Crustal shortening of Southwest Japan in the Late Miocene

Abstract Tectonic deformation of an island arc is interpreted on the basis of geophysical data. Extensive reflection seismic, gravity, geomagnetic data around the back-arc region of Southwest Japan delineate east-west to northeast-southwest folding, and imply conspicuous compression on the southern margin of the Sea of Japan. Because geological data of exploration boreholes indicate that the coinpressive regime was dominant in the late Miocene, the tectonic event seems to be linked with coeval resumption of subduction of the Philippine Sea Plate. Strong coupling of the young buoyant oceanic plate brought about north-south shortening of the overriding continental lithosphere, and left wrench deformation at the southwestern corner of the Sea of Japan. Amount of shortening for the back-arc shelf and mountainous ranges of Southwest Japan is estimated to be ca 10 km, adopting a uniform ratio of shortening (0.944) since the Miocene determined on the shelf from depth-converted seismic profiles. Along the western side of a bend of boundary between the Eurasian Plate and Philippine Sea Plate, the middle Miocene and younger sediments upon the back-arc shelf are much less deformed than the northern equivalents, and the fore-arc Miocene strata are deformed by left wrenching, facts which are indicative of northerly initial convergence of the Philippine Sea Plate at the end of Miocene and crustal decoupling on the west of Kyushu Island.     

Endogenous growth of a Miocene submarine dacite cryptodome, Rebun Island, Hokkaido, Japan

Momo-iwa, Rebun Island, Hokkaido, Japan, is a dacite cryptodome 200–300 m across and 190 m high. The dome is inferred to have intruded wet, poorly consolidated sediment in a shallow marine environment. The internal structure of the dome is concentric, with a massive core, banded rim, and narrow brecciated border, all of which are composed of compositionally uniform feldspar-phyric dacite. Boundaries between each of the zones are distinct but gradational. The massive core consists of homogeneous coherent (unfractured) dacite and is characterized by radial columnar joints 60–200 cm across. The banded rim encircles the massive core and is 40 m wide. It is characterized by large-scale flow banding parallel to the dome surface. The flow banding comprises alternating partly crystalline and more glassy bands 80–150 cm thick. The outermost brecciated border is up to 80 cm thick, and consists of in situ breccia and blocky peperite. The in situ breccia comprises polyhedral dacite clasts 5–20 cm across and a cogenetic granular matrix. The blocky peperite consists of polyhedral dacite clasts 0.5–2 cm across separated by the host sediment (mudstone). The internal structures of the dome suggest endogenous growth involving a continuous magma supply during a single intrusive phase and simple expansion from the interior. Although much larger, the internal structures of Momo-iwa closely resemble those of lobes in subaqueous felsic lobe-hyaloclastite lavas.     

Geology and geochemistry of Karasugasen lava dome, Daisen–Hiruzen Volcano Group, southwest Japan

Abstract   The geology and geochemistry of pyroclastic flows and fallout tephras formed during the Karasugasen dome eruption in the Daisen–Hiruzen Volcano Group in southwest Japan have been examined in detail. The Karasugasen lava dome erupted at about 26 ka. The eruption began with a vulcanian ash fall, and this was followed by at least eight block and ash flows and a pumice flow. The block and ash flows were produced by the successive collapses of a growing lava dome. This main eruption phase was followed by an eruption of vulcanian ash falls, and finally ended with a sub-Plinian pumice fall. This eruption sequence is typical of the Daisen Volcano during the last three eruption events, which occurred at 58, 26 and 17 ka. The magma produced during the Karasugasen eruption was a typical adakite, with extremely high Sr/Y ratios and low HREE/LREE ratios compared to normal arc lavas. The chemistry of the Karasugasen lavas is almost identical to other Daisen–Hiruzen lavas that were produced from eruptions over an interval of a million years. The continuous supply of a huge amount of adakitic magma (>100 km³) for such a long period suggests a massive homogeneous source material, such as molten Philippine Sea Plate slab. Slab melting is a plausible mechanism for the production of the adakitic lavas at Karasugasen, and hence the Daisen–Hiruzen Volcano Group.     

