakhite occurs in an andradite skarn forming adjacent to a leucocratic quartz monzonite dike intruded into limestone at Fuka. The mineral densely contains exsolution lamellae of chalcopyrite, and the talnakhite-chalcopyrite inter-growth is intimately associated with bornite that contains chalcopyrite as a lattice-form exsolution. The chemical composition of the talnakhite acquired on an electron probe microanalyzer corresponds to Cu_9.00Fe_8.08S_15.92, very close to the ideal chemical formula Cu₉Fe₈S₁₆. Nickel is not detected. The X-ray powder diffraction lines are well indexed on a body-centered cubic cell with a = 10.589 Å. The characteristic (110) reflection of talnakhite is clearly observed at 7.49 Å. The present talnakhite retains the chalcopyrite-like colored polished surface without tarnish in air more than a month.
Talnakhite at Fuka is likely to be derived from breakdown of Cu-rich intermediate solid solution ( iss ), which was in equilibrium with Fe-rich bornite at elevated temperatures. Talnakhite thus formed has survived the subsequent cooling processes, probably because the ƒ_s2 was maintained in suitable levels preventing its decomposition into bornite and chalcopyrite.     

Rainstorm-induced landslides at Kisawa village, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan, August 2004

Heavy rain fell on the Shikoku area during Typhoon Namtheun, setting a new record for daily rainfall in Japan of 1317 mm. The rain which peaked at 120 mm/h, triggered numerous landslides in the Nakagawa basin of Tokushima Prefecture, Japan on August 1, 2004. Among them, four large, rapid, long-runout landslides were triggered at Kisawa village. Two people were caught in one landslide and disappeared without trace, and there was much property damage. Ring-shear tests on samples from the landslides showed that shear resistance was greatly reduced by high pore-water pressure after shear failure was triggered by the increase in ground-water level during the rain.     

Nickel–bearing Djerfisherite in Gehlenite-Spurrite Skarn at Kushiro, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan

Abstract: Djerfisherite occurs intimately intergrown with troilite and pentlandite in gehlenite-spurrite skarn at Kushiro, mainly as inclusions in gehlenite and andradite grains. The mode of occurrence indicates that the djerfisherite formed in the culminated stage of the contact metamorphic-metasomatic process. The chemical compositions of the mineral are approximately represented by a formula of K₆Na(Fe, Ni, Cu)₂₄S₂₆Cl with Ni up to 4. 85. It is likely that high temperature condition corresponding to the formation of gehlenite-spurrite skarn as well as low f_O2 and f_S2 conditions are responsible for the formation of djerfisherite in the potassium-rich chemical environments.     

Soil Condition and Seismic Characteristics in Shiga Prefecture,Japan

The seismic observation network in Shiga prefecture iscomposed of four systems.All the observation data obtained were used to estimatethe dynamic characteristicsof the surface soils around the lake and the seismichazard for Hikone City. Since1995, 21 records have been obtained at the USP site ofwhich those for the 1999Shigaken-Hokubu Earthquake and 1999 Wakayarnaken-HokubuEarthquake wereused in this study. Transfer functions of the surfacesoil in each ward of ShigaPrefecture based on the Mt. Kojin site (KJY), whichhas relatively hard soil, werecalculated from the records of the two earthquakes.Assuming a scenario earthquakeat the Hyakusaiji fault close to Hikone City, maximumground motions were obtainedfor 15 city blocks in order to establish a damageestimation for that city. The numberof collapsed wooden houses and the damage ratiowere calculated based on the distributionof construction of wooden houses by year. Blockswith a larger ratio of old, wooden housesin Hikone showed a close correlation with blockswith a large ratio of aged persons inthem, indicative that weak persons, such as theelderly, may find themselves in a severesituation during a natural disaster.     

Iron speciation of sliding mud in Toyama Prefecture, Japan

It has been often observed that black mud recently formed and accumulated in slip planes that are closely associated with a progressing landslide in Japan. Mössbauer spectroscopy revealed that the composition of Fe species in the sliding mud is different from those in the debris rock and bedrock. The sliding mud contains more ferrous iron species, which indicates a relatively stronger reducing condition within the sliding zone than within the host rocks. In addition, the composition of Fe species, the total Fe and the volume of sliding mud also change with landslide development. Therefore, detailed Fe speciation in landslide profiles can be a useful approach to understanding the progress of a landslide and may also predict future sliding as well.     

