Remobilization of Highly Crystalline Felsic Magma by Injection of Mafic Magma: Constraints from the Middle Sixth Century Eruption at Haruna Volcano, Honshu, Japan

The latest eruption of Haruna volcano at Futatsudake took placein the middle of the sixth century, starting with a Plinianfall, followed by pyroclastic flows, and ending with lava domeformation. Gray pumices found in the first Plinian phase (lowerfall) and the dome lavas are the products of mixing betweenfelsic (andesitic) magma having 50 vol. % phenocrysts and maficmagma. The mafic magma was aphyric in the initial phase, whereasit was relatively phyric during the final phase. The aphyricmagma is chemically equivalent to the melt part of the phyricmafic magma and probably resulted from the separation of phenocrystsat their storage depth of 15 km. The major part of the felsicmagma erupted as white pumice, without mixing and heating priorto the eruption, after the mixed magma (gray pumice) and heatedfelsic magma (white pumice) of the lower fall deposit. Althoughthe mafic magma was injected into the felsic magma reservoir(at 7 km depth), part of the product (lower fall ejecta) precedederuption of the felsic reservoir magma, as a consequence ofupward dragging by the convecting reservoir of felsic magma.The mafic magma injection made the nearly rigid felsic magmaerupt, letting low-viscosity mixed and heated magmas open theconduit and vent. Indeed the lower fall white pumices preservea record of syneruptive slow ascent of magma to 2 km depth,probably associated with conduit formation. KEY WORDS: high-crystallinity felsic magma; magma plumbing system; multistage magma mixing; upward dragging of injected magma; vent opening by low-viscosity magma     

Seismic velocity structure around the Hyuganada region, Southwest Japan, derived from seismic tomography using land and OBS data and its implications for interplate coupling and vertical crustal uplift

The Hyuganada region, a forearc region of Southwest Japan, is characterized by several interesting geological and geophysical features, i.e., significant aseismic crustal uplift of 120 m during the past 120 thousand years at the Miyazaki Plain, negative free-air gravity anomalies with the maximum magnitude of −130 mgal, and relatively less cohesive interplate coupling compared with that for off the Shikoku and Kii Peninsula. In order to examine the causes of these observations, we determined a detailed three-dimensional seismic velocity structure based on the seismic data observed by ocean bottom seismometers (OBS) and land stations. P- and S-wave tomographic velocity structures clearly indicate the subducting slab and also the zones of high Poisson's ratio at 25–35 km depth along the coastline of the northeastern part of the Hyuganada. The region with high Poisson's ratio may correspond to the serpentinized mantle wedge as suggested for other mantle wedges, and appears to be coincident with the zone for observed aseismic slips such as the slow-slip and after-slip events. Also, the detection may be related to a relatively weak interplate coupling in the Hyuganada region. The tomographic structures also indicate low velocity zones with a horizontal scale comparable to the Kyushu-Palau Ridge in and around the subducting slab. If we assume that the low velocity zones correspond to the subducted Kyushu-Palau Ridge, then the predicted gravity anomaly due to the density contrast between the low velocity zones and the surrounding region can explain about 60% of the gravity anomaly in the Hyuganada region. The buoyancy is probably an important factor for the crustal uplift observed in the Miyazaki Plain, the steep bending of the subducting slab and the normal fault-type earthquakes around the Hyuganada region.     

On coronal Fe abundances and temperatures from XUV emission lines

Data obtained by the OSO-7 spectroheliograph on strong XUV lines of five, different Fe ions from the outer equatorial corona are presented. Interpretation of the data with a spherically symmetric model atmosphere gives average ion abundances for lines of sight at 0.3R from the limb. Fe xvi is usually more abundant than Fe xv, xiv, xii and ix, but there are times when Fe xii is more abundant than the other ions. The deviation of measured relative abundances of Fe xii, xiv, and xvi from predictions of ionization equilibrium at one temperature seems to indicate that there are appreciable temperature variations along lines of sight. Element abundances are very uncertain since they appear to depend so heavily on likely but unknown density irregularities along lines of sight.     