Geochronological and petrological investigations of Miocene felsic igneous rocks in the Amakusa Islands,southwest Japan: Possible extension of the Setouchi Volcanic Belt

The opening of the Japan Sea led to the separation of southwest Japan from the Eurasian continent. Subsequent to this event, a diverse range of igneous activities occurred in southwest Japan. On the back-arc side of the region, igneous activity commenced at approximately 22 Ma and persisted for an extended period. In the trench-proximal region of southwest Japan, magmatism initiated around 15.6 Ma, immediately following the cessation of the Japan Sea opening, in correlation with the subduction of the Philippine Sea plate beneath southwest Japan. The Amakusa Islands in western Kyushu host felsic to intermediate igneous rocks with Miocene radiometric ages. There has been a debate regarding the attribution of the igneous rocks in Amakusa Island among the Miocene igneous rocks in southwest Japan. To address this issue, we conducted zircon U–Pb dating and analyzed the major- and trace-element compositions of felsic igneous rocks in the Amakusa Islands to elucidate their characteristics. The obtained U–Pb ages range from 14.5 to 14.8 Ma, suggesting contemporaneity between magmatism in the Amakusa Islands and the Setouchi Volcanic Rocks in the trench-proximal region of southwest Japan. The major and trace element compositions of the felsic igneous rocks exhibit similarities to the dacites of the Setouchi Volcanic Rocks. These findings support previous suggestions that the magmatism in the Amakusa Islands can be correlated with the Setouchi Volcanic Rocks, based on the discovery of a high-Mg andesite dike and paleo-stress analysis utilizing the direction of dikes and sills. Therefore, the Setouchi Volcanic Belt is proposed to extend further west than the previously identified Ohno volcanic rocks in eastern Kyushu. The subduction of the Shikoku Basin of the Philippine Sea plate toward western Kyushu supports the hypothesis that the Kyushu-Palau Ridge was positioned west of Kyushu at ~15 Ma.     

Miocene intra-arc bending at an arc-arc collision zone, central Japan

Abstract Recent paleomagnetic studies are reviewed in an effort to clarify the relationship between the intra-arc deformation of central Japan and the collision tectonics of the Izu-Bonin Arc. The cusp structure of the pre-Neogene terranes of central Japan, called the Kanto Syntaxis, suggests a collisional origin with the Izu-Bonin Arc. The paleomagnetic results and newly obtained radiometric ages of the Kanto Mountains revealed the Miocene rotational history of the east wing of the Kanto Syntaxis. More than 90° clockwise rotation of the Kanto Mountains took place after deposition of the Miocene Chichibu Basin (planktonic foraminiferal zone of N.8: 16.6–15.2 Ma). After synthesizing the paleomagnetic data of the Japanese Islands and collision tectonics of central Japan, it appears that approximately a half rotation (40–50°) probably occurred at ca 15 Ma in association with the rapid rotation of Southwest Japan. The remainder (50-40°) continued until 6 Ma, resulting in the sharp bent structure of the pre-Neogene accretionary complexes (Kanto Syntaxis). The latter rotation seems to have been caused by the collision of the Izu-Bonin Arc on the northwestward migrating Philippine Sea Plate.     

Small half-graben inferred from a Miocene syn-rift succession in the Kinbusan area,eastern Tottori Prefecture,Japan

Understanding the Miocene tectonics of the southwest Japan Arc is key to elucidating the history of the opening of the Japan Sea, and important advances have been made in the last 10 years, such as clarification of the timing of arc rotation. Syn-rift successions occur in the eastern San'in basins, but they have received little attention because the basic stratigraphy and development of the basins are poorly understood. This paper provides details of a field survey of the Miocene geology of the Kinbusan area in eastern Tottori Prefecture, Japan. The lithofacies suggest alluvial fan and plain environments, which correlate with the syn-rifting horizon of the southwest Japan Arc. A syn-depositional graben, which is newly named the Kinbusan Graben, can be inferred from the geometry of the basin fill, and this graben consists of two sub-basins bounded by two ENE–WSW-trending normal faults. Miocene dikes also trend ENE–WSW, indicating that the graben was formed in response to extension oriented perpendicular to the strike of the faults. The age of the Iwami Formation shows that extension was initiated before arc rotation. Fault-slip data, collected from meso-scale faults in the basin fill, indicate axial compressive stress with the maximum principal stress being vertical. The stress field suggests that the basin fill was accommodated not only in fault-perpendicular extension but also in fault-parallel extensions, and fault-parallel extension was the probable cause of differential subsidence of the basin fill during faulting. The results show that the basic stratigraphy and structures of the eastern San'in basins provide important constraints on the timing and style of deformation in the southwest Japan Arc and the Japan Sea.     