Hydrothermal Alteration Related to Silver Mineralization at the Iwami Silver Deposit,Shimane Prefecture,Japan

The Iwami epithermal silver deposit consists of Ag-Cu veins in a dacitic intrusive body at the deep portion of the Eikyu area, and veinlets with disseminated Ag mineralization in dacitic tuff breccia at a shallow portion of the Fukuishi area. Hydrothermal alteration associated with the silver mineralization is characterized by intense potassium metasomatism with oxidizing conditions. An illite zone occurs around the pathways of uprising fluids in both the Eikyu and Fukuishi areas. It grades laterally into the illite/smectite zone, which is surrounded by a broad smectite zone. Because of boiling, abundant adularia associated with silver mineralization overlaps on the altered tuff breccia in the Fukuishi area. The alteration zoning suggests that the western Eikyu area and the eastern Fukuishi area belong to a single hydrothermal system. The data of fluid inclusion microthermometry indicate that the temperatures range 220–270°C, and salinities range 5–7 wt percent NaCl equivalent for the silver mineralization at the upper portion in the Eikyu area and the lower portion in the Fukuishi area. Radiometric ages for volcanic rocks in the area range from 2.19 to 1.64 Ma, and the dacitic intrusion formed at approximately 1.6 Ma. The silver-dominant mineralizing hydrothermal fluids system was active around 1.44 to 1.07 Ma, which formed the Eikyu Ag-Cu veins at depth, and the Fukuishi Ag ores at the shallower portion.     

GPS-measured land subsidence in Ojiya City, Niigata Prefecture, Japan

Land subsidence caused by compression of clay layers in Ojiya City, Japan was measured by global positioning system (GPS) between 1 April 1996 and 31 December 1998.

Three baselines were selected in and around the city, and height difference on a WGS-84 ellipsoid was measured by GPS on each baseline. The ground at the GPS station in the city subsides and rebounds 7 cm every winter and spring, respectively. Measurement accuracy was 9.5 mm standard deviation. Ground water level was observed at a well near the GPS station. Regression analysis between total strain, calculated as ratio of the height difference displacement to the total thickness of the clay layers, and the layers' effective stress change with ground water level change gave good correlation. The slope of regression line 7.0×10⁻¹¹ m²/N was obtained as an average apparent coefficient of volume compressibility of the layers.     

Geochemical and Microbiological Analysis of Sambe Hot Springs,Shimane Prefecture,Japan

Microbiological contribution to the formation of the manganese deposits in Sambe hot springs, Shimane, was investigated in combination with water chemistry, characterization of sediments and microbial community structure. Analysis of bacterial and fungal community structure based on DNA extracted from a Mn‐oxidizing enrichment culture indicated close matches with Pseudomonas putida, Phoma sp. and Plectosphaerella cucumerina, all Mn‐oxidizing microorganisms. These sediments were poorly crystalline and formed at neutral pH values, which is characteristic of biogenic precipitates. The EPMA results demonstrated a positive correlation between Mn and Ba contents in well‐crystalline Mn oxide grains. Substantial Ba contents were observed inside Mn oxide grains. These findings indicated that Ba contents in sediments are influenced by not only aqueous Ba²⁺ concentrations but also crystallinity of biogenic birnessite. Barium would be incorporated in birnessite during biomineralization.     

Gold Mineralization and Occurrence of Sinter in the Hoshino Area, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan

Abstract. Several epithermal gold deposits occur in the Hoshino area, which is located in the western end of the late Cenozoic Hohi volcanic zone, north‐central Kyushu, Japan. The area is characterized by intermediate to felsic extrusive rocks of Pliocene age. In the Hoshino area, the shallow manifestation of the hydrothermal activity is exposed on the surface. Several outcrops of sinter are still preserved on the top of hydro thermally altered volcanic rocks, and high‐grade gold‐bearing quartz veins occur on the surface at lower levels. The hydrothermal alteration resulted into well‐developed alteration zones. The zonal alteration pattern, primarily of near‐neutral pH type, is characterized by the outer smectite zone of a lower temperature, and the inner mixed layer minerals zone of a higher temperature. Quartz vein‐related or fracture‐controlled alteration, is represented by the occurrence of interstratified illite/smectite and K‐feldspar, suggesting a potassium‐enriched alteration. The mineralization in the Hoshino area is recognized on the surface by the occurrence of gold‐bearing quartz veins distributed mainly in the mixed layer minerals zone. The fracture system related to the gold mineralization is mainly characterized by NW‐SE trend. The alteration pattern and the mineralogical composition of the veins suggest that the mineralizing fluids had near‐neutral pH and the mineralization is of low‐sulfidation‐type. Fluid inclusion data and textures observed in quartz veins indicate that gold precipitated during boiling. The chemical composition of quartz veins shows that high‐grade gold‐bearing quartz veins are characterized by higher content of Al₂O₃, K₂O and Rb. Several outcrops of silica‐sinters are distributed on the top of the mixed layer minerals zone. Although their structures are not very well preserved, because of later silicification, the Hoshino sinters still show characteristic textures identical to those observed in modern sinters, such as the presence of plant fossil incorporated into the sinters, the strongly developed depositional laminations and the columnar structures perpendicular to the depositional surfaces. Quartz is the only silica mineral constituting the Hoshino sinters presently. The conversion of amorphous silica into quartz was probably governed by higher temperatures resulting from later hydrothermal activity. This later hydrothermal activity is reflected by the intense silicification affecting mainly the lower parts of the sinters and also by the presence of quartz veins cutting the sinters. The distribution of sinters in the Hoshino area is very significant. The presence beneath the sinters of concealed high‐grade gold‐bearing quartz veins should be highly considered and exploration work is strongly suggested.     

