Laboratory measurement of P-wave velocity in crustal and upper mantle xenoliths from Ichino-megata, NE Japan: ultrabasic hydrous lower crust beneath the NE Honshu arc

Ultrasonic laboratory measurements of P-wave velocity (Vp) were carried out up to 1.0 GPa in a temperature range of 25–400 °C for crustal and mantle xenoliths of Ichino-megata, northeast Japan. The rocks used in the present study cover a nearly entire range of lithological variation of the Ichino-megata xenoliths and are considered as representative rock samples of the lower crust and upper mantle of the back arc side of the northeast (NE) Honshu arc. The Vp values measured at 25 °C and 1.0 GPa are 6.7–7.2 km/s for the hornblende gabbros (38.6–46.9 wt.% SiO₂), 7.2 km/s for the hornblende-pyroxene gabbro (43.8 wt.% SiO₂), 6.9–7.3 km/s for the amphibolites (36.1–44.3 wt.% SiO₂), 8.0–8.1 km/s for the spinel lherzolites (46.2–47.2 wt.% SiO₂) and 6.30 km/s for the biotite granite (72.1 wt.% SiO₂). Combining the present data with the Vp profile of the NE Honshu arc [Iwasaki, T., Kato, W., Moriya, T., Hasemi, A., Umino, N., Okada, T., Miyashita, K., Mizogami, T., Takeda, T., Sekine, S., Matsushima, T., Tashiro, K., Miyamachi, H. 2001. Extensional structure in northern Honshu Arc as inferred from seismic refraction/wide-angle reflection profiling. Geophys. Res. Lett. 28 (12), 2329–2332], we infer that the 15 km thick lower crust of the NE Honshu arc is composed of amphibolite and/or hornblende (±pyroxene) gabbro with ultrabasic composition. The present study suggests that the Vp range of the lower crustal layer (6.6–7.0 km/s) in the NE Honshu arc, which is significantly lower than that obtained from various seismic measurements (e.g. the northern Izu-Bonin-Mariana arc: 7.1–7.3 km/s), is due to the thick hydrous lower crustal layer where hornblende, plagioclase and magnetite are dominant.     

Effect of macropores on soil freezing and thawing with infiltration

An understanding of heat transport and water flow in unsaturated soils experiencing freezing and thawing is important when considering hydrological and thermal processes in cold regions. Macropores, such as cracks, roots, and animal holes, provide efficient conduits for enhanced infiltration, resulting in a unique distribution of water content. However, the effects of macropores on soil freezing and thawing with infiltration have not been well studied. A one‐directional soil‐column freezing and thawing experiment was conducted using unsaturated sandy and silt loams with different sizes and numbers of macropores. During freezing, macropores were found to retard the formation of the frozen layer, depending on their size and number. During thawing, water flowed through macropores in the frozen layer and reached the underlying unfrozen soil. However, infiltrated water sometimes refroze in a macropore. The ice started to form at near inner wall of the macropore, grew to the centre, and blocked flow through the macropore. The blockage ice in the macropore could not melt until the frozen layer disappeared. Improving a soil freezing model to consider these macropore effects is required. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Central Granites-Gneiss-Migmatite Belt (CGGMB) of Madagascar: the Eastern Neoproterozoic Suture of the East African Orogen

The northeastern part of Madagascar is characterized by Archaean to early Proterozoic rocks composed principally of Archaean granite and greenstone/amphibolite as well as reworked migmatite with subordinate Proterozoic paragneisses. The southern part is mostly occupied by Proterozoic rocks, composed mostly of Meso to Neo-Proterozoic and less metamorphic metasediments (Itremo Group) in the northwest, para- and ortho-gneisses in most other areas, with minor granitic gneisses with some Archaean components in the southeast. The north-northwest trending Central Granite-Gneiss-Migmatite Belt (CGGMB) is situated at the western margin of the Archaean-early Proterozoic terrain. The CGGMB is composed of granite, gneiss and migmatite with distinct lithologies and structures. They are: i) many types of granites including alkaline to mildly alkaline granites, and calc-alkaline granites; ii) batholitic granites, migmatitic granites and granite dyke swarm, iii) eclogite, and iv) the Ankazobe-Antananarivo-Fianarantsoa Virgation.

The CGGMB was formed by the collision of the palaeo-Dharwar Craton to the east and the East African Orogen to the west at ca. 820-720 Ma and suffered indentation by a part of the western part of the East African Orogen at ca. 530 Ma that produced the Ankazobe-Antananarivo-Fianarantsoa Virgation at the centre of the CGGMB. Thus, the CGGMB is proposed to be the continuation of the eastern suture between the palaeo Dharwar Craton and the East African Orogen, and carries the main feature of the Pan-African collisional event in Madagascar.     

Global mapping of the degree of space weathering on asteroid 25143 Itokawa by Hayabusa/AMICA observations

Abstract— We obtained color images of near‐Earth asteroid 25143 Itokawa by the Hayabusa multiband imaging camera to characterize the regional color properties. Images were obtained for the whole disk from the gate position (GP) and home position (HP) at a spatial resolution of 0.8–3.7 m/pixel. Whole‐disk spectra are adjusted to the telescopic data obtained by the University of Hawai'i's 88‐inch telescope using the Eight Color Asteroid Survey (ECAS) system. The disk‐resolved measurements show large variations in the three visible channels. We present a map of an index related to the degree of space weathering, which has been newly developed based on laboratory measurements. We find large variations in the degree of space weathering on Itokawa. Fresh materials are observed in regions of steep slopes and craters, whereas mature materials are ubiquitously distributed. This result suggests that pristine ordinary chondrite‐like materials have been exposed through weathered layers by excavation. By also examining close‐up images obtained during touchdown rehearsal, we find that most rocks in Itokawa's rough terrains are weathered. Instead of a regolith blanket, the surface of this small asteroid is covered with weathered rocks and gravels.     

Study on the fate of petroleum-derived polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and the effect of chemical dispersant using an enclosed ecosystem,mesocosm

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are one of the components found in oil and are of interest because some are toxic. We studied the environmental fate of PAHs and the effects of chemical dispersants using experimental 500 l mesocosm tanks that mimic natural ecosystems. The tanks were filled with seawater spiked with the water-soluble fraction of heavy residual oil. Water samples and settling particles in the tanks were collected periodically and 38 PAH compounds were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Low molecular weight (LMW) PAHs with less than three benzene rings disappeared rapidly, mostly within 2 days. On the other hand, high molecular weight (HMW) PAHs with more than four benzene rings remained in the water column for a longer time, up to 9 days. Also, significant portions (10-94%) of HMW PAHs settled to the bottom and were caught in the sediment trap. The addition of chemical dispersant accelerated dissolution and biodegradation of PAHs, especially HMW PAHs. The dispersant amplified the amounts of PAHs found in the water column. The amplification was the greater for the more hydrophobic PAHs, with an enrichment factor of up to six times. The increased PAHs resulting from dispersant use overwhelmed the normal degradation and, as a result, higher concentrations of PAHs were observed in water column throughout the experimental period. We conclude that the addition of the dispersant could increase the concentration of water column PAHs and thus increase the exposure and potential toxicity for organisms in the natural environment. By making more hydrocarbon material available to the water column, the application of dispersant reduced the settling of PAHs. For the tank with dispersant, only 6% of chrysene initially introduced was detected in the sediment trap whereas 70% was found in the trap in the tank without dispersant.     

Neoproterozoic India within East Gondwana: Constraints from recent geochronologic data from Himalaya

Recent geochronologic data of detrital zircons and neodymium isotopic signatures of the Himalaya, Arabian–Nubian Shield, and Western Australia–East Antarctica (the Pinjarra Orogen/Circum-East Antarctic Orogen) are assessed to estimate the location of Neoproterozoic basement of the Himalaya.

The protolith of the Higher Himalayan Gneisses is considered to have been derived from the Pinjarra Orogen/Circum-East Antarctic Orogen of Western Australia–East Antarctica, and not from the Indian Craton to the south. This conclusion strongly suggests the juxtaposition of the Indian Craton, which forms the basement of the Himalaya, with the Circum-East Antarctic Orogen during the Neoproterozoic when the protolith of the Higher Himalayan Gneisses deposited.