Regional metamorphism and hydrothermal alteration related to Miocene submarine volcanism ('green tuff') in the Yurihara oil and gas field, northwest Honshu Island, Japan

Abstract Alteration of reservoir rocks in the Yurihara Oil and Gas Field, hereafter referred to as the ‘Yurihara field’, have been examined by using samples from six wells. These rocks are basalts in the lowermost part of the basin-fills (‘green tuff’ Formation). These basalts were produced in many eruptions in a submarine environment during the early to middle Miocene, and they underwent continuous intensive alteration genetically associated with Miocene submarine volcanism. The alteration of the basalts is of two types: low grade metamorphism and hydrothermal. The former belongs to the type of ocean floor metamorphism and comprises two subgroups: zeolite (zone I) and prehnite-pumpellyite (zones IIa: vein and amygdule occurrence, and IIb: replacing plagioclase). The latter is characterized by potassic metasomatism accompanied by adularia, quartz and calcite veins (zones IIIa: center and IIIb: margin of the metasomatism). This overprints the low grade metamorphic alteration. The central zone of hydrothermal alteration coincides with a major estimated fault, so that fluids probably assent along the fault. The basalts erupted during 16.5-15.5 Ma, determined by planktonic foraminifera assemblages of inter-bedded shales, then underwent successive low grade metamorphism. In time, the hydrothermal alteration that overprints low grade metamorphism occurred. Adularia veins of the altered rocks located in the hydrothermal alteration zones (zone IIIa and IIIb) have been dated as 9 Ma determined by the K-Ar method. This fact indicates that the activity of low grade metamorphism had already crossed the peak before hydrothermal alteration occurred at 9 Ma. The shape of isotherms of fluid inclusion homogenization temperatures (Th) and that of isolines of apparent salinity (Tm) almost coincide with each other, and these also coincide with the distribution of hydrothermal alteration (zones IIIa and IIIb). This indicates that the fluid inclusions formed at the same time as ascending fluids produced the potassic metasomatism. The maximum Th of the fluid inclusions is 222°C and Tm indicates trapped fluids of up to 3.3 wt% equivalent NaCl (i.e. almost the same as seawater). A Th versus Tm plot indicates mixing occurred between hydrothermal fluids and formation water that has low salinity. Corrensite and chlorite form veins, and the temperatures of their formation, estimated by the extent of aluminium substitution into the tetrahedral site of chlorite, ranges between 165 and 245°C in the centre of the hydrothermal alteration zone (zone IIIa). This is consistent with the result of Th analyses. The deposition temperature of chlorite associated with prehnite in veins ranges between 190 and 215°C in zones IIa and IIb.     

Early to Middle Miocene rotational tectonics of the Ou Backbone Range,northeast Japan

It is well known that a counterclockwise rotation occurred in the Miocene in northeast Japan. However, the detailed timing and mechanism of the rotation has been debated. Moreover, there has been no research about the relationship between rotational tectonics and the evolution of sedimentary basins. We carried out paleomagnetic and rock magnetic analyses in Nishiwaga Town, Iwate Prefecture, northeast Japan, where the stratigraphy and sedimentary basin formation have previously been clarified. We found that there was a counterclockwise rotational movement of about 45° at about 15 Ma. From our results and previous studies on the tectonics and sedimentary basin development, we are able to ascertain the following tectonic history and sedimentary basin evolution in this area: (i) before the rotational movement, sandstone and mudstone were deposited in a tranquil environment with no volcanic activity coupled with slow tectonic subsidence; (ii) between 16.4–15.1 Ma and 14 Ma, a counterclockwise rotation occurred with rapid tectonic subsidence and continuous explosive volcanism; (iii) at about 14 Ma, the counterclockwise rotation ended and there was a reduction in both subsidence and volcanism. This result shows the impact that rotational tectonics can have on sedimentary basin formation.     

