The degree of Cl-loss for the particulate matter (PM) and fog water sampled at the same air mass at the Hachimantai mountain range in northern Japan

It is well known that sea-salt aerosols in particulate matter (PM) react with acids such as H₂SO₄ and HNO₃ during transportation and thereby lose chloride ions (Cl-loss). The PM and fog were sampled concurrently at different altitudes in the Hachimantai mountain range, northern Japan. The PM and fog sampled at different altitudes had nearly identical properties for the ion components. However, the PM was in a Cl-depleted state (more than 80% of all samples), but the fog water was not in so Cl-depleted state (less than 29%). As a result, it could be explained that this phenomenon caused because the fog droplets took up the gaseous state HCl other than sea-salt PM. After all Cl^- in the fog water recovered and was rather rich compared with the sea-salt or the PM by the uptake of the gaseous state HCl. Moreover, it was found that for PM_coarse(2.5 < D < 10), 86% of the acid (H₂SO₄ and HNO₃) was consumed for Cl-loss reactions and/or for dissolution of Ca and Mg in soil particles.     

Direct measurements of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) over a fractured rock aquifer in Flamengo Bay Brazil

Measurements of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) along the South American coast and over fractured rock aquifers are rare. The rate and distribution of SGD was measured using three types of vented benthic chambers on the floor of Flamengo Bay located at the southeast coast of Brazil. Discharge rates were found up to almost 400 cm day⁻¹, although typically less than 100 cm d⁻¹. Large variations in SGD rates were seen over distances of a few meters which are attributed to the geomorphologic features of the fracture rock aquifer underlying a thin blanket of coastal sediments; clustering of fractures and the topography of the rock–sediment interface might be focusing or dispersing the discharge of groundwater. SGD was modulated by the tides with the highest values occurring at times of low tide, but the interaction was non-linear and, the correlation was weak at tidal ranges less than 1 m. The effect was masked by devices that integrated the SGD, but detected on continuously recording devices.     

Simultaneous measurements of compressional wave and shear wave velocities, Poisson's ratio, and Vp/Vs under deep crustal pressure and temperature conditions: Example of silicified pelitic schist from Ryoke Belt, Southwest Japan

The ultrasonic technique for measuring travel times of compressional and shear waves using dual-mode transducers was adapted to a piston cylinder apparatus, allowing simultaneous measurements of travel times of compressional and shear waves of island arc samples under the high pressure and temperature conditions of island arcs. This method enables us to determine elastic properties and their pressure and temperature derivatives simultaneously. Furthermore, Vp/Vs can be directly determined from travel times of compressional and shear waves independently of length change due to compression or thermal expansion of rock samples under deep crustal conditions, providing more accurate Vp/Vs values than those determined from individual measurements of travel times of both elastic wave types using single-mode transducers. Experimental techniques and results are demonstrated using data on silicified pelitic schist from the Ryoke Belt to 0.6 GPa. The simultaneous measurement gives Vp  = 5.60 km/s, ∂ Vp /∂ P  = 0.090 (km/s)/GPa, Vs  = 3.37 km/s, ∂ Vs /∂ P  = 0.05 (km/s)/GPa, σ  = 0.216, and Vp / Vs  = 1.66 at ambient conditions. The temperature derivatives were constrained from fitting using linear functions of temperature, yielding ∂ Vp /∂ T  = −0.518 × 10⁻³ (km/s)/K and ∂ Vs /∂ T  = −0.182 × 10⁻³ (km/s)/K. Performing simultaneous measurements of travel times of compressional and shear waves using dual-mode transducers, it is possible to accurately determine Vp / Vs and Poisson's ratio of crustal minerals and rocks at deep crustal conditions to study the composition of the crustal interior, e.g. rock types and fluids below the hypocentral region of earthquakes or around bright spots.     

Earth impact probability of the Asteroid (25143) Itokawa to be sampled by the spacecraft Hayabusa

The Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa is planed to reach the Asteroid Itokawa in September 2005, and to bring back some samples of its surface to Earth in 2007. We have studied the future possible evolution of this asteroid by integrating numerically over 100 Myr a set of 39 initially indistinguishable orbits (clones), obtained either by small variations of the nominal initial conditions, or by using different computers (introducing different round-off errors). The results indicate that an Earth impact of this 500-m-size asteroid is likely within a million years, which is only a factor of four larger than the average impact frequency of asteroids of this size. The mission Hayabusa may thus sample a good candidate for being among the next 500-m-size Earth impactors.     

Study on the managanese nodule

Chemical and X-ray analyses were performed on the fifteen manganese nodules collected from the Pacific Ocean floor. The results were discussed compared with the previous data on the manganese nodules. Minerals were found to be todorokite, δ-MnO₂ and other silicates, montmorillonite, illite, phillipsite and α-SiO₂. Average composition shows that copper is concentrated on the deep sea nodules more than the shallow ones, and that the todorokite rich nodules contain more copper and nickel than the δ-MnO₂ rich ones. The analyses of fresh water iron-manganese precipitates by bacterial activity suggest that biological process is one of the important factors on the genesis of the sedimentary iron-manganese deposits, including the manganese nodule. The Institute of Physical and Chemical Research     

Jurassic kimberlites from Picton and Varty Lake,Ontario: Geochemical and stable isotopic characteristics

Micaceous ultramafic dikes of Jurassic age from Picton and Varty Lake, Ontario, consist mineralogically of olivine — phlogopite — serpentine — calcite-spinel. The rocks are characterized by abundant Ba-rich phlogopite (up to 6.5 wt.% BaO) and spinels with a diagnostic kimberlite trend-1. Compositionally the dikes are characterized by extreme silica-undersaturation (21–30 wt.% SiO₂), primitive Mg/(Mg + Fe^T) ratios (0.75–0.83), large enrichments of volatile components (CO₂ and H₂O), and relatively high abundances of both incompatible and compatible trace elements. The dikes exhibit pronounced enrichments of light rare earth elements (LREE) (La_N=320–1330) combined with strongly fractionated patterns (La_N/Yb_N=45–108). Calcite in the dikes is a primary magmatic phase, from textural relations and C-isotopic compositions ( ¹³C= –4.0 to –8.3). A calcite-rich aphanitic phase of the Picton dike is interpreted to be a late stage magmatic differentiate, which possibly involved olivine fractionation. Although the dikes lack most of the macrocrysts generally considered to be important diagnostic minerals of kimberlite magmatism, the geochemical, mineralogical and C- and O-isotopic characteristics collectively indicate that the dikes are evolved varieties of hypabyssal facies kimerlite.     

A review of the ～1600 Ma sedimentation, volcanism, and tectono-thermal events in the Singhbhum craton, Eastern India

The Palaeoproterozoic–Mesoproterozoic transition (～1600 Ma) is a significant event in the Earth history as a global thermal perturbation affected the pre-1600 Ma landmasses. Like other cratonic blocks of the world, lithospheric thinning, sedimentation, magmatism, metamorphism and crustal melting/anatexis are associated with this significant geological event in the Singhbhum cratonic province of India. This paper is a review of sedimentological, magmatic and tectono-thermal events in the Singhbhum craton at ～1600 Ma. The Palaeo-Mesoproterozoic sedimentation and volcanism in the Singhbhum craton took place in a terrestrial intracontinental rift setting. The available geochronological data are indicative of late Palaeoproterozoic to Neoproterozoic tectono-thermal events in the Chhotanagpur Granite Gneissic Complex (CGGC), an east–west trending arcuate belt of granite gneisses, migmatites and metasedimentary rocks. A detailed multidisciplinary geo-scientific investigation of the Dalma volcanic belt and the area to its north (Chandil Formation) and further north in CGGC will enable us to constrain the extant surface processes and crust-mantle interactions, the collision events between the North and South Indian cratonic blocks, and the position of India in the Columbia supercontinent.     

Determination of transport rates in the Yellow River–Bohai Sea mixing zone via natural geochemical tracers

In light of the current problems facing the Yellow River and surrounding areas (e.g., periods of zero river discharge, increasing nitrate concentrations of the Bohai Sea), we examined the coastal mixing dynamics around the mouth of the Yellow River. Naturally occurring radium isotopes (²²³Ra, ²²⁴Ra, ²²⁶Ra, and ²²⁸Ra) and other geochemical tracers (Ba, Si, and salinity) were employed to determine river plume transport scales and rates. Barium and radium exhibit elevated concentrations within the salinity gradient where they are desorbed from particles via ion-exchange. Once they are added to the system, they decrease offshore from dilution with lower concentration Bohai Sea water, and in the case of ²²⁴Ra and ²²³Ra, by radioactive decay. Using radium “ages” to assess the dissolved material transport scales and rates proved to be a useful tool in this environment. The ages based on the ²²⁴Ra/²²⁸Ra activity ratio increased gradually until salinities reached ∼25 when they rapidly increased due to decreased mixing at higher salinities. Integrated net transport rates through the salinity front ranged from 1.4 to 1.6 cm/s and did not vary significantly with river discharge. Thus, tidal mixing appears to dominate in this system, at least over the range of discharges investigated (80–600 m³/s). Determining the temporal scale of flow across the coastal zone in this region is a valuable first step toward examining whether the Yellow River is contributing to the increasing inorganic nitrogen concentrations in the central Bohai Sea.     

Chemical and isotopic signatures of the basement rocks from the Campi Flegrei geothermal field (Naples, southern Italy): inferences about the origin and evolution of its hydrothermal fluids

The Campi Flegrei (Naples, Campanian Plain, southern Italy) geothermal system is hosted by Quaternary volcanic rocks erupted before, during and after the formation of the caldera that represents one of the major structural features in the Neapolitan area. The volcanic products rest on a Mesozoic carbonate basement, cropping out north, east and south of the area. Chemical (major, minor and trace elements) and stable isotope (C, H, O) analyses were conducted on drill-core samples recovered from geothermal wells MF-1, MF-5, SV-1 and SV-3, at depths of ˜ 1100 to 2900 m. The study was complemented by petrographic and SEM examination of thin sections. The water which feeds the system is both marine and meteoric in origin. Mineral zonation typical of a high-temperature geothermal system exists in all the geothermal wells; measured temperatures in wells are as high as ˜ 400 °C. The chemical composition of the waters suggests the existence of two reservoirs: a shallow reservoir (depth < 2000 m) fed by seawater that boiled at 320 °C and became progressively diluted by steam-heated local meteoric water during its ascent; and a deeper reservoir (depth > 2000 m) of hypersaline water. The drill-cores are mainly hydrothermally altered volcanics of trachy-latitic affinity, but some altered pelites and limestones are also present. Published Na, Mg and K concentrations of selected geothermal waters indicate that the hydrothermal fluids are in equilibrium with their host rocks, with respect to K-feldspar, albite, sericite and chlorite. The measured δ¹⁸O_(SMOW) values of rocks range from +4.3 to + 16.5%. The measured δD_(SMOW) values range from − 79 to − 46%. The calculated isotopic composition of the fluids at equilibrium with the samples vary from + 1 to + 8.3%. δ¹⁸O and from − 52 to + 1%. δD. The estimated isotopic composition of the waters at equilibrium with the studied samples confirmed the existence of two distinct fluid types circulating in the geothermal system. The shallower has a marine water signature, while the deeper water has a signature consistent both with magmatic and meteoric origins. In the latter case, the recharge of this aquifer likely occurs at the outcrop of the Mesozoic Limestones surrounding the Campanian Plain; after infiltration, the water percolates through evaporitic layers, becoming hypersaline and D-depleted.