Progressive evolution of whole‐rock composition during metamorphism revealed by multivariate statistical analyses

The geochemical evolution of metamorphic rocks during subduction‐related metamorphism is described on the basis of multivariate statistical analyses. The studied data set comprises a series of mapped metamorphic rocks collected from the Sanbagawa metamorphic belt in central Shikoku, Japan, where metamorphic conditions range from the pumpellyite–actinolite to epidote–amphibolite facies. Recent progress in computational and information science provides a number of algorithms capable of revealing structures in large data sets. This study applies k‐means cluster analysis (KCA) and non‐negative matrix factorization (NMF) to a series of metapelites, which is the main lithotype of the Sanbagawa metamorphic belt. KCA describes the structures of the high‐dimensional data, while NMF provides end‐member decomposition which can be useful for evaluating the spatial distribution of continuous compositional trends. The analysed data set, derived from previously published work, contains 296 samples for which 14 elements (Si, Ti, Al, Fe, Mn, Mg, Ca, Na, K, P, Rb, Sr, Zr and Ba) have been analysed. The KCA and NMF analyses indicate five clusters and four end‐members, respectively, successfully explaining compositional variations within the data set. KCA indicates that the chemical compositions of metapelite samples from the western (Besshi) part of the sampled area differ significantly from those in the east (Asemigawa). In the west, clusters show a good correlation with the metamorphic grade. With increasing metamorphic grade, there are decreases in SiO₂ and Na₂O and increases in other components. However, the compositional change with metamorphic grade is less obvious in the eastern area. End‐member decomposition using NMF revealed that the evolutional change of whole‐rock composition, as correlated with metamorphic grade, approximates a stoichiometric increase of a garnet‐like component in the whole‐rock composition, possibly due to the precipitation of garnet and effusion of other components during progressive dehydration. Thermodynamic modelling of the evolution of the whole‐rock composition yielded the following results: (1) the whole‐rock composition at lower metamorphic grade favours the preferential crystallization of garnet under the conditions of the garnet zone, with biotite becoming stable together with garnet in higher‐grade rock compositions under the same P–T conditions; (2) with higher‐grade whole‐rock compositions, more H₂O is retained. These results provide insight into the mechanism suppressing dehydration under high‐P metamorphic conditions. This mechanism should be considered in forward modelling of the fluid cycle in subduction zones, although such a quantitative model has yet to be developed.     

闽粤晚白垩世古地磁学研究

在福建沙县至上杭、广东兴宁至河源上白垩统采集古地磁学定向样品３９０个（３９个采点）,进行了古地磁学研究,研究表明,闽粤两地的晚白垩世地磁学数据具有廊的重合性,福建：古地磁偏角１１．７°,地磁倾角４２．９°,地磁极位置北纬７９．４°,东径２１０．３°;广东;古地磁偏角１０．７°,古地磁倾角４４．０°,古地磁有位置北纬８０．１°,东径１９３．４°,该古寺磁学数据反映了中国华南地区自晚白垩世至今曾经厍过     

Time‐lapse video observation of erosion processes on the Black Marls badlands in the Southern Alps,France

In order to clarify the erosion processes on a marly bare slope in the Southern Alps, the erosion processes in a steep and erodible slope composed of the Black Marls Formation were observed by a time‐lapse video camera. The observations revealed that miniature debris flows (MDFs) occurred at the time of the rainfall‐runoff event in which the most severe erosion took place in the whole observation period of 3 months. Analysis of the camera images showed some characteristics of the MDFs, and these are discussed in the context of real rainfall‐runoff phenomena observed at the outlet of a small experimental basin including the visually observed slope. The following results were obtained. (1) A rough estimation of the total amount of sediment discharge by the MDFs showed that it was not negligible quantitatively. (2) The MDFs occurred only during the rising limb of the hydrograph during 6 minutes. (3) Based on this observation and a review of the literature, in a very steep and highly erodible slope, MDFs or similar phenomena might play an important role in the erosion and transport processes. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.     

