A comparison of methods for calculating the motion of a semi-submersible

The 17th ITTC Ocean Engineering Committee undertook the comparison of methods for calculating semi-submersible wave motion, and 34 programs from 28 different organizations participated in the project. The summary of the results are reported in the Technical Report of the 17th ITTC (ITTC, 1984).In this paper, the details of the project are described. Namely, almost all the calculation results of the 34 programs are shown and examined from the viewpoints of the validity of the program itself and of the correlation between the differences in the various calculation methods and the differences in the calculation results. The calculation results are also compared with the experiments, the details of which are also illustrated.     

Petrological feature of spinel lherzolite xenolith from Oki-Dogo Island: An implication for variety of the upper mantle peridotite beneath southwestern Japan

Abstract   Spinel lherzolite is a minor component of the deep-seated xenolith suite in the Oki-Dogo alkaline basalts, whereas other types of ultramafic (e.g. pyroxenite and dunite) and mafic (e.g. granulite and gabbro) xenoliths are abundant. All spinel lherzolite xenoliths have spinel with a low Cr number (Cr#; < 0.26). They are anhydrous and are free of modal metasomatism. Their mineral assemblages and microtextures, combined with the high NiO content in olivine, suggest that they are of residual origin. But the Mg numbers of silicate minerals are lower (e.g. down to Fo₈₆) in some spinel lherzolites than in typical upper mantle residual peridotites. The clinopyroxene in the spinel lherzolite shows U-shaped chondrite-normalized rare-earth element (REE) patterns. The abundance of Fe-rich ultramafic and mafic cumulate xenoliths in Oki-Dogo alkali basalts suggests that the later formation of those Fe-rich cumulates from alkaline magma was the cause of Fe- and light REE (LREE)-enrichment in residual peridotite. The similar REE patterns are observed in spinel peridotite xenoliths from Kurose and also in those from the South-west Japan arc, which are non-metasomatized in terms of major-element chemistry (e.g. Fo > 89), and are rarely associated with Fe-rich cumulus mafic and ultramafic xenoliths. This indicates that the LREE-enrichment in mantle rocks has been more prominent and prevalent than Fe and other major-element enrichment during the metasomatism.     

Analysis of rectangular piles subjected to lateral loads in nonhomogeneous soil using a Winkler model approach

An analytical approach using a Winkler model based on two lateral soil displacement components in a three‐dimensional soil is investigated to provide analytical solutions of horizontal response of a rectangular pile subjected to lateral loads in nonhomogeneous soil. The two lateral displacement components of a soil surrounding the rectangular pile are represented by the Fourier series of displacement potential functions in the elastic three‐dimensional analysis. The lateral stiffness coefficient of the rectangular pile shaft in nonhomogeneous soil is derived from the rocking stiffness coefficient taking into account rocking rotation of a rigid pile shaft. The relationship between horizontal displacement, rotation, moment, and shear force for the rectangular pile subjected to horizontal loads in nonhomogeneous soil is obtainable in the form of the recurrence equation. The formulation of lateral displacement and rotation for a rectangular pile subjected to lateral loads on the pile base in nonhomogeneous soil is proposed by taking into account Mindlin's equation and the equivalent thickness for soil layers in the equivalent elastic method. The difference of lateral behavior between square and circular piles subjected to lateral loads is insignificant. The effect of aspect ratio of the rectangular pile on the lateral behavior is great for the lower stiffness ratio between pile and soil and the larger length–equivalent diameter ratio. The effect of the value of Poisson's ratio of soil on lateral stiffness coefficient is relatively small except Poisson's ratio close to 0.5. The comparison of the results calculated by the current method for a rectangular pile subjected to lateral loads in nonhomogeneous soil has shown good agreement with those obtained from the analytical methods and the finite element method. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Nature of Mantle Rocks in Ophiolites of the Polar Urals

This work presents the results of geochemical (LA-ICP-MS) study of minerals of peridotites from ophiolite complexes of the Polar Urals to clarify the nature of these formations. The distribution of trace and rare earth elements in clinopyroxenes testifies that there were three types of the mantle substratum, which formed in different geodynamic settings. Two types of primary peridotites were formed upon partial melting of the mantle at different-depth levels in the subduction zone. The first type is represented by lherzolites and diopside harzburgites, formed at partial melting under the spinel facies conditions; the second type is represented by diopside harzburgites, formed under polybaric partial melting under the garnet and spinel facies conditions. In the suprasubduction zone, peridotites experienced fluid-induced partial melting that resulted in crystallization of harzburgites. All types of harzburgites were transformed by ascending melts and fluids (refertilization) and high-temperature hydration with the formation of amphibole. These processes are recorded in variations in the REE spectra of minerals.     