Submarine flank eruption preceding caldera subsidence during the 2000 eruption of Miyakejima Volcano, Japan

During the early part of a seismic swarm preceding eruption and caldera formation at Miyakejima Volcano, discoloured sea surfaces were observed 1.5 km off the western coast of Miyakejima on 27 June 2000. A later survey of the area using a multi-beam side scan sonar and a remotely operated small submarine revealed four craters of 20–30 m diameter aligned east-west in a 100×10–30 m area on the seafloor, with hot water at 140°C being released from one of the centres. Each crater consists of submarine spatter overlain in part by scoria lapilli. Dredged spatter from the craters was fresh, and there was no evidence of activity of marine organisms on the spatter surface, indicating that the discoloured sea surface resulted from magmatic eruption on the seafloor. This eruption occurred when a westward-propagating seismic swarm, initiated beneath Miyakejimas summit, passed through the area. Finding new magma on the seafloor demonstrates that this seismic swarm was associated with intruding magma, moving outward from beneath Miyakejima. Submarine spatter shows flattened shapes with a brittle crust formed by cooling in water, and its composition is aphyric andesite of 54 wt% SiO₂. The spatter is similar in whole rock and mineral composition to spatter erupted in 1983. However, the wide range of Cl in melt inclusions in plagioclase of the 27 June submarine spatter shows that it is not simply a remnant of the 1983 magma, which has only high Cl melt inclusions in plagioclase. The mixed character of melt inclusions suggests involvement of a magma with low Cl melt inclusions. The magma erupted explosively on 18 August from Miyakejimas summit, considered as the second juvenile magma in this eruption, contains low Cl melt inclusions in plagioclase. Based on these observations and the eruption sequence, we present the following model: (1) A shallow magma chamber was filled with a remnant of 1983 magma that had evolved to a composition of 54–55 wt% SiO₂. (2) Injection of the 18 August magma into this chamber generated a mixed magma having a wide range of Cl in melt inclusions contained plagioclase. The magma mixing might have occurred shortly before the submarine eruption and could have been a trigger for the initiation of the removal of magma from the chamber as an extensive dyke, which eventually led to caldera subsidence.Editorial responsibility: S Nakada, T Druitt     

Numerical simulation of organic chemicals in a marine environment using a coupled 3D hydrodynamic and ecotoxicological model

For ecotoxicological risk assessment in a marine ecosystem, we constructed a coupled three-dimensional hydrodynamic and ecotoxicological model (EMT-3D), and applied it to Tokyo Bay. The model was calibrated with field data obtained in 2002. The results of sensitivity analysis for dissolved Bisphenol A showed that biodegradation rate was the most important factor for concentration change. Bioconcentration coefficient was the most important factor for Bisphenol A in phytoplankton. Therefore, the parameters must be carefully considered in the modeling. The mass balance results showed that standing stocks of Bisphenol A in water, in particulate organic carbon and in phytoplankton are 7.85 x 10(4), 1.78 x 10(2) and 3.44 x 10(-1) g, respectively. With respect to flux, biodegradation in the water column had the highest value of 1.06 x 10(3) g/day, and next were effluent to the open sea, partition to particulate organic carbon, and bioconcentration in phytoplankton.     

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.     

Influences of activated sludge surface properties on adsorption of aqueous fullerene C<Subscript>60</Subscript> nanoparticles

Rapid increases in the amounts of fullerene C₆₀ nanoparticles (nC₆₀) being produced and used will inevitably lead to increases in the amounts released into the aquatic environment. This will have implications for human and ecosystem health. Wastewater treatment plants are key barriers to nC₆₀ being released into aquatic systems, but little information is available on how adsorption processes in wastewater treatment plants affect the fates of nC₆₀. We investigated the effects of the surface properties of activated sludge on the adsorption of nC₆₀ and related mechanisms by modeling the adsorption kinetics and equilibrium process and performing correlation analyses. The adsorption of nC₆₀ closely followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model (R > 0.983), the Freundlich isotherm model (R > 0.990), and the linear partitioning isotherm model (R > 0.966). Different adsorption coefficients, 1.070–4.623 for the Freundlich partitioning model and 1.788–6.148 for the linear partitioning model, were found for different types of activated sludge. The adsorption coefficients significantly positively correlated with the zeta (ζ) potential (R = 0.877) and hydrophobicity (R = 0.661) and negatively correlated with particle size (R = ?0.750). The results show that nC₆₀ adsorption is strongly affected by the surface properties of activated sludge because changes in surface properties cause changes in the electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions that occur.     

Extreme Infrared Stars Discovered in Magellanic Cloud Globular Clusters

We report preliminary results of our systematic survey for infrared stars in the globular clusters of the Magellanic Clouds. In the course of an ISOCAM survey for AGB stars in the intermediate-age clusters, we have discovered extremely red AGB stars in NGC 419 and NGC 1978. From their colours and luminosities, they are thought to be experiencing intense mass-loss and to be in the final or superwind phase of the AGB evolution. However, they seem to be of somewhat lower luminosity than the corresponding visible AGB stars when only the mid-infrared data are taken into account. This suggests that hitherto unobserved infrared excesses may exist at longer wavelengths. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.