Configuration of subducting Philippine Sea plate and crustal structure in the central Japan region

A seismic experiment with six explosive sources and 391 seismic stations was conducted in August 2001 in the central Japan region. The crustal velocity structure for the central part of Japan and configuration of the subducting Philippine Sea plate were revealed. A large lateral variation of the thickness of the sedimentary layer was observed, and the P-wave velocity values below the sedimentary layer obtained were 5.3–5.8 km/s. P-wave velocity values for the lower part of upper crust and lower crust were estimated to be 6.0–6.4 and 6.6–6.8 km/s, respectively. The reflected wave from the upper boundary of the subducting Philippine Sea plate was observed on the record sections of several shots. The configuration of the subducting Philippine Sea slab was revealed for depths of 20–35 km. The dip angle of the Philippine Sea plate was estimated to be 26° for a depth range of about 20–26 km. Below this depth, the upper boundary of the subducting Philippine Sea plate is distorted over a depth range of 26–33 km. A large variation of the reflected-wave amplitude with depth along the subducting plate was observed. At a depth of about 20–26 km, the amplitude of the reflected wave is not large, and is explained by the reflected wave at the upper boundary of the subducting oceanic crust. However, the reflected wave from reflection points deeper than 26 km showed a large amplitude that cannot be explained by several reliable velocity models. Some unique seismic structures have to be considered to explain the observed data. Such unique structures will provide important information to know the mechanism of inter-plate earthquakes.     

Subaqueous sand blow deposits induced by the 1995 Hyogo-ken Nanbu Earthquake, Japan

Abstract The 1995 Hyogo-ken Nanbu Earthquake (Mw 6.9) occurred in the region around Kobe City and Awaji Island in south-west Japan. Co-seismic liquefaction caused subsidence of the land and damage to sea wall caissons on the man-made Port Island at Kobe City. A zone 2–3 m wide behind the caissons of the northern wharf on the island subsided into the intertidal zone and a sandy deposit settled into this subsided zone. The depos-it consists of upward-fining sequences that are subdivided into three parts, in ascending order: graded coarse- to medium-grained sand, parallel-laminated fine- to very-fine-grained sand, and massive mud. Grain fabric analysis (employing the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility method and microscopic measurement) of these sequences shows that there is a remarkable contrast in grain fabric between the lowest portion of the graded sand division and the laminated sand division. The former has a high q -value (magnetic lineation/foliation) and a unimodal orientation of elongate grains in the horizontal plane, but random orientation in the vertical plane. Conversely, the latter is characterized by a low q -value and a grain fabric in which the long axes of the grains have random orientations and are nearly parallel to the plane of deposition. This result shows that the main depositional processes changed from a combination of flow and allied processes to the force of gravity. As still water is essential for gravity to be the dominant factor in deposition, this deposit is regarded as subaqueous sand blow deposits. If this interpretation is correct, the grain fabric produced by gravity alone is a useful criterion for distinguishing between subaqueous sand blow deposits and other liquefaction-induced deposits.     

Victoria Carbonate-Base Metal Gold Deposit and Its Significance in the Mankayan Mineral District, Luzon, Philippines

Abstract. The Victoria gold deposit is a low-sulfidation style epithermal carbonate-base metal gold deposit discovered in 1995 in the Mankayan mineral district, northern Luzon, Philippines. It occurs just south of a high-sulfidation copper-gold orebody (Lepanto enargite deposit) and a porphyry copper-gold orebody (Far Southeast (FSE) deposit). Radiometric dating of the Victoria mineralization yields ages from 1.6 to 1.1 Ma, similar to ages of the Lepanto enargite deposit. Mineralogical, geochemical, fluid inclusion and sulfur isotope studies suggest that the Victoria deposit is not directly related to the late stage of hydrothermal activity that produced the FSE porphyry copper-gold and the Lepanto enargite deposits. The hydrothermal fluids from which Victoria was formed appear to have been derived from the south, and not from the FSE intrusive center to the northeast. This would suggest a regional south to north hydrothermal gradient, consistent with the similar flow within the FSE porphyry-Lepanto enargite system. On a district scale, structures similar to those of the Victoria deposit in trend and nature would be highly prospective, especially if they occur north of identified plutons and volcanic centers.     

