A study on the distribution of total bacteria,bacterial aggregates and heterotrophic bacteria in the sea

The concentrations of total bacteria, bacterial aggregates and so-called heterotrophic bacteria were compared and discussed with special reference to the watermasses that vertically layered at the western North Pacific central region and the subarctic Pacific region.The concentrations of bacterial aggregates, having cells more than 25, were considerably uniform throughout the ocean depths. This was also shown indirectly by the measurements of size spectrum and organic constituents of particles, especially in the subsurface and deep watermasses. The so-called heterotrophic bacteria decreased in their concentration in deeper watermass, and the decrease was not obvious within each watermass but obvious among watermasses.     

Entropy in Markov chains and discrimination of cyclic patterns in lithologic successions

The concept of Markov chains, applied to stratigraphic sections, is reliable in analyzing cyclic patterns in lithologic successions. Randomness in the occurrence of lithologies repeating in a succession is evaluated generally in terms of entropies which can be calculated for the Markov matrix equated with the succession. Two types of entropies pertain to every state; one is relevant to the Markov matrix expressing the upward transitions, and the other, relevant to the matrix expressing the downward transitions. The latter and the former with respect to a certain state, making an entropy set, correspond to the degree of randomness in its linking with the others which occur as the precursor and the successor, respectively. It is obvious that the entropy sets which are calculated for all state variables serve as a reliable criterion in the discrimination of cyclic pattern of the succession. We are able based on the entropy sets to classify the various patterns into asymmetric, symmetric, and random cycles, which are exhibited also in actual lithologic successions. The entropy sets are calculated for Markov matrices which have been reported from a number of areas in the world, and compared with the cyclic patterns supposed there. Entropy for the whole system of sedimentation also is introduced to discuss variability of the condition in the depositional processes.     

Distribution of tungsten and molybdenum between metal,silicate, and sulphide phases of meteorites

The concentrations of W, Mo, Co and Ni have been determined by neutron activation analysis in the separated metal, silicate and troilite of twelve chondrites—nine ordinary, two enstatite and one carbonaceous. Concentration ratios of W and Mo in silicate relative to metal are 0.03–0.6 and 0.05–0.55, respectively, and those of W in the troilite relative to the metal are 0.01–0.2. The contents of Mo in the troilite are nearly equal to those in the metal. Co and Ni are more depleted than W and Mo both in the silicate and troilite.Thermodynamic considerations have been made for determined concentration ratios. In some L-chondrites, W is depleted in the silicate by a factor of three to four of the value estimated from the correlation line between H- and LL-chondrites. This tendency seems to suggest a relatively higher temperature in the thermal history of these L-chondrites.     

Natural abundance of 15N in particulate organic matter in the North Pacific Ocean

The abundance of ¹⁵N in particulate organic matter in the euphotic layer of the North Pacific Ocean was investigated. δ¹⁵N values ranged from ?1.7 to +9.7% relative to atmospheric nitrogen. ¹⁵N contents in plankton samples collected in the central and northwestern North Pacific were inversely correlated with concentrations of NO^?₃. The ¹⁵N contents of Trichodesmium sp. (?1.7 to +0.5%) and associated Zooplankton (ca. + 2%) were low, suggesting the significance of nitrogen supply via molecular nitrogen fixation which is assumed to involve little isotope fractionation. The variation of ¹⁵N in particulate organic nitrogen in the euphotic layer of the ocean can be explained by biochemical isotope fractionation in the assimilation of nitrate and fixation of molecular nitrogen.     

Diverse metal sources of Archaean gold deposits: evidence from in situ lead-isotope analysis of individual grains of galena and altaite in the Ross and Kirkland Lake deposits,Abitibi Greenstone belt,Canada

