Reconnaissance report on landslide disasters in northeast Japan following the M 9 T��hoku earthquake

An earthquake of M_w 9.0 struck the Pacific coast in northeast Japan on March 11, 2011 and was followed by a hugely damaging tsunami along 500 km of the Japanese coastline. An inland aftershock of M. 7.0 occurred on April 11; during which, surface fault ruptures appeared on land. A large variety of landslide disasters resulted from these earthquakes in various parts of northeastern Honshu, Japan. The full extent of the landslides is still being determined. This brief report introduces some of the landslide phenomena so far investigated by the Japanese Landslide Society. These are (1) failure of a water reservoir embankment dam in Sukagawa, Fukushima prefecture, (2) landslides and surface seismic fault rupture from the April 11 aftershock in Iwaki, Fukushima, (3) a concentration of surface failures at Matsushima Bay in Miyagi prefecture, and (4) small landslides on modified slopes in residential areas around Sendai city.     

Observation of Interactions and Eruptions of Two Filaments

We present new observations of the interactions of two close, but distinct, Hα filaments and their successive eruptions on 5 November 1998. The magnetic fields of the filaments are both of the sinistral type. The interactions between the two filaments were initiated mainly by an active filament of one of them. Before the filament eruptions, two dark plasma ejections and chromospheric brightenings were observed. They indicate that possible magnetic reconnection had occurred between the two filaments. During the first filament eruption, salient dark mass motions transferring from the left erupting filament into the right one were observed. The right filament erupted 40 minutes later. This second filament eruption may have been the result of a loss of stability owing to the sudden mass injection from the left filament. Based on the Hα observations, we have created a sketch for understanding the interactions between two filaments and accompanying activities. The traditional theory of filament merger requires that the filaments share the same filament channel and that the reconnection occurs between the two heads, as simulated by DeVore, Antiochos, and Aulanier (Astrophys. J. 629, 1122, 2005; 646, 1349, 2006). Our interpretation is that the external bodily magnetic reconnection between flux ropes of the same chirality is another possible way for two filament bodies to coalesce. Electronic Supplementary Material The online version of this article () contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

N-body simulations of the Magellanic stream

A suite of high-resolution N -body simulations of the Magellanic Clouds–Milky Way system are presented and compared directly with newly available data from the H  i Parkes All-Sky Survey (HIPASS). We show that the interaction between Small Magellanic Clouds (SMC) and Large Magellanic Clouds results in both a spatial and kinematical bifurcation of both the stream and the leading arm. The spatial bifurcation of the stream is readily apparent in the HIPASS data, and the kinematical bifurcation is also tentatively identified. This bifurcation provides strong support for the tidal disruption origin for the Magellanic stream. A fiducial model for the Magellanic Clouds (MCs) is presented upon completion of an extensive parameter survey of the potential orbital configurations of the MCs and the viable initial boundary conditions for the disc of the SMC. The impact of the choice of these critical parameters upon the final configurations of the stream and leading arm is detailed.     

Distribution of gold and silver and its relation with hypogene ore minerals in the Esperanza porphyry deposit,Antofagasta Region,Chile

Modes of occurrence of Au‐ and Ag‐bearing phases and their relation with associated hypogene ore minerals were examined with the objective to elucidate Au‐Ag distribution at the Esperanza porphyry deposit in the Eocene Centinela copper belt, using ore‐microscope modal analysis, semi‐quantitative analyses by automated mineralogy, electron probe microanalysis, and secondary ion mass spectrometer. The Esperanza hypogene mineralization is characterized by early‐stage chalcopyrite‐rich veinlets in the potassic alteration zone and later polymetallic stage with tennantite and galena in the chlorite‐sericitic alteration zone. Only the early‐stage chalcopyrite contains fine‐grained electrum (Au₆₈Ag₃₂ ‐ Au₈₁Ag₁₉) and hessite (Ag₂Te), and thus yields positive correlations in Cu vs. Au and Cu vs. Ag grades that are clearly recognized in the hypogene sulfide zone. The early‐stage chalcopyrite grains frequently exhibit polysynthetic twinning suggestive of inversion from intermediate solid solution. These features suggest that the fine‐grained electrum and hessite are products exsolved in the cooling process with the intermediate solid solution to chalcopyrite inversion. In contrast, tennantite and galena of the later‐stage mineralization contain no detectable Ag, and it is thus proposed that the early‐stage inverted chalcopyrite is the principal storage of economically important precious metals.     

