Crustal partial melting on Vesta: Evidence from highly metamorphosed eucrites

We have performed a mineralogical and geochemical study of eight metamorphosed basaltic eucrites. These are classified into granulitic eucrites and type 4–7 eucrites on the basis of their textures and pyroxene mineralogy, and display mineralogical evidence for high temperature metamorphism, including partial melting. In particular, rare earth element (REE) patterns of a number of the eucrites studied show varying degrees of light REE depletion due to partial melting, with subsequent melt extraction. A simple correlation between metamorphic grade, as deduced from pyroxene mineralogy, and the degree of light REE depletion was not detected. This can be explained by the fact that homogenization, exsolution and inversion of pigeonite would have required prolonged heating at moderate temperatures (800–1000 °C), whereas partial melting would have taken place over a short time interval where temperatures exceeded that of the solidus. The eucrites studied therefore record a two stage thermal regime consisting of short, high temperature reheating events superimposed on long duration global crustal metamorphism. The short reheating events may have been caused by impact events and/or intrusions of hot magmas. The results of this study demonstrate that the thermal history of eucritic crust was more complex than can be explained by a simple burial model alone. In particular, the origin of Stannern trend eucrites requires contamination of Main-Group magmas by partial melts extracted from residual eucrites.     

Stem waves along vertical wall due to random wave incidence

This study investigates stem waves, propagating along a vertical wall, due to obliquely incident random waves through laboratory experiments and numerical simulations. Attention is paid to the difference or similarity between the stem waves due to periodic waves and random waves, the nonlinear and linear characteristics, and the effect of wave breaking on the evolution of stem waves. The following were found from this study: as the incident angle of waves become large or the nonlinearity of the incident waves become small, the significant stem wave height, normalized by the incident significant wave height, becomes large. This tendency is the same as that generated by the Stokes waves or cnoidal waves. However, regardless of the nonlinearity of incident waves, the width of stem waves is almost the same. This is a different point between the stem waves due to periodic and random waves. The wave breaking suppresses the growth of the stem waves.     

Dense gas in normal and active galaxies

Dense molecular medium plays essential roles in galaxies. As demonstrated by the tight and linear correlation between HCN(1–0) and FIR luminosities among star-forming galaxies, from very nearby to high-z ones, the observation of a dense molecular component is indispensable to understand the star formation laws in galaxies. In order to obtain a general picture of the global distributions of dense molecular medium in normal star-forming galaxies, we have conducted an extragalactic CO(3–2) imaging survey of nearby spiral galaxies using the Atacama Submillimeter Telescope Experiment (ASTE). From the survey (ADIoS; ASTE Dense gas Imaging of Star-forming galaxies), CO(3–2) images of M 83 and NGC 986 are presented. Emphasis is placed on the correlation between the CO(3–2)/CO(1–0) ratio and the star formation efficiency in galaxies. In the central regions of some active galaxies, on the other hand, we often find enhanced or overluminous HCN(1–0) emission. The HCN(1–0)/CO(1–0) and HCN(1–0)/HCO⁺(1–0) intensities are often enhanced up to ∼0.2–0.3 and ∼2–3, respectively. Such elevated ratios have never been observed in the nuclear starburst regions. One possible explanation for these high HCN(1–0)/CO(1–0) and HCN(1–0)/HCO⁺(1–0) ratios is X-ray induced chemistry in X-ray dominated regions (XDRs), i.e., the overabundance of the HCN molecule in the X-ray irradiated dense molecular tori. If this view is true, the known tight correlation between HCN(1–0) and the star-formation rate breaks in the vicinity of active nuclei. Although the interpretation of these ratios is still an open question, these ratios have a great potential for a new diagnostic tool for the energy sources of dusty galaxies in the ALMA era because these molecular lines are free from dust extinction.     

Calibration and validation of the ocean color version-3 product from ADEOS OCTS

We present calibration and validation results of the OCTS’s ocean color version-3 product, which mainly consists of the chlorophyll-a concentration (Chl-a) and the normalized water-leaving radiance (_nL_w). First, OCTS was calibrated for the inter-detector sensitivity difference, offset, and absolute sensitivity using external calibration source. It was also vicariously calibrated using in-situ measurements for water (Chl-a and_nL_w) and atmosphere (optical thickness), which were acquired synchronously with OCTS under cloud-free conditions. Second, the product was validated using selected 17 in-situ Chl-a and 11 in-situ_nL_w measurements. We confirmed that Chl-a was estimated with an accuracy of 68% for Chl-a less than 2 mg/m³, and_nL_w from 94% (band 2) to 128% (band 4). Geometric accuracy was improved to 1.3 km. Stripes were significantly reduced by modifying the detector normalization factor as a function of input radiance.     

