An AFLP Genetic Linkage Map of Pacific Abalone （Haliotis discus hannai）

A genetic linkage map of Pacific abalone （Haliotis discus hannai） was constructed using AFLP markers based on a two-way pseudo-testcross strategy in a full-sib family. With 33 primer combinations, a total of 455 markers （225 from the female parent and 230 from the male parent） segregated in a 1 ： 1 ratio, corresponding to DNA polymorphism： heterozygous in one parent and null in the other. The female framework map consisted of 174 markers distributed in 18 linkage groups, equivalent to the H. discus hannai haploid chromosome number, and spanning a total length of 2031.4 cM, with an average interval of 13.0 cM between adjacent markers. The male framework map consisted of 195 markers mapped on 19 linkage groups, spanning a total length of 2273.4cM, with an average spacing of 12.9cM between adjacent markers. The estimated coverage for the framework linkage maps was 81.2% for the female and 82.1% for the male, on the basis of two estimates of genome length. Fifty-two markers （11.4%） remained unlinked. The level of segregation distortion observed in this cross was 20.4%. These linkage maps will serve as a starting point for linkage studies in the Pacific abalone with potential application for marker-assisted selection in breeding programs.     

Detection of large color variation in the potentially hazardousasteroid （297274） 1996 SK

Low-inclination near-earth asteroid(NEA)(297274) 1996 SK,which is also classified as a potentially hazardous asteroid,has a highly eccentric orbit.It was studied by multi-wavelength photometry within the framework of an NEA color survey at Lulin Observatory.Here,we report the finding of large color variation across the surface of(297274) 1996 SK within one asteroidal rotation period of4.656 ± 0.122 hours and classify it as an S-type asteroid according to its average colors of B- V = 0.767 ± 0.033,V- R = 0.482 ± 0.021,V- I = 0.801 ± 0.025and the corresponding relative reflectance spectrum.These results might be indicative of differential space weathering or compositional inhomogeneity in the surface materials.     

Retardation capacity of altered granitic rock distributed along fractured and faulted zones in the orogenic belt of Japan

There are wide areas of granitic rocks in the Japanese orogenic belt. These granitic bodies inevitably contain fracture and fault systems associated with alteration zones. However, relatively little attention has been given to the possible influence of such widely distributed alteration zones on the migration of radionuclides from any radioactive waste repository that might in future be sited within granitic rock. In particular, the influences of alteration products and micro-fractures, due to chemical sorption and/or physical retardation require further consideration. In order to understand the retardation capacity of the altered deep granitic rocks, detailed geometrical characterization of pores, geochemical analysis, and batch sorption and flow-through experiments have been carried out. Those results show that the altered granite has a large volume of accessible pores, particularly in potassium-feldspar grains, which would influence nuclide retardation more than the accessible porosity in other minerals present, such as biotite. The distribution coefficients, Kd estimated from batch sorption tests and flow-through experiments suggest that altered granite has a high capability to retard the migration of nuclides. The retardation would probably be due to sorption on altered minerals such as sericite and iron hydroxides formed along grain boundaries and in pores created by dissolution, in addition to sorption on primary sorptive minerals. These results provide confidence that even altered and fractured parts of any granitic rock that might be encountered in a site for the disposal of high level radioactive waste may still retard radionuclide migration and thereby help the geosphere to function as a barrier.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987114000917

Important ecological changes of the Earth(oxidization of the atmosphere and the ocean) increase in nutrient supply due to the break-up of the super continent(Rodinia) and the appearance of multi-cellular organisms(macroscopic algae and metazoan) took place in the Ediacaran period,priming the Cambrian explosion.The strong perturbations in carbon cycles in the ocean are recorded as excursions in carbonate and organic carbon isotope ratio(δ~(13)C_(carb) and δ~(13)C_(org)) from the Ediacaran through early Cambrian periods.The Ediacaran-early Cambrian sediment records of δ~(13)C_(carb) and δ~(13)C_(org),obtained from the drill-core samples in Three Gorges in South China,are compared with the results of numerical simulation of a simple one-zone model of the carbon cycle of the ocean,which has two reservoirs(i.e.,dissolved organic carbon(DOC) and dissolved inorganic carbon(DIC).The fluxes from the reservoirs are assumed to be proportional to the mass of the carbon reservoirs.We constructed a model,referred to here as the Best Fit Model(BFM),which reproduce δ~(13)C_(carb) and δ~(13)C_(org) records in the Ediacaran-early Cambrian period noted above.BFM reveals that the Shuram excursion is related to three major changes in the carbon cycle or the global ecological system of the Earth:(1) an increase in the coefficient of remineralization by a factor of ca.100,possibly corresponding to a change in the dominant metabolism from anaerobic respiration to aerobic respiration,(2) an increase of carbon fractionation index from 25‰ to 33‰,possibly corresponding to the change in the primary producer from rock-living cyanobacteria to free-living macro algae,and(3) an increase in the coefficient of the organic carbon burial by a factor of ca.100,possibly corresponding to the onset of a biological pump driven by the flourishing metazoan and zooplankton.The former two changes took place at the start of the Shuram excursion,while the third occurred at the end of the Shuram excursion.The other two excursions are explained by the tentative decrease in primary production due to cold periods,which correspond to the Gaskiers(ca.580 Ma) and Bikonor(ca.542 Ma) glaciations.     

Diamond in metasedimentary crustal rocks from Pohorje,Eastern Alps: a window to deep continental subduction

We report the first finding of diamond and moissanite in metasedimentary crustal rocks of Pohorje Mountains (Slovenia) in the Austroalpine ultrahigh‐pressure (UHP) metamorphic terrane of the Eastern Alps. Microscopic observations and Raman spectroscopy show that diamond occurs in situ as inclusions in garnet, being heterogeneously distributed. Under the optical microscope, diamond‐bearing inclusions are of cuboidal to rounded shape and of pinkish, yellow to brownish colour. The Raman spectra of the investigated diamond show a sharp, first order peak of sp³‐bonded carbon, in most cases centred between 1332 and 1330 cm^?1, with a full width at half maximum between 3 and 5 cm^?1. Several spectra show Raman bands typical for disordered graphitic (sp²‐bonded) carbon. Detailed observations show that diamond occurs either as a monomineralic, single‐crystal inclusion or it is associated with SiC (moissanite), CO₂ and CH₄ in polyphase inclusions_. This rare record of diamond occurring with moissanite as fluid‐inclusion daughter minerals implies the crystallization of diamond and moissanite from a supercritical fluid at reducing conditions. Thermodynamic modelling suggests that diamond‐bearing gneisses attained P–T conditions of ≥3.5 GPa and 800–850 °C, similar to eclogites and garnet peridotites. We argue that diamond formed when carbonaceous sediment underwent UHP metamorphism at mantle depth exceeding 100 km during continental subduction in the Late Cretaceous (c. 95–92 Ma). The finding of diamond confirms UHP metamorphism in the Pohorje Mountains, the most deeply subducted part of Austroalpine units.     

Primary melt from Sannome-gata volcano,NE Japan arc: constraints on generation conditions of rear-arc magmas

The conditions under which rear-arc magmas are generated were estimated using primary basalts from the Sannome-gata volcano, located in the rear of the NE Japan arc. Scoriae from the volcano occur with abundant crustal and mantle xenoliths, suggesting that the magma ascended rapidly from the upper mantle. The scoriae show significant variations in their whole-rock compositions (7.9–11.1 wt% MgO). High-MgO scoriae (MgO > ~9.5 wt%) have mostly homogeneous ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (0.70318–0.70320), whereas low-MgO scoriae (MgO < ~9 wt%) have higher ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (>0.70327); ratios tend to increase with decreasing MgO content. The high-MgO scoriae are aphyric, containing ~5 vol% olivine microphenocrysts with Mg# [100 × Mg/(Mg + Fe²⁺)] of up to 90. In contrast, the low-MgO scoriae have crustal xenocrysts of plagioclase, alkali feldspar, and quartz, and the mineralogic modes correlate negatively with whole-rock MgO content. On the basis of these observations, it is inferred that the high-MgO scoriae represent primary or near-primary melts, while the low-MgO scoriae underwent considerable interaction with the crust. Using thermodynamic analysis of the observed petrological features of the high-MgO scoriae, the eruption temperature of the magmas was constrained to 1,160–1,220 °C. Given that the source mantle was depleted MORB-source mantle, the primary magma was plausibly generated by ~7 % melting of a garnet-bearing spinel peridotite; taking this into consideration, and considering the constraints of multi-component thermodynamics, we estimated that the primary Sannome-gata magma was generated in the source mantle with 0.5–0.6 wt% H₂O at 1,220–1,230 °C and at ~1.8 GPa, and that the H₂O content of the primary magma was 6–7 wt%. The rear-arc Sannome-gata magma was generated by a lower degree of melting of the mantle at greater depths and lower temperatures than the frontal-arc magma from the Iwate volcano, which was also estimated to be generated by ~15 % melting of the source mantle with 0.6–0.7 wt% H₂O at ~1,250 °C and at ~1.3 GPa.     

Interpretation of charging on fracture or frictional slip surface of rocks

Fracturing and frictional sliding of quartz and granite under dry condition generates fractoluminescence, charged particle emission and electromagnetic radiation. Various kinds of experiments indicate that surface charge density on fracture or frictional slip surface of quartz and granite is 10⁻⁴ to 10⁻² C/m² which is larger than bound charges induced by the disappearance of piezoelectricity due to the release of stress. Hole and electron trapping centers, which is found in semiconductor devices with the Si–SiO₂ system, are causes of surface charging on fracture or frictional slip surface of quartz crystal. The quantity of the surface charge is enough to cause corona discharge that can generate earthquake lights. The mechanism considering the hole and electron trapping centers has a probability to explain why non-piezoelectric minerals or rocks generate electromagnetic phenomena. It can be one of origins of seismo-electromagnetic phenomena (SEP).     