Lead isotope compositions for individual grains of galena and altaite (PbTe) were determined in situ using a secondary ion mass spectrometer (SIMS). Galena was collected from the Ross deposit and altaite from the Kirkland Lake (KL) deposits in the southern Abitibi greenstone belt, Superior Province of Canada. The samples from KL are more radiogenic than those from the Ross deposit. Isotopic compositions vary significantly between different grains in each deposit and form broad linear arrays in ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb-²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb-²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb diagrams. The linear arrays of Pb-isotope data are attributed to mixing of Pb from different sources. At least two sources are required for individual deposits: one with low U/Pb and Th/Pb ratios and the other with high ratios. Lead minerals occurring with Au are less radiogenic than those that are not obviously associated with Au, suggesting that Au was supplied from low U/Pb sources such as sulphides or older ultramafic-mafic rocks. While most data are consistent with the derivation from local rocks, highly radiogenic Pb with relatively low ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb ratios recorded at KL require post-Archaean mineralization or derivation of the Pb from an unusual crustal source with low . The latter interpretation is favored because of the lack of textural evidence and because it is difficult to dissolve and precipitate altaite at low temperatures. The presence of a Pb reservoir with low is also inferred from the data of Archaean banded iron formations and volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits. Different isotopic patterns of the two deposits suggest different sources of metals in the two deposits. While this conclusion does not reject the derivation of fluids from the lower crust or mantle, the data are not in accord with conceptual models invoking a common source reservoir for metals. The study suggests that fluids, which may have a common origin, leached metals and other constituents from the upper crustal rocks during their ascent. The proposed model, different origins for different constituents, explains much of the conflicting evidence presented by Archaean Au deposits, including provinciality of mineralogy and relatively uniform fluid inclusion and C-isotope data from many Au deposits.     

鲁西中生代高镁辉石闪长岩中超镁铁质捕虏体成因:氧化态和铂族元素证据

鲁西莱芜晚中生代高镁闪长岩中含丰富的超镁铁质捕虏体,主要为纯橄岩(>80%),少量方辉橄榄岩(<5%)和橄榄辉石岩(<15%)。测定了代表性捕虏体的亲铁、亲铜元素含量,根据其矿物化学成分计算了捕虏体的氧化-还原状态。方辉橄榄岩遭受了不同程度富Si熔体的交代,全岩富含Cr、Co、Ni和IPGE,高IPGE/PPGE值,是地幔深度部分熔融的残留。纯橄岩由铬铁矿和高Mg橄榄石组成,全岩富含Cr、Co、Ni,贫IPGE,低IPGE/PPGE值,可能为一种镁铁质熔体的堆晶岩。纯橄岩中橄榄石成分表现出一定的变化范围,局部镁橄榄石（Fo）成分高达94,可能是堆晶中橄榄石与足够的铬铁矿反应的结果,原始熔体可能为玻镁安山质岩浆。方辉橄榄岩和纯橄岩都显示高f_O2值,FMQ+1.4~+2.4,与研究区早古生代相对还原的陆下岩石圈地幔(f_O2低于C-CO₂缓冲反应)形成鲜明对比。数据表明,中生代扬子大陆和华北克拉通碰撞之前,特提斯大洋板块和扬子大陆边缘相继俯冲到华北克拉通东缘之下,导致当时岩石圈地幔的f_O2陡升。     

Diel tuning of photosynthetic systems in ice algae at Saroma-ko Lagoon, Hokkaido, Japan

Ice algae are the major primary producers in seasonally ice-covered oceans during the cold season. Diurnal change in solar radiation is inevitable for ice algae, even beneath seasonal sea ice in lower-latitude regions. In this work, we focused on the photosynthetic response of ice algae under diurnally changing irradiance in Saroma-ko Lagoon, Japan. Photosynthetic properties were assessed by pulse-amplitude modulation (PAM) fluorometry. The species composition remained almost the same throughout the investigation. The maximum electron transport rate (rETR_max), which indicates the capacity of photosynthetic electron transport, increased from sunrise until around noon and decreased toward sunset, with no sign of the afternoon depression commonly observed in other photosynthetic organisms. The level of non-photochemical quenching, which indicates photoprotection activity by dissipating excess light energy via thermal processes, changed with diurnal variations in irradiance. The pigment composition appeared constant, except for xanthophyll cycle pigments, which changed irrespective of irradiance. These results indicate that ice algae tune their photosynthetic system harmonically to achieve efficient photosynthesis under diurnally changing irradiance, while avoiding damage to photosystems. This regulation system may be essential for productive photosynthesis in ice algae.     

