Sedimentation rates in Funka Bay,HokkaidÔ

Undisturbed sediment cores were collected by a modified gravity corer from Funka Bay. The sedimentation rate is determined by both²¹⁰Pb and pumice chronological methods. The sedimentation rates by²¹⁰Pb method are concordant with those by pumice methods. The derived rate varies from 0.06 to 0.22 g cm^–2 y^–1, and an average is 0.09 g cm^–2 y^–1.     

Systematic study of hydrogen incorporation into Fe-free wadsleyite

The H₂O content of wadsleyite were measured in a wide pressure (13–20 GPa) and temperature range (1,200–1,900°C) using FTIR method. We confirmed significant decrease of the H₂O content of wadsleyite with increasing temperature and reported first systematic data for temperature interval of 1,400–1,900°C. Wadsleyite contains 0.37–0.55 wt% H₂O at 1,600°C, which may be close to its water storage capacity along average mantle geotherm in the transition zone. Accordingly, water storage capacity of the average mantle in the transition zone may be estimated as 0.2–0.3 wt% H₂O. The H₂O contents of wadsleyite at 1,800–1,900°C are 0.22–0.39 wt%, indicating that it can store significant amount of water even under the hot mantle environments. Temperature dependence of the H₂O content of wadsleyite can be described by exponential equation C_{\textH2 \textO} = 6 3 7.0 7 \texte ^{- 0.00 4 8T} , C_{{{\text{H}}_{2} {\text{O}}}} = 6 3 7.0 7 {\text{e}}^{ - 0.00 4 8T} , where T is in °C. This equation is valid for temperature range 1,200–2,100°C with the coefficient of determination R ² = 0.954. Temperature dependence of H₂O partition coefficient between wadsleyite and forsterite (D _wd/fo) is complex. According to our data apparent D_wd/fo decreases with increasing temperature from D _wd/fo = 4–5 at 1,200°C, reaches a minimum of D _wd/fo = 2.0 at 1,400–1,500°C, and then again increases to D _wd/fo = 4–6 at 1,700–1,900°C.     

Melting of forsterite Mg2SiO4 up to 15 GPa

The melting curve of forsterite has been studied by static experiment up to a pressure of 15 GPa. Forsterite melts congruently at least up to 12.7 GPa. The congruent melting temperature is expressed by the Kraut-Kennedy equation in the following form: T_m(K)=2163 (1+3.0(V₀ ? V)/V₀), where the volume change with pressure was calculated by the Birch-Managhan equation of state with the isothermal bulk modulus K₀ = 125.4 GPa and its pressure derivative K′ = 5.33. The triple point of forsterite-β-Mg₂SiO₄-liquid will be located at about 2600°C and 20 GPa, assuming that congruent melting persists up to the limit of the stability field of forsterite. The extrapolation of the previous melting data on enstatite and periclase indicates that the eutectic composition of the forsterite-enstatite system should shift toward the forsterite component with increasing pressure, and there is a possibility of incongruent melting of forsterite into periclase and liquid at higher pressure, although no evidence on incongruent melting has been obtained in the present experiment.     

An excitation mechanism for the free 'core nutation'

Summary. The Earth is believed to possess a free nutational mode due to its rotating, elliptical, fluid core, with an eigenfrequency of approximately (1 + 1/460) cycle sidereal day⁻¹ as seen from the sidereally rotating Earth. This free 'core nutation' has not yet been undisputably observed. Furthermore, there has been considerable doubt that any known mechanism could excite this mode to an observable level. We show here that diurnal atmospheric and oceanic loading of the Earth's surface provide an efficient excitation mechanism which depends critically on the physical damping of the mode. Possible effects of the mode on geodetic measurements are discussed. We also consider the effects of 'wobble' and 'nutation' on astrometric observations.     

An Independent Method to Determine the Height of the Mixed Layer

A method for the independent evaluation ofmixed-layer (ML) height, zi, has beenproposed. The ML height is determined bythe functional relationshipszi = 0.75 z/nv max or 0.53 z/nu max in which, z is a measuring height; nv max and nu max are normalized peak frequencies of lateral velocity component, v, and longitudinal velocity component, u, spectra at height z in the surface layer respectively. Using Doppler sodar data, the technique was shown to be feasible; it is easy to apply to micro-meteorological field experiments and works even for the ML top above the range of the sodar.     

The high-pressure phase relation of the MgSO4-H2O system and its implication for the internal structure of Ganymede

We have determined the phase relation of the MgSO₄-H₂O binary system using an externally heated diamond anvil cell in the compositional range of 0-30 wt.% MgSO₄, and under temperature and pressure conditions from 298 to 500 K and up to 4.5 GPa. Using our experimental results, we were able to estimate the composition of the ice mantle of the large icy satellites of Jupiter, such as Ganymede.In our experiments, we identified the following phases in the MgSO₄-H₂O system up to 4 GPa at 298 K: Ices VI and VII, magnesium heptahydrate, MgSO₄·7H₂O, and a liquid phase. The present phase relations suggest that there may be a deep internal ocean down to a depth about 800 km in the interior of Ganymede.     

Raman spectra and X-ray diffraction of tuite at various temperatures

High-temperature Raman spectra and thermal expansion of tuite, γ-Ca₃(PO₄)₂, have been investigated. The effect of temperature on the Raman spectra of synthetic tuite was studied in the range from 80 to 973 K at atmospheric pressure. The Raman frequencies of all observed bands for tuite continuously decrease with increasing temperature. The quantitative analysis of temperature dependence of Raman bands indicates that the changes in Raman frequencies for stretching modes (ν₃ and ν₁) are faster than those for bending modes (ν₄ and ν₂) of PO₄ in the present temperature range, which may be attributed to the structural evolution of PO₄ tetrahedron in tuite at high temperature. The thermal expansion of tuite was examined by means of in situ X-ray diffraction measurements in the temperature range from 298 to 923 K. Unit cell parameters and volume were analyzed, and the thermal expansion coefficients were obtained as 3.67 (3), 1.18 (1), and 1.32 (3) × 10^?5 K^?1 for V, a, and c, respectively. Thermal expansion of tuite shows an axial anisotropy with a larger expansion coefficient along the c-axis. The isothermal and isobaric mode Grüneisen parameters and intrinsic anharmonicity of tuite have been calculated by using present high-temperature Raman spectra and thermal expansion coefficient combined with previous results of the isothermal bulk modulus and high-pressure Raman spectra.     

越南红河流域沉积物的镜下碳屑分析实验室处理方法对比研究

本文设计4个不同的实验方法,以越南红河流域原始森林区、河漫滩区和水下三角洲区3个不同沉积环境下的9个样品为实验对象,对镜下碳屑不同的实验室处理方法进行对比研究,实验发现样品用六偏磷酸钠分散法(方法A)和盐酸分散法(方法B)处理后,镜下碳屑形态不易分辨,杂质多,而用氢氟酸处理法(方法C)和附加醋酸酐混合液处理法(方法D),镜下碳屑的形态清晰,杂质少,碳屑数量容易统计,但是方法D中利用醋酸酐与浓硫酸混合液去纤维素与染色过程会使纤维素碳化,结果显示碳屑浓度明显比用前3种方法处理的浓度高。以上实验结果表明方法C是最优的。另外,本研究在进行碳屑统计时,利用NIS­Elements Br 3.0软件的自动统计计数功能,不仅可以减小人为计数产生的误差,还可以实现碳屑的多参数统计,有利于古环境、古气候、古植被变化的多信息解译。