Paleomagnetism of the middle Cretaceous Iritono granite in the Abukuma region, northeast Japan

We have studied the paleomagnetism of the middle Cretaceous Iritono granite of the Abukuma massif in northeast Japan together with ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar dating. Paleomagnetic samples were collected from ten sites of the Iritono granite (102 Ma ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar age) and two sites of its associated gabbroic dikes. The samples were carefully subjected to alternating field and thermal demagnetizations and to rock magnetic analyses. Most of natural remanent magnetizations show mixtures of two components: (1) H component, high coercivity (B_c > 50–90 mT) or high blocking temperature (T_b > 350–560 °C) component and (2) L component, relatively low B_c or low T_b component. H component was obtained from all the 12 sites to give a mean direction of shallow inclination and northwesterly declination (I = 29.9°, D = 311.0°, α₉₅ = 2.7°, N = 12). This direction is different from the geocentric axial dipole field at the present latitude (I = 56.5°) and the typical direction of the Cenozoic remagnetization in northeast Japan. Since rock magnetic properties indicate that the H component of the Iritono granite is carried mainly by magnetite inclusions in plagioclase, this component probably retains a primary one. Thus the shallow inclination indicates that the Abukuma massif was located at a low latitude (16.1 ± 1.6°N) about 100 Ma and then drifted northward by about 20° in latitude. The northwesterly deflection is attributed mostly to the counterclockwise rotation of northeast Japan due to Miocene opening of the Japan Sea. According to this model, the low-pressure and high-temperature (low-P/high-T) metamorphism of the Abukuma massif, which has been well known as a typical location, would have not occurred in the present location. On the other hand, the L component is carried mainly by pyrrhotite and its mean direction shows a moderate inclination and a northwesterly declination (I = 42.8°, D = 311.5°, α₉₅ = 3.3°, N = 9). Since this direction is intermediate between the H component and early Cenozoic remagnetization in northeast Japan, some thermal event would have occurred at lower temperature than pyrrhotite Curie point ( 320 °C) during the middle Cretaceous to early Cenozoic time to have resulted in partial remagnetization.     

层积云覆盖的海洋边界层云详细微物理过程的数值模拟

文中建立了一个含显式分档的云微物理模式和辐射传输模式的一维 3阶湍流闭合模式 ,该模式可用于研究海洋边界层云中气溶胶和云的相互作用过程 ,同时提出了一种新的动力模式和微物理模式耦合方法 ,该方法可使动力模式中液态水相关项可以直接由微物理模式变量计算得到。作为模式的初步应用模拟了 2 0 0 1年APEX/ACE Asia在西太平洋上所观测到的一个个例。模拟结果和观测资料比较表明该模式基本上模拟出层积云覆盖的海洋边界层的基本结构     

Laumontization and Secondary Pores of Sandstones in the Paleogene and Upper Cretaceous Coal Measures, off Northeast Honshu, Japan

Abstract. Sandstones with high reservoir quality occur in the Paleogene and Upper Cretaceous coal measures off Sanriku and Sohma in the Pacific coast of northeast Honshu. The sandstone porosity was generally produced by the dissolution of calcite cement and clastic grains such as feldspar and glassy volcanics. The most probable cause of dissolution is the organic acids generated from the maturation of coal and coaly matter in the deeply subsiding source area prior to thermogenic hydrocarbon generation. The pore fluid including organic acids dissolved calcite and clastic silicates to form a small amount of laumontite and kaolinite at around 60C. The acidic and not neutralized pore fluid was responsible for the formation of kaoli-nite. On the other hand, laumontite was formed when the acidic pore fluid was neutralized and then made alkaline after the reaction with minerals such as plagioclase, glassy volcanics and calcite cement. Therefore, laumontite and kaolinite generally occur separately. Laumontite is 0.6–4.6 % by volume, whereas kaolinite is 0.6–9.8 % and the sandstone porosity remains from 10 to 22 %. This type of laumontization after the secondary pore formation might not give a severe damage to the reservoir property of the Paleogene and Upper Cretaceous coal measures in the Pacific coast of northeast Honshu and indicates further exploration possibility.     