RXTE observation of NGC 6240: a search for the obscured active nucleus

We present new data taken at 850 μm with SCUBA at the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope for a sample of 19 luminous infrared galaxies. Fourteen galaxies were detected. We have used these data, together with fluxes at 25, 60 and 100 μm from IRAS , to model the dust emission. We find that the emission from most galaxies can be described by an optically thin, single temperature dust model with an exponent of the dust extinction coefficient ( k _λ ∝ λ ^{− β} ) of β ≃1.4–2. A lower β ≃1 is required to model the dust emission from two of the galaxies, Arp 220 and NGC 4418. We discuss various possibilities for this difference and conclude that the most likely is a high dust opacity. In addition, we compare the molecular gas mass derived from the dust emission, M _850 μm, with the molecular gas mass derived from the CO emission, M _CO, and find that M _CO is on average a factor 2–3 higher than M _850 μm.     

Production of the Blood Pressure Lowing Peptides from Brown Alga ( Undaria pinnatifida )

1 IntroductionIncreased blood pressure appears to be one of theprimary risk factors of circulatory organ diseases suchas encepharo-apoplexy, encepharo-infarction and cardi-ac infraction. Angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE)plays an important role in the rennin-angiotensin sys-tem by regulating blood pressure. Antihypertensivedrugs such as captopril and enalapril are potent ACEinhibitors (Ondetti et al., 1977). Recently, severalinhibitory peptides derived from food proteins havebeen isolat…     

Strike–slip origin of Cretaceous Mazhan Basin, Tan-Lu Fault Zone, Shandong, east China

The Mazhan Basin, Shandong Province, China, is located between the main faults, F₃ and F₄, of the Tan-Lu Fault Zone. It is an elongated basin more than 60 km in length and 8 km in width and contains a series of typical continental sediments (the Upper Cretaceous Wangshi Group). This series was divided into three sedimentary facies associations: conglomerate facies association; sandstone facies association of alluvial fan to lake margin environment; and siltstone facies association of lacustrine origins. Their zonal distribution pattern may represent a contemporaneous heterotopic facies due to a lateral facies change from margins to axis of the basin. Their stratigraphic sequence becomes younger northward along the boundary faults. This suggests that the depocenter of the fan–lake system tends to migrate northward along F₃. From the asymmetric features (i.e. basin shape, lithofacies distribution, facies change) the Mazhan Basin can be explained by progressive subsidence at the Tangwu releasing bend of F₃ with sinistral strike–slip movement. Judging from the fission track (FT) ages from the Wangshi Group, it was concluded that a sinistral strike–slip movement along the main fault, F₃ of the Tan-Lu Fault in Shandong, has lasted until the Late Cretaceous. Its displacement is estimated to be larger than the migrated distance, 60 km, of the depocenter of the Mazhan Basin.     

Paleomagnetism of Cretaceous Red beds from Eastern Part of South China Block

INTRODUCTIONCollisionofIndiawithAsiaappearstohavebroughtaboutlargetectonicdeformationofAsia,especiallyEastAsia(Tapponnieretal.,1986).Post-Cretaceousdeformation(translationand/orrotation)ofSimaoandIndochinablocks,whicharelocatedatthesouthernsideofRedRiverfault(RRF),hasbeenreportedfromCretaceouspaleomagneticin-vestigations(Yangetal.,l995;HuangandOpdyke,l993IYangandBesse,1993).AlsoinSouthChinablock(SCB)locatedatnorthsideoftheRRF,localdeformationofsomeregionsneartheRRFhasbeendocum…     

山东海阳所麻粒岩向过渡榴辉岩转化的变质动力学过程及其构造意义

在山东半岛东南端的乳山海阳所,角闪岩和长英质片麻岩呈互层产出,在某些角闪岩层的中心残留有弱变形的麻粒岩和强变形的过渡榴辉岩（斜长石榴辉岩）团块,在弱变形的麻粒岩团块中发育有窄的（〈１ｃｍ）剪切条带,沿着这些剪切条带和强变形过渡榴辉岩团块中,原麻粒岩被转化为含斜长石的过渡榴辉岩。变形和流体在这一转化过程中加速了元素扩散和迁移的速度,在变形强和有流体加入的部位麻粒岩向榴辉岩转化的程度明显增强,麻粒岩相