Correction of atmospheric effect on ADEOS/OCTS ocean color data: Algorithm description and evaluation of its performance

This paper first describes the atmospheric correction algorithm for OCTS visible band data used at NASDA/EOC. Sharing a basic structure with Gordon and Wang’s Sea WiFS algorithm, it uses 10 candidate aerosol models including the “Asian dust model” introduced in consideration of the unique feature of aerosols over the east Asian waters. Based on the observations at 670 and 865 nm bands, the algorithm selects a pair of aerosol models that account best for the observed spectral reflectances, and synthesizes the aerosol reflectance used for the atmospheric correction. Two different schemes for determining the value of the parameter for the aerosol model selection are presented and their anticipated estimation error is analyzed in terms of retrieved water reflectance at 443 nm. The results of our numerical simulation show that the standard deviation of the estimation error of the “weighted average” scheme is mostly within the permissible level of ±0.002, reducing the error by 18% on average compared to the “simple average” scheme. The paper further discusses the expected error under the old CZCS-type atmospheric correction, which assumes constant aerosol optical properties throughout the given image. Although our algorithm has a better performance than the CZCS algorithm, further analysis shows that the error induced by the assumption taken in the algorithm that the water-leaving radiance at 670 nm band is negligibly small may be large in high pigment concentration waters, indicating the necessity for future improvements.     

Predicting Soil-Water and Soil-Air Transport Properties and Their Effects on Soil-Vapor Extraction Efficiency

Accurate prediction of water and air Iran sport parameters in variably saturated soil is necessary for modeling of soil-vapor extraction (SVE) at soil sites contaminated with volatile organic chemicals (VOCs). An expression for predicting saturated water permeability (k_l,s) in undisturbed soils from the soil total porosity and the field capacity soil-water content was developed by fitting a tortuous-tube fluid flow model to measured water permeability and gas diffusivity data. The new k_l,s expression gave accurate predictions when tested against independent k_l,s data. The k_l,s expression was implemented in the Campbell relative water permeability model to yield a predictive model for water permeability in variably saturated, undisturbed soil. The water permeability model, together with recently developed predictive equations for gas permeability and gas diffusivity, was used in a two-dimensional numerical SVE model that also included non-equilibrium mass transfer of VOC from a separate phase (nonaqueous phase liquid [NAPL]) to the air phase. SVE: calculations showed that gas permeability is likely the most important factor controlling VOC migration and vapor extraction efficiency. Water permeability and gas diffusivity effects became significant at water contents near and above field capacity. The NAPL-air mass transfer coefficient also had large impacts on simulated vapor extraction efficiency. The calculations suggest that realistic SVE models need to include predictive expressions for both conveciive, diffusive. and phase-partitioning processes in natural, undisturbed soils.     

Postglacial stratigraphic evolution of a current-influenced sandy shelf: offshore Kujukuri strandplain,central Japan

Sandy shelf sediments are important elements of clastic sedimentary systems because of their wide distribution in the geological record and their significance as hydrocarbon reservoirs. Although many studies have investigated shelf sediments influenced by waves or tidal currents, little is known about shelf sediments influenced by oceanic currents, particularly their lithofacies characteristics and stratigraphic evolution. This study investigated the stratigraphic evolution of shelf sediments off the Kujukuri strandplain facing the Pacific Ocean, which is influenced by the strong Kuroshio Current. Sediment cores were obtained from six locations on the Kujukuri shelf (34 to 124 m water depth) using a vibrocorer. The dominant lithofacies is mud-free sand with low-angle cross-lamination associated with alternating beds of finer and coarser sand with cross-lamination. These display depositional processes influenced by storm waves and the Kuroshio Current, respectively. This finding is consistent with the previously presented modern and historical observations of the Kuroshio Current and estimates of the storm-wave base. Radiocarbon dates show that the sediment succession formed during the last transgressive and highstand stages after 13·1 ka. The depositional processes during the stages represent a transition from storm waves with abundant sediment supply to both storm waves and the Kuroshio Current with sediment starvation mainly due to its trapping in the strandplain. Comparison to other Holocene–Modern shelf systems suggests that the sandy shelf successions are strongly influenced by oceanic currents under conditions of limited riverine input and open coastal geometry. The resultant sand-dominated succession is characterized by reversal of the proximal to distal grain-size trend compared to the fining for most other recognized wave/storm-dominated shelf successions. This is because of seaward increase in the influence of the Kuroshio Current. Thus, shelf deposits are naturally complex, and these may be further complicated by the additional influence of oceanic currents above the usual wave-dominated and tide-dominated end members.     

