Late Cretaceous uplift history of the Cretaceous volcanic arc in Southwest Japan: Provenance analysis of the Yuasa–Aridagawa basin based on U–Pb zircon ages

The Ryoke Metamorphic complex has undergone low‐P/T metamorphism and was intruded by granitic magmas around 100 Ma. Subsequently, the belt was uplifted and exposed by the time deposition of the Izumi Group began. The tectonic history of uplift, such as the timing and processes, are poorly known despite being important for understanding the spatiotemporal evolution of the Ryoke Metamorphic Belt. U–Pb zircon ages from sedimentary rocks in the forearc and backarc basins are useful for constraining uplift and magmatism in the provenance. U–Pb dating of detrital zircons from 12 samples (four sandstones and eight granitic clasts) in the Yuasa–Aridagawa basin, a Cretaceous forearc basin in the Chichibu Belt of Southwest Japan, gave mostly ages of 60–110 Ma. Granitic clasts contained in conglomerate suggest that granitic intrusions predate the formation of Coniacian and Maastrichtian conglomerate. Emplacement ages of granitic bodies originated from granitic clasts in Coniacian conglomerate are (110.2 ±1.3) Ma, (106.1 ±1.8) Ma, (101.8+5.8–3.8) Ma, and (95.3 ±1.4) Ma; for granitic clasts in Maastrichtian conglomerate, (89.6 ±1.8) Ma, (87.3+2.4–1.8) Ma, (85.7 ±1.2) Ma, and (82.7 ±1.2) Ma. The results suggest that detrital zircons in the sandstones were mainly derived from volcanic eruptions contemporaneous with depositional age, and plutonic rocks of the Ryoke Metamorphic Belt. Zircon ages of the granitic clast samples also indicate that uplift in the provenance began after Albian and occurred at least during the Coniacian to Maastrichtian. Our results, together with the difference of provenance between backarc and forearc basins suggest that the southern marginal zone of the Ryoke Metamorphic Belt was uplifted and supplied a large amount of clastic materials to the forearc basins during the Late Cretaceous.     

Nonlinear behaviour of scoria soil sediments evaluated from borehole records in eastern Shizuoka prefecture,Japan

We evaluate the non-linear behaviour of soil sediments, analysing five weak and four strong motions observed at depths of 1 m and 28 m, in eastern Shizuoka prefecture, Japan. We identify S-wave velocities and frequency-dependent damping factors by minimizing the residual between observed and theoretical spectral ratios, based on a linear one-dimensional model. We find that S-wave velocities identified from strong motions, whose peak ground acceleration are 440, 210, 176, and 140 cm/s², are significantly smaller than those identified from weak motions. The shear modulus reduction ratios estimated from identified S-wave velocities become clear above an effective shear strain of 10^-4 and agree with laboratory test results below an effective shear strain of 8×10^-4. The differences of damping factors between weak and strong motions are not clear below this effective shear strain, as the laboratory test suggested. The equivalent linear one-dimensional model, with frequency-dependent damping factors, is confirmed to be valid to simulate strong motions at least an effective shear strain of less than 4×10^-4. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Response of Equatorial Pacific Mean Temperature Field to Intraseasonal Wind Forcing

The effects of intra-seasonal wind forcing on the mean field of the tropical Pacific Ocean has been studied using an ocean general circulation model (GCM). Idealized intra-seasonal zonal wind forcing with zero mean, which propagates eastward, induces net eastward jets at the equator that shift the warm water pool to the east. The mean temperature of the upper 200 m of the ocean increases off the equator and decreases at the equator. The change is independent of the propagation speed of the intra-seasonal wind forcing. The magnitude of the change depends on the amplitude and the period of the forcing, and the ocean structure, while the spatial pattern is independent of these parameters. A simple shallow water model is used to explain these changes. It is found that the term responsible for the enhanced eastward Equatorial jet is the Reynolds stress term, which arises from a phase shift of the zonal current due to friction. The resultant convergence of eastward momentum on the equator and geostrophic adjustment of the interface to the change of zonal current brings about the thermal redistribution of the upper ocean seen in the GCM.     

Equatorward Spreading of a Passive Tracer with Application to North Pacific Interdecadal Temperature Variations

A simulation is conducted with a realistic ocean general circulation model to investigate the three dimensional spreading of a passive tracer prescribed at the sea surface with the same distribution as the interdecadal sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies observed in the North Pacific. The tracers reaching the equator have the same sign as the major oval-shaped SST anomaly pattern in the central North Pacific but with a magnitude reduced less than 10% of the mid-latitude SST anomaly. The mixing both with the water containing SST anomalies of an opposite sign off the west coast of North America, and with the Southern Hemisphere thermocline water both contribute to the reduced equatorial amplitude. On the way to the equator in the southwestern part of the subtropical gyre, the subducted water is replenished by tracers leaking from the recirculation region to the north. The simulated passive tracer field in the subsurface layers agrees with the observed interdecadal temperature anomalies, suggesting the relevance of the processes studied here to the thermocline variability in the real North Pacific.     

