Biogenic Silica Record in Lake Biwa of Central Japan over the Past 145,000 Years

The record of the biogenic silica flux (BSF, g cm⁻²(10³yr)⁻¹) in Lake Biwa reflects changes in diatom productivity in the lake and provides information regarding changes in paleoclimatic conditions. The BSF record of Lake Biwa demonstrates five periods over the past ca. 145,000 yr when the BSF values were significantly greater than 7.5 g cm⁻²(10³yr)⁻¹, and five intervals when they were lower. The data imply that paleoclimatic conditions were warmer and wetter from ca. 123,000 to 115,000, 103,000 to 95,000, 88,000 to 72,000, 57,000 to 32,000 yr B.P., and around ca. 6000 yr B.P. when the BSF values were greater, and relatively dry and cold from ca. 141,000 to 123,000 yr B.P. and during intervals between two of the five warm and wet episodes when the BSF values were lower. Time series of the BSF record can be correlated with the record of biogenic silica content in Lake Baikal and the marine oxygen isotope stages 1 through 6. Furthermore, the BSF values varied with much higher amplitude during the last interglaciation than during the last glaciation, probably implying that the diatom productivity in Lake Biwa was likewise more variable and had a larger range under interglacial conditions than under glacial conditions.     

The effects of the spinel—garnet phase transition on the formation of rifted sedimentary basins

We have examined the effects of the spinel-garnet phase transition on subsidence of extensional sedimentary basins. For a constant positive Clapeyron slope ( dP/dT ), the phase boundary moves downwards in the syn-rift and upwards in the post-rift phase. For a non-linear Clapeyron curve ( dP/dT > 0 above 900°C and dP/dT < 0 below 900°C), theory predicts for the reaction of the spinel-garnet phase transition, the direction of phase boundary movement is dependent on the stretching factor, the position of the Clapeyron curve and the lithospheric thickness. A smaller syn-rift and larger post-rift subsidence are predicted for a deeper phase boundary and a thicker lithosphere. The model with a non-linear Clapeyron curve is applied to the subsidence histories of a young extensional basin (Gulf of Lion) and an old continental margin (eastern Canada). The observed syn-rift uplift and the larger post-rift subsidence can be reasonably explained by this model, where the optimum depth of the phase boundary for eastern Canada (˜90 km) is consistent with the estimate from seismic observations and is larger than that for the Gulf of Lion (˜ 50 km). The depth of the spinel-garnet phase boundary is sensitive to the composition of mantle rocks and increases with the extraction of basaltic components from the lithosphere, compatible with our result that the phase boundary is deeper for an older and thicker lithosphere. Thus the surface movement associated with the rifting for these areas may reflect the chemical evolution of the continental lithosphere.     

Measures for groundwater security during and after the Hanshin-Awaji earthquake (1995) and the Great East Japan earthquake (2011), Japan

Many big earthquakes have occurred in the tectonic regions of the world, especially in Japan. Earthquakes often cause damage to crucial life services such as water, gas and electricity supply systems and even the sewage system in urban and rural areas. The most severe problem for people affected by earthquakes is access to water for their drinking/cooking and toilet flushing. Securing safe water for daily life in an earthquake emergency requires the establishment of countermeasures, especially in a mega city like Tokyo. This paper described some examples of groundwater use in earthquake emergencies, with reference to reports, books and newspapers published in Japan. The consensus is that groundwater, as a source of water, plays a major role in earthquake emergencies, especially where the accessibility of wells coincides with the emergency need. It is also important to introduce a registration system for citizen-owned and company wells that can form the basis of a cooperative during a disaster; such a registration system was implemented by many Japanese local governments after the Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in 1995 and the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, and is one of the most effective countermeasures for groundwater use in an earthquake emergency. Emphasis is also placed the importance of establishing of a continuous monitoring system of groundwater conditions for both quantity and quality during non-emergency periods.     

Macroscopic criteria for Green type porous materials with spheroidal voids: application to double porous materials

Combined effects of matrix plastic compressibility and void shape are investigated for ductile porous materials. To this end, a spheroidal volume containing a confocal spheroidal (prolate or oblate) void subjected to uniform strain rate boundary conditions has been first studied. A Green type matrix is chosen as a prototype for investigating effects of plastic compressibility. This is carried out by using a kinematics limit analysis theory from which a closed‐form expression of the macroscopic criterion is established for the considered class of materials. These results are then extended to ductile porous materials made up of a green matrix containing randomly oriented spheroidal voids. In the framework of a two‐step homogenization procedure, the obtained results are implemented to describe the macroscopic behavior of double porous materials involving spherical voids at the microscale and randomly oriented and distributed spheroidal voids at the mesoscale. For validation purpose, the new derived criteria are assessed and validated by comparing their predictions to available upper bounds and numerical data from literature. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pressure and temperature dependence of cation distribution in Mg-Mn olivine

