Thinning of the near-earth (10∼15 RE) plasma sheet preceding the substorm expansion phase

The timing of the plasma-sheet thinning relative to the onset of the expansion phase of substorms is examined by the analysis of the OGO 5 electron (79 ± 23 keV) and proton (100～150 keV) data with the aid of simultaneous magnetic field observations. It is found that the timing of the thinning is significantly dependent on the distance. At $\text{x}{}^2\text{+ y}{}^2\text{? 15 R}{}_{\mathrm{E}}$ the thinning often starts before the onset, while at $\text{x}{}^2\text{+ y}{}^2\text{? 15 R}{}_{\mathrm{E}}$ it tends to occur after the onset, where x and y refer to solar magnetospheric coordinates. The thinning that precedes the expansion-phase onset has been found to reduce the thickness to ～1 R_E, and further thinning may occur in a spatially limited region. Hence it is conceivable that the formation of the neutral line characterizing the substorm expansion phase is the consequence of the thinning of the plasma sheet in the near-Earth region.     

Slab rollback and microcontinent subduction in the evolution of the Zambales Ophiolite Complex(Philippines):A review

New radiolarian ages show that the island arc-related Acoje block of the Zambales Ophiolite Complex is possibly of Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous age.Radiometric dating of its plutonic and volcanichypabyssal rocks yielded middle Eocene ages.On the other hand,the paleontological dating of the sedimentary carapace of the transitional mid-ocean ridge-island arc affiliated Coto block of the ophiolite complex,together with isotopic age datings of its dikes and mafic cumulate rocks,also yielded Eocene ages.This offers the possibility that the Zambales Ophiolite Complex could have:(1)evolved from a Mesozoic arc(Acoje block)that split to form a Cenozoic back-arc basin(Coto block),(2)through faulting,structurally juxtaposed a Mesozoic oceanic crust with a younger Cenozoic lithospheric fragment or(3)through the interplay of slab rollback,slab break-off and,at a later time,collision with a microcontinent fragment,caused the formation of an island arc-related ophiolite block(Acoje)that migrated trench-ward resulting into the generation of a back-arc basin(Coto block)with a limited subduction signature.This Meso-Cenozoic ophiolite complex is compared with the other oceanic lithosphere fragments along the western seaboard of the Philippines in the context of their evolution in terms of their recognized environments of generation.     

Direct correlation of radiolarian <Emphasis Type="Italic">Kilinora spiralis</Emphasis> Zone with the Late Jurassic ammonite faunal succession in the Kurisaka Formation,Kurosegawa Terrane,SW Japan

The last appearance datum of the radiolarian Kilinora spiralis is recorded above the first appearance datum of the ammonite Ataxioceras (A.) kurisakense in the Todoro Section of the Kurisaka Formation, Southern Kurosegawa Terrane, Shikoku, SW Japan. The constraint by ammonite age prolongs the range of the Kilinora spiralis Zone, a remarkable Jurassic radiolarian zone in Japan-NW Pacific region, into the lower Kimmeridgian. The direct correlation of the Kilinora spiralis zone with the Late Jurassic ammonite faunal succession in the Kurisaka Formation will provide a clue to the still pending chronological difference between European and North American radiolarian zones.     

Ore-forming mechanism for the Xiaoxinancha Au-rich Cu deposit in Yanbian,Jilin Province,China: Evidence from noble gas isotope geochemistry of fluid inclusions in minerals

