Deformation mechanisms and fluid behavior in a shallow, brittle fault zone during coseismic and interseismic periods: Results from drill core penetrating the Nojima Fault, Japan

Abstract This paper describes the results of petrographical and meso- to microstructural observations of brittle fault rocks in cores obtained by drilling through the Nojima Fault at a drilling depth of 389.52 m. The zonation of deformation and alteration in the central zone of the fault is clearly seen in cores of granite from the hanging wall, in the following order: (i) host rock, which is characterized by some intragranular microcracks and in situ alteration of mafic minerals and feldspars; (ii) weakly deformed and altered rocks, which are characterized by transgranular cracks and the dissolution of mafic minerals, and by the precipitation of zeolites and iron hydroxide materials; (iii) random fabric fault breccia, which is characterized by fragmentation, by anastomosing networks of transgranular cracks, and by the precipitation of zeolites and iron hydroxide materials; and (iv) fault gouge, which is characterized by the precipitation of smectite and localized cataclastic flow. This zonation implies that the fault has been weakened gradually by fluid-related fracturing over time. In the footwall, a gouge layer measuring only 15 mm thick is present just below the surface of the Nojima Fault. These observations are the basis for a model of fluid behavior along the Nojima Fault. The model invokes the percolation of meteoric fluids through cracks in the hanging wall fault zone during interseismic periods, resulting in chemical reactions in the fault gouge layer to form smectite. The low permeability clay-rich gouge layer sealed the footwall. The fault gouge was brecciated during coseismic or postseismic periods, breaking the seal and allowing fluids to readily flow into the footwall, thus causing a slight alteration. Chemical reactions between fluids and the fault breccia and gouge generated new fault gouge, which resealed the footwall, resulting in a low fluid condition in the footwall during interseismic periods.     

Upper and middle crustal deformation of an arc–arc collision across Hokkaido, Japan, inferred from seismic refraction/wide-angle reflection experiments

The Hidaka Collision Zone (HCZ), central Hokkaido, Japan, is a good target for studies of crustal evolution and deformation processes associated with an arc–arc collision. The collision of the Kuril Arc (KA) with the Northeast Japan Arc (NJA), which started in the middle Miocene, is considered to be a controlling factor for the formation of the Hidaka Mountains, the westward obduction of middle/lower crustal rocks of the KA (the Hidaka Metamorphic Belt (HMB)) and the development of the foreland fold-and-thrust belt on the NJA side. The “Hokkaido Transect” project undertaken from 1998 to 2000 was a multidisciplinary effort intended to reveal structural heterogeneity across this collision zone by integrated geophysical/geological research including seismic refraction/reflection surveys and earthquake observations. An E–W trending 227 km-long refraction/wide-angle reflection profile found a complicated structural variation from the KA to the NJA across the HCZ. In the east of the HCZ, the hinterland region is covered with 4–4.5 km thick highly undulated Neogene sedimentary layers, beneath which two eastward dipping reflectors were imaged in a depth range of 10–25 km, probably representing the layer boundaries of the obducting middle/lower crust of the KA. The HMB crops out on the westward extension of these reflectors with relatively high Vp (>6.0 km/s) and Vp/Vs (>1.80) consistent with middle/lower crustal rocks. Beneath these reflectors, more flat and westward dipping reflector sequences are situated at the 25–27 km depth, forming a wedge-like geometry. This distribution pattern indicates that the KA crust has been delaminated into more than two segments under our profile. In the western part of the transect, the structure of the fold-and-thrust belt is characterized by a very thick (5–8 km) sedimentary package with a velocity of 2.5–4.8 km/s. This package exhibits one or two velocity reversals in Paleogene sedimentary layers, probably formed by imbrication associated with the collision process. From the horizontal distribution of these velocity reversals and other geophysical/geological data, the rate of crustal shortening in this area is estimated to be greater than 3–4 mm/year, which corresponds to 40–50% of the total convergence rate between the NJA and the Eurasian Plate. This means that the fold-and-thrust belt west of the HCZ is absorbing a large amount of crustal deformation associated with plate interaction across Hokkaido Island.     

Effects of light intensity on the production of VSLs from the marine diatom Ditylum brightwellii

Journal of Atmospheric Chemistry - Very short-lived substances (VSLs) are known to play an important role in ozone depletion in the troposphere and stratosphere. Environmental factors that...     

Determination of phase transition pressures of ZnTe under quasihydrostatic conditions

Pressure behavior of ZnTe at room temperature was studied using an X-ray energy dispersive method on a DIA type cubic anvil apparatus (SAM-85) at NSLS-X17B1. By using powdered polyethylene, the sample and NaCl for a pressure scale were held under quasihydrostatic conditions, which were confirmed by X-ray diffraction method. Two high-pressure phase transitions were confirmed using X-ray powder diffraction simultaneously with electrical resistance measurements. The phase transition pressures under quasihydrostatic conditions were determined to be 9.6 GPa, at which the resistance increased, and 12.0 GPa, which was the midpoint of a large resistance decrease. Errors in the pressure determinations were estimated to be less than 0.2 GPa. These pressure values may depend on grain size and anisotropic stress effects on the calibrant. From X-ray observation of ZnTe, the bulk modulus of the zinc blende structure was calculated to beK ₀=51(3) GPa andK ₀ =3.6(0.8), and the first transition at 9.6 GPa was found to have about 9% volume change. It was consistent with an anomaly in the pressure generating curves.     