Displaced dolomites in radiolarian cherts of the Chichibu Belt on Shikoku Island,Southwest Japan

The northern tract of the Chichibu Belt on Shikoku Island, Southwest Japan, in places contains dolomites of Late Carboniferous age displaced into radiolarian cherts. The sections here examined are along the Niyodo gorge, central Shikoku. The sequence begins with thinly interbedded dolomitized radiolarian cherts and dolomites with a small amount of dolomitized radiolarian claystone and calcisiltite beds. These rocks, 5–10 m thick, are succeeded by a thick section of bedded and massive dolomites, commonly 40–50 m thick, which have thin intercalations of radiolarian claystone in the upper part. This dolomite sequence is depositionally overlain by a sequence, up to 50 m thick, comprising thinly interbedded radiolarian cherts and claystones, which, in turn, contain lenticular bodies of dolomite.Thin-section examination reveals that most of dolomites of the area have an arenitic or lithic texture, and should be termed doloarenite and dololithite. This means that dolomites are detrital. All lines of evidence suggest that the dolomites were not formed in the same depositional site in which the radiolarian cherts were being accumulated, but formed instead as allochthonous bodies which were displaced into a deep oceanic basin of chert deposition.The following sequence of events is postulated: (1) deposition of shallow-water calcareous sediments in a subtidal area; (2) dolomitization in a very shallow-water to supratidal environment; (3) displacement of dolomitized sediments, possibly mainly as debris flows into a deep-water, truely pelagic realm, in which siliceous radiolarian sediments were accumulating; (4) continued accumulation of siliceous sediments after the major influx of dolomitized sediments; and (5) minor influxes of dolomitized sediments during the continuous accumulation of siliceous sediments.     

Field survey of the East Java earthquake and tsunami of June 3, 1994

A field survey of the June 3, 1994 East Java earthquake tsunami was conducted within three weeks, and the distributions of the seismic intensities, tsunami heights, and human and house damages were surveyed. The seismic intensities on the south coasts of Java and Bali Islands were small for an earthquake with magnitudeM 7.6. The earthquake caused no land damage. About 40 minutes after the main shock, a huge tsunami attacked the coasts, several villages in East Java Province were damaged severely, and 223 persons perished. At Pancer Village about 70 percent of the houses were swept away and 121 persons were killed by the tsunami. The relationship between tsunami heights and distances from the source shows that the Hatori's tsunami magnitude wasm=3, which seems to be larger for the earthquake magnitude. But we should not consider this an extraordinary event because it was pointed out byHatori (1994) that the magnitudes of tsunamis in the Indonesia-Philippine region generally exceed 1–2 grade larger than those of other regions.     

Trace element compositions of jadeite (+omphacite) in jadeitites from the Itoigawa-Ohmi district, Japan: Implications for fluid processes in subduction zones

Abstract   Trace-element compositions of jadeite (±omphacite) in jadeitites from the Itoigawa-Ohmi district of Japan, analyzed by a laser-ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry technique showed chemical zoning within individual grains and variations within each sample and between different samples. Primitive mantle-normalized patterns of jadeite in the samples generally showed high large-ion lithophile element contents, high light rare earth element/heavy rare earth element ratios and positive anomalies of high field strength elements. The studied jadeitites have no signatures of the protolith texture or mineralogy. Shapes and distributions of minerals coupled with chemical zoning within grains suggest that the jadeitites were formed by direct precipitation of minerals from aqueous fluids or complete metasomatic modification of the precursor rocks by fluids. In either case, the geochemical characteristics of jadeite are highly affected by fluids enriched in both large-ion lithophile elements and high field strength elements. The specific fluids responsible for the formation of jadeitites are related to serpentinization by slab-derived fluids in subduction zones. This process is followed by dissolving high field strength elements in the subducting crust as the fluids continue to circulate into the subducting crusts and serpentinized peridotites. The fluids have variations in chemical compositions corresponding to various degrees of water–rock interactions.     

Triassic mid-oceanic sedimentation in Panthalassa Ocean: Sambosan accretionary complex, Japan

Abstract   The Sambosan accretionary complex of southwest Japan was formed during the uppermost Jurassic to lowermost Cretaceous and consists of basaltic rocks, carbonates and siliceous rocks. The Sambosan oceanic rocks were grouped into four stratigraphic successions: (i) Middle Upper Triassic basaltic rock; (ii) Upper Triassic shallow-water limestone; (iii) limestone breccia; and (iv) Middle Middle Triassic to lower Upper Jurassic siliceous rock successions. The basaltic rocks have a geochemical affinity with oceanic island basalt of a normal hotspot origin. The shallow-water limestone, limestone breccia, and siliceous rock successions are interpreted to be sediments on the seamount-top, upper seamount-flank and surrounding ocean floor, respectively. Deposition of the radiolarian chert of the siliceous rock succession took place on the ocean floor in Late Anisian and continued until Middle Jurassic. Oceanic island basalt was erupted to form a seamount by an intraplate volcanism in Late Carnian. Late Triassic shallow-water carbonate sedimentation occurred at the top of this seamount. Accumulation of the radiolarian chert was temporally replaced by Late Carnian to Early Norian deep-water pelagic carbonate sedimentation. Biotic association and lithologic properties of the pelagic carbonates suggest that an enormous production and accumulation of calcareous planktonic biotas occurred in an open-ocean realm of the Panthalassa Ocean in Late Carnian through Early Norian. Upper Norian ribbon chert of the siliceous rock succession contains thin beds of limestone breccia displaced from the shallow-water buildup resting upon the seamount. The shallow-water limestone and siliceous rock successions are nearly coeval with one another and are laterally linked by displaced carbonates in the siliceous rock succession.