Periodic oscillations found in the velocity field of a quiescent prominence

With the purpose of detecting periodic oscillations or waves in a quiescent prominence, temporal variations of a Ca ii K line profile have been studied. The most conspicuous phenomenon found here is the fact that the edge of the prominence showed, over some 20000 km along the spectrograph-slit, periodic velocity fluctuations of nearly the same phase with periods of 210–240 s and with an amplitude of up to ± 2 kms ^–1. At other portions, several different periods of peaks (160–400 s) can also be seen in the power spectra, but less distinctly. As to the intensity and the line width, however, no periodic variations have been detected.     

Deep-sea submersible survey in the Suruga, Sagami and Japan Trenches: preliminary results of the 1985 Kaiko cruise, Leg 2

Nine submersible dives were made in three trenches off central Japan, between 2990 and 5900 m of water depth. Our observations confirm the interpretation that Daiichi-Kashima Seamount is a Cretaceous guyot formed on the Pacific plate that has traveled into the Japan Trench. We also confirmed the previous interpretation of a large normal fault that splits the seamount in two halves, the lower one being now subducting beneath the Japan margin. Compressional deformation was identified within the lower part of the inner slope in front of the seamount. The pattern of deformation that affects Quaternary sediments is in agreement with the present kinematics of the convergence between the Pacific plate and Japan. Deep-water (5700 m) clam colonies are associated with advection of fluids, driven by the subduction-related overpressures. In the northern slope of the Boso Canyon, along the Sagami Trough system (Philippine Sea plate-Japan boundary), the deformation affecting a thick upper Miocene to lower Pliocene sequence indicates two directions of shortening: a N175°E direction which is consistent with the present relative motion along the Sagami Trough (N285–N300°E) and a N30°E direction which could be related to a more northerly direction of convergence that occured during the early Quaternary and earlier.     

Computation of complete synthetic seismograms for laterally heterogeneous models using the Direct Solution Method

We use the Direct Solution Method (DSM) together with the modified operators derived by Geller & Takeuchi (1995) and Takeuchi, Geller & Cummins (1996) to compute complete synthetic seismograms and their partial derivatives for laterally heterogeneous models in spherical coordinates. The methods presented in this paper are well suited to conducting waveform inversion for 3-D Earth structure. No assumptions of weak perturbation are necessary, although such approximations greatly improve computational efficiency when their use is appropriate.
An example calculation is presented in which the toroidal wavefield is calculated for an axisymmetric model for which velocity is dependent on depth and latitude but not longitude. The wavefield calculated using the DSM agrees well with wavefronts calculated by tracing rays. To demonstrate that our algorithm is not limited to weak, aspherical perturbations to a spherically symmetric structure, we consider a model for which the latitude-dependent part of the velocity structure is very strong.     

Upwelling front and two-cell circulation in a two-dimensional model

The intensification of upwelling front and two-cell circulation is studied numerically in a two dimensional level model. Upwelling front is set initially with longshore geostrophic flow. The uniform wind stress forces the ocean which has an infinite north-south coast line. Two-cell circulation, downwelling just inshore-side of the front and upwelling offshore-side, is induced, and the front is intensified. It is found that the intensification is occurred in the inshore-side of the front, and the intensification is basically due to the deviation from the thermal-wind balance, as is shown bySuginohara (1977). It is found that the inshore-side cell intrudes under the pycnocline. It seems to reproduce the observed two-cell circulation.     

Halogen concentrations in pore waters and sediments of the Nankai Trough,Japan: Implications for the origin of gas hydrates

Presented here are halogen concentrations (Cl, Br and I) in pore waters and sediments from three deep cores in gas hydrate fields of the Nankai Trough area. The three cores were drilled between 1999 and 2004 in different geologic regions of the northeastern Nankai Trough hydrate zone. Iodine concentrations in all three cores increase rapidly with depth from seawater concentrations (0.00043 mmol/L) to values of up to 0.45 mmol/L. The chemical form of I was identified as I⁻, in accordance with the anaerobic conditions in marine sediments below the SO₄ reduction depth. The increase in I is accompanied by a parallel, although lesser increase in Br concentrations, while Cl concentrations are close to seawater values throughout most of the profiles. Large concentration fluctuations of the three halogens in pore waters were found close to the lower boundary of the hydrate stability zone, related to processes of formation and dissociation of hydrates in this zone. Generally low concentrations of I and Br in sediments and the lack of correlation between sediment and pore water profiles speak against derivation of I and Br from local sediments and suggest transport of halogen rich fluids into the gas hydrate fields. Differences in the concentration profiles between the three cores indicate that modes of transportation shifted from an essentially vertical pattern in a sedimentary basin location to more horizontal patterns in accretionary ridge settings. Because of the close association between organic material and I and the similarity of transport behavior for I⁻ and CH₄, the results suggest that the CH₄ in the gas hydrates also was transported by aqueous fluids from older sediments into the present layers.