Izu-Bonin arc subduction under the Honshu island, Japan: Evidence from geological and seismological aspect

The Izu-Bonin intra-oceanic arc with 20–35 km thick continental crust is being subducted under the Honshu, presumably since 17 Ma. Tomographic image clearly demonstrates that the whole Izu-Bonin arc is subducting under the Honshu arc. Geologic cross section and the thickness of continental crust do not support the accretion of thick crust in spite of the continued subduction over 17 Ma.     

The dynamics of big mantle wedge, magma factory, and metamorphic–metasomatic factory in subduction zones

The East Asian continental margin is underlain by stagnant slabs resulting from subduction of the Pacific plate from the east and the Philippine Sea plate from the south. We classify the upper mantle in this region into three major domains: (a) metasomatic–metamorphic factory (MMF), subduction zone magma factory (SZMF), and the ‘big mantle wedge’ (BMW). Whereas the convection pattern is anticlockwise in the MMF domain, it is predominantly clockwise in the SZMF and BMW, along a cross section from the south. Here we define the MMF as a small wedge corner which is driven by the subducting Pacific plate and dominated by H₂O-rich fluids derived by dehydration reactions, and enriched in large ion lithophile elements (LILE) which cause the metasomatism. The SZMF is a zone intermediate between MMF and BMW domains and constitutes the main region of continental crust production by partial melting through wedge counter-corner flow. Large hydrous plume generated at about 200 km depth causes extensive reduction in viscosity and the smaller scale hydrous plumes between 60 km and 200 km also bring about an overall reduction in the viscosity of SZMF. More fertile and high temperature peridotites are supplied from the entrance to this domain. The domain extends obliquely to the volcanic front and then swings back to the deep mantle together with the subducting slab. The BMW occupies the major portion of upper mantle in the western Pacific and convects largely with a clockwise sense removing the eastern trench oceanward. Sporadic formation of hydrous plume at the depth of around 410 km and the curtain flow adjacent to the trench cause back arc spreading. We envisage that the heat source in BMW could be the accumulated TTG (tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite) crust on the bottom of the mantle transition zone. The ongoing process of transportation of granitic crust into the mantle transition zone is evident from the deep subduction of five intra-oceanic arcs on the subducting Philippine Sea plate from the south, in addition to the sediment trapped subduction by the Pacific plate and Philippine Sea plate. The dynamics of MMF, SZMF and BMW domains are controlled by the angle of subduction; a wide zone of MMF in SW Japan is caused by shallow angle subduction of the Philippine Sea plate and the markedly small MMF domain in the Mariana trench is due to the high angle subduction of Pacific plate. The domains in NE Japan and Kyushu region are intermediate between these two. During the Tertiary, a series of marginal basins were formed because of the nearly 2000 km northward shift of the subduction zone along the southern margin of Tethyan Asia, which may be related to the collision of India with Asia and the indentation. The volume of upper mantle under Asia was reduced extensively on the southern margin with a resultant oceanward trench retreat along the eastern margin of Asia, leading to the formation of a series of marginal basins. The western Pacific domain in general is characterized by double-sided subduction; from the east by the oldest Pacific plate and from the south by the oldest Indo-Australian plate. The old plates are hence hydrated extensively even in their central domains and therefore of low temperature. The cracks have allowed the transport of water into the deeper portions of the slab and these domains supply hydrous fluids even to the bottom of the upper mantle. Thus, a fluid dominated upper mantle in the western Pacific drives a number of microplates and promote the plate boundary processes.     

中国西北帕米尔东北缘的活动断裂研究

在卫星遥感图像的详细地质解译分析基础上，结合野外地质与地貌观察，对帕米尔东北缘山前与印度－亚欧大陆碰撞相关的活动断层进行了分析。研究结果指出，NW－NWW走向的断层主要表现为南倾逆冲断层，并伴随有强烈的右旋走滑分量。流经活动断层带的水系显示出右旋累积位错：小水系的水平位错量为4.0-20.0m，大河流的水平位错量达8－12km。沿断层带的上新世至早更新世地层也显示出一致的水平位错，位错量为8－12km。这些证明表明，帕米尔东南山前的NW－NWW走向的断层很可能开始于上新世末期至早更新世早期（2.2-3Ma)。研究结果首次厘定了帕米尔东北缘山前与向北逆冲相伴随的右旋走滑速率在第四纪期间达4.0-6.8mm/a。根据与现代地震活动相关的活断层分析，推测帕米尔东北缘山前7级以上地震重复周期为1000a左右。     

Seismic response analysis on the stability of running vehicles

The seismometer network of the Japanese expressway system has been enhanced since the 1995 Kobe earthquake. Using earthquake information from the instruments, the expressways are closed if the peak ground acceleration (PGA) is larger than or equal to 80cm/s². The aim of this regulation is to avoid secondary disasters, e.g. cars running into the collapsed sections. However, recent studies on earthquake damage have revealed that expressway structures are not seriously damaged under such‐level of earthquake motion. Hence, we may think of relaxing the regulation of expressway closure. But before doing this, it is necessary to examine the effects of shaking to automobiles since the drivers may encounter difficulties in controlling their vehicles and traffic accidents may occur. In this study, a vehicle was modelled with a six‐degree‐of‐freedom system and its responses were investigated with respect to PGA, peak ground velocity (PGV) and Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) seismic intensity using five ground motion records. It was observed that the response of the vehicle shows a larger amplitude for the record that has larger response spectrum in the long period range compared to other records. However, similar response amplitudes of the vehicle were observed for all the records with respect to the JMA seismic intensity. The response characteristics of the vehicle model may be very useful for decision‐making regarding the relaxation of the expressway closure under seismic motion. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Progressive metamorphism of the Taitao ophiolite; evidence for axial and off-axis hydrothermal alterations

We estimated metamorphic conditions for the  6 Ma Taitao ophiolite, associated with the Chile triple junction. The metamorphic grade of the ophiolite, estimated from secondary matrix minerals, changes stratigraphically downwards from the zeolite facies, through the prehnite–actinolite facies, greenschist facies and the greenschist–amphibolite transition, to the amphibolite facies. The metamorphic facies series corresponds to the low-pressure type. The metamorphic zone boundaries are subparallel to the internal lithological boundaries of the ophiolite, indicating that the metamorphism was due to axial hydrothermal alteration at a mid-ocean ridge.

Mineral assemblages and the compositions of veins systematically change from quartz-dominated, through epidote-dominated, to prehnite-dominated with increasing depth. Temperatures estimated from the vein assemblages range from  230 °C in the volcanic unit to  380 °C at the bottom of the gabbro unit, systematically  200 °C lower than estimates from the adjoining matrix minerals. The late development of veins and the systematically lower temperatures suggest that the vein-forming alteration was due to off-axis hydrothermal alteration.

Comparison between the Taitao ophiolite with its mid-ocean ridge (MOR) affinity, and other ophiolites and MOR crusts, suggests that the Taitao ophiolite has many hydrothermal alteration features similar to those of MOR crusts. This is consistent with the tectonic history that the Taitao ophiolite was formed at the South Chile ridge system near the South American continent (Anma, R., Armstrong, R., Danhara, T., Orihashi, Y. and Iwano, H., 2006. Zircon sensitive high mass-resolution ion microprobe U–Pb and fission-track ages for gabbros and sheeted dykes of the Taitao ophiolite, Southern Chile, and their tectonic implications. The Island Arc, 15(1): 130–142).     

An organic geochemical study of KP-2 core on the mud volcano at Nankai Trough

Organic geochemical data was collected from a KP-2 piston core sample obtained from a mud volcano in the Nankai Trough, off the southeast coast of Japan. The Nankai Trough was investigated geologically and was found to have a large amount of methane hydrates. Biomarkers indicating anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) were expected to be found in the sediment of the mud volcano collected by KP-2 core. But the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of the samples showed only one biomarker related to the methane-oxidizing Archaea, namely 2,6,10,15,19-pentamethyleicosane (PME), could be detected throughout the KP-2 core. Phytane was predominant in the upper part of the KP-2 core; however, a series of 2,2-dimethylalkanes (2,2-DMAs) were characterized in the lower part of KP-2 core. The individual δ¹³C values of 2,2-DMAs, which were − 29.1 to − 27.3‰ indicate that the origin of 2,2-DMAs was not related to methane-oxidizing Archaea.     

