Water content of primitive low-K tholeiitic basalt magma from Iwate Volcano,NE Japan arc: implications for differentiation mechanism of frontal-arc basalt magmas

The water content of low-K tholeiitic basalt magma from Iwate volcano, which is located on the volcanic front of the NE Japan arc, was estimated using multi-component thermodynamic models. The Iwate lavas are moderately porphyritic, consisting of ~8 vol.% olivine and ~20 vol.% plagioclase phenocrysts. The olivine and plagioclase phenocrysts show significant compositional variations, and the Mg# of olivine phenocrysts (Mg#78–85) correlates positively with the An content of coexisting plagioclase phenocrysts (An_85–92). The olivine phenocrysts with Mg# > ~82 do not form crystal aggregates with plagioclase phenocrysts. It is inferred from these observations that the phenocrysts with variable compositions were primarily derived from mushy boundary layers along the walls of a magma chamber. By using thermodynamic calculations with the observed petrological features of the lavas, the water content of the Iwate magma was estimated to be 4–5 wt.%. The high water content of the magma supports the recent consensus that frontal-arc magmas are remarkably hydrous. Using the estimated water content of the Iwate magma, the water content and temperature of the source mantle were estimated. Given that the Iwate magma was derived from a primary magma solely by olivine fractionation, the water content and temperature were estimated to be ~0.7 wt.% and ~1,310 °C, respectively. Differentiation mechanisms of low-K frontal-arc basalt magmas were also examined by application of a thermodynamics-based mass balance model to the Iwate magma. It is suggested that magmatic differentiation proceeds primarily through fractionation of crystals from the main molten part of a magma chamber when it is located at <~200 MPa, whereas magma evolves through a convective melt exchange between the main magma and mushy boundary layers when the magma body is located at >~200 MPa.     

Modeling of coseismic crustal movements initiated by the May 24, 2013, M w = 8.3 Okhotsk deep focus earthquake

The Okhotsk deep focus earthquake (M _w = 8.3), the largest in the history of instrumental seismology, occurred on May 24, 2013, at 05:45 UTC in the Sea of Okhotsk near the western coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula. For the first time we have succeeded in catching the field of horizontal and vertical coseismic offsets generated by a strong deep seismic event, and investigating its characteristics using continuous GPS measurements. Based on these data and taking into account the seismological information, we have developed a dislocation model of the Okhotsk deep focus earthquake.     

Soil column experiments for iodate and iodide using K-edge XANES and HPLC–ICP-MS

Radioactive iodine is one of the most problematic radionuclides because of its long half life and high mobility. Mobility of iodine depends on the chemical form to a great extent. This paper reports the results of soil column experiments we conducted to evaluate the mobilities of IO₃⁻ and I⁻. In order to determine the mechanisms of adsorption of IO₃⁻ and I⁻ on soil, adsorption isotherms were obtained by batch experiments. Both adsorption isotherms of IO₃⁻ and I⁻ are well explained by Langmuir model. The adsorption maximum of IO₃⁻ is about five times larger than that of I⁻. In the column experiments, iodine distributions between soil and pore water in the soil column were determined at various depths. Chemical forms of iodine in soil and pore water were determined by X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES), and high performance liquid chromatography connected to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC–ICP-MS), respectively. Vertical profiles of iodine in pore water were simulated using Visual MODFLOW. Our results showed, upon I⁻ infiltration through the column, that a small amount of I⁻ adsorbed on soil, and its mobility is mainly controlled by advection and dispersion. The profile of iodine concentration in pore water was well simulated by assuming equilibrium-controlled Langmuir type adsorption without considering any chemical transformations. For the IO₃⁻ addition system into the column, however, IO₃⁻ adsorbed to soil to a larger degree, which causes a much larger retardation effect than I⁻. In addition, reduction of IO₃⁻ to I⁻ was also confirmed in both soil and pore water by XANES and HPLC–ICP-MS, respectively. The fraction of I⁻ increased toward the deeper end in both phases because of its lower affinity for soil than IO₃⁻, where the reduced I⁻ was released to the pore water and transported by the water flow. In this study, such reduction effect was clearly demonstrated by the speciation analyses of iodine in both soil and water phases, which confirmed that the mobility of I⁻ is a dominant factor that controls the fate of iodine in the surface environment.     

Occurrence of hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls in the brain of cetaceans stranded along the Japanese coast

Levels of hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls (OH-PCBs) and PCBs were measured in the brain of melon-headed whales (MW: Peponocephala electra), striped dolphins (SD: Stenella coeruleoalba) and finless porpoises (FP: Neophocaena phocaenoides) stranded along the Japanese coast during 2002-2003. Levels of OH-PCBs (including identified and unknown OH-P(5)CB, -H(6)CB, -H(7)CB and O(8)CB congeners) in the brain of MW, SD and FP were in the range of 20-290, 21-330 and 170-240pg/g wet wt., respectively. Observed OH-PCB levels were 2-3 orders of magnitude lower than PCBs in the same individuals. OH-PCBs/PCBs ratios in MW, SD and FP brain were lower than those in blood of humans and wildlife and in the brain of polar bears reported previously. OH-PCBs were also detected in maternal and fetal brain of SD (1 pair), suggesting transfer of OH-PCBs into the fetal brain of odontocete cetaceans. When fetus/dam concentration ratios of OH-PCB congeners detected in maternal and fetal brain were estimated, the values were higher than those of PCB congeners, implying that OH-PCBs in maternal blood could be more easily transferred into fetal brain via placenta than PCBs.     