Holocene environmental changes of the Hwajinpo Lagoon on the eastern coast of Korea

Lithologic and geochemical data of a core from the Hwajinpo Lagoon, located on the eastern coast of Korea, provided the evolutionary history of the lagoon related to Holocene sea-level changes of the East Sea (Sea of Japan). Grain size analysis, water content analysis, and soft X-ray analysis of core samples were used to reconstruct sedimentary environments, as were total organic carbon, C/N, S and C/S chemical records. Assemblages of mollusc and diatom remains also provided paleoenvironmental information. The reconstruction of paleoenvironments from these multi-proxy data allows the establishment of an evolutionary model of the Hwajinpo Lagoon. The environmental changes of the Hwajinpo Lagoon can be divided into seven different depositional facies: (l) Exposed basement rock; (2) Estuarine; (3) Stagnant brackish lagoon (isolated); (4) Oxic condition lagoon (organic activity); (5) Fresh water lake; (6) Oxic brackish lagoon (recent condition); (7) Prograding river delta. These environmental changes can be related to sea-level change during the Holocene. The trends of sea-level change in the Hwajinpo Lagoon from this study can be compared to those of the Japanese coastal areas located on the other side of the East Sea such as Lakes Shinji and Nakaumi.     

Detailed observation of the wind-exerted surface flow by use of flow visualization methods

Detailed observations were performed of the wind-exerted surface flow, before and after the generation of wind waves. As flow visualization techniques, 6 classes of polystyrene beads of from 0.33 mm to 1.93 mm in diameter, with a specific gravity of 0.99, and also, hydrogen bubble lines, were used. Experiments were carried out at three ranges of the wind speed: 4.0, 6.2 and 8.6ms^–1 in the mean in the wind-wave tunnel section, and the observations were made at 2.85 m in fetch. In the case of 6.2 m s^–1, when the initial surface skin flow attains 0.22 cm in the scale thickness and 16 cm s^–1 in the surface velocity in about 3 second from the onset of the wind, regular waves of about 1.7 cm in wave length appear on the water surface. In one second after that, the downward thrust of the surface flow and the consequent forced convection commences, and the transition of the surface layer to a turbulent state occurs. Ordinary wind waves begin to develop from this state. In developed wind waves the viscous skin flow grows on the windward side of the crests, frequently producing macroscopic skin flows, and these skin flows converge to make a downward thrust at the lee side, and the viscous skin layer disappears there. The velocity of the downward flow has a maximum at the phase of about 30, and the value is of the order of 10 cm s^–1 at 4-mm depth after the orbital velocity of the sinusoidal wave is subtracted. As the process through which the wind stress acts on the water surface, it is considered that the following particular one may be real: the skin friction concentrated at the windward side of the crest produces skin flows, which thrust into the inner region to make the forced convection, carrying the acquired momentum. The viscous shearing stress just before the generation of the surface undurations was about 1/4 of the total shearing stress under the existence of wind waves. It is considered that the increase of the wind stress by wind waves is caused by this mechanism.     

Observation of the disturbances occurring in a discontinuity layer of Lake Biwa-Ko

Short-period temperature fluctuations were observed in the uppermost region of the seasonal thermocline in Lake Biwa-Ko, under the existence of the strong wind-stirring. In the observation period, the temperature profile had a sharp discontinuity at the bottom of the surface mixed layer, and a large gradient in the discontinuity layer of about 2-m thickness. The most dominant disturbances occurred in the discontinuity layer had the period of 2 to 3 minutes and the amplitude of about 1 m. They occurred intermittently with 5-to 15-minute intervals, and the growth and decay cycles were repeated locally. On the basis of these results, it is suggested that they were caused by the shear instability, and that such disturbances may control the erosion process of the seasonal thermocline.     

The New Britain trench and 149° embayment,Western Solomon Sea

The western New Britain Trench contains relatively thin sediment fill in the east, compared to the west where a sequence of thick turbidites is ponded behind a basement high in the trench axis, The trench trends toward Huon Gulf, but intersects the Trobriand Trench at an acute angle at the 149° Embayment, where both trenches end. Seismic structure west of the trench is incoherent, related to incipient collision of the Indian-Australia Plate and the South Bismarck Plate. The collision suture is marked by the Markham Canyon, continuous in its upper reaches with the Ramu-Markham Fault Zone on shore.     

Critical accretion flow of gas onto compact stars

The critical accretion flow of gas onto compact stars with mass of 0.6M is investigated by numerical integrations of the time-dependent hydrodynamic equations in the sphericallysymmetric and optically thick case. For the compact stars surrounded by such a dense cloud of gas, the radiation pressure force decelerates the infall gas significantly and free fall regime of the gas is not at all attained. This results in incident low velocities at the standing shock front close to the stellar surface, low temperatures of the gas around the compact stars, and no X-ray in white dwarfs but soft X-rays in neutron stars, respectively. Some applications of the results to the X-ray sources are discussed.     

Composition and pressure dependence of lattice thermal conductivity of (Mg,Fe)O solid solutions

We measured the lattice thermal conductivities of Fe_0.98O wüstite and iron-rich (Mg,Fe)O magnesiowüstite using the pulsed light heating thermoreflectance technique with a diamond anvil cell up to 61 GPa at 300 K. We found that the thermal conductivity of wüstite does not show a monotonic increase as a function of pressure, contrary to that of MgO periclase. Rocksalt (B1) to rhombohedral B1 transition is likely to induce an abnormal pressure response in the conductivity of wüstite. Our results also show that magnesiowüstite has a lower conductivity than that of MgO and FeO endmembers due to a strong iron impurity effect, which is well reproduced by a model considering phonon-impurity scattering in a binary solid solution.