Significance of shape factor on permeability anisotropy of sand: representative elementary volume study for pore-scale analysis

Acta Geotechnica - This paper is a study of determination of representative elementary volume (REV) size suitable for pore-scale flow simulation (PFS) and evaluation of permeability anisotropy for...     

Does suspended matter drained from the Isahaya freshwater reservoir cause organic enrichment in the northern Ariake Bay?

The inner part of Isahaya Bay was converted to a freshwater reservoir following the closure of the land claim dike in 1997. Turbid water drains into Isahaya Bay when water levels increase. We investigated whether particulate organic matter (POM) from the reservoir in Isahaya Bay has caused bottom organic enrichment in the northern part of Ariake Bay. Using potential end-members from before to after the rainy seasons, during which a frequent discharge from the reservoir was expected, stable isotope analyses were performed on sediments collected from Isahaya Bay and northern Ariake Bay. Each end-member was isotopically differentiated by δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N (riverine POM: ?28.5 to ?27.2‰ and 3.3–4.6‰; reservoir POM: ?25.7 to ?25.3‰ and 7.4–8.4‰; marine POM: ?21.8 to ?19.7‰ and 6.7–7.6‰; microphytobenthos estimated from consumers: ?16.1 to ?15.9‰ and 5.2–6.1‰, respectively). Sediment isotopic signatures fell within the mixing space defined by the signatures of the end-members. Marine POM contributed greatly to bottom sediments in both seasons in Isahaya Bay and Ariake Bay, ranging from ca. 60–70 and 40–60%, respectively. Reservoir POM contributed around 10% to bottom sediments. This percentage slightly increased in the sediment of Isahaya Bay after the rainy season, but decreased in the sediment of Ariake Bay. Thus, most of the POM discharged from the reservoir would not reach the northern part of Ariake Bay and would not be a major contributor to organic enrichment. This study is the first to quantitatively describe the contribution of drained reservoir POM outside Isahaya Bay.     

Coexisting different types of zoned garnet in kyanite‐quartz eclogites from the Sanbagawa metamorphic belt: Evidence of deformation‐induced lithological mixing during prograde metamorphism

Garnet grains in Sanbagawa quartz eclogites from the Besshi region, central Shikoku commonly show a zoning pattern consisting of core and mantle/rim that formed during two prograde stages of eclogite and subsequent epidote–amphibolite facies metamorphism, respectively. Garnet grains in the quartz eclogites are grouped into four types (I, II, III, and IV) according to the compositional trends of their cores. Type I garnet is most common and sometimes coexists with other types of garnet in a thin section. Type I core formed with epidote and kyanite during the prograde eclogite facies stage. The inner cores of types II and III crystallized within different whole‐rock compositions of epidote‐free and kyanite‐bearing eclogite and epidote‐ and kyanite‐free eclogite at the earlier prograde stage, respectively. The inner core of type IV probably formed during the pre‐eclogite facies stage. The inner cores of types II, III, and IV, which formed under different P–T conditions of prograde metamorphism and/or whole‐rock compositions, were juxtaposed with the core of type I, probably due to tectonic mixing of rocks at various points during the prograde eclogite facies stage. After these processes, they have shared the following same growth history: (i) successive crystal growth during the later stage of prograde eclogite facies metamorphism that formed the margin of the type I core and the outer cores of types II, III, and IV; (ii) partial resorption of the core during exhumation and hydration stage; and (iii) subsequent formation of mantle zones during prograde metamorphism of the epidote–amphibolite facies. The prograde metamorphic reactions may not have progressed under an isochemical condition in some Sanbagawa metamorphic rocks, at least at the hand specimen scale. This interpretation suggests that, in some cases, material interaction promoted by mechanical mixing and fluid‐assisted diffusive mass transfer probably influences mineral reactions and paragenesis of high‐pressure metamorphic rocks.     

New measurement technique for characterizing small extraterrestrial materials by X‐ray diffraction using the Gandolfi attachment

Identification and characterization of small extraterrestrial samples, such as small Antarctic meteorites <~1 cm, require the development of convenient laboratory‐based nondestructive analytical techniques using X‐ray diffraction (XRD). We explore the characterization criteria using an X‐ray diffractometer with a Gandolfi attachment using sub‐mm small fragments and powder aggregates for various kinds of stony meteorites and develop a new analytical technique. We primarily focus on olivine and pyroxene because they are the most abundant and important minerals for stony meteorite classification. A new calibration is performed to estimate the FeO content of the olivine in unequilibrated ordinary chondrites, which is useful for determining the meteorite chemical group irrespective of powder aggregate diameter but dependent on fragment grain diameter. This is because X‐ray intensity absorption is more effective for grains than for powders. Clinoenstatite (Cen) and orthoenstatite (Oen) were distinguished using the presence or absence of the isolated Oen 511 index peak. The method is also applied to other stony meteorites including carbonaceous chondrites and achondrites. The XRD results are consistent with studies based on polished sections involving textural observations by scanning microscope and chemical compositions of the constituent minerals. The new measurement technique presented here is convenient because of its use in air by the laboratory‐based X‐ray diffractometer, which makes it useful for the initial analyses of restricted extraterrestrial sample characterization.     

Laboratory analogy of crystalline enstatite grain formation in plasma field

Crystalline enstatite (MgSiO₃) grains were produced by the simultaneous evaporation of SiO grains and Mg vapor in a plasma field. The MgSiO₃ grains were spherical or needlelike. The necessity of a plasma field in astromineralogy is suggested in the present study.     

Tunnelling through squeezing rock in two large fault zones of the Enasan Tunnel II

Summary In spite of the high content of clay in the rock, blasting technique had to be adopted for excavation because the hydrothermally altered clay was interbedded in the hard rock. Problems with groundwater did not arise owing to the dewatering effect of the pilot tunnel.     

南极GRV 98002(L5)和GRV 98004(H5)普通球粒陨石的热变质作用

对我国首次发现的两个南极陨石(GRV 98002,GRV 98004)进行较深入的岩石矿物学研究,证实已有对GRV 98002(L5)和GRV 98004(H5)的化学-岩石类型划分,但GRV 98004的热变质强度相对GRV 98002较弱。根据二辉石温度计,分别计算了两个陨石的热变质温度;根据Fe-Ni合金的组成环带特征,计算并讨论了两个陨石在各自小行星母体中的冷却速率,其中GRV 98002的冷却速率落在L群范围,但GRV 98004具有明显偏低的冷却速率。