Discontinuity of the Mozumi–Sukenobu fault low-velocity zone, central Japan, inferred from 3-D finite-difference simulation of fault zone waves excited by explosive sources

We delineate shallow structures of the Mozumi–Sukenobu fault, central Japan, using fault zone waves generated by near-surface explosions and detected by a seismometer array. Two explosive sources, S1 and S2, were placed at a distance of about 2 km from the array, and the other two, S3 and S4, were at a distance of about 4 km. Fault zone head waves and fault zone trapped waves following direct P wave arrivals were clearly identified in the seismograms recorded by a linear seismometer array deployed across the fault in a research tunnel at a depth of 300 m. Synthetic waveforms generated by a 3-D finite-difference (3-D FD) method were compared with observed fault zone waves up to 25 Hz. The best fitting model indicates a 200-m-wide low-velocity zone extending at least to shot site S1 located 2 km east of the seismic array with a 20% decrease in the P wave velocity relative to the wall rock. The width of the low-velocity zone is consistent with the fault zone defined by direct geological observation in the research tunnel. However, the low-velocity zone should disappear just to the east of the site S1 to explain the observed fault zone waves for shot S3 and S4 located 4 km east of the seismometer array. Yet the observation and the simulation show notable trapped wave excitation even though shots S3 and S4 are outside the fault zone. These results indicate that (1) the effective waveguide for seismic waves along the fault does not exist east of source site S1 although the surface traces of the fault are observed in this region, and (2) considerable trapped waves can be excited by sources well outside the fault zone. These results highlight the along-strike variability in fault zone structure.     

Geology of the summit limestone of Mount Qomolangma (Everest) and cooling history of the Yellow Band under the Qomolangma detachment

Abstract   Newly discovered peloidal limestone from the summit of Mount Qomolangma (Mount Everest) contains skeletal fragments of trilobites, ostracods and crinoids. They are small pebble-sized debris interbedded in micritic bedded limestone of the Qomolangma Formation, and are interpreted to have been derived from a bank margin and redeposited in peri-platform environments. An exposure of the Qomolangma detachment at the base of the first step (8520 m), on the northern slope of Mount Qomolangma was also found. Non-metamorphosed, strongly fractured Ordovician limestone is separated from underlying metamorphosed Yellow Band by a sharp fault with a breccia zone. The ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar ages of muscovite from the Yellow Band show two-phase metamorphic events of approximately 33.3 and 24.5 Ma. The older age represents the peak of a Barrovian-type Eo-Himalayan metamorphic event and the younger age records a decompressional high-temperature Neo-Himalayan metamorphic event. A muscovite whole-rock ⁸⁷Rb–⁸⁶Sr isochron of the Yellow Band yielded 40.06 ± 0.81 Ma, which suggests a Pre-Himalayan metamorphism, probably caused by tectonic stacking of the Tibetan Tethys sediments in the leading margin of the Indian subcontinent. Zircon and apatite grains, separated from the Yellow Band, gave pooled fission-track ages of 14.4 ± 0.9 and 14.4 ± 1.4 Ma, respectively. These new chronologic data indicate rapid cooling of the hanging wall of the Qomolangma detachment from approximately 350°C to 130°C during a short period (15.5–14.4 Ma).     

Element partitioning between metallic liquid, silicate liquid, and lower-mantle minerals: implications for core formation of the Earth

We determined the partition coefficients of 19 elements between metallic liquid and silicate liquid at 20 GPa and 2500°C, and between metallic liquid and silicate perovskite at 27 GPa and 2200°C. Remarkable differences were observed in the partitioning behaviors of Si, P, W, Re, and Pb among the silicate liquid, perovskite, and magnesiowüstite coexisting with metallic liquid, reflecting incompatibility of the elements in the silicate or oxide phase. We could not observe any significant difference in the partitioning behaviors of V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, and Cu among the phases coexisting with metallic liquid.

Comparison of the present partitioning data with those obtained previously at lower pressure and temperature suggests that the exchange partition coefficients, K_met/sil, of Co, Ni, Mo, and W decrease, whereas those of V, Cr, and Mn increase and tend to approach unity with increasing pressure and temperature. We also made preliminary experiments to clarify the effect of sulfur on the partitioning behaviors. Sulfur lowers the exchange partition coefficients, K_met/sil, of Mo and W between metallic liquid and silicate liquid significantly at 20 GPa and 2300°C.