An unconformity in the early Miocene syn-rifting succession, northern Noto Peninsula, Japan: Evidence for short-term uplifting precedent to the rapid opening of the Japan Sea

Abstract   The present paper describes the newly discovered early Miocene unconformity in the northern Noto Peninsula, on the Japan Sea side, central Japan. The unconformity marks the boundary between an early Miocene non-marine to marine succession and a more extensive, late early to early middle Miocene marine succession, and contains a time gap of an order of 1 million years or less from 18 Ma or earlier to 17 Ma. The early Miocene succession likely represents an early phase of marine transgression and initial slow rifting. The overlying early to early middle Miocene succession records the climax of the opening of the Japan Sea at ca  16 Ma with widespread, rapid subsidence of the Japan Arc. The unconformity between the two transgressive successions may represent a global sealevel fall or, more likely, crustal uplifting because no upward-shallowing or regressive facies remains between the two successions. Early Miocene unconformities that are thought to be correlative with this unconformity in the northern Noto Peninsula occur in places along the Japan Sea coast of Sakhalin and Japan. They are likely to have been produced during rifting in response to upwelling of asthenospheric mantle, although more accurate age constraints are necessary to evaluate this idea.     

Petrogenetic implications and geochronology of middle Miocene Tannayama igneous rocks,Goto Islands,Japan Sea southern margin,northwestern Kyushu,Japan

The subduction of “hot” Shikoku Basin and the mantle upwelling related to the Japan Sea opening have induced extensive magmatism during the middle Miocene on both the back-arc and island-arc sides of southwest Japan. The Goto Islands are located on the back-arc side of northwestern Kyushu, and middle Miocene granitic rocks and associated volcanic, hypabyssal, and gabbroic rocks are exposed. The igneous rocks at Tannayama on Nakadori-jima in the Goto Islands consist of gabbronorite, granite, granite porphyry, diorite porphyry, andesite, and rhyolite. We performed detailed geological mapping at a 1:10 000 scale, as well as petrographical and geochemical analyses. We also determined the zircon U–Pb age dating of the igneous rocks from Tannayama together with a granitic rock in Yagatamesaki. The zircon U–Pb ages of the Tannayama igneous rocks show the crystallization ages of 14.7 Ma ± 0.3 Ma (gabbronorite), 15.9 Ma ± 0.5 Ma (granite), 15.4 Ma ± 0.9 Ma (granite porphyry), and 15.1 Ma ± 2.1 Ma (rhyolite). Zircons from the Yagatamesaki granitic rock yield 14.5 Ma ± 0.7 Ma. Considering field relationships, new zircon data indicate that the Tannayama granite formed at ~16–15 Ma, and the gabbronorite, granite porphyry, diorite porphyry, andesite, and subsequently rhyolite formed at 15–14 Ma, which overlaps a plutonic activity of the Yagatamesaki. The geochemical characteristics of the Tannayama igneous rocks are similar to those of the tholeiitic basalts and dacites of Hirado, and the granitic rocks of Tsushima in northwestern Kyushu. This suggests that the Tannayama igneous rocks can be correlated petrogenetically with the igneous rocks in those areas, with all of them generated by the upwelling of hot mantle diapirs during crustal thinning in an extensional environment during the middle Miocene.     

Paleomagnetic constraints on Miocene rotation in the central Japan Arc

We present new Middle Miocene paleomagnetic data for the central Japan Arc, and discuss their implications for Miocene rotation. To obtain a refined paleodirection, we made magnetic measurements on basaltic to andesitic lavas and intrusive rocks from 12 sites in the Tsugu volcanic rocks (ca 15 Ma) in the northern part of the Shitara area, Japan. Significant secondary magnetizations in samples with strong magnetic intensities are interpreted as lightning‐induced components. Mean directions carried by magnetite and/or titanomagnetite were determined for all sites. An overall mean direction with a northerly declination was obtained from dual‐polarity site means for nine sites. This direction is indistinguishable from the mean direction for coeval parallel dikes in the northern part of the Shitara area, and also indistinguishable from the Miocene reference direction derived from the paleopole for the North China Block in the Asian continent. These comparisons suggest little or no rotation or latitudinal motion in the study area with respect to the North China Block since 15 Ma. We obtained a refined early Middle Miocene paleodirection (D = 9.7°, I = 52.5°, α₉₅ = 4.8°; 30 sites) and paleopole (82.0°N, 230.8°E, A₉₅ = 5.6°) for Shitara by combining data from the Tsugu volcanic rocks and a coeval dike swarm. An anomalous direction found at three sites could be a record of an extraordinary field during a geomagnetic polarity transition or excursion. Paleomagnetic data from Shitara suggest that: (i) the western wing of the Kanto Syntaxis, a prominent cuspate geologic structure in central Honshu, underwent a counterclockwise rotation with respect to the main part of the southwestern Japan Arc between ca 17.5 Ma and 15 Ma; (ii) collision between the Japan and Izu–Bonin (Ogasawara) Arcs began prior to 15 Ma; and (iii) clockwise rotation of the entire southwestern part of the Japan Arc had ceased by 15 Ma.     