日本富山县中田浦滑坡滑带内的黄铁矿

日本富山县境内的中田浦滑坡剖面中产出以立方体为主要晶形的微小黄铁矿颗粒,它们多沿滑带土中的细裂缝分布。黄铁矿的产出状况、晶体形态以及滑带土的岩矿和地球化学特征均显示这些黄铁矿是滑带岩石粘土化作用过程的伴生产物,揭示滑带内的还原性氧化还原条件,它们总体受滑带的发生和发展所控制。因此,滑带土中的次生黄铁矿对于滑带土的形成具有特别的指相意义,有可能作为备选指标用来判断滑带的产生历史和发展进程,从而估计滑坡的发展演化。     

Large-scale landslides in Toyama Prefecture,central Japan,and their probable relationship with earthquakes

Large-scale landslides along the Kubusu and Besso rivers in Toyama Prefecture are developed in the Miocene Iwaine Formation, which is composed of andesitic lava, tuff, and tuff breccia. In the middle member of this formation, the tuff is easily altered to montmorillonite-bearing rock, and subsequently plays an important role in the development of landslides events, which tend to be large-scale events, as the massive lava of the upper member forms a cap rock over the tuff. The Kiritani and Koinami basins, which are flat intermontane basins located along the Kubusu and Besso rivers, respectively, are interpreted as landslide-dammed lakes, later filled with sediment. Accelerator mass spectrometry ¹⁴C ages show that the landslides forming each dam occurred simultaneously, at approximately 2500 BP. These ages were measured from wood fragments embedded in the landslide material of Kiritani, and from an in situ stump drowned during the impoundment of Koinami. If the trigger of these landslides was an earthquake, it is most likely to have been the penultimate event along the Atotsugawa fault zone.     

Coexisting sodic augite and omphacite in a Sanbagawa metamorphic rock,Japan

Coexisting sodic augite and omphacite were found in a zoisite amphibolite from the Iratsu epidote amphibolite mass in the Sanbagawa metamorphic terrain of central Shikoku, Japan. The occurrences of the sodic augite-omphacite pairs are classified into four types by texture: independent, composite, intergrowth and exsolution types. Sodic augite and omphacite of the independent and composite types (pair A) have X _Na (=Na/(Na + Ca)) = 0.15 and 0.35, respectively, and were stable in the epidote amphibolite facies during the Sanbagawa progressive metamorphism. On the other hand, X ^Na values of sodic augite and omphacite of the intergrowth and exsolution types (pair B) are 0.10 and 0.44, respectively. The Na-poor augite and Na-rich omphacite of the pair B were formed by re-equilibration of the pair A at lower temperature. The pair A of the Iratsu sample suggests that a compositional gap lies between sodic augite and C2/c omphacite under epidote amphibolite facies conditions, and is in marked contrast to the coexistence of sodic augite and P2/n omphacite reported from some low-grade, high-pressure metamorphic terrains. A possible phase diagram to explain the chemistry and mode of occurrence of the coexisting sodic pyroxenes is proposed.     

Unique Origin of Skarn at the Ohori Base Metal Deposit,Yamagata Prefecture,NE Japan: C,O and S Isotopic Study

The Ohori ore deposit is one of the Cu–Pb–Zn deposits in the Green Tuff region, NE Japan, and consists of skarn‐type (Kaninomata) and vein‐type (Nakanomata) orebodies. The former has a unique origin because its original calcareous rocks were made by hydrothermal precipitation during Miocene submarine volcanism. Carbon and oxygen isotope ratios of skarn calcite and sulfur isotope ratios of sulfides were measured in and around the deposit. Carbon and oxygen isotope ratios of the skarn calcite are δ¹³C = ?15.51 to ?5.1‰, δ¹⁸O = +3.6 to +22.5‰. δ¹³C values are slightly lower than those of the Cretaceous skarn deposits in Japan. These isotope ratios of the Kaninomata skarn show that the original calcareous rocks resemble the present submarine hydrothermal carbonates at the CLAM Site, Okinawa Trough, than Cenozoic limestones, even though some isotopic shifts had occurred during later skarnization. δ³⁴S ratios of the sulfide minerals from the Kaninomata and Nakanomata orebodies are mostly in a narrow range of +4.0 to +7.0‰ and they resemble each other, suggesting the same sulfur origin for the both deposits. The magnetite‐series Tertiary Kaninomatasawa granite is distributed just beneath the skarn layer and has δ³⁴S ratios of +7.5 to 8.1‰. The heavy sulfur isotope ratio of the skarn sulfides may have been affected by the Kaninomatasawa granite.     