Synthetic (Mg_0.51, Mn_0.49)₂SiO₄ olivine samples are heat-treated at three different pressures; 0, 8 and 12 GPa, all at the same temperature (～500° C). X-ray structure analyses on these single crystals are made in order to see the pressure effect on cation distribution. The intersite distribution coefficient of Mg and Mn in M1 and M2 sites, K _D = (Mn/Mg) _M1/(Mn/Mg) _M2, of these samples are 0.192 (0 GPa), 0.246 (8 GPa) and 0.281 (12 GPa), indicating cationic disordering with pressure. The small differences of cell dimensions between these samples are determined by powder X-ray diffraction. Cell dimensions b and c decrease, whereas a increases with pressure of equilibration. Cell volume decreases with pressure as a result of a large contraction of the b cell dimension. The effect of pressure on the free energy of the cation exchange reaction is evaluated by the observed relation between the cell volume and the site occupancy numbers. The magnitude of the pressure effect on cation distribution is only a fifth of that predicted from the observed change in volume combined with thermodynamic theory. This phenomenon is attributed to nonideality in this solid solution, and nonideal parameters are required to describe cation distribution determined in the present and previous experiments. We use a five-parameter equation to specify the cationic equilibrium on the basic of thermodynamic theory. It includes one energy parameter of ideal mixing, two parameters for nonideal effects, one volume parameter, and one thermal parameter originated from the lattice vibrational energy. The present data combined with some of the existing data are used to determine the five parameters, and the cation distribution in Mg-Mn olivine is described as a function of temperature, pressure, and composition. The basic framework of describing the cationic behavior in olivine-type mineral is worked out, although the result is preliminary: each of the determined parameters is not accurate enough to enable us to make a reliable prediction.     

Nitric oxide profiles measured in situ during the Globus '85 campaign

Nitric oxide profiles obtained from three flights of chemiluminescent instruments during the Globus '85 campaign held in France in the autumn of 1985 are reported. When the profile obtained in the early morning of 20 September is compared with the flight made the previous afternoon, an average morning to midday NO ratio of 0.7 for the region between 26 and 33 km is obtained. This value is in good agreement with theoretical studies involving the photolysis of N₂O₅ and the establishment of the NO₂–NO equilibrium.     

Intercomparison of NO column measurements during MAP/GLOBUS 1985

Column measurements of nitric oxide were made using several techniques during the MAP/GLOBUS campaign in France in September 1985. The data sets are nearly co-located and simultaneous, therefore allowing a valid intercomparison of the various measurement methods. The range of altitudes sampled differs from instrument to instrument. This complicates the comparison because the data sets are to some extent complementary. The NO distributions apparently vary significantly from day to day, and possibly over shorter timescales. Changes in dynamics may be responsible for these variations. The results from the instruments which measure in the infrared and the ultraviolet are self-consistent, and show good agreement with photochemical predictions. On 19 September, when the intercomparison was made, the profile measured by the in-situ chemiluminescent instrument differed significantly from the predicted profile, and the measured columns were generally higher.     

A simple model of drainage flow in a valley

A model of the drainage flow in a valley under calm conditions has been developed on the basis of the conservation laws of mass, momentum, and heat. The inflow of mass and heat from side-slopes is incorporated, and the momentum and sensible heat exchanges between valley drainage flow and valley floor are parameterized.The characteristic velocity of valley drainage flow is expressed in terms of the following parameters: three potential temperature differences representing the temperature field in the valey; topographic parameters of the valley; mean bulk coefficients representing the aerodynamic conditions of the valley floor; and the stability of the ambient atmosphere. The characteristic thickness includes additional parameters of side-slope flow.That the model satisfactorily predicts the characteristic thickness and velocity is shown from comparison with observations from valleys several hundred meters to a few hundred kilometers long.     

Pressure effect on the divalent cation distribution in nonideal solid solution of forsterite and fayalite

The divalent cation distribution in olivine (Mg, Fe)₂SiO₄ under high pressure and temperature was studied to clarify the detailed state of olivine in the mantle. Single crystal samples were heated for a sufficient period of time for the cations to migrate and quenched fast enough to preserve the equilibrated state under high pressures, and the crystal structure was determined with X-ray method. The pressure effect on the distribution coefficient K _D[= (Fe/Mg) _M1/(Fe/Mg) _M2] was determined for the first time; dK _D/dP?0.02 GPa^?1. A set of five thermodynamic parameters required to describe the regular solution model was determined from data concerning the pressure dependence and the known temperature and compositional effects. As a result we have shown how K _D depends on pressure, temperