Metamorphic Environments around the Cretaceous Kurihashi Pluton in the Kitakami Mountains, NE Japan: in Comparison to the Ganidake Pluton - Kamaishi Skarn Metasomatism

Abstract. Many granitic plutons of Early Cretaceous age are intruded on various scales in the Kitakami Mountains. The stock‐type Ganidake pluton accompanies enormous Fe‐Cu mineralization of the Kamaishi deposits, whereas the Kurihashi pluton accompanies less mineralization. To elucidate the cause of these differences, the metamorphic conditions and redox state of the contact metamorphic aureole around the Kurihashi pluton have been examined by the petrochemical study and gas analysis of the metamorphic rocks. A typical mineral assemblage in the pelitic rocks in the lowest‐grade part is biotite‐muscovite‐chlorite‐quartz‐plagio‐clase‐graphite, which occur more than 2 km away from the contact point with the Kurihashi pluton. Graphite disappears at the 1550 m point, and cordierite and garnet appear in the middle and highest‐grade parts, respectively. A typical mineral assemblage in the tuffaceous rocks in the lower‐grade part is chlorite‐actinolite‐biotite‐quartz‐plagioclase. Actinolite changes into hornblende near to the pluton. The CO₂/CH₄ ratios obtained in measurements by gas chromatography exceeds 100 in the pelitic rocks at the contact point with the pluton. The ratios decrease and become less than 0.1 with distance from the pluton. Equilibrium temperatures calculated from a garnet‐biotite pair in the pelitic rock and a hornblende‐plagioclase pair in the tuffaceous rock are 640d? and 681 d?C at the contact point, respectively. The log?o₂ values among these metamorphic aureoles estimated from the CO₂/CH₄ ratios are slightly lower than the FMQ‐buffer. Redox states of the contact metamorphic aureole are kept in an intermediate condition between oxidized magma of the Kurihashi pluton and graphite‐bearing pelitic country rocks. Judging from these metamorphic conditions around the Kurihashi pluton and from the re‐evaluation of the previous knowledge about contact metasomatism around the Ganidake pluton, the Kurihashi metamorphism has occurred at higher temperatures and dry conditions than the Ganidake metasomatism. These differences in the metamorphic conditions and presence or absence of a large limestone mass around the pluton might be the principal reasons why the Kurihashi pluton accompanies less mineralization and the Ganidake pluton accompanies gigantic Kamaishi skarn mineralization.     

Damage to Residential Fills in the 1995 Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake

This paper summarizes the features of ground damage toresidential fills due to the 1995 Hyogo-ken NanbuEarthquake in Japan. Many residential lands sufferedground damage to various extents in the earthquakeevent. Permanent deformation took place ingently-sloping residential fills. Some slopes asgentle as four degrees exhibited landslide-likedownward movements from dozens to hundreds ofcentimeters, so on. It is suggested that liquefactionmight be a dominant factor for displacements ingently-inclined residential fills.     

山西高原六棱山北麓断裂晚第四纪运动学特征初步研究

六棱山北麓断裂是山西地堑系北端张性构造区中的一条控制性断裂，总体走向北东东、倾向北北西，是一条至今仍在活动的倾滑正断裂，控制阳原盆地的形成和发展。在１９９３年和１９９４年的中日合作研究中，我们对断裂分段特征进行了研究，并用Ａｕｔｏ－ｌｅｖｅｌ仪器对这一条断裂晚第四纪不同时期的断错地貌面的位错量进行了测量，对这些地貌面的年龄进行了测定，得到该断裂带晚更新世晚期至全新世时期的平均垂直滑动速率为０．４３～０．７５ｍｍ／ａ。关键词     

Concentration mechanisms of iron oxides and alumina in deep weathering crusts (Goshikidai, Kagawa, Western Japan)

