Volatilization of sodium from silicate melt spheres and its application to the formation of chondrules

The rates of volatilization of Na from liquid spheres of chondrule compositions have been determined as functions of time, temperature, partial pressure of oxygen, and sizes of the spheres. The Na₂O content in the sphere is uniform in each run. but it decreases with time of the run, indicating that the rate of diffusion of Na in the liquid is greater than that of volatilization, and that the latter is the rate-controlling process. The rate of sodium volatilization becomes greater with increasing temperature and with decreasing P_O2 and size of the spheres. The relation of the Na₂O content in the liquid sphere with time and its size indicate that the amount of Na₂O volatilized from the liquid spheres within unit time is proportional to the surface area of the spheres and the concentration of Na₂O in the liquid. From these relations, the rate of volatilization of sodium can be obtained at constant temperature and P_o2. The rate of volatilization of sodium satisfies the Arrhenius relation within the temperature range from about 1450–1600 C at 10^?9,2 atm p_O2; the activation energy for the sodium volatilization is approximately 100 kcal-mole^?1. The rate is also approximately proportional to within the range of p_O2 from 10^?10.2 to 10^?5.0 atm at about 1500° C. Based on the present results and the Na₂O contents in chondrules. it is suggested that they experienced an instant heating with maximum temperature of 1400–2200° C followed by an immediate cooling.     

Variation of Cl and SO3 Contents of Microphenocrystic Apatite in Intermediate to Silicic Igneous Rocks of Cenozoic Japanese Island Arcs: Implications for Porphyry Cu Metallogenesis in the Western Pacific Island Arcs

Abstract. Determinations of SO₃ and Cl contents of igneous accessory apatite were carried out on Late Cenozoic intermediate to silicic intrusive and volcanic rocks in the Japanese island arcs of the western Pacific rim including the southwestern Kuril arc (eastern Hokkaido), Northeast Japan arc (southwestern Hokkaido through northeastern Honshu to central Honshu), Izu‐Bonin arc, Kyushu‐Palau ridge, Southwest Japan arc (northern Kyushu) and northern Ryukyu arc (southern Kyushu). These were compared to those from the Western Luzon arc, Philippines, to better understand the metallogenesis of porphyry Cu deposits in the western Pacific island arcs. In addition, SO₃ and Cl contents of accessory apatite in the Cretaceous magnetite‐series granitic rocks in the Kitakami belt (northeastern Honshu) and the Miocene ilmenite‐series granitic rocks in the Outer Zone of Southwest Japan (southern Kyushu) were also examined. Microphenocrystic apatites in shallow intrusions associated with porphyry Cu deposits in the Western Luzon arc contain >0.1 wt% S as SO₃. Such high SO₃ contents of microphenocrystic apatite are a common characteristic of hydrous mag‐matism in the Western Luzon arc, from 15 Ma old tonalitic plutonic rocks of the Luzon Central Cordillera to present‐day volcanism at Mount Pinatubo. The accessory apatite in intrusive rocks associated with porphyry Cu deposits, especially those at the Santo Tomas II deposit, show significantly high Cl contents (>2 wt%). The SO₃ contents of microphenocrystic apatite in most of the hydrous silicic rocks along the volcanic front, in andesites related to native sulfur deposits, and in Miocene and younger shallow granitic intrusions in northeastern Honshu, are generally <0.1 wt%. On the other hand, the SO₃ contents of apatite in such rocks from eastern Hokkaido, southwestern Hokkaido, Izu, northern Kyushu and southern Kyushu are similar to those from the Western Luzon arc. The SO₃ contents of accessory apatite in the Cretaceous magnetite‐series granitic rocks in the Kitakami belt are variable, whereas those of the Miocene ilmenite‐series granitic rocks in southern Kyushu are extremely low. The Cl contents of accessory apatite in some rocks of the Northeast Japan arc, Izu‐Bonin arc and Southwest Japan arc are significantly high. In terms of the Cl and SO₃ contents of microphenocrystic apatite, Cenozoic Japanese arc magmatism show similarities with arc magmatism associated elsewhere with porphyry Cu mineralization, except for the most of northeastern Honshu of the Northeast Japan arc. Apatite commonly occurs as inclusions in other phenocrystic phases. Thus the variation in SO₃ contents of apatite is a feature of early stage magmatic differentiation. The SO₃ contents of microphenocrystic apatite are considered to reflect the redox state of the magma source region or fluids encountered during magma generation.     