Iron-water reaction at high pressure and temperature, and hydrogen transport into the core

We observed a direct reaction of metallic iron with water to form iron hydride and iron oxide, 3Fe + H₂O–>2FeH_x + FeO, at pressures from 6 GPa to 84 GPa and temperatures above 1,000 K in diamond anvil cell (DAC). Iron hydride is dhcpFeH_x or -FeH_x, and iron oxide has the rhombohedral or B1 structure at pressures at least up to 37 GPa. The formation of an assembly composed of dhcpFeH_x and FeO with the B8 structure was observed at 84 GPa. In primordial Earth, water formed by dehydration of the low temperature primitive materials reacts with metallic iron in the high temperature component to form iron hydride FeH_x and iron oxide FeO. The former would be incorporated in the iron forming the core. Thus hydrogen could be an important element of the Earths core. This reaction would be essential for transport of hydrogen into the core in the accretion stage of the Earth.     

Viscosity of silicate melts in CaMgSi2O6–NaAlSi2O6 system at high pressure

In situ X-ray viscometry of the silicate melts was carried out at high pressure and at high temperature. The viscosity of the silicate melts in the diopside(Di)–jadeite(Jd) system was determined in the pressure range from 1.88 GPa to 7.9 GPa and in the temperature range from 2,003 K to 2,173 K. The viscosity of the Di 25%–Jd 75% melt decreases continuously to 5.0 GPa, whereas the viscosity of the Di 50%–Jd 50% melt increases over 3.5 GPa. The viscosity of the Di50%–Jd 50% melt reaches a minimum around 3.5 GPa. Since the amounts of silicon in the two melts are the same, the difference in the pressure dependence of the viscosity may be controlled by another network-forming element, i.e., aluminum. The difference in the pressure dependence of the viscosities in the melts with two intermediate compositions in the Di–Jd system is estimated to be due to the difference in the melt structures at high pressures and high temperatures.     

The equation of state of Al,H-bearing SiO2 stishovite to 58 GPa

We have determined the P-V equation of state of Al-rich H-bearing SiO₂ stishovite by X-ray powder diffraction at pressures up to 58 GPa using synchrotron radiation. The sample contained 1.8 wt% Al₂O₃ and up to 500 ppm H₂O, and had a composition that would coexist with Mg-silicate perovskite in a subducted slab. By fitting a third-order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state to our compression data, we obtained a bulk modulus K _T0=298(7) GPa with K′=4.3(5). With K′ fixed to a value of 4, the bulk modulus K _T0=304(3) GPa. Our results indicate that Al³⁺ and H⁺ have a small effect on the elastic properties of stishovite. Compared with data obtained up to 43.8 GPa, peak intensities changed and we observed a decreased quality of fit to a tetragonal unit cell at pressures of 49 GPa and higher. These changes may be an indication that the rutile↔CaCl₂ transition occurs between these pressures. After laser annealing of the sample at 58.3(10) GPa and subsequent decompression to room conditions, the cell volume is the same as before compression, giving strong evidence that the composition of the recovered sample is also unchanged. This suggests that Al and H are retained in the sample under extreme P-T conditions and that stishovite can be an agent for transporting water to the deepest lower mantle.     

Eolian quartz flux variations in Cheju Island, Korea, during the last 6500 yr and a possible Sun-monsoon linkage

We have obtained a high-resolution sedimentary record covering the last 6500 yr from a maar in Cheju Island, Korea, in order to reconstruct the history of variations in the eolian quartz flux (EQF) and hence Asian dust. The long-term variation of EQF reveals three intervals: a period of high EQF (4000-2000 cal yr B.P.) and two periods of low EQF (6500-4000 cal yr B.P. and 2000 cal yr B.P. to present), which have been affected by the East Asian monsoon due to insolation change and the cold air activity in high latitudes correlated with polar high-pressure systems. This long-term variation is superimposed by millennial- and centennial-scale fluctuations with periodicities of 1137, 739, 214, 162, 137, 127, and 111 yr, implying drier conditions in the source areas in China. The detrended EQF record correlates visually and statistically (cross-spectral analysis) with the atmospheric Δ¹⁴C record (solar proxy). The centennial-scale variability in EQF may be affected by the solar activity through the Sun-East Asian monsoon linkage.     