Rapid Alkalization in Lake Inawashiro, Fukushima, Japan: Implications for Future Changes in the Carbonate System of Terrestrial Waters

The global carbon cycle, one of the important biogeochemical cycles controlling the surface environment of the Earth, has been greatly affected by human activity. Anthropogenic nutrient loading from urban sewage and agricultural runoff has caused eutrophication of aquatic systems. The impact of this eutrophication and consequent photosynthetic activity on CO₂ exchange between freshwater systems and the atmosphere is unclear. In this study, we focused on how nutrient loading to lakes affects their carbonate system. Here, we report results of surveys of lakes in Japan at different stages of eutrophication. Alkalization due to photosynthetic activity and decreases in PCO₂ had occurred in eutrophic lakes (e.g., Lake Kasumigaura), whereas in an acidotrophic lake (Lake Inawashiro) that was impacted by volcanic hot springs, nutrient loading was changing the pH and carbon cycling. When the influence of volcanic activity was stronger in the past in Lake Inawashiro, precipitation of volcanic-derived iron and aluminum had removed nutrients by co-precipitation. During the last three decades, volcanic activity has weakened and the lake water has become alkalized. We inferred that this rapid alkalization did not result just from the reduction in acid inputs but was also strongly affected by increased photosynthetic activity during this period. Human activities affect many lakes in the world. These lakes may play an important part in the global carbon cycle through their influence on CO₂ exchange between freshwater and the atmosphere. Biogeochemical changes and processes in these systems have important implications for future changes in aquatic carbonate systems on land.     

Sound velocity measurements in dhcp-FeH up to 70 GPa with inelastic X-ray scattering: Implications for the composition of the Earth's core

We have determined the density evolution of the sound velocity of dhcp-FeH_x (x ≈ 1) up to 70 GPa at room temperature, by inelastic X-ray scattering and by X-ray diffraction. We find that the variation of V_P with density is different for the ferromagnetic and nonmagnetic dhcp-FeH_x, and that only nonmagnetic dhcp-FeH_x follows Birch's law. Combining our results with Birch's law for iron and assuming an ideal two-component mixing model, we obtain an upper bound of the hydrogen content in the Earth's inner core, 0.23(6) wt.% H, corresponding to FeH_0.13(3). The iron alloy with 0.23(6) wt.% H can satisfy the density, and compressional and shear sound velocities of the PREM inner core, assuming that there are no other light elements in the inner core.     

A new approach to develop the Raman carbonaceous material geothermometer for low‐grade metamorphism using peak width

The Raman spectra of carbonaceous material (CM) from 19 metasediment samples collected from six widely separated areas of Southwest Japan and metamorphosed at temperatures from 165 to 655°C show systematic changes with metamorphic temperature that can be classified into four types: low‐grade CM (c. 150–280°C), medium‐grade CM (c. 280–400°C), high‐grade CM (c. 400–650°C), and well‐crystallized graphite (> c. 650°C). The Raman spectra of low‐grade CM exhibit features typical of amorphous carbon, in which several disordered bands (D‐band) appear in the first‐order region. In the Raman spectra of medium‐grade CM, the graphite band (G‐band) can be recognized and several abrupt changes occur in the trends for several band parameters. The observed changes indicate that CM starts to transform from amorphous carbon to crystallized graphite at around 280°C, and this transformation continues until 400°C. The G‐band becomes the most prominent peak at high‐grade CM suggesting that the CM structure is close to that of well‐crystallized graphite. In the highest temperature sample of 655°C, the Raman spectra of CM show a strong G‐band with almost no recognizable D‐band, implying the CM grain is well‐crystallized graphite. In the Raman spectra of low‐ to medium‐grade CM, comparisons of several band parameters with the known metamorphic temperature show inverse correlations between metamorphic temperature and the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the D1‐ and D2‐bands. These correlations are calibrated as new Raman CM geothermometers, applicable in the range of c. 150–400°C. Details of the methodology for peak decomposition of Raman spectra from the low to medium temperature range are also discussed with the aim of establishing a robust and user‐friendly geothermometer.