A very hydrous mantle under the western Pacific region: Implications for formation of marginal basins and style of Archean plate tectonics

The western Pacific region has been refrigerated by the subducting cold oceanic plates since 450 Ma. However, the region is also characterized by the presence of many oceanic microplates less than 1300 km across, as well as active magmatism; the Philippine Sea plate is representative. We have compiled and examined petrochemical characters of drilled basalts of DSDP from the Philippine Sea plate, and conclude that the source mantle for oceanic basalts is rich in water ca. 0.2 wt.%, and is 50–60 °C lower than that for MORB. The extensive melting is due to the high water content in the source mantle.It is well known that some marginal basins apparently have greater depths than the major oceans. We calculated the age–depth correlation based on a model of transient half-space cooling at given parameters of temperatures of mantle and surface, 1280 and 0 °C, and the thermal diffusivity, 1 mm² s^− 1. The calculation shows the correlation of age-residual depth from a mid-oceanic ridge is 367 for the Philippine Sea, consistent with the bathymetric data. Moreover, the mid-oceanic ridge may be relatively deep because this region is underlain by the cooler mantle.Addition of water to the mantle peridotite lowers the solidus temperature and viscosity. Melting experiments of hydrous peridotite show that addition of 0.2 wt.% H₂O content lowers the solidus temperature by 150 °C. As a result, the mantle under the region may practically correspond to a ca. 90 °C hotter mantle than normal MORB-source mantle in terms of magmatism and rheology. Numerical simulation for a hotter mantle suggests that many small plates should be formed because of extensive heat release by active magmatism, consistent with many microplates in this region. The presence of many oceanic microplates may be analogous to Archean plate tectonics, characterized by a hotter mantle.     

Initiation of plate tectonics in the Hadean: Eclogitization triggered by the ABEL Bombardment

When plate tectonics began on the Earth has been long debated and here we argue this topic based on the records of Earth-Moon geology and asteroid belt to conclude that the onset of plate tectonics was during the middle Hadean(4.37-4.20 Ga). The trigger of the initiation of plate tectonics is the ABEL Bombardment, which delivered oceanic and atmospheric components on a completely dry reductive Earth, originally comprised of enstatite chondrite-like materials. Through the accretion of volatiles, shock metamorphism processed with vaporization of both CI chondrite and supracrustal rocks at the bombarded location, and significant recrystallization went through under wet conditions, caused considerable eclogitization in the primordial continents composed of felsic upper crust of 21 km thick anorthosite, and 50 km or even thicker KREEP lower crust. Eclogitization must have yielded a powerful slab-pull force to initiate plate tectonics in the middle Hadean. Another important factor is the size of the bombardment. By creating Pacific Ocean class crater by 1000 km across impactor, rigid plate operating stagnant lid tectonics since the early Hadean was severely destroyed, and oceanic lithosphere was generated to have bi-modal lithosphere on the Earth to enable the operation of plate tectonics.Considering the importance of the ABEL Bombardment event which initiated plate tectonics including the appearance of ocean and atmosphere, we propose that the Hadean Eon can be subdivided into three periods:(1) early Hadean(4.57-4.37 Ga),(2) middle Hadean(4.37-4.20 Ga), and(3) late Hadean(4.20-4.00 Ga).     

Origins of building blocks of life: A review

How and where did life on Earth originate? To date, various environments have been proposed as plausible sites for the origin of life. However, discussions have focused on a limited stage of chemical evolution, or emergence of a specific chemical function of proto-biological systems. It remains unclear what geochemical situations could drive all the stages of chemical evolution, ranging from condensation of simple inorganic compounds to the emergence of self-sustaining systems that were evolvable into modern biological ones. In this review, we summarize reported experimental and theoretical findings for prebiotic chemistry relevant to this topic, including availability of biologically essential elements(N and P) on the Hadean Earth, abiotic synthesis of life's building blocks(amino acids, peptides, ribose, nucleobases, fatty acids, nucleotides, and oligonucleotides), their polymerizations to bio-macromolecules(peptides and oligonucleotides), and emergence of biological functions of replication and compartmentalization. It is indicated from the overviews that completion of the chemical evolution requires at least eight reaction conditions of(1) reductive gas phase,(2) alkaline pH,(3) freezing temperature,(4)fresh water,(5) dry/dry-wet cycle,(6) coupling with high energy reactions,(7) heating-cooling cycle in water, and(8) extraterrestrial input of life's building blocks and reactive nutrients. The necessity of these mutually exclusive conditions clearly indicates that life's origin did not occur at a single setting; rather, it required highly diverse and dynamic environments that were connected with each other to allow intratransportation of reaction products and reactants through fluid circulation. Future experimental research that mimics the conditions of the proposed model are expected to provide further constraints on the processes and mechanisms for the origin of life.