U–Pb and fission‐track dating of a submarine pyroclastic rock from southwest Japan

The Okinoshima Formation crops out on Okinoshima Island and comprises a thick sequence (> 200 m) of pyroclastic rocks and alternating beds of sandstone and mudstone. Because Okinoshima Island is located between Honshu and Tsushima Island, the Okinoshima Formation potentially provides an important record of volcanism during the opening of the Japan Sea in northwest Kyushu, as well as a record of the formation of the present Genkai Sea region. In consideration of the lack of previous geochronological work, dating (fission‐track and U–Pb) of igneous zircons extracted from the Okinoshima Formation were undertaken and studied the clay mineral alteration in the pyroclastic material in order to reveal its thermal history. These data are used to constrain the age of the Okinoshima Formation and the present Genkai Sea region. Our results show that no thermal event has reset the fission‐track age after deposition of the pyroclastic rocks, and that the Okinoshima Formation was deposited at 16.2 Ma. The present Genkai Sea region is a deep‐sea basin, and its formation at 16.2 Ma was accompanied by submarine volcanism and rapid subsidence that marked the climactic stage of Japan Sea formation. After 16 Ma, the tectonic setting of the present Genkai Sea region changed from one of extension (related to the formation of the Japan Sea) to one of compression, with uplift occurring under the influence of the clockwise rotation of southwest Japan. Consequently, after 16 Ma the present Genkai Sea region became isolated from the forming processes of the Japan Sea.     

A new species of Middle Miocene sperm whale of the genus Scaldicetus (Cetacea; Physeteridae) from Shiga-mura, Japan

Abstract A nearly complete skeleton of a fossil sperm whale from the Middle Miocene age Bessho Formation at Shiga-mura, Nagano Prefecture, the most complete fossil physeterid skeleton found in Japan, is here named Scaldicetus shigensis, new species. Its abruptly tapered rostrum, deep supracranial basin, and high occipital crest are typical of physeterids. Large teeth with crenulate enamel on conical crowns, present in both the palate and mandible, are consistent with the genus Scaldicetus du Bus, 1867, a genus originally based on fossils discovered in the Antwerp Basin, Belgium. Scaldicetus shigensis is relatively primitive, having a relatively long, slender rostrum, large zygomatic arches, large tympanic bullae, prominent occipital condyles, low tooth count and a sloping occipital shield that is deeply emarginated laterally by large temporal fossae. The probable mandibular tooth count is 12, only one more than the primitive eutherian mammalian dentition. Despite its abundant primitive characters, Scaldicetus shigensis has very asymmetrical external nares, comparable to the living sperm whale, Physeter catodon, and is in this way more derived than most of the contemporaneous fossil physeterids. At a time when other sperm whales were more highly evolved, Scaldicetus shigensis retained a primitive occipital shield, large tympanic bullae, and low tooth count, as in primitive Oligocene odontocetes such as Agorophiidae. It was a relict form in Middle Miocene time, and provides an indication of a primitive stage of sperm whale evolution heretofore undocumented. Fossils from elsewhere previously referred to as Scaldicetus, largely on the basis of tooth characters, range in age from Early Miocene to Plio-Pleistocene time. Cranial material that would clarify relationships is lacking for most of these, and this time range seems too long for a cetacean genus. Because of this simplistic approach to identifications, Scaldicetus is probably a grade taxon, not a natural biological grouping. However, the tooth morphology of Scaldicetus shigensis is correct for the genus Scaldicetus, so we provisionally assign it to this genus. Redefinition of the genus Scaldicetus and revision of the Physeteridae are beyond the scope of the present study.     