The Xiaoxinancha Au-rich copper deposit is one of important Au-Cu deposits along the continental margin in Eastern China. The deposit consists of two sections: the Beishan mine (North), composed of altered rocks with veinlet-dissemination sulfides and melnicovite-dominated sulfide-quartz veins, and the Nanshan mine (South), composed of pyrrhotite-dominated sulfide-quartz veins and pure sulfide veins. The isotope compositions of noble gases extracted from fluid inclusions in ore minerals, i.e. ratios of 3He/4He, 20Ne/22Ne and40Ar/36Ar are in the ranges of 4.45―0.08 Ra, 10.2―8.8 and 306―430, respectively. Fluid inclusions in minerals from the Nanshan mine have higher 3He/4He and 20Ne/22Ne ratios whereas those from the Beishan mine have lower 3He/4He ratios. The analysis of origin, and evolution of the ore fluids and its relations with the ore-forming stages and the ages of mineralization suggests that the initial hydrothermal fluids probably come from the melts generated by partial melting of oceanic crust with the participation of fluids from the mantle (mantle-plume type)/aesthenosphere. This also corresponds to the continental margin settings during the subduction of Izanagi ocaneic plate towards the palaeo-Asian continent (123―102 Ma). The veinlet-dissemination ore bodies of the Beishan mine were formed through replacement and crystallization of the mixed fluids generated by mixing of the ascending high-temperature boiling fluid with young crustal fluid whereas the melnicovite-dominated sulfide-quartz veins were formed subsequently by filling of the high-temperature ore fluid in fissures. Pyrrhotite-dominated sulfide-quartz veins in the Nanshan mine were formed by filling-deposition-crystallization of the moderate-temperature ore fluids and the pure sulfide veins were formed later by filling-deposition-crystallization of ore substance-rich fluids after boiling of the moderate-temperature ore fluids. The metallogenic dynamic processes can be summarized as: (1) formation of fluidand ore substance-bearing Adakitic magma by degassing, dewatering and partial melting during subduction of the Izanagi plate; (2) separation and formation of ore fluids from the Adakitic magma; and (3) success-sive ascending of the ore fluids and final formation of the Au-rich Cu deposit of veinlet-dissemination and vein types by secondary boiling.     

Bottom currents in Nankai Trough and Sagami Trough

Mean flows and velocity fluctuations are described from direct measurements of bottom currents made at three stations across Nankai Trough and two stations in Sagami Trough from May 1982 to May 1984. Aanderaa current meters were moored 7 m above the bottom. The observed mean flows indicate a counter-clockwise circulation in Nankai Trough with current speeds of 0.9–2.1 cm sec^–1. The mean flows were larger on the slopes than on the flat bottom of the trough. The mean flows observed in Sagami Trough show an inflow into Sagami Bay which is considered to be a part of the Oyashio undercurrent from the north that flows along the eastern coast of Honshu. Velocity fluctuations with periods greater than 100 hr were less energetic in the troughs than those at a station west of Hachijo-jima Island. A highly energetic fluctuation with a period of 66.7 hr was observed on the northern slope of Sagami Trough in the velocity component parallel to the trough axis. A maximum current speed of 49 cm sec^–1 was observed in Sagami Trough.This study was sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, Japan.     

Development of a flood water level estimation method using satellite images and a digital elevation model for the Mekong floodplain

We have developed a flood water level estimation method that only employs satellite images and a DEM. The method involves three steps: (1) discriminating flood areas and identifying clumps of each flood area, (2) extracting the edges of the identified flood area using a buffering technique, and (3) performing spatial interpolation to transform the extracted elevation to flood water levels. We compared the estimated flood water levels with the observed ones. The RMSE using the RADARSAT was 1.99 and 1.30 m at river and floodplain points, respectively, whereas the RMSE using the MODIS was 4.33 and 1.33 m at the river and floodplain points, respectively. Given that most errors are attributed to the DEM, the method exhibited good performance. Furthermore, the method reproduced the flow directions and flood water level changes during the flooding period. Thus, we demonstrated that the characteristics of flood inundation can be understood even when ground observation data cannot be obtained.     

Cosmic‐ray exposure age and heliocentric distance of the parent body of the Rumuruti chondrite PRE 95410

