Distribution of fault rocks in the fracture zone of the Nojima Fault at a depth of 1140 m: Observations from the Hirabayashi NIED drill core

Abstract Characteristics of deformation and alteration of the 1140 m deep fracture zone of the Nojima Fault are described based on mesoscopic (to the naked eye) and microscopic (by both optical and scanning electron microscopes) observations of the Hirabayashi National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention (NIED) drill core. Three types of fault rocks; that is, fault breccia, fault gouge and cataclasite, appear in the central part of the fault zone and two types of weakly deformed and/or altered rocks; that is, weakly deformed and altered granodiorite and altered granodiorite, are located in the outside of the central part of the fault zone (damaged zone). Cataclasite appears occasionally in the damaged zone. Six distinct, thin foliated fault gouge zones, which dip to the south-east, appear clearly in the very central part of the fracture zone. Slickenlines plunging to the north-east are observed on the surface of the newest gouge. Based on the observations of XZ thin sections, these slickenlines and the newest gouge have the same kinematics as the 1995 Hyogo-ken Nanbu earthquake (Kobe earthquake), which was dextral-reverse slip. Scanning electron microscopy observations of the freeze-dried fault gouge show that a large amount of void space is maintained locally, which might play an important role as a path for fluid migration and the existence of either heterogeneity of pore fluid pressure or strain localization.     

Non-metamorphosed autochthonous Kuncha-Naudanda-Heklang Formations and their differences from those of the Kuncha nappe: A multichronological approach

Non-metamorphosed, autochthonous Lesser Himalayan sediments (LHS), which are correlated to the Kuncha and Naudanda Formations, were found in a narrow belt between the Main Boundary Thrust and the Lesser Himalayan Thrust at the base of the Kuncha nappe in southeastern Nepal. The autochthonous Naudanda Formation is comprised of cross-bedded and rippled orthoquartzite and yielded a maximum depositional age of 1795.1 Ma ±5.1 Ma using detrital zircons. Low-grade metamorphosed quartzite in the Kuncha nappe yielded a maximum depositional age of 1867.4 Ma ±3.4 Ma, although it is totally recrystallized. These ages and age distribution patterns of detrital zircon grains indicate that the meta-quartzite of the nappe is originally Naudanda Formation. A zircon fission-track age of the autochthonous Naudanda Formation shows partially annealed age of 864 Ma ±56 Ma, in contrast, that of the Kuncha nappe shows a totally annealed age of 11.9 Ma ±1.6 Ma. These results suggest that the autochthonous LHS have never undergone metamorphism during the Himalayan orogeny. We also discovered a non-metamorphosed Heklang Formation that rests on the Naudanda Formation, and designated it as a sub-type section on the basis of detailed lithostratigraphic study. It is characterized by black and light green slate with dolerite sills and ill-sorted quartzose sandstone, and correlated to the metamorphosed Dandagaon Phyllites in the Kathmandu area. Non-metamorphosed autochthonous formations distributed to the south of the nappe front suggest that they escaped from thermal metamorphism by hot nappe.     

Equivalent linear method considering frequency dependent characteristics of stiffness and damping

Equivalent linear dynamic response analysis of ground is based on complex moduli and Fourier series expansion; therefore, it is not an equivalent method but an approximate method. Two deficiencies in the conventional equivalent linear method represented by SHAKE are described first. The maximum shear strength is overestimated, resulting in overestimation of the peak acceleration under a strong ground motion, and the amplification is underestimated at high frequency. The latter sometimes results in underestimation of the peak acceleration under weak ground shaking, and gives an incident wave with unrealistic large accelerations or a divergence of analysis in deconvolution analysis under strong ground motion. Both deficiencies are shown to come from the same cause, i.e. computing the effective strain as a constant fraction of the maximum strain. Since this is a key concept of the equivalent linear analysis, one cannot overcome both deficiencies at the same time in the conventional method. An apparent frequency dependence in stiffness and damping is shown to appear in the dynamic response, although soil itself does not show frequency dependent characteristics. Following this observation, the effective strain is expressed in terms of frequency from the similarity concept of the strain–frequency relationship between time domain and frequency domain. This enables the reduction of both deficiencies at the same time, resulting in a marked improvement in the equivalent linear analysis. The accuracy of the proposed method is examined by the simulations of three vertical array records during large earthquakes. The proposed method always gives much better prediction than conventional equivalent linear methods for both convolution and deconvolution analyses, and it is confirmed to be applicable at more than 1% shear strain.     

Coloring the Field: Gender, “Race,” and the Politics of Fieldwork

My experiences combining research and activism within the Japanese-Canadian community reflect a growing concern among feminist and anti-racist scholars with the politics of work among people marginalized by racism and sexism. This concern arises within a context where “other voices” are being heard, but the legitimacy of one individual or group to represent another is being challenged. Such challenges require that essentialism and naturalism be addressed politically and theoretically, a difficult irony given the need to utilize essentialist categories to address the oppressive conditions under which they emerged. To do so, a critical theory of political construction is required.     

Alteration of the equal settling ratio of fine particles by vertically-oscillating water

An equal settling ratio is an important factor in estimating particle separation accuracy. However, this factor is often calculated using the settling velocity in stationary water, there are no examples of calculation of the equal settling ratio in an actual separator. This is difficult because particle movement in a separator is very complicated, and even simple periodic motions, such as the oscillation field used with many separators, are ignored in many cases. The authors have previously reported on the relation between the equal settling ratio and the oscillation frequency by analysis of particle movement in vertically oscillating water, using spherical particles of glass (average size 435 μm) and zirconia (202 μm) which have the same settling velocity in stationary water. In this study, the influence of particle diameter on the change in the settling velocity in oscillating water was experimentally investigated for three pairs of glass and zirconia particles having different sizes under 0.5 mm, which have the same settling velocity in stationary water. The settling velocities of different-sized particles decreased at different rates in oscillating water, indicating that the equal settling ratio is reduced by water oscillation. We conclude that water oscillation improves the accuracy of size separation for glass particles over 300 μm and zirconia particles over 150 μm when glass and zirconia particles are separated from each other with the difference of these settling velocities.     

Electrical conductivity measurement of gneiss under mid- to lower crustal P–T conditions

We conducted electrical conductivity measurements perpendicular and parallel to mineral foliation in dry gneiss at up to 1000 K and a constant pressure of 1 GPa. The analyzed gneisses were obtained from the Higo metamorphic belt, Kyushu, Japan. As the metamorphic conditions of these rocks have been well determined by previous studies, we were able to select samples that were representative of the middle to lower crust. Prior to the conductivity measurements, the samples were maintained at the maximum temperature for a long period, until the electrical conductivity had stabilized. Our experiment results reveal linear and reproducible conductivity data between temperatures of 600 and 1000 K. Conductivity measured perpendicular and parallel to foliation differ by an order of magnitude over the same temperature window. A plausible explanation for this discrepancy in conductivity is the contrasting configuration of minerals in the two sample orientations, as observed by backscattered electron image (BEI) and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). We evaluated the conductivity and computed activation energy for each of the samples and compared the results with those of previous studies; our results are consistent with the conductivity values reported for other types of rocks. We also compared the experiment results with data derived from electromagnetic (EM) soundings. Electrical conductivity measurements undertaken perpendicular to foliation can account for the subsurface conductivity structure beneath central Kyushu, Japan.     

In-situ U–Pb SIMS dating and trace element (EMPA) composition of zircon from a granodiorite porphyry in the Wushan copper deposit, China

Summary Zircons from a granodiorite porphyry at the Wushan copper deposit in the Lower Changjiang Metallogenic Belt, east central China, were dated using a Cameca IMS 1270 secondary ion mass spectrometer (SIMS); their chemical compositions and Hf isotopes were analyzed using a JEOL JX A8800 electron microprobe (EMPA) and a Neptune LA-MC-ICP-MS, respectively. The U–Pb dating of zircon reveals two age groups for the granodiorite porphyry; i.e. 144.6 ± 3.9 Ma and 121.0 ± 2.5 Ma. Zircons of the two age populations display distinct chemical compositional characteristics with respect to UO₂/HfO₂ ratios, and show a negative correlation of (UO₂ + Y₂O₃ + ThO₂) and HfO₂. The older age group of ∼145 Ma, defined by the majority of the zircons, is interpreted as the magmatic emplacement age, whereas the younger age group of ∼121 Ma is interpreted as rejuvenation due to subsequent thermal or hydrothermal events. Other interpretations such as presence of two distinct magmatic crystallization stages or inheritance of the older zircons are also discussed in the paper. The ∼145 Ma magmatism at Wushan is consistent with the ages of most of the granitods in the Lower Changjiang Metallogenic Belt. The Hf isotope composition of zircons (ɛ_Hf = −2.1 and −7.0; T_DM^Hf ages = 0.87 and 1.05 Ga), together with other available geochemical and Sr–Nd isotope data suggest that the granodioritic magma was derived from mixing of juvenile mantle with older crustal material. Due to the close spatial and temporal relationship of the granodiorite porphyry and the skarn mineralization at Wushan, the magamatic hydrothermal mineralization likely took place between 145 Ma and 121 Ma, likely around 121 Ma.     

Change in seismic activity in the Tokai region related to weakening and strengthening of the interplate coupling

We investigate the relationship between changes in seismicity and crustal deformations in the Tokai region. We describe how seismicity in the subducted slab increased remarkably in the fall of 2000 and decreased in the fall of 2001, while in contrast, the crust seismicity decreased in the fall of 2000 and increased in the fall of 2001. We note that the trend of horizontal displacement at GPS stations changed coincidentally and we propose interpreting the increase and decrease in seismic activities and the changes in crustal deformations in a unified way based on changes in the state of the interplate coupling, i.e., the back-slip rate was reduced in the fall of 2000 and was partially restored in the fall of 2001. We explain why reduction of the back-slip rate increases seismogenic stress in the slab and decreases stress in the crust. We also describe the substantial positive dilatation observed in the region around Mt. Fuji in the fall of 2000 and suggest that the remarkable increase of low-frequency earthquakes beneath Mt. Fuji in October 2000 may have been caused by deceleration of the converging motion of the Izu micro-plate with the Eurasian plate. The decrease of the subduction velocity of the Izu micro-plate on the Suruga Trough in late 2000 would also have contributed to weakening of the interplate coupling beneath the Tokai region, since reduction of the relative velocity between overriding and subducting plates produces the same effect on the plate interface as a diminishing back-slip rate. However, subduction of the Izu micro-plate on the Suruga Trough was accelerated in early 2003, which may have caused increases in both slab and crust seismicities in that period.