Arc-parallel extension in preparation of the rotation of southwest Japan: Tectonostratigraphy and structures of the Lower Miocene Ichishi Group

Opening of the Japan Sea back arc basin was accompanied by extensional tectonics in the drifting southwest Japan arc. Various trends of Early Miocene grabens in the arc suggest multi-directional rifting, which necessarily involved strike-slip components of some of basin-margin faults. However, such components are not well understood. In this work we conducted a field survey in the Early Miocene Ichishi basin on the northern side of the Median Tectonic Line, central southwest Japan. We found that the basin was a compound of grabens that were formed along normal and sinistral strike-slip faults, the latter of which had northeast–southwest trends. The block faulting in this phase produced basement highs between sub-basins, which were filled with the lower part of the Ichishi Group. We found a low-angle angular unconformity at a middle horizon in the group, with which we define the upper and lower part of the group. The upper part onlapped both the basement highs and the lower part. It means that the transtensional basin formation ceased sometime between 18 and 17.5 Ma in the Ichishi area. The Ichishi basin turned subsequently into a sag basin subsided due to normal faulting probably along the Nunobiki-sanchi-toen fault zone. The transtension and the basin sag were driven by ENE–WSW extensional stress. This arc-parallel extension produced grabens various areas including Ichishi in the Early Miocene. The extensional deformation was eventually localized to the deep rift along the Fossa Magna to make the lithosphere under southwest Japan decoupled from that under northeast Japan. The decoupling allowed the rapid rotation of southwest Japan from ~17.5 Ma. The cluster of those grabens around the Ise bay probably determined the southeastern margin of the Kinki triangle.     

Stratigraphic records of tsunamis along the Japan Sea,southwest Hokkaido,northern Japan

The stratigraphy of tsunami deposits along the Japan Sea, southwest Hokkaido, northern Japan, reveals tsunami recurrences in this particular area. Sandy tsunami deposits are preserved in small valley plains, whereas gravelly deposits of possible tsunami origin are identified in surficial soils covering a Holocene marine terrace and a slope talus. At least five horizons of tsunami events can be defined in the Okushiri Island, the youngest of which immediately overlies the Ko‐d tephra layer (1640 AD) and was likely formed by the historical Oshima‐Ohshima tsunami in 1741 AD. The four older tsunami deposits, dated using accelerator mass spectrometry ¹⁴C, were formed at around the 12th century, 1.5–1.6, 2.4–2.6, and 2.8–3.1 ka, respectively. Tsunami sand beds of the 1741 AD and circa 12th century events are recognized in the Hiyama District of Hokkaido Island, but the older tsunami deposits are missing. The deposits of these two tsunamis are found together at the same sites and distributed in regions where wave heights of the 1993 tsunami (Hokkaido Nansei‐oki earthquake, Mw = 7.7) were less than 3 m. Thus, the 12th century tsunami waves were possibly generated near the south of Okushiri Island, whereas the 1993 tsunami was generated towards the north of the island. The estimated recurrence intervals of paleotsunamis, 200–1100 years with an average of 500 years, likely represents the recurrence interval of large earthquakes which would have occurred along several active faults offshore of southwest Hokkaido.     

Interpretation of porosity in dacite lava domes as ductile–brittle failure textures

Pores in dacite lavas of three volcanoes in Japan (Unzen, Yakedake and Daisen) have characteristics unlike vesicles. Most of the pores have ragged walls marked by the protrusion of groundmass crystals and phenocrysts. The shapes of these pores range from irregular to planar. Many pores occur in ‘pressure shadows’ adjacent to phenocrysts. Some pores are crack-like and pass around phenocrysts and have blunt terminations. Most of the pores are interpreted as the result of failure of the magma by flow during ductile–brittle transition. This phenomenon, known as cavitation, is well established in hydraulics and the material sciences. Cavitation of the lavas in this study was promoted by steep slope of emplacement, subtle mechanical contrasts between bands, and strain intensification around rigid crystals and lithic fragments. Cavitation in lava can extract volatiles from magma causing premature embrittlement and weakening. Cavitation is inferred to be critical to the initiation of lava-front pyroclastic flows.     