Contamination level of mercury in red meat products from cetaceans available from South Korea markets

Levels of total mercury (T-Hg) were surveyed in red meat (n=73) and liver (n=3) from toothed whales, dolphins and porpoises (odontocetes) sold for human consumption in the coastal cities of South Korea. High concentrations of T-Hg were found in the liver products of finless porpoises (18.7 and 156 microg/wet g) and common dolphins (13.2 microg/wet g). The T-Hg concentrations in red meat products were highest in the false killer whale (9.66+/-12.3 microg/wet g, n=9), bottlenose dolphin (10.6+/-12.6 microg/wet g, n=3) and killer whale (13.3 microg/wet g, n=1), and lowest in Cuvier's beaked whale and the harbour porpoise (0.4-0.5 microg/wet g). Thus, most of the products that originated from odontocetes exceeded the safety limit of 0.5 microg/wet g for T-Hg set by the South Korean health authorities for the fishery industry. Pregnant women and other vulnerable sectors of the population living in South Korea should therefore limit their consumption of odontocete products.     

Selective release of D and 13C from insoluble organic matter of the Murchison meteorite by impact shock

Abstract— We performed shock‐recovery experiments on insoluble organic matter (IOM) purified from the Murchison meteorite, and determined the abundances and isotope ratios of hydrogen and carbon in the shocked IOM sample. We also performed shock experiments on type III kerogen and compared the results of these experiments with the experimental results regarding IOM. The shock selectively released D and ¹³C from the IOM, while it preferably released H and ¹²C from the kerogen. The release of these elements from IOM cannot be explained in terms of the isotope effect, whereas their release from kerogen can be explained by this effect. The selective release of heavier isotopes from IOM would be due to its structure, in which D and ¹³C‐enriched parts are present as an inhomogeneity and are weakly attached to the main network. Shock gave rise to a high release of D even at a lower degree of dehydrogenation compared with the stepwise heating of IOM. This effective release of D is probably an inherent result of shock, in which a dynamic high‐pressure and high‐temperature condition prevails. Thus, shock would effectively control the hydrogen isotope behavior of extraterrestrial organic matter during the evolution of the solar nebula.     

Neoproterozoic mafic-ultramafic layered intrusion in Quruqtagh of northeastern Tarim Block,NW China: Two phases of mafic igneous activity with different mantle sources

In this paper we report zircon U–Pb age, chemical compositions of rock-forming minerals, and whole-rock elemental and Sr–Nd isotopic data for the No. II mafic-ultramafic intrusive complex (N2MC) in the Quruqtagh area at the northeastern margin of the Tarim Block, northwestern China to evaluate its petrogenesis and tectonic significance. The N2MC with an exposure area of ca. 12 km² has a funnel-shaped cross-section and intruded the Paleoproterozoic basement. U–Pb zircon dating gives a crystallization age of 760 ± 6 Ma. Rock types of the N2MC include lherzolite, pyroxenite, gabbro and minor diorite. Major elements geochemistry of these rocks exhibits a tholeiitic trend with a wide range of SiO₂ contents (38.8–60 wt.%). On the other hand, they are systematically enriched in LILE, LREE and depleted in HFSE and HREE, thus leading to low HFSE/LREE ratios (e.g., Nb/La ≈ 0.3). Isotopically, the studied rocks are characterized by negative whole-rock εNd(t) values (? 7.6 to ? 2.8) and variable high (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i (0.7095–0.7059). These features, together with chemical compositions of the rock-forming minerals and the presence of the primary phlogopite and hornblende, suggest that N2MC was likely formed via crystal fractionation/cumulation (with negligible crustal contamination) of a tholeiitic magma derived from a metasomatized subcontinental lithosphere mantle (SCLM) in an extensional environment. The enrichment of the mantle source could be ascribed to the metasomatism by subducted-slab-released fluids before partial melting. Overall, reported Neoproterozoic igneous rocks throughout the Tarim Block constitute two major phases of Neoproterozoic igneous activities, i.e., ca. 825–800 Ma and ca. 780–745 Ma, respectively. Similar to that of many other Rodinian continents, this feature is interpreted to be related to the two phases of Neoproterozoic mantle plume activity under the Rodinia. Furthermore, there exist two types of mafic-ultramafic complex at Quruqtagh, i.e., the ca. 820 Ma carbonatite-bearing and the ca. 760 Ma tholeiitic, which could reflect the presence of two different mantle sources.     

Three-Dimensional Particle Acceleration in Electromagnetic Dominated Outflows with Background Plasma and Clump

The effect of background plasma on particle acceleration via Poynting fluxes is studied in 3D PIC simulation of electron-positron and electron-ion plasmas. When a strongly magnetized ejecta at the center expands to low-temperature electron-positron ambient plasma background and a low-density clump, electromagnetic wave front accelerates particles in the background and clump, and captures them in the Ponderomotive potential well. We do not observe any instability, and the momentum distributions of background and clump form a power law of slope close to −1.5 with a sharp peak in the middle. When an ejecta expands to the ion-electron interstellar medium (ISM), the acceleration via Poynting flux is severely damped due to the charge separation.