The mantle abundances of Co, Ni, Cu, Mo, and W calculated for the metal-silicate equilibrium model are lower than those of the real mantle, whereas P, K, and Mn are overabundant in the calculated mantle. The discrepancies in the abundances of Co and Ni could be explained by the chemical equilibrium at higher pressure and temperature. Large discrepancies in Mo and W between the calculated and real mantles could be accounted for by the effect of sulfur combined with the effects of pressure and temperature on the chemical equilibrium. The mantle abundances of P, K, and Cu could be accounted for by volatile loss in the nebula, perhaps before accretion of the Earth, combined with the chemical equilibrium at higher pressure and temperature. Thus the observed mantle abundances of P, K, Co, Ni, Cu, Mo, and W may be consistent with a model of sulfur-bearing metal-silicate equilibrium in lower-mantle conditions.     

Determination of Uranium in Thirty-six Geological Reference Samples by Fluorimetry and Extractive Spectrophotometry

The uranium contents of 36 geological reference samples have been determined by fluorimetry after ion-exchange separation, and spectrophotometry using Arsenazo III after solvent extraction with tri-n-octylphosphine oxide. The agreement between present results and published data is generally good. The methods of fluorimetry and spectrophotometry proved very convenient in the determination of uranium in geological materials.     

Heating and reconnection of the emerging magnetic flux-tubes and the role of the interchange instability

We propose in the present paper that the basic behaviors of newly-emerged magnetic regions (NEMR) as seen in EUV and soft X-rays from space are interpreted by the interchange instability of the magnetic field of NEMR in the global situation surrounding it.It is shown that the situation with the NEMR is unstable against the interchange instability, and a continual relaxation to the lower energy state, or a continual invasion of the magnetic flux of the NEMR to the ambient region in the form of fine bundles or thin sheets, will take place in a short time scale of ₁ L/V _A following the change in the boundary condition at the photosphere. The second and the final relaxation is shown to be the enhanced Joule dissipation in a time scale of hours to several days occurring in the thin current sheets on the interface of this intermingled structure which is distributed in a large volume. This hypothesis may provide an explanation for the heating of NEMR to an X-ray emitting temperature, which is otherwise rather difficult to explain. The observed fast reconnection without appreciable flares (except for some smaller brightenings) is another aspect which can be explained in the present hypothesis. Namely, since the situation with the NEMR is unstable for the interchange from the beginning, the stressed configuration is relaxed before storing appreciable energy in the form of magnetic stress and therefore without a drastic release of a large amount of stored stress energy in the form of a flare.     

Optimal placement of sensors on buildings subjected to intermediate‐storey excitation according to QN control method

An algorithm to calculate direct velocity feedback gain with limited number of sensors is developed in a simple way such that a certain performance index is minimized according to QN control method. If a limited number of velocity outputs can be measured, full velocity responses of the whole structure can be interpolated based on the mode shapes. By defining the performance index function as a combination of the structure's velocity responses and control forces only, feedback gain can be determined according to QN control method with the external excitation being taken into account throughout the entire algorithm. Control forces are then regulated by the time‐invariant feedback gain matrix. The effective location of the active control devices for a building structure subjected to intermediate‐storey excitation has been determined to be in the three floors adjacent to the vibration source. Hence for the purpose of this paper, only the optimal placement of sensors is verified. It is shown in this paper that if the dynamic behaviour of the structure is well described by a mathematical model, sufficient response reduction effect can be achieved according to the new DVFC algorithm, and the degradation of control performance due to time delay can also be verified. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A new method of modelling the rock micro-fracturing process in double-torsion experiments using neural networks

Microfracturing of rock is a complicated damage evolution process. Inaccurate prediction of micro-fracturing behaviours suggests a need for the development of a better modelling method. Analysis of acoustic emission (AE) measurements in double-torsion tests indicates that micro-fracturing behaviours during the loading stage have fractal time structures. This fractal behaviour can be described by C(t) ∝ t^D, where D is the correlation exponent, t is the time and C(t) is the correlation integral. Furthermore, by utilizing measured AE data, a new method has been developed to model the AE behaviours of micro-fracturing in rock, in air, and following soaking in water and in a chemical solution of DTAB. The neutral models NN (10,21,2) and NN (10,20,2) were found to describe reasonably well the AE behaviours of micro-fracturing in rock under air and DTAB conditions, and water conditions, respectively. The cumulative AE events and the cumulative AE counts predicted by the neural models agreed well with those measured in experiments. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.