Behavior of diorite under impact by variously-shaped projectiles

SummaryBehavior of Diorite Under Impact by Variously-Shaped Projectiles The effects of striker diameter and tip geometry on the crater and crack network produced in diorite by normal projectile impact in the energy range from 4–30 J was investigated. Ejecta kinematics were determined by high-speed photography; elastic strain wave propagation was measured by embedded gages in a composite specimen; and the damage pattern was ascertained from an examination of the sectioned specimen. It was found that the projectile nose shape exerts a strong influence on the shape of the elastic transient, on the crater geometry, on the extent of the crack network and on the average size of the ejecta. The crater depth was found to be the most repeatable parameter in identical tests using the same striker and initial kinetic energy.With 7 Figures     

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.     

Monitoring of fault healing after the 1999 Kocaeli, Turkey, earthquake

The North Anatolian fault zone that ruptured during the mainshock of theM 7.4 Kocaeli (Izmit) earthquake of 17 August 1999 has beenmonitored using S wave splitting, in order to test a hypothesisproposed by Tadokoro et al. (1999). This idea is based on the observationof the M 7.2 1995 Hyogo-ken Nanbu (Kobe) earthquake, Japan.After the Hyogo-ken Nanbu earthquake, a temporal change was detectedin the direction of faster shear wave polarization in 2–3 years after the mainshock (Tadokoro, 1999). Four seismic stations were installed within andnear the fault zone at Kizanlik where the fault offset was 1.5 m, about80 km to the east of the epicenter of the Kocaeli earthquake. Theobservation period was from August 30 to October 27, 1999. Preliminaryresult shows that the average directions of faster shear wave polarization attwo stations were roughly parallel to the fault strike. We expect that thedirection of faster shear wave polarization will change to the same directionas the regional tectonic stress reflecting fault healing process. We havealready carried out a repeated aftershock observation at the same site in2000 for monitoring the fault healing process.     

The effects of rock fragments on hydrologic and hydraulic responses along a slope

A model describing the three‐dimensional matrix flow along a slope with rock fragments or impermeable blocks was developed. The model was combined with modified Picard's iteration to ensure mass conservation in the unsaturated flow. We found that rock fragments obstruct water flow along the slope. The groundwater table must be raised to provide a sufficient pore water pressure gradient to facilitate water flow, but higher pore water pressure may induce slope failure. We also conducted a bench‐scale laboratory flume experiment to examine the effects of impermeable blocks on downstream seepage flow. In addition, a numerical experiment was conducted to examine how different arrangements of impermeable blocks affect downstream seepage flow and pore water pressure. This research demonstrated that the hydraulic phenomena were affected when impermeable blocks were present, and pore water pressure increased as the position of impermeable blocks was lowered. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Enhanced chlorophyll associated with island-induced cyclonic eddies in the eastern channel of the Tsushima Straits

The relationship between island-induced cyclonic eddies and chlorophyll a (chl-a) was investigated using field data and satellite images in the eastern channel of the Tsushima Straits. The maximum chl-a concentration around the leeward eddy of the Tsushima Islands was two or three times greater than that of outside the eddy. Two different mechanisms of chl-a enhancement associated with island-induced cyclonic eddies were found in the post-bloom periods. In summer, when nutrients were depleted in the surface layer, eddy pumping increased the nutrient supply in the euphotic zone, resulting in enhanced chl-a around the shallow thermocline near the eddy core. In late autumn, when the mixed layer deepened over the euphotic zone, the mixed layer depth became shallow due to the doming effect of the cyclonic eddy, therefore, the improved irradiance condition led to an increase in the chl-a concentration in the surface mixed layer. Nighttime satellite visible images showed a number of fishing vessels in the lee region of the Tsushima Islands, implying that the enhanced phytoplankton biomass may have resulted in good feeding conditions for fishes and squids in the Tsushima Straits.     

Seasonal variation in Tsushima Warm Current paths over the shelf off the San’in coast,Japan

Using long-term sea surface temperature (SST) and acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) data, we examined variations in the current axis of the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC) off the San’in coast of Japan, near the entrance to the Japan Sea. There were large horizontal temperature gradients along the shelf edge in the southwestern Japan Sea from October to May, suggesting that the second branch of the TWC appears not only in spring and autumn but also in winter. From the ADCP data analysis, we found that currents with speeds of approximately 20 cm s^?1 and greater appeared around the shelf edge off San’in coast in all seasons. The SST and ADCP data analyses suggested that the second branch of the TWC exists around the shelf edge off the San’in coast throughout the year. This finding differed from those of previous studies. A relatively strong current (speed greater than 15 cm s^?1) appeared on the shore side in all seasons, except at line W in winter. This current might be the first branch of the TWC. The first branch seemed to occur around in 100 m isobaths, but shifted northward and southward because the bottom topography around lines W and M was relatively flat and the shelf was broad. The first branch was very obscure, and it was difficult to define the two branches of the TWC off the San’in coast from the seasonally averaged vectors. However, snapshots of current distribution derived from the ADCP data clearly showed these branches. Hence, both the first and second branches might occur throughout the year off the San’in coast.     

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION,PETROGRAPHY AND MINERALOGY OF THE SHIBAYAMA CHONDRITE FOUND IN SHIBAYAMA-MACHI,SANBU-GUN,CHIBA-KEN,JAPAN

In April 1969, the chondrite was accidentally found in the side wall of the vegetable storage excavated at Shibayama-machi, Sanbu-gun, Chiba-ken, Japan, by Mr. A. Ishii and his grandson, Mr. S. Ito. The chondrite named Shibayama has been weathered thoroughly for a long period of burial underground. The bulk chemical composition, especially total Fe (21.41%) and ratios of Fe_total/SiO₂(0.557), SiO₂/MgO (1.59) and molar composition of olivine (Fa₂₃) and pyroxene (Fs₂₂) as well as mineral composition, indicate that Shibayama is a typical olivine-hypersthene chondrite. If the oxidized Fe is assumed only from metallic Fe, the original metallic Fe (7.75%) and Fe_metal/Fe_total(0.361) also support the above conclusion. From the well-recrystallized texture, indistinct and obliterated chondrule-matrix boundary, homogeneous composition of olivine and pyroxene, absence of igneous glass, and interstitial and well-developed plagioclase, this chondrite could be classified in petrologic type 6. Mosaic texture, kink bands, undulatory extinction of silicate grains and maskelynitization of plagioclase indicate that Shibayama suffered from a heavy shock effect, as is seen in other L-6 group chondrites.     

Time variations of hard X-ray bursts observed with the Solar X-ray Telescope aboard Hinotori (with a movie)

We have developed a new method for synthesizing hard X-ray maps from the raw data of the Solar X-ray Telescope (SXT) aboard Hinotori. Using this method we analyzed five typical SXT events and summarized their images in a movie with a time resolution of about 8 s (half spin period of the satellite). The movie clearly shows that (1) three different classes of bursts, i.e., the gradual thermal burst, the multiple impulsive burst, and the extended outburst, have different structures and show quite different variations from each other, and that (2) the source of the extended outburst is located in the corona above 10⁴ km and its shape appears to be a large loop.