Backshore coarsening processes triggered by wave‐induced sand transport: the critical role of storm events

Spatial backshore processes were investigated through field observations of topography and median sand grain size at a sandy beach facing the Pacific Ocean in Japan. A comparison of the backshore profile and cross‐shore distribution of the median sand grain size in 1999 and 2004 revealed an unusual sedimentary process in which sand was coarsened in a depositional area in the 5‐year period, although sediment is generally coarsened in erosional areas. In support of these observations, monthly spatial field analyses carried out in 2004 demonstrated a remarkable backshore coarsening process triggered by sedimentation in the seaward part of the backshore during a storm event. In order to elucidate mechanisms involved in the backshore coarsening process, thresholds of movable sand grain size under wave and wind actions (a uniform parameter for both these cases) in the onshore and offshore directions were estimated using wave, tide, and wind data. The cross‐shore distributions of the estimated thresholds provided reasonable values and demonstrated a coarsening mechanism involving the intermediate zone around the shoreline under alternating wave and wind actions as a result of which coarse sand was transported toward the seaward part of the backshore by large waves during storms and then toward the landward part by strong onshore winds. The 5‐year backshore coarsening is most certainly explained by repetition of short‐term coarsening mechanisms caused by wave‐induced sand transport occurring from the nearshore to the intermediate zone. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd     

Mineral Inclusions in Chromite from the Chromite Deposit in the Kudi Ophiolite, Tibet, Proto-Tethys

High-Al chromite from the Kudi chromitites contains a wide range of mineral inclusions. They include clinopyroxene, amphibole, phlogopite, olivine, orthopyroxene, apatite, base-metal sulfides, calcite and brucite. The modal abundance of inclusions vary greatly among different grains of chromite. The common inclusions are clinopyroxene and amphibole, which occur as monomineral or polymineral associated with other minerals. The shapes of these inclusions tend to follow the growth plane of host chromite. Mineral assemblages and textures demonstrate that some inclusions(olivine, clinopyroxene) are trapped during magmatic stage, and most of the inclusions(e.g., amphibole, phlogopite) are trapped during recrystallization of chromite. Sulfide inclusions are pentlandite, chalcopyrite and cubanite. They occur either as isolated grains or together with silicate minerals, and formed from the separation of sulfide-bearing liquid from silicate magma. The parental magma of chromitites contains Al_2O_3 15.0wt%–16.5wt%, TiO_20.30wt%–1.05wt% based on calculation with the composition of chromite, similar to parental magma of high-Al chromitites from elsewhere and the estimated melt composition is comparable with that of MORB. Considering the high-Mg olivine in disseminated chromitite and abundant hydrous inclusions, we propose that Kudi chromitites formed beneath a volcanic front during the subduction initiation of Proto-Tethys.     

Syn-eruptive breakdown of pyrrhotite: a record of magma fragmentation,air entrainment,and oxidation

Air entrainment in fragmented magmas controls the dynamics of volcanic eruptions. Pyroclast oxidation kinetics may be applied to quantify the degree of magma–air interaction. Pyrrhotite (Po) in volcanic rocks is often oxidized to form magnetite (Mt) and hematite (Hm), and its reaction mechanisms are well constrained. To test utilizing Po oxidation as a marker for magma–air interactions, we compared the occurrence of Po oxidation products from three different eruption styles during the Sakurajima 1914–1915 eruption. Pumices from the Plinian eruption include columnar-type Fe oxides (Mt with subordinate width of Hm) often accompanied by relict Po. This columnar type is also found in clastogenic lava, where it is almost completely oxidized to Hm. The effusive lava contains framboidal aggregates of subhedral to anhedral Mt crystals without Hm. The formation mechanisms of columnar and framboidal Fe oxides were estimated. The columnar type Fe oxides were formed syn-eruptively through gaseous reactions, as opposed to the melt in a magma chamber, as demonstrated by the Ti-free nature of the columnar Mt and its synchronous oxidation to Hm. By contrast, the framboidal type was formed in a melt with decreasing fS₂. The calculation of Hm growth in a conductively cooling pumice clast constrains the surface temperature of pumice in the eruption column. The paragenesis and oxidation degree of Po and Fe oxides are consistent with the eruption processes in terms of magma fragmentation, air entrainment, and welding, and can, therefore, be a responsive marker for the magma–air interaction.