Morphology and propagation styles of Miocene submarine basanite lavas at Stanley, northwestern Tasmania, Australia

Miocene submarine basanite pillows, lava lobes, megapillows and sheet lavas in the Stanley Peninsula, northwestern Tasmania, Australia, are well-preserved in three dimensions. The pillows have ropy wrinkles, transverse wrinkles, symmetrical wrinkles, contraction cracks and three types of spreading cracks on their surfaces, and concentric and radial joints in the interior. The lava lobes have ropy wrinkles and contraction cracks on their surfaces. The megapillows are cylindrical with a smoothly curved upper surface and steep sides, and are characterized by distinct radial columnar joints in the interior. They are connected to pillows that propagate radially from its basal margin. The sheet lavas are tabular and have vertical columnar joints in the interior. The largest sheet lava shows a remarkable gradation from a lower 5-m-thick pillow facies to an upper massive facies. The pillows, lava lobes, megapillows and sheet lavas are inferred to have been emplaced completely below sea level but in a shallow marine environment. Their morphological features suggest that the pillows grew by episodic rupture of a near-solid crust and emergence of hot lava, whereas the lava lobes propagated by continuous stretching of the outer skin at the flow front. The megapillows and sheet lavas were master feeder channels by which molten lava was conveyed to the advancing pillows. The sheet lavas propagated by repeated processes of pillow formation and overriding by an upper massive part. Alternating pillow and massive facies commonly found in ocean-floor drill cores and exposed in cross-section in many subaqueous volcanic successions may have formed by propagation of pillows from the basal margins of advancing sheet lavas.     

Magnetostratigraphic dating of Early Miocene deep-sea fossils from the Morozaki Group in central Japan

Early Miocene sediments of the Morozaki Group in central Japan contain deep-sea fossils that have been dated using biostratigraphic and radiometric data. In this study, we utilize magnetostratigraphy to provide a more precise age for mudstones from just below the layer containing the fossils. Rock magnetic experiments suggest that both magnetic iron sulfide and Ti-poor titanomagnetite carry the remanent magnetization of the mudstones. Two different stratigraphic sites have normal polarity directions with a northeastern declination, which can be correlated with Chronozone C5Dn. Given their magnetostratigraphic position near the C5Dn/C5Dr chronozone boundary (17.466 Ma) and a high sedimentation rate, the estimated age for both the sites and the deep-sea fossils is ~17.4 Ma. The northeasterly-directed site-mean directions suggest clockwise tectonic rotation, most likely due to the Early Miocene clockwise rotation of Southwest Japan associated with the back-arc opening of the Japan Sea. The deep-sea fossils, dated at ~17.4 Ma, represent organisms deposited within a submarine structural depression formed by crustal extension during the back-arc opening stage.     

Mapping the crustal thickness in southwest Japan using Moho-reflected waves

In this work we have tried to detect and collect later phases associated with the Moho discontinuity and use them to study the lateral variations of the crustal thickness in southwest (SW) Japan. We first compute synthetic seismograms for local earthquakes taking into account the focal mechanism solutions estimated from first motion polarity data. Then we compare the synthetics with the observed waveforms to detect the major later phases in seismograms of shallow crustal earthquakes in SW Japan. Taking the advantage of the high quality and great quantity of Hi-net waveform data now available throughout the entire Japan Islands, we have detected 1659 Moho-reflected phases (PmP and SmS) from shallow events in SW Japan. We estimated the crustal thickness in the study area using travel time differences between these later phases and the first P and S arrivals. Our results show that the Moho is deep in Chubu district and becomes shallower along the coastlines of the Japan Sea and the Pacific Ocean. A thinner crust appears in Osaka Bay and Awajii Island where the 1995 Kobe earthquake (M7.2) occurred.     

Age and associated stress field of middle Miocene back-arc basalt magmatism in Northeast Japan

A large volume of middle Miocene basaltic rocks is widely distributed across the back-arc region of Northeast Japan, including around the Dewa Mountains. Petrological research has shown that basaltic rocks of the Aosawa Formation around the Dewa Mountains were generated as a result of the opening of the Sea of Japan. To determine the precise ages of the middle Miocene basaltic magmatism, we conducted U–Pb and fission-track (FT) dating of a rhyolite lava that constitutes the uppermost part of the Aosawa Formation. In addition, we estimated the paleostress field of the volcanism using data from a basaltic dike swarm in the same formation. The rhyolite lava yields a U–Pb age of 10.73 ±0.22 Ma (2σ) and a FT age of 10.6 ±1.6 Ma (2σ), and the paleostress analysis suggests a normal-faulting stress regime with a NW–SE-trending σ₃-axis, a relatively high stress ratio, and a relatively high magma pressure. Our results show that the late Aosawa magmatism occurred under NW–SE extensional stress and ended at ~ 11 Ma.