Dendritic cordierite in argillaceous hornfels from the Toki area,Gifu Prefecture,central Japan

Dendritic cordierite occurs in argillaceous hornfels from the Toki area, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. The cordierite crystal consists of c-arms elongated parallel to the c-axes and a-arms perpendicular to the c-axis. The latter arms could be divided into six kinds of untwinned a-arms with different growth directions elongated parallel to the respective a-axis and twinned a-arms elongated parallel to the (110) twin plane. A-arms branch out from c-arms or other a-arms with different growth directions and c-arms sometimes branch out from a-arms, leading to a tree-like structure. Each of the c-arms contains three kinds of domains related by a three-fold axis about the c-axis. These domains are irregularly distributed without any relation to the shape of the c-arm and the domain boundaries are of zigzag shape. This domain arrangement suggests that c-arms grew as hexagonal cordierite and were later transformed into orthorhombic cordierite. The fact that each untwinned a-arm has a fixed growth direction to its orientation suggests that the a-arms grew as an orthorhombic cordierite. From the growth directions of c- and a-arms, orthorhombic and hexagonal phases are considered to grow preferentially along the c- and a-axes, respectively. The branching of a new arm is explained by nucleation on an old arm with a different preferred growth direction. The preferential growth is discussed in terms of a significant chemical potential gradient of the cordierite component. This has been preserved in the mineral zoning observed in the matrix around the cordierite porphyroblast.     

K-Ar Ages of Granitic Magmatism and Related Pegmatite Formation at the Umanotani-Shiroyama Mine, Shimane Prefecture, SW Japan and Their Bearings on Cooling History

Abstract. The Umanotani-Shiroyama pegmatite deposits, the largest producer of K-feldspar and quartz in Japan, are of typical granitic pegmatite. Ilmenite-series biotite granite and granite porphyry, hosting the ore deposits, and biotites separated from these rocks yielded K-Ar ages ranging from 89.0 to 81.4 Ma and 95.2 to 93.7 Ma, respectively. Muscovite and K-feldspar separated from the ore zone yielded K-Ar ages with the range of 96.2 to 93.1 Ma and 87.3 to 80.7 Ma, respectively. Muscovites from quartz-muscovite veins in the ore zone and in the granite porphyry yielded K-Ar ages of 90.4 and 76.3 Ma, respectively. K-feldspar is much younger in age than coexisting muscovite. It is noted that the K-Ar ages of biotite separates and the whole-rock ages are identical to those of muscovite and K-feldspar in the ore zone, respectively. These time relations, as well as field occurrence, indicate that the formation of the pegmatite deposits at the Umanotani-Shiroyama mine is closely related in space and time to a series of granitic magmatism of ilmenite-series nature. Using closure temperatures of the K-Ar system for biotite and K-feldspar (microcline), cooling rate of the pegmatite deposits is estimated to be about 82C/m.y. at the beginning, but slowed down to about 15C/m.y. in the later period.     

Isotopic Evaluation on the Genesis of the Kanamaru Pegmatite Deposit, Niigata Prefecture, Japan

Abstract: The Kanamaru pegmatite is one of the two largest pegmatite deposits in Japan and is rich in K–feldspar, which is maximum microcline. The mica minerals and microcline from this ore deposit were studied for K-Ar ages and δ¹⁸O ratios. Biotite gives K-Ar age of 78. 5 Ma, but microcline is much younger in age of 66. 0 and 58. 3 Ma. Oxygen isotopic equilibrium temperature of the biotite-quartz pair is 625°C. Using closure temperature of the K-Ar system for biotite and microcline, cooling rate of the pegmatite is calculated to be 88°C/m. y. at the beginning but 12°C/m. y. in the later period of the cooling history. The microcline is slightly depleted in ¹⁸O, yielding apparent equilibrium temperatures of 230°C and 155°C on quartz-microcline pairs. It is suggested that the fluid phase, magmatic and partly meteoric in origin, contained in the solidifying pegmatite, was interacted with the original orthoclase and converted it to microcline during the subsolidus stage.