We measured concentrations and isotopic ratios of noble gases in the Rumuruti (R) chondrite Mount Prestrud (PRE) 95410, a regolith breccia exhibiting dark/light structures. The meteorite contains solar and cosmogenic noble gases. Based on the solar and cosmogenic noble gas compositions, we calculated a heliocentric distance of its parent body, a cosmic‐ray exposure age on the parent body regolith (parent body exposure age), and a cosmic‐ray exposure age in interplanetary space (space exposure age) of the meteorite. Assuming a constant solar wind flux, the estimated heliocentric distance was smaller than 1.4 ± 0.3 au, suggesting inward migration from the asteroid belt regions where the parent body formed. The largest known Mars Trojan 5261 Eureka is a potential parent body of PRE 95410. Alternatively, it is possible that the solar wind flux at the time of the parent body exposure was higher by a factor of 2–3 compared to the lunar regolith exposure. In this case, the estimated heliocentric distance is within the asteroid belt region. The parent body exposure age is longer than 19.1 Ma. This result indicates frequent impact events on the parent body like that recorded for other solar‐gas‐rich meteorites. Assuming single‐stage exposure after an ejection event from the parent body, the space exposure age is 11.0 ± 1.1 Ma, which is close to the peak of ~10 Ma in the exposure age distribution for the solar‐gas‐free R chondrites.     

广西富贺钟钨锡多金属矿集区稀有气体同位素特征及其地质意义

桂东北富贺钟地区是广西重要的有色金属基地之一, 在姑婆山复式岩体的西南缘产出有新路、水岩坝和珊瑚3个主要钨锡多金属矿田。本文对不同矿田典型矿床分别开展了稀有气体同位素研究, 根据黄铁矿流体包裹体He、Ar、Ne同位素组成, 进一步讨论了区内钨锡成矿流体来源和壳-幔成矿作用过程。结果表明, 黄铁矿流体包裹体3He/4He=0.53~4.53 Ra、40Ar/36Ar=315.58~600.55、38Ar/36Ar=0.18688~0.19102、20Ne/22Ne=9.737~9.848、21Ne/22Ne=0.0291~0.0304, 显示成矿流体为地壳流体、幔源流体和饱和大气水的混合物, 成矿过程中有地幔物质的加入, 地幔He约占8.7%~75.7%。结合区内成岩、成矿的测年资料及岩石成因等综合分析认为, 区内中生代发生了多期次壳-幔相互作用, 且作用强度经历了强→弱→强的演化过程, 分别导致了姑婆山岩体主体岩性(165~160 Ma)和晚期细粒花岗岩(154~151 Ma)的侵位, 以及钨锡多金属成矿作用(136~100 Ma), 成矿与晚期的细粒花岗岩同位但不同时。     

西南日本秋吉带石炭系高山(Ko-yama)灰岩群的褶皱构造

The study area is located in Kawakami-cho, Okayama Prefecture, which is occupied by Lower Carboniferous to Middle Permian Ko-yama Limestone Group (Yokoyama et al., 1979), Permian Yoshii Group (Sano et al., 1987) and Triassic Nariwa Group (Tera-oka, 1959). The Nariwa Group unconformably covers the Paleozoic successions (Otoh, 1985). These succes-sions belong to the Akiyoshi Belt. The Ko-yama Limestone Group is composed mainly of massive limestone, with basic volcanic rocks, acidic tuff and chert. The group was dated by foraminifer and fusu-linid as Lower Carboniferous to Middle Permian (Yo-koyama et al., 1979).     

西南日本秋吉带石炭系高山(Ko-yama)灰岩群的石炭纪(Visean – Moscovian)牙形石序列

The Carboniferous conodont faunal succession of the lower part of Ko-yama Limestone Group was studied. The confirmed upper Visean–lower Moscovian lithostratigraphy of the group is characterized by the clastic carbonates with common association of the basaltic pyroclastics and some intercalation of spicular chert beds. The faunal succession of Gnathodus semiglaber (upper Visean), Gnathodus praebilineatus – Lochriea multinodosa (upper Visean), Lochriea ziegleri – Gnathodus girtyi girtyi s.l. (lower Serpukhovian), Neoganthodus symmetricus – Idiognathodus primulus (middle – upper Bashkirian), and Idiognathoides convexus – Gondolella clarki (lower Moscovian) faunas, appears in concordance with the lithostratigraphic order. The faunas are correlative with those from the conodont zones of the Hina, Atetsu, Akiyoshi and Omi limestone groups in the Akiyoshi Belt. The Visean/Serpukhovian boundary of the section was recognized by the FAD of Lochriea ziegleri.