Concentration of Fe-oxides and alumina in weathering processes are main geological reactions for lateritization and bauxitization, respectively. In western Japan, red-coloured soil formed by weathering processes developed in many places. This soil is composed of hydrous Fe-oxide minerals, hydrous alumina minerals and other minerals. It was formed in the upper part of deep weathering crust by weathering processes under some kind of sub-tropical climate, probably in the Pliocene. One of these occurrences is observed in the upper part of Goshikidai and Konodai, west part of Takamatsu city, northeast Shikoku Island, west Japan. A deep weathering crust is distributed on wide hilly plains ranging from 250 to 400 m a.m.s.l. in the northwestern region of Takamatsu city. Original rock of the weathering crust is bronzite andesite and glassy bronzite andesite, so-called ‘sanukite’. The andesites had been weathered under some special climate, and the geological age of the weathering is the same as above. The mineral assemblage and formation mechanism are similar to those of laterite and bauxite. The weathering crust developing in this region are subdivided into the three following zones: (1) A zone, composed of hydrous Fe-oxides and metahalloysite with small amounts of gibbsite and it is associated with white veins of metahalloysite; (2) B zone, composed of hydrous Fe-oxides and metahalloysite (some material is associated with -cristobalite); and C zone, composed of metahalloysite or halloysite and -cristobalite with relict crystals of feldspar and quartz, and some material is associated with montmorillonite. Chemical analyses of the materials of the three zones show the formation mechanisms of the weathering crust.     

Statistical Features of Vein Systems in the Hishikari Epithermal Gold Deposit, Japan

Abstract. The Hishikari epithermal gold deposit consists of parallel vertical veins hosted by the Quaternary volcanic rocks (QVR) and Cretaceous sedimentary rocks (CSR) at the shallow and deep levels, respectively. In order to reveal the litholog‐ical influence on the evolution of vein systems in the Hishikari field, vein density, width, spacing and position were statistically examined using cores sampled from three boreholes. The statistical features of the veins identified were summarized as follows, (i) The QVR have lower mean vein densities than the CSR. (ii) The former has smaller deformation degrees (ratios of total vein width per length) than the latter, (iii) Cumulative frequencies of vein density obey negative‐exponential distributions in both the types of rocks, (iv) Cumulative frequencies of vein width obey power‐law distributions with exponents of about ‐1 in both the types of rocks, but consist of two segments in the CSR. (v) Cumulative frequencies of vein spacing obey lognormal distributions with coefficients of variation between 1.8 and 3.5 in both the types of rocks. And (vi) fractal dimensions of vein position are between 0.45 and 0.52 at measure lengths between 0.1 and 10 m without distinctive difference between the two types of rocks. The feature (i) indicates higher ductility of the QVR against fracturing than the CSR. The feature (ii) implies that large deformation was accumulated in rocks themselves (e.g., alteration zones) in addition to the veins examined in the QVR compared to only the veins in the CSR. The feature (iv) suggests that the vein systems in the CSR reached a stage at which the several selected large veins grew as main conduit, that potentially provided pathways for ore‐forming fluids to ascend from deep levels. The coefficients of variation of vein spacing and fractal dimensions of vein position (features v and vi) indicate clustered distribution of the veins in the field. This study might be helpful for a better understanding of lithological influence on the evolution of vein systems not only in the Hishikari field but also in other fields.     

Geochronological and petrological investigations of Miocene felsic igneous rocks in the Amakusa Islands,southwest Japan: Possible extension of the Setouchi Volcanic Belt

The opening of the Japan Sea led to the separation of southwest Japan from the Eurasian continent. Subsequent to this event, a diverse range of igneous activities occurred in southwest Japan. On the back-arc side of the region, igneous activity commenced at approximately 22 Ma and persisted for an extended period. In the trench-proximal region of southwest Japan, magmatism initiated around 15.6 Ma, immediately following the cessation of the Japan Sea opening, in correlation with the subduction of the Philippine Sea plate beneath southwest Japan. The Amakusa Islands in western Kyushu host felsic to intermediate igneous rocks with Miocene radiometric ages. There has been a debate regarding the attribution of the igneous rocks in Amakusa Island among the Miocene igneous rocks in southwest Japan. To address this issue, we conducted zircon U–Pb dating and analyzed the major- and trace-element compositions of felsic igneous rocks in the Amakusa Islands to elucidate their characteristics. The obtained U–Pb ages range from 14.5 to 14.8 Ma, suggesting contemporaneity between magmatism in the Amakusa Islands and the Setouchi Volcanic Rocks in the trench-proximal region of southwest Japan. The major and trace element compositions of the felsic igneous rocks exhibit similarities to the dacites of the Setouchi Volcanic Rocks. These findings support previous suggestions that the magmatism in the Amakusa Islands can be correlated with the Setouchi Volcanic Rocks, based on the discovery of a high-Mg andesite dike and paleo-stress analysis utilizing the direction of dikes and sills. Therefore, the Setouchi Volcanic Belt is proposed to extend further west than the previously identified Ohno volcanic rocks in eastern Kyushu. The subduction of the Shikoku Basin of the Philippine Sea plate toward western Kyushu supports the hypothesis that the Kyushu-Palau Ridge was positioned west of Kyushu at ~15 Ma.     

Regionality and seasonality of submesoscale and mesoscale turbulence in the North Pacific Ocean

The kinetic energy (KE) seasonality has been revealed by satellite altimeters in many oceanic regions. Question about the mechanisms that trigger this seasonality is still challenging. We address this question through the comparison of two numerical simulations. The first one, with a 1/10° horizontal grid spacing, 54 vertical levels, represents dynamics of physical scales larger than 50 km. The second one, with a 1/30° grid spacing, 100 vertical levels, takes into account the dynamics of physical scales down to 16 km. Comparison clearly emphasizes in the whole North Pacific Ocean, not only a significant KE increase by a factor up to three, but also the emergence of seasonal variability when the scale range 16–50 km (called submesoscales in this study) is taken into account. But the mechanisms explaining these KE changes display strong regional contrasts. In high KE regions, such the Kuroshio Extension and the western and eastern subtropics, frontal mixed-layer instabilities appear to be the main mechanism for the emergence of submesoscales in winter. Subsequent inverse kinetic energy cascade leads to the KE seasonality of larger scales. In other regions, in particular in subarctic regions, results suggest that the KE seasonality is principally produced by larger-scale instabilities with typical scales of 100 km and not so much by smaller-scale mixed-layer instabilities. Using arguments from geostrophic turbulence, the submesoscale impact in these regions is assumed to strengthen mesoscale eddies that become more coherent and not quickly dissipated, leading to a KE increase.     

Determination of cation distribution in (Co,Ni,Zn)2SiO4 olivine by synchrotron X-ray diffraction

 The cation distribution of Co, Ni, and Zn between the M1 and M2 sites of a synthetic olivine was determined with a single-crystal diffraction method. The crystal data are (Co_0.377Ni_0.396Zn_0.227)₂SiO₄, M _r  = 212.692, orthorhombic, Pbnm, a = 475.64(3), b = 1022.83(8), and c = 596.96(6) pm, V = 0.2904(1) nm³, Z = 4, D _x  = 4.864 g cm⁻³, and F(0 0 0) = 408.62. Lattice, positional, and thermal parameters were determined with MoKα radiation; R = 0.025 for 1487 symmetry-independent reflections with F > 4σ(F). The site occupancies of Co, Ni, and Zn were determined with synchrotron radiation employing the anomalous dispersion effect of Co and Ni. The synchrotron radiation data include two sets of intensity data collected at 161.57 and 149.81 pm, which are about 1 pm longer than Co and Ni absorption edges, respectively. The R value was 0.022 for Co K edge data with 174 independent reflections, and 0.034 for Ni K edge data with 169 reflections. The occupancies are 0.334Co + 0.539Ni + 0.127Zn in the M1 sites, and 0.420Co + 0.253Ni + 0.327Zn in the M2 sites. The compilation of the cation distributions in olivines shows that the distributions depend on ionic radii and electronegativities of constituent cations, and that the partition coefficient can be estimated from the equation: ln [(A/B)_M1/(A/B)_M2] = −0.272 (IR _A -IR _B ) + 3.65 (EN _A −EN _B ), where IR (pm) and EN are ionic radius and electronegativity, respectively. Received: 8 April 1999 / Revised, accepted: 7 September 1999     