Bidirectional shaking table tests of a low-cost friction sliding system with flat-inclined surfaces

A novel low-cost friction sliding system for bidirectional excitation is developed to improve the seismic performance of reinforced concrete (RC) bridge piers. The sliding system is a spherical prototype developed by combining a central flat surface with an inclined spherical segment, characterized by stable oscillation and a large reduction in response accelerations on the flat surface. The inclined part provides a restoring force that limits the residual displacements of the system. Conventional steel and concrete are employed to construct a flat-inclined spherical surface atop an RC pier. The seismic forces are dissipated through the frictions generated during the sliding movements; hence, the seismic resilience of bridges can be ensured with a low-cost design solution. The proposed system is fabricated utilizing a mold created by a three-dimensional printer, which facilitates the use of conventional concrete to construct spherical shapes. The concrete surface is lubricated with a resin material to prevent abrasion from multiple input ground motions. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the system, bidirectional shaking table tests are conducted in the longitudinal and transverse directions of a scaled bridge model. The effect of the inclination angle and the flat surface size is investigated. The results demonstrate a large decrease in response acceleration when the system exhibits circular sliding displacement. Furthermore, the inclination angle that generates the smallest residual displacement is identified experimentally.     

The Kellwasser events in the Upper Devonian Frasnian to Famennian transition in the Toc Tat Formation,northern Vietnam

Upper Devonian carbonates of the Toc Tat Formation in the Si Phai Pass area of Dong Van District, northern Vietnam were deposited in carbonate platform, slope, and basin environments. These carbonates yield abundant conodonts indicative of the Palmatolepis nasuta, Pa. linguiformis and Pa. triangularis zones, the Frasnian–Famennian stage boundary being identified by the first occurrence of Pa. triangularis. Two positive carbon isotope excursions are recognized, the lower excursion peaking in the interval of the lower to middle Pa. nasuta Zone, whilst the upper excursion peaks just above the local Frasnian–Famennian boundary. Based on the biostratigraphy, these excursions equate to the Lower and Upper Kellwasser events. Locally, tentaculitoid taxa (Nowakia, Styliolina, Homoctenus, and Metastyliolina?) are abundant in the interval of the Pa. nasuta Zone, but show a drastic decline in abundance before the Lower Kellwasser Event, and only two taxa survived into the Famennian.     

The Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers in Bangladesh: basin denudation and sedimentation

Every year the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers in Bangladesh transport 316 and 721 million tonnes of sediment, respectively. These high loads of suspended sediment reflect the very high rate of denudation in their drainage basins. The average mechanical denudation rate for the Ganges and Brahmaputra basins together is 365 mm 10³ yr⁻¹. However, the rate is higher in the Brahmaputra Basin than that in the Ganges Basin. Several factors, including mean trunk channel gradient, relief ratio, runoff, basin lithology and recurring earthquakes are responsible for these high denudation rates. Of the total suspended sediment load (i.e. 1037 million tonnes) transported by these rivers, only 525 million tonnes (c. 51% of the total load) are delivered to the coastal area of Bangladesh and the remaining 512 million tonnes are deposited within the lower basin, offsetting the subsidence. Of the deposited load, about 289 million tonnes (about 28% of the total load) are deposited on the floodplains of these rivers. The remaining 223 million tonnes (about 21% of the total load) are deposited within the river channels, resulting in aggradation of the channel bed at an average rate of about 3·9 cm yr⁻¹. Although the Brahmaputra transports a higher sediment load than the Ganges, the channel bed aggradation rate is much higher for the Ganges. This study also documents a wide range of interannual, seasonal and daily variation in suspended sediment transport and water discharge. Interannual variation in sediment deposition within the basin is also suggested. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.