SHRIMP and electron microprobe chronology of UHT metamorphism in the Napier Complex,East Antarctica: implications for zircon growth at >1,000 °C

Zircons in ultra-high-temperature (UHT) metamorphosed paragneisses from Mt. Riiser-Larsen in the Napier Complex, East Antarctica, were dated by using ion microprobe (SHRIMP) and electron microprobe (EMP). Both SHRIMP and EMP analyses yield consistent 2520–2460 Ma age populations for garnet–orthopyroxene-bearing paragneiss and leucosomes enclosed within. The peak UHT event was dated at 2480 Ma by SHRIMP analyses on metamorphic zircons from the garnet–orthopyroxene paragneiss and those on magmatic zircons from the leucosomes which are interpreted to be formed at syn-UHT. As obtained by SHRIMP, the UHT metamorphic event was terminated no later than 2460 Ma. Minor 2520-Ma SHRIMP age suggests either the onset of prograde metamorphism or another high-grade metamorphic event unrelated to the UHT. EMP analyses on metamorphic zircons from sapphirine–quartz and osumilite-bearing magnesian paragneisses give c. 2500–2450 Ma ages. Inherited igneous zircon cores of the magnesian paragneisses yield relatively scattered EMP ages ranging over c. 3000–2650 Ma, suggesting that igneous materials of these ages sourced the protoliths of the paragneisses and that they were deposited during the interval c. 2650–2520 Ma.     

Oblique and near collision subduction, Sagami and Suruga Troughs —preliminary results of the French-Japanese 1984 Kaiko cruise, Leg 2

Leg 2 of the French-Japanese 1984 Kaiko cruise has surveyed the Suruga and the Sagami Troughs, which lie on both sides of the northwestward moving and colliding Izu-Bonin Ridge, the northernmost part of the Philippine Sea plate. The transition from the Nankai Trough to the Suruga Trough is characterized by northward decrease in width of the accretionary prism, in good agreement with the increasing obliquity between the through axis and the direction of the convergence, as the strike of the convergent boundary changes from ENE-NNE to south-north. South of the area, the southern margin of the Zenisu Ridge shows contractional deformations. This supports the interpretation made by the team of Leg 1 who studied the western extension of the area we studied, that it is an intra-oceanic thrusting of the ridge over the Shikoku Basin. In the Sagami Trough, where the relative motion is highly oblique to the plate boundary, active subduction is mostly confined in the east-west trending portions of the trough located south of the Boso Peninsula and along the lower Boso Canyon, near the TTT triple junction. In between, the present motion is mainly right-lateral along the northwest trending Boso escarpment. However, an inactive but recent (Pliocene to lower Pleistocene) accretionary prism exists south of the Boso escarpment, which suggests that the relative motion was more northerly than at present before about 1 Ma ago.     

Study of the effect of water-soluble fractions of heavy-oil on coastal marine organisms using enclosed ecosystems,mesocosms

Mesocosm facilities composed of 4 experimental and 2 reservoir tanks (1.5 m in diameter, 3.0 m in depth and 5 tons in capacity) made of FRP plastics, were constructed in the concrete fish rearing pond in the Fisheries Laboratory, The University of Tokyo. The water-soluble fraction of Rank A heavy residual oil was formed by mixing 500 g of the oil with 10 l of seawater, which was introduced to the 5000 l-capacity tanks. Experimental Run 4 was conducted from May 31 to June 7, 2000. Oil concentrations in the tanks were 4.5 microg/l called LOW, and 13.5 microg/l, called HIGH tank. Bacterial growth rates very quickly accelerated in the HIGH tank just after the loading of oil which corresponded with a high increase of bacterial cells in the same tank after 2 days. Later, bacterial numbers in HIGH tank rapidly decreased, corresponding with the rapid increase of heterotrophic nano-flagellates and virus numbers on the same day. Sediment traps were deployed at the bottom of the experimental tanks, and were periodically retrieved. These samples were observed both under light microscope and epi-fluorescent microscope with UV-excitation. It was observed that the main components of the vertical flux were amorphous suspended matter, mostly originating from dead phytoplankton and living diatoms. It was further observed from the pictures that vertical transport of oil emulsions were probably conducted after adsorption to amorphous suspended matter and living diatoms, and were settling in the sediment traps at the bottom of the tanks. This means that the main force which drives the soluble fraction of oil into bottom sediment would be vertical flux of such amorphous suspended particles and phytoplankton. Further incubation of the samples revealed that the oil emulsions were degraded by the activity of autochtonous bacteria in the sediment in aerobic condition.     