Surface morphological features of boulders on Asteroid 25143 Itokawa

On the sub-kilometer S-type asteroid, 25143 Itokawa, some boulders on rough terrains seem to be exposed without any powdery material covering. Based on surface morphological features, there are two major types of boulders: one has rounded edges and corners (rounded boulders), while the other has angular edges and corners (angular boulders). The surface features of the rounded boulders suggest that they have hardness heterogeneity and that some may be breccias. The angular boulders appear to be more resistant to impact disruption than the rounded ones, which may be due to a difference in lithology. The major constituents of Itokawa may be LL chondrite-like brecciated lithology (rounded boulders) along with a remarkable number of boulders suggesting that lithology is atypical among LL chondrites (angular boulders). Some of both types of boulders contain intersecting and stepped planar foliations. Comparison with meteorite ALH76009 suggests that the planar foliations may be marks where rocks were torn apart. As lithified breccias cannot be formed on present-day sub-kilometer-sized Itokawa, it is reasonable that boulders with various lithologies on Itokawa were formed on its large ancestor(s). The rubble-pile structure of Itokawa suggested by its low density (∼1.9 g/cm³) indicates that boulders on Itokawa are reassembled fragments formed by catastrophic disruption of large ancestor(s).     

Stable isotope and petrologic evidence for open-system degassing during the climactic and pre-climactic eruptions of Mt. Mazama, Crater Lake, Oregon

Evaluation of the extent of volatile element recycling in convergent margin volcanism requires delineating likely source(s) of magmatic volatiles through stable isotopic characterization of sulfur, hydrogen and oxygen in erupted tephra with appropriate assessment of modification by degassing. The climactic eruption of Mt. Mazama ejected approximately 50 km³ of rhyodacitic magma into the atmosphere and resulted in formation of a 10-km diameter caldera now occupied by Crater Lake, Oregon (lat. 43°N, long. 122°W). Isotopic compositions of whole-rocks, matrix glasses and minerals from Mt. Mazama climactic, pre-climactic and postcaldera tephra were determined to identify the likely source(s) of H₂O and S. Integration of stable isotopic data with petrologic data from melt inclusions has allowed for estimation of pre-eruptive dissolved volatile concentrations and placed constraints on the extent, conditions and style of degassing.Sulfur isotope analyses of climactic rhyodacitic whole rocks yield δ³⁴S values of 2.8-14.8‰ with corresponding matrix glass values of 2.4-13.2‰. δ³⁴S tends to increase with stratigraphic height through climactic eruptive units, consistent with open-system degassing. Dissolved sulfur concentrations in melt inclusions (MIs) from pre-climactic and climactic rhyodacitic pumices varies from 80 to 330 ppm, with highest concentrations in inclusions with 4.8-5.2 wt% H₂O (by FTIR). Up to 50% of the initial S may have been lost through pre-eruptive degassing at depths of 4-5 km. Ion microprobe analyses of pyrrhotite in climactic rhyodacitic tephra and andesitic scoria indicate a range in δ³⁴S from −0.4‰ to 5.8‰ and from −0.1‰ to 3.5‰, respectively. Initial δ³⁴S values of rhyodacitic and andesitic magmas were likely near the mantle value of 0‰. Hydrogen isotope (δD) and total H₂O analyses of rhyodacitic obsidian (and vitrophyre) from the climactic fall deposit yielded values οf −103 to −53‰ and 0.23-1.74 wt%, respectively. Values of δD and wt% H₂O of obsidian decrease towards the top of the fall deposit. Samples with depleted δD, and mantle δ¹⁸O values, have elevated δ³⁴S values consistent with open-system degassing. These results imply that more mantle-derived sulfur is degassed to the Earth’s atmosphere/hydrosphere through convergent margin volcanism than previously attributed. Magmatic degassing can modify initial isotopic compositions of sulfur by >14‰ (to δ³⁴S values of 14‰ or more here) and hydrogen isotopic compositions by 90‰ (to δD values of −127‰ in this case).