Origin of phlogopite and potassic richterite bearing peridotite xenoliths from South Africa

Peridotite xenoliths containing primary phlogopite with or without potassic richterites as major constituent (up to 12 vol. %) are rarely found in kimberlite from the Bultfontein Floors. Chemically, these rocks are similar in compositions with those of the granular type garnet peridotite xenoliths from South Africa and Lesotho, except for an abnormally high content of K₂O in the former. Phlogopite and potassic richterite are thought to have the following genesis: garnet peridotites at a depth from 170 to 100 km suffered local introduction of a potash-rich fluid, and garnet and enstatite reacted with this fluid to form phlogopite and diopside. Potassic richterite may have been produced by the reaction between diopside and fluid at the same time as crystallization of phlogopite at depths shallower than 120 km.     

The cyclonic circulation in the Australian–Antarctic basin simulated by an eddy-resolving general circulation model

Flow structure in the Australian–Antarctic basin is investigated using an eddy-resolving general ocean circulation model and validated with iceberg and middepth float trajectories. A cyclonic circulation system between the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and Antarctic Slope Current consists of a large-scale gyre in the west (80–110° E) and a series of eddies in the east (120–150° E). The western gyre has an annual mean westward transport of 22 Sv in the southern limb. Extending west through the Princess Elizabeth Trough, 5 Sv of the gyre recirculates off Prydz Bay and joins the western boundary current off the Kerguelen Plateau. Iceberg trajectories from QuickScat and ERS-1/2 support this recirculation and the overall structure of the Antarctic Slope Current against isobath in the model. Argo float trajectories also reveal a consistent structure of the deep westward slope current. This study indicates the presence of a large cyclonic circulation in this basin, which is comparable to the Weddell and Ross gyres.     

Experimental study of incongruent evaporation kinetics of enstatite in vacuum and in hydrogen gas

Variations in bulk Mg/Si ratios in the various groups of chondritic meteorites indicate that Mg/Si fractionation occurred in the primitive solar nebula. Enstatite (MgSiO₃) evaporates incongruently forming forsterite (Mg₂SiO₄) as an evaporation residue; therefore, evaporation of enstatite produces Mg/Si variations in solid (Mg-rich) and gas (Si-rich) and must be considered as a probable process responsible for Mg/Si fractionation recorded in chondrites. To understand the evaporation kinetics of enstatite, incongruent evaporation experiments on enstatite single crystals have been carried out in vacuum and in hydrogen gas at temperatures of 1300 to 1500°C. A polycrystalline forsterite layer is formed on the surface of enstatite by preferential evaporation of the SiO₂ component, both in vacuum and in hydrogen gas. The thickness of the forsterite layer in vacuum increases with time in the early stage of evaporation and later the thickness of the forsterite layer remains constant (several microns). This is due to the change in the rate limiting process from surface reaction plus nucleation and growth to diffusion in the surface forsterite layer. The activation energy of the diffusion-controlled evaporation rate constant of enstatite is 457 (±58) kJ/mol. A thinner forsterite layer is formed on the surface of enstatite in hydrogen gas than in vacuum. Evaporation of enstatite in hydrogen gas is also considered to be controlled by diffusion of ions through the forsterite layer. The thin forsterite layer formed in hydrogen gas is ascribed to the enhanced evaporation rate of forsterite in the presence of hydrogen gas.The results are applied to incongruent evaporation under the solar nebular conditions. The steady thickness of the forsterite of nebular pressure-temperature conditions is estimated to be submicron because of the enhanced evaporation rate of forsterite under hydrogen-rich nebular conditions if evaporated gases are taken away immediately and no back reaction occurs (an open system). Because enstatite grains in the solar nebula would be comparable to the estimated steady thickness of forsterite, evaporation of such enstatite grains under kinetic conditions could play an important role in producing variations in Mg/Si ratios between solid and gas in the solar nebula.     

Identification of the fronts from the Kuroshio Extension to the Subarctic Current using absolute dynamic topographies in satellite altimetry products

The climatologies and variabilities of the fronts associated with the Kuroshio Extension (KE), the Kuroshio Extension Northern Branch (KENB), the flow along the Subarctic Boundary (SAB), and the Subarctic Current (SAC) are identified by a new method based on the absolute dynamic height product from the archiving, validation, and interpretation of satellite oceanographic data (the AVISO product). The fronts are detected by examining the specific contour values of the absolute dynamic topography (ADT) in the AVISO product. The (time-varying) specific contour values are decided from the local maxima of the averaged surface geostrophic velocity along the ADT. Assuming the specific contours as the front locations, we obtain an occurrence frequency map of the four front locations, and determine the monthly variability of the fronts over the 1993–2015 period. The results are validated by hydrographic observations. The KE and KENB east of the Shatsky Rise migrate southward several times at a speed of ~ 0.2 cm s^?1, while the SAB and SAC are mostly stationary.     

The major element composition of the upper mantle estimated from the composition of lherzolites

The compilation of analyses of continental and oceanic spinel Iherzolites show that these two types of Iherzolites have very similar compositions. Their composition range differ from that of African garnet Iherzolites, and the data suggest that the mantle beneath Africa has an anomalous composition. If the composition of the upper mantle may be estimated from that of Iherzolites, the compositions of spinel Iherzolite should form the basis for this estimate. It is suggested that the compositions of spinel Iherzolite represent both undepleted and depleted compositions, and a representative composition for the primitive mantle is proposed on this basis.     

D/H ratios of the coexisting phlogopite and richterite from mica nodules and a peridotite in South African kimberlites

The water content and D/H ratio of pairs of phlogopite and richterite in kimberlite samples were measured. The water contents of both minerals were lower than the formula content. On the basis of D/H ratios of the pair, phlogopite and richterite can not be regarded as a simple equilibrium product with respect to hydrogen isotope exchange. It seems impossible to estimate D/H ratio of the mantle water through D/H ratios of the hydrous silicate pairs.     

Development of a new operational system for monitoring and forecasting coastal and open-ocean states around Japan

We developed a new system to monitor and forecast coastal and open-ocean states around Japan for operational use by the Japan Meteorological Agency. The system consists of an eddy-resolving analysis model based on four-dimensional variational assimilation and a high (2-km) resolution forecast model covering Japanese coastal areas that incorporates an initialization scheme with temporal and spatial filtering. Assimilation and forecast experiments were performed for 2008 to 2017, and the results were validated against various observation datasets. The assimilation results captured well the observed variability in sea surface temperature, coastal sea level, volume transport, and sea ice. Furthermore, the volume budget for the Japan Sea was significantly improved by the use of the 2-km resolution forecast model compared with the 10-km resolution analysis model. The forecast results indicate that this system has a predictive limit longer than 1 month in many areas, including in the Kuroshio current area south of Japan and the southern Japan Sea. In the forecast results of case studies, the 2017 Kuroshio large meander was well predicted, and warm water intrusions accompanying Kuroshio path variations south of Japan were also successfully reproduced. Sea ice forecasts for the Sea of Okhotsk largely captured the evolution of sea ice in late winter, but sea ice in early winter included relatively large errors. This system has high potential to meet operational requirements for monitoring and forecasting ocean phenomena at both meso- and coastal scales.

     

Effectiveness of Neural Kriging for Three-Dimensional Modeling of Sparse and Strongly Biased Distribution of Geological Data with Application to Seafloor Hydrothermal Mineralization

Mathematical Geosciences - Three-dimensional modeling of geoscientific data of limited amounts and strongly biased locations is difficult and impractical using almost any method. To obtain a...