Mid- and far-infrared extinction coefficients of hydrous silicate minerals

Extinction coefficients were measured for three kind of hydrous silicate minerals, montmorillonite, chlorite and serpentine, from 7 to 140 m. The infrared extinction coefficients of these minerals show (1) a few broad bands in the mid-infrared region and (2) a less steep wavelength-dependence in the far-infrared region, in contrast to those of high-temperature magnesium silicates. In the far-infrared region, montmorillonite shows a ^–0.8±0.1 dependence (, the wavelength) without any band structure, chlorite has a double maxima structure around 80 m, and serpentine shows a rather steep dependence with a small peak at 77 m.The changes of mid-infrared spectra by heating were measured. Change in chlorite spectrum is the most significant. Many fine features appear by heating and then they disappear. Above 900°C one broad feature remains around 10 m. Fine features of the montmorillonite spectrum disappear by heating. For serpentine, many new peaks appear and the spectrum resembles the spectrum of olivin. In near-infrared a band around 2.72 m disappears by heating.Extinction coefficients at very low temperatures were measured in the far-infrared region. For montmorillonite and serpentine, the spectrum is the same as that at room temperature. The double peaks of chlorite around 80 m become higher.     

Discriminating residual and colluvial soils using topographic analysis in a small,forested catchment in Japan

Soil moisture plays an important role in hydrology. Understanding factors (such as topography, vegetation, and meteorological conditions) that influence spatio‐temporal variability in soil moisture, and how this influence is manifested, is important for understanding hydrological processes. A number of distributed (quasi‐)physical hydrological models have been developed to investigate this subject. Previous studies have shown that the spatial differences in the distribution of soil types (residual and colluvial soils) dominantly reflect spatio‐temporal fluctuations in soil moisture and runoff. We present a methodology for assessing the spatial distribution of residual and colluvial soils, which differ with respect to their physical characteristics, in a 0·88 km² forested catchment with complex topography and a complex land‐use history. Our method is based on penetration resistance profile data; in this data set, each data point represents soil physical characteristics within an area of about 25 m². If the spatial distribution of soils under similar meteorological, geological, historical land use, and other conditions could be characterized on the basis of similarity in topographic features, then the spatial distribution of soil could be predicted based on relationships between various topographic indices (e.g. topographic index and local slope). We tested whether our model correctly assessed the reference data. The model's results were 90·5% correct for residual soils and 87·3% correct for colluvial soils. Further studies will quantify the relationships between topographic features of land covered by residual and colluvial soils and changes in spatio‐temporal variations in the catchment (e.g. vegetation and land use) as a function of geology or meteorology. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Petrology of green polished stone axes of the Jomon period from the Sannai-Maruyama site,Japan, investigating the origin of source rock

Numerous green polished stone axes have been excavated from the Sannai-Maruyama site, one of Japan's largest archeological sites in the Jomon period (5.9–4.2 cal kyr BP). The axes are composed of weakly metamorphosed fine-grained volcaniclastic rock having a peculiar texture that includes numerous acicular actinolites growing in random directions within a quartz and albite matrix. Cobbles of Aotora stone found along the Nukabira River, Biratori town, southern Hokkaido, are the most likely raw material for these stone axes. Aotora stones have alternate bands of a soft dark-green picritic layer and a hard SiO₂-rich pale-green layer. The pale-green layer has a texture similar to the stone axes. Basaltic and picritic volcanic rocks of the Sorachi-Yezo Belt occupy the area along the Shidoni River, a tributary of the Nukabira River. Volcaniclastic rocks similar in texture, mineralogy, and bulk rock compositions to the Aotora stone are exposed in the area. These rocks underwent metamorphism under the actinolite-pumpellyite facies conditions. Their protolith is submarine hyaloclastic rocks that are intercalated with laminated picrite detritus. The stone axes, pale-green layers of Aotora stone, and those of the volcaniclastic rocks of the Shidoni River area all have high SiO₂ (~ 55 wt%), Cr (~ 840 μg/g), and Ni (~ 370 μg/g). The rare earth element patterns with abundant light rare earth elements and depleted heavy rare earth elements of stone axes were also consistent with the pale-green layers of the outcrop. These pale-green layers, interleaved with dark-green layers of picritic detritus, were the likely source rock of the stone axes. The high SiO₂ content in the pale-green layer caused the crystallization of quartz and albite in the matrix, which resulted in high-quality raw material for making stone axes.     