Garnet-ilmenite-perovskite transitions in the system Mg4Si4O12-Mg3Al2Si3O12 at high pressures and high temperatures: phase equilibria, calorimetry and implications for mantle structure

Phase relations in the system Mg₄Si₄O₁₂-Mg₃Al₂Si₃O₁₂ were examined at pressures of 19-27 GPa and relatively low temperatures of 800-1000 °C using a multianvil apparatus to clarify phase transitions of pyroxene-garnet assemblages in the mantle. Both of glass and crystalline starting materials were used for the experiments. At 1000 °C, garnet solid solution (s.s.) transforms to aluminous ilmenite s.s. at 20-26 GPa which is stable in the whole compositional range in the system. In Mg₄Si₄O₁₂-rich composition, ilmenite s.s. transforms to a single-phase aluminous perovskite s.s., while Mg₃Al₂Si₃O₁₂-rich ilmenite s.s. dissociates into perovskite s.s. and corundum s.s. These newly determined phase relations at 1000 °C supersede preliminary phase relations determined at about 900 °C in the previous study. The phase relations at 1000 °C are quite different from those reported previously at 1600 °C where garnet s.s. transforms directly to perovskite s.s. and ilmenite is stable only very close to Mg₄Si₄O₁₂. The stability field of Mg₃Al₂Si₃O₁₂ ilmenite was determined at 800-1000 °C and 25-27 GPa by reversed phase boundaries. In ilmenite s.s., the a-axis slightly increases but the c-axis and molar volume decrease substantially with increasing Al₂O₃ content. Enthalpies of ilmenite s.s. were measured by differential drop-solution calorimetry method using a high-temperature calorimeter. The excess enthalpy of mixing of ilmenite s.s. was almost zero within the errors. The measured enthalpies of garnet-ilmenite and ilmenite-perovskite transitions at 298 K were 105.2±10.4 and 168.6±8.2 kJ/mol, respectively, for Mg₄Si₄O₁₂, and 150.2±15.9 and 98.7±27.3 kJ/mol, respectively, for Mg₃Al₂Si₃O₁₂. Thermodynamic calculations using these data give rise to phase relations in the system Mg₄Si₄O₁₂-Mg₃Al₂Si₃O₁₂ at 1000 and 1600 °C that are generally consistent with those determined experimentally, and confirm that the single-phase field of ilmenite expands from Mg₄Si₄O₁₂ to Mg₃Al₂Si₃O₁₂ with decreasing temperature. The earlier mentioned phase relations in the simplified system as well as those in the Mg₂SiO₄-Fe₂SiO₄ system are applied to estimate mineral proportions in pyrolite as a function of depth along two different geotherms: one is a horizontally-averaged temperature distribution in a normal mantle, and the other being 600 °C lower than the former as a possible representative geotherm in subducting slabs. Based on the previously described estimated mineral proportions versus depth along the two geotherms, density and compressional and shear wave velocities are calculated as functions of depth, using available mineral physics data. Along a normal mantle geotherm, jumps of density and velocities at about 660 km corresponding to the post-spinel transition are followed by steep gradients due to the garnet-perovskite transition between 660 and 710 km. In contrast, along a low-temperature geotherm, the first steep gradients of density and velocities are due to the garnet-ilmenite transition between 610 and 690 km. This is followed by abrupt jumps at about 690 km for the post-spinel transition, and steep gradients between 700 and 740 km that correspond to the ilmenite-perovskite transition. In the latter profile along the low-temperature geotherm, density and velocity increases for garnet-ilmenite and ilmenite-perovskite transitions are similar in magnitude to those for the post-spinel transition. The likely presence of ilmenite in cooler regions of subducting slabs is suggested by the fact that the calculated velocity profiles along the low-temperature geotherm are compatible with recent seismic observations indicating three discontinuities or steep velocity gradients at around 600-750 km depth in the regions of subducting slabs.     

