Global synchroneity of a positive carbon isotope excursion at the Cenomanian/Turonian boundary: Validation by calcareous microfossil biostratigraphy of the Yezo Group, Hokkaido, Japan

Abstract Isotopic analyses of organic carbon from the mid-Cretaceous sequence in Hokkaido, Japan, revealed a 2‰ positive excursion of δ¹³C values at the biostratigraphically defined Cenomanian/Turonian (C/T) boundary recognized in the Yezo Group. The planktonic foraminiferal Whiteinella archaeocretacea Zone, which is known to bracket the Cenomanian/Turonian boundary elsewhere in the world, was recognized in the Oyubari area of central Hokkaido based on the distribution of commonly occurring planktonic foraminifera. In the Tappu area of northwestern Hokkaido, where diagnostic planktonic foraminifera are rare but calcareous nannoplankton occur commonly, the interval coeval with the W. archaeocretacea Zone can also be established by recognizing the conjoined last appearance levels of Corollithion kennedyi and Axopodorhabdus albianus, both calcareous nannoplankton species. Carbon isotope profiles exhibit a similar pattern with comparable peaks and troughs occurring in the same stratigraphic position in the sequences. A prominent, positive 2‰ shift of δ¹³C values, here called ‘δ¹³C spike’ occurs in the middle of the W. archaeocretacea Zone in the Oyubari area and just above the conjoined last appearances of the two above-mentioned nannoplankton taxa in the Tappu area. The Cenomanian/Turonian boundary can be drawn just above the peak position of the spike in both sections. The Rock Eval analyses and biomarker analyses of organic carbon indicate that organic carbon subjected to our isotope analyses is of terrestrial origin. Therefore, the observed 2%o shift should reflect changes in the isotopic composition of the atmospheric CO₂. A unique layer composed predominantly of sand-grain sized spumellarian Radiolaria is present immediately above the δ¹³C spike both in the Oyubari and Tappu areas, suggesting an increasing availability of both nutrients and silica in surface waters.     

The non-linear least-squares of condition equations

In this paper the author constructs general algorithms for the non-linear least squares of condition equations and shows the procedure of their application for the settlement of the problem of unfavorable condition equations in the adjustment of a quadrilateral.     

Wide-Field Camera for Gravitational Microlensing Survey: MOA-cam2

We have constructed a large, mosaic CCD camera called MOA-cam2 which has 4096 × 6144-pixelsto search for gravitational microlensing events. MOA-cam2 has three4096 × 2048-pixel SITe CCD chips, which have a very high quantum efficiency (nearly 80% in the wave region 500 to 800 nm),and three buttable sides. We have placed the threechips side by side with 100 m dead space. MOA-cam2 has been installed on the 61 cm Boller and Chivens telescope of the MOA collaboration at the Mt. John University Observatory (MJUO) in NewZealand since July 1998. The field coverage is 0.92° × 1.38° per exposure. The technical details of MOA-cam2 and the first images obtained with the Boller and Chivens telescope are presented. MOA-cam2 introduces a second phase of research on gravitational microlensing by the MOA collaboration.     

Effects of a kappa distribution function of electrons on incoherent scatter spectra

In usual incoherent scatter data analysis, the plasma distribution function is assumed to be Maxwellian. In space plasmas, however, distribution functions with a high energy tail which can be well modeled by a generalized Lorentzian distribution function with spectral index kappa (kappa distribution) have been observed. We have theoretically calculated incoherent scatter spectra for a plasma that consists of electrons with kappa distribution function and ions with Maxwellian neglecting the effects of the magnetic field and collisions. The ion line spectra have a double-humped shape similar to those from a Maxwellian plasma. The electron temperatures are underestimated, however, by up to 40% when interpreted assuming Maxwellian distribution. Ion temperatures and electron densities are affected little. Accordingly, actual electron temperatures might be underestimated when an energy input maintaining a high energy tail exists. We have also calculated plasma lines with the kappa distribution function. They are enhanced in total strength, and the peak frequencies appear to be slightly shifted to the transmitter frequency compared to the peak frequencies for a Maxwellian distribution. The damping rate depends on the electron temperature. For lower electron temperatures, plasma lines for electrons with a distribution function are more strongly damped than for a Maxwellian distribution. For higher electron temperatures, however, they have a relatively sharp peak.     

Age model, physical properties and paleoceanographic implications of the middle Pleistocene core sediments in the Choshi area, central Japan

Abstract   A continuous, well-preserved core was obtained from the Choshi area, on the Pacific side of Japan, to investigate paleoceanographic and paleoclimatic changes around the northwestern Pacific region during the middle Pleistocene. Siliciclastic sequences in the core are divided into five formations – the Obama, Yokone, Kurahashi and Toyosato Formations in the Inubo Group and the Katori Formation, in ascending order. Examination of calcareous nannofossils and magnetic polarities detected four datums in the core sediments of the Inubo Group: the top of Reticulofenestra asanoi , the base of Helicosphaera inversa , the top of Pseudoemiliania lacunosa and the Brunhes–Matuyama boundary. Fourteen marine isotope stages (MIS24–MIS11) were identified in the δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C records based on detected datums and the graphic correlation with the standard stack oxygen isotope curve. Magnetic susceptibility and gamma-ray attenuation porosity evaluator density were also measured and low values characterize the glacial intervals. Biogenic sedimentation by primary production may be larger during the glacial periods because of invasions of nutrient-rich northern surface-waters related to the southward shift of the Kuroshio front in the Choshi area.     