A geochemical study on mud volcanoes in the Junggar Basin, China

A comprehensive study was performed to characterize, for the first time, the mud, water, and gases released from onshore mud volcanoes located in the southern margin of the Junggar Basin, northwestern China. Chemical compositions of mud, along with the geology of the basin, suggest that a source of the mud is Mesozoic or Cenozoic shale. Oxygen and H isotope compositions of the released water suggest a local meteoric origin. Combined with the positive Eu anomalies of the water, a large ¹⁸O shift of the water suggests extensive interaction with rocks. Gases discharged from the mud volcanoes are predominantly thermogenic hydrocarbons, and the high δ¹³C values (>+20‰ VPDB) for CO₂ gases and dissolved carbonate in muddy water suggest secondary methanogenesis with CO₂ reduction after oil biodegradation.The enrichments of Eu and ¹⁸O in water and the low thermal gradient of the area suggest that the water-rock interactions possibly occur deeper than 3670 ± 200 m. On the other hand, considering the relationship to the petroleum reservoir around the mud volcanoes, the depth of the gases can be derived from about 3600 m, a depth that is greater than that generally estimated for reservoirs whose gas is characterized by ¹³C-enriched CO₂. Oil biodegradation with CO₂ reduction likely occurs at a shallower depth along the seepage system of the mud volcano. The results contribute to the worldwide data set of gas genesis in mud volcanoes. Moreover, they further support the concept that most terrestrial mud volcanoes release thermogenic gas produced in very deep sediments and may be early indicators of oil biodegradation, an important problem in the petroleum industry.     

Measurements of the Ca II infrared triplet lines of young stellar objects

Equivalent widths and line widths of Ca II infrared triplet emission lines were measured in the high-resolution optical spectra of 39 young stellar objects.We found that the equivalent widths of the emission lines decrease with stellar evolution.It has often been claimed that strong chromospheric activity is generated by a dynamo process caused by fast rotation of the photosphere.However,we found no clear correlation between the strength of the Ca II lines and the stellar rotation velocity.Instead,we found that the objects with high mass accretion rates had stronger Ca II emission lines.This correlation supports the turbulent chromosphere model or the magnetic accretion theory for classical T Tauri stars.We also noticed that the equivalent widths of Ca II lines in transitional disk objects are one-tenth of those in classical T Tauri stars,even if the masses of the circumstellar disks are comparable.     

Eutrophication-induced changes in Lake Nakaumi,southwest Japan

Lake Nakaumi, southwest Japan, is an enclosed lagoon characterized by polyhaline and halocline conditions. Since the last century, its ecological state has been altered by eutrophication. We used a paleolimnological approach and studied multiple proxies, including chemical compounds, diatoms, foraminifera and molluscs, to infer the eutrophication history of the ecosystem. Eutrophication in Lake Nakaumi was associated with several factors, including increased nutrient loading, input of herbicides, and dike building since the 1920s. The ecological condition of this lake was divided into several stages that reflect the eutrophication process after the 1940s. A catastrophic “regime shift” from a clear state with aquatic vegetation to a turbid one with phytoplankton occurred in the early 1950s. Environmental degradation in the Honjo area, a part of Lake Nakaumi, was attributed primarily to physical changes caused by the construction of an enclosing dike. Eutrophication occurred almost simultaneously with the physical changes to the Honjo area in the 1970s. Until recently, no regime shift was observed in this area, though the core-top sediments show possible symptoms of incipient change.