Radiative Shock Experiments At Luli

We present the set-up and the results of a supercritical radiative shock experiment performed with the LULI nanosecond laser facility. Using specific designed targets filled with xenon gaz at low pressure, the propagation of a strong shock with a radiative precursor is evidenced. The main measured quantities related to the shock (electronic density, propagation velocities, temperature, radial dimension) are presented and compared with various numerical simulations.     

Geochemistry of Mesozoic intracontinental basalts from Yunnan, southern China: Implications for geochemical evolution of the subcontinental lithosphere

Summary Southwestern Yunnan, comprising the Yangtze and Shan-Thai microcontinents and the Simao block, has successively undergone subduction of an oceanic plate, followed by a collision of the microcontinents and intracontinental rifting associated with basaltic volcanism during Late Paleozoic to Mesozoic.The Triassic Nanjian basalts, erupted on the Yangtze microcontinent, have more enriched isotopic ratios and higher LREE/HFSE and LREE/HREE ratios. This suggests the existence of an enriched subcontinental lithosphere under the Yangtze microcontinent which stabilized over long periods of the earth's history (> 2Ga).The Middle Jurassic Simao basalts have more depleted geochemical features and also have element enrichments characteristic of a subduction zone environment, although the basalts were erupted in an intracontinental graben. It may be inferred that the lithospheric mantle of the Simao block was modified by subduction processes during Latest Carboniferous to Late Triassic prior to the onset of the Middle Jurassic continental rifting. The lack of correlation between depletion of HFSE, Y and HREE, and relative enriched Nd isotopic ratios suggests that the source depletion of the Simao basalts is not an old feature and has been contemporaneous with the subduction-related enrichment through mantle metasomatism shortly before the basalts were produced.The Middle Jurassic Baoshan basalts which erupted during the continental rifting on the Shan-Thai microcontinent have an Sr-Nd isotopic composition similar to the bulk earth and higher concentrations of incompatible trace elements. These features suggest that the subcontinental lithosphere under the Shan-Thai microcontinent underwent mantle metasomatism just prior to eruption of the Baoshan basalt.

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Geochemie mesozoischer interkontinentaler Basalte aus Jünnan, Südchina: Hinweise auf die geochemische Entwicklung der subkontinentalen Lithosphäre

Zusammenfassung Südwestjünnan umfaßt den Jangtse und den Shan-Thai Mikrokontinent und den Simao Block. Das Gebiet wurde von aufeinander folgenden Subduktionsphasen einer ozeanischen Platte betroffen, auf die Kollision der Mikrokontinente und interkontinentales Rifting folgte. Dieses war mit basaltischem Vulkanismus während des späten Paläozoikums bis ins Mesozoikum assoziiert.Die triassischen Nanjian-Basalte, die auf dem Jangtse Mikrokontinent eruptierten, haben mehr angereicherte Isotopenverhältnisse und höhere LREE/HFSE und LREE/HREE Verhältnisse. Dieses weist auf eine angereicherte subkontinentale Lithosphäre unter dem Jangtse Mikrokontinent hin, die sich während langer Perioden der Erdgeschichte stabilisierte (>2Ga).Die mittel jurassischen Simao-Basalte haben eine mehr verarmte geochemische Signatur aber auch Elementanreicherungen, die für ein Subduktionszonen-Milieu charakteristisch sind, obwohl die Basalte in einem interkontinentalen Graben ausgetreten sind. Man kann daraus schließen, daß der lithosphärische Mantel des Simao-Blockes durch Subduktionsprozesse während des jüngsten Karbons bis in die späte Trias vor dem Beginn des mittel-jurassischen kontinentalen Riftings modifiziert worden war. Das Fehlen einer Korrelation zwischen der Anreicherung von HFSE, Y und HREE und relativ angereicherter Nd-Isotopenverhältnisse weist darauf hin, daß die Verarmung der Quelle der Simaobasalte nicht weit zurückreicht. Sie dürfte viel eher gleichaltrig mit der subduktions-bedingten Anreicherung durch Mantel-Metasomatose kurz vor der Entstehung der Basalte sein.Die mittel-jurassischen Baoshan-Basalte, die während des kontinentalen Riftings auf den Shan-Thai Mikrokontintent eruptierten, haben eine Sr-Nd-Isotopensignatur, die ähnlich der Gesamterde ist, jedoch höhere Konzentrationen inkompatibler Spurenelemente zeigt. All dies legt nahe, daß die subkontinentale Lithosphäre unter dem Shan-Thai-Mikrokontinent kurz vor der Eruption der Baoshan-Basalte von Mantel-Metasomatose betroffen worden ist.

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With 8 Figures

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Visiting Fellow, Geology Department, Australian National University, Australia