On a time-symmetric Hermite integrator for planetary N-body simulation

We describe a P(EC) ⁿ Hermite scheme for planetary N -body simulation. The fourth-order implicit Hermite scheme is a time-symmetric integrator that has no secular energy error for the integration of periodic orbits with time-symmetric time-steps. In general N -body problems, however, this advantage is of little practical significance, since it is difficult to achieve time-symmetry with individual variable time-steps. However, we can easily enjoy the benefit of the time-symmetric Hermite integrator in planetary N -body systems, where all bodies spend most of the time on nearly circular orbits. These orbits are integrated with almost constant time-steps even if we adopt the individual time-step scheme. The P(EC) ⁿ Hermite scheme and almost constant time-steps reduce the integration error greatly. For example, the energy error of the P(EC)² Hermite scheme is two orders of magnitude smaller than that of the standard PEC Hermite scheme in the case of an N  = 100,  m  = 10²⁵ g planetesimal system with the rms eccentricity 〈 e ²〉^1/2 ≲0.03.     

Additional evidence of existence of ancient rocks in the mid-Atlantic ridge and the age of the opening of the Atlantic

A metabasalt dredged at a junction of the median valley with the Atlantis fracture zone (30°01/tN, 42°04/tW) in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge shows complete recrystallization under a metasomatic condition, though the original igneous texture of a coarse-grained basalt is still recognizable. There is strong circumstantial evidence suggesting that this rock is not an ice-rafted erratic, but an authentic Mid-Atlantic Ridge rock. The ⁴⁰Ar-³⁹Ar age of this sample is 169 m.y. (Jurassic) which should represent the time of recrystallization. The initial value (^87Sr/86Sr)_O is 0.720, far above the values previously observed in oceanfloor basalts, including both tholeiitic and alkalic rocks (0.701–0.704). Sr with such a high isotopic ratio is considered to have been introduced by metasomatism during metamorphism by a solution coming from a continental mass or masses which were then located very close to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The ⁴⁰Ar−³⁹Ar age of sample AM50 may approximate the time of the commencement of the opening of the Atlantic. All these data support the possible existence of ancient rock masses in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, as was formerly claimed by Bonatti, Melson and others.     

Relative durability of chert and rhyolite detritus in conglomerates and sandstones: with reference to the study of provenance geology

Modal changes in both gravel and sands occur because of unequal durability of some clastic materials to abrasion. Selective abrasion causes an elimination of undurable materials and a complimentary enrichment of competent components. The fluviatile Oligocene Noda Group, northeast Japan, consists of two formations that include both the competent and undurable clastics. Modal analyses of rhyolite‐ or chert‐rich sediments in both formations show that the amount of pebble‐ and granule‐size chert detritus is nearly constant, but the sand‐size chert fragments remarkably decrease with the decreasing grain size. The amount of rhyolite pebbles and the sands, however, is nearly unchangeable despite the variable clast size. Results of our study reveal that we need careful thoughts for a restricted size of sediments and the mode of fine‐grained detritus that include undurable chert sands tends to significantly underestimate the outcrop area of chert bedrocks in the provenance.     

Nanometer‐scale anatomy of entire Stardust tracks

Abstract– We have developed new sample preparation and analytical techniques tailored for entire aerogel tracks of Wild 2 sample analyses both on “carrot” and “bulbous” tracks. We have successfully ultramicrotomed an entire track along its axis while preserving its original shape. This innovation allowed us to examine the distribution of fragments along the entire track from the entrance hole all the way to the terminal particle. The crystalline silicates we measured have Mg‐rich compositions and O isotopic compositions in the range of meteoritic materials, implying that they originated in the inner solar system. The terminal particle of the carrot track is a ¹⁶O‐rich forsteritic grain that may have formed in a similar environment as Ca‐, Al‐rich inclusions and amoeboid olivine aggregates in primitive carbonaceous chondrites. The track also contains submicron‐sized diamond grains likely formed in the solar system. Complex aromatic hydrocarbons distributed along aerogel tracks and in terminal particles. These organics are likely cometary but affected by shock heating.     

VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea (VVV): The public ESO near-IR variability survey of the Milky Way

We describe the public ESO near-IR variability survey (VVV) scanning the Milky Way bulge and an adjacent section of the mid-plane where star formation activity is high. The survey will take 1929 h of observations with the 4-m VISTA telescope during 5 years (2010–2014), covering ～10⁹ point sources across an area of 520 deg², including 33 known globular clusters and ～350 open clusters. The final product will be a deep near-IR atlas in five passbands (0.9–2.5 μm) and a catalogue of more than 10⁶ variable point sources. Unlike single-epoch surveys that, in most cases, only produce 2-D maps, the VVV variable star survey will enable the construction of a 3-D map of the surveyed region using well-understood distance indicators such as RR Lyrae stars, and Cepheids. It will yield important information on the ages of the populations. The observations will be combined with data from MACHO, OGLE, EROS, VST, Spitzer, HST, Chandra, INTEGRAL, WISE, Fermi LAT, XMM-Newton, GAIA and ALMA for a complete understanding of the variable sources in the inner Milky Way. This public survey will provide data available to the whole community and therefore will enable further studies of the history of the Milky Way, its globular cluster evolution, and the population census of the Galactic Bulge and center, as well as the investigations of the star forming regions in the disk. The combined variable star catalogues will have important implications for theoretical investigations of pulsation properties of stars.