An experimental study on the formation of composite intrusions from zoned magma chambers

We present a model which accounts for the common, but paradoxical arrangement of composite intrusions (i.e. silicic core and mafic margins) on the basis of analogue experiments using gelatin and aqueous solutions. The present model involves simultaneous flow-out of the upper and lower magmas from a longitudinal crack along the chamber wall. Experimental results suggest that the mafic magma from the lower layer leaks from the side-wall of the chamber and travels faster than the silicic magma because of its lower viscosity, so that the mafic magma reaches the tip of the crack first. Once the mafic magma reaches the crack tip, then the rate of dyke propagation becomes determined by the viscosity of the less viscous mafic magma, and so it can advance rapidly. The viscous silicic magma can flow efficiently into the center of the dyke, being lubricated by the mafic magma margins. This model accounts for the common arrangement of composite intrusions and gives an efficient mechanism of flow of viscous silicic magmas.     

40Ar/39Ar ages of blueschist facies pelitic schists from Qingshuigou in the Northern Qilian Mountains, western China

Abstract   Pelitic schists from Qingshuigou in the Northern Qilian Mountains of China contain mainly glaucophane, garnet, white mica, clinozoisite, chlorite and piemontite. Isotopic age dating of these schists provides new constraints on the formation of the high-grade blueschists at Qingshuigou. White mica ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages range from 442.1 to 447.5 Ma (total fusion age of single grain) and from 445.7 to 453.9 Ma (integrated age of white mica concentrates). These ages (442.1–453.9 Ma) represent the peak metamorphic ages or cooling ages of the blueschists during exhumation shortly after peak metamorphism. The ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dates in the present study are similar to ages previously reported for eclogites and blueschists in the area; this suggests that both the eclogites and pelitic sediments underwent high-grade metamorphism during the same subduction event. From this chronological evidence and the presence of well-developed Silurian remnant-sea flysch and Devonian molasse, it is concluded that the Northern Qilian Ocean had closed by the end of the Ordovician, and rapid orogenic uplift followed in the Devonian.     

Quantification of the effect of forest harvesting versus climate on streamflow cycles and trends in an evergreen broadleaf catchment

ABSTRACT

A new method known as Unobserved Components–Dynamic Harmonic Regression (UC-DHR) was applied to a 39-year record of rainfall and streamflow for three sub-catchments of the Sarukawa Experimental Watershed in southwestern Japan. Some 25% of the timber was harvested from one of the sub-catchments in May–July 1982 and the objective was to quantify the magnitude of this effect relative to the effects of climate cycles (e.g. Southern Oscillation Index). The observed effects of inter-annual climate cycles (i.e. 0.89–1.36 mm/d) were seen to be comparable (i.e. 0.70–1.17 mm/d) to the effects of harvesting 25% of the standing timber. This result underlines the importance of always quantifying the effect of climate on streamflow response when harvesting impacts are studied.

Editor D. Koutsoyiannis; Associate editor T. Okruszko     

Simplified seismic design approach for steel portal frame piers with hysteretic dampers

A simplified seismic design procedure for steel portal frame piers installed with hysteretic dampers is proposed, which falls into the scope of performance‐based design philosophy. The fundamental goal of this approach is to design a suite of hysteretic damping devices for existing and new bridge piers, which will assure a pre‐defined target performance against future severe earthquakes. The proposed procedure is applicable to multi‐degree‐of‐freedom systems, utilizing an equivalent single‐degree‐of‐freedom methodology with nonlinear response spectra (referred to as strength‐demanded spectra) and a set of formulae of close‐form expressions for the distribution of strength and stiffness produced in the structure by the designed hysteretic damping devices. As an illustrative example, the proposed procedure is applied to a design of a simple steel bridge pier of portal frame type with buckling‐restrained braces (one of several types of hysteretic dampers). For the steel portal frame piers, an attempt is made to utilize not only the displacement‐based index but also the strain‐based index as pre‐determined target performance at the beginning of design. To validate this procedure, dynamic inelastic time‐history analyses are performed using the general‐purpose finite element program ABAQUS. The results confirm that the proposed simplified design procedure attains the expected performance level as specified by both displacement‐based and strain‐based indices with sufficient accuracy. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.