Phase relations in hydrous MORB at 18-28 GPa: implications for heterogeneity of the lower mantle

The phase relations in hydrous and anhydrous mid-ocean ridge basalt were determined at pressures of 18-28 GPa. Liquidus phase relations in hydrous and anhydrous MORB are different. Garnet is the liquidus phase at pressures below 21 GPa, Ca-Al (CAS) phase and stishovite are the liquidus phases at pressures of 22-27 GPa, and stishovite and Ca-perovskite are the liquidus phases above 27 GPa, whereas Ca-perovskite is a liquidus phase of anhydrous MORB at pressures above 23 GPa. Under subsolidus conditions, we have found that in the hydrous MORB system the stability fields of Al-bearing perovskite and Na-Al (NAL) phase might shift to lower pressure by about 1.5 GPa compared to the dry MORB system. This shift could be explained by oxidation of a garnet-bearing assemblage by hydrous fluid and formation of Fe³⁺-bearing aluminous perovskite at lower pressures relative to the anhydrous system and/or differences in water solubility of the phases existing in perovskite-bearing assemblages. Our data indicate that hydrous basaltic crust remains denser than peridotite along the geotherm of a subducting slab, i.e. there is no density crossover between peridotite and basalt. Therefore, in slabs going through the 660 km discontinuity, basalt would gravitationally sink into the lower mantle under relatively hydrous conditions. The delamination of former basaltic crust near the 660 km discontinuity might be possible under relatively dry conditions of subduction. There are no stable highly hydrous phases in MORB above 10 GPa even at lower temperatures corresponding to subducting slabs. Therefore, MORB cannot be an important carrier of water to the deep Earth interior. However, it can be constantly supplied by water-bearing fluid from the underlying peridotite part of the descending slab. Thus, it is plausible that water can control subduction of the oceanic crust into the lower mantle.     

Comparison of stable isotopes,ratios of Cl/Cl and I/I in brine and deep groundwater from the Pacific coastal region and the eastern margin of the Japan Sea

Fifty-three samples, including brines associated with oil and natural gas reservoirs and groundwater samples from deep boreholes, were collected from the Pacific and Japan Sea coastal regions in Japan. The ¹²⁹I/¹²⁷I and ³⁶Cl/Cl ratios, and stable isotopes (δD and δ¹⁸O) are compared to investigate differences related to the geotectonic settings of the two regions. The δD and δ¹⁸O data indicate that brine and groundwater from the Pacific coastal region reflect mixing of meteoric water with connate seawater in the pores of sedimentary rocks. On the other hand, brine and groundwater from the Japan Sea coastal region have been hydrothermally altered. In particular, brines associated with petroleum accumulations at Niigata and Akita showed the same isotopic characteristics as fluids found in the Kuroko deposits of the Green Tuff region in northeastern Japan. There is little difference in the ³⁶Cl/Cl ratios in brine and groundwater from the Pacific and Japan Sea coasts. Most brine and some deep groundwater, except those from the Pleistocene Kazusa Group, have already reached the average secular equilibrium ratio of 9.9 ± 2.7 × 10⁻¹⁵ for their mudstone and sandstone reservoirs. There was no correlation between the ³⁶Cl/Cl ratios and differences in geotectonic setting between the Pacific and the Japan Sea coast. The molar I/Br ratio suggests that the I in all of water samples was of biogenic origin. The average ¹²⁹I/¹²⁷I ratio was 290 ± 130 × 10⁻¹⁵ to 294 ± 105 × 10⁻¹⁵ in both regions, showing no relationship to the different geotectonic settings. The uncontaminated brine and groundwater samples are likely to have retained the original ¹²⁹I/¹²⁷I ratios of marine I released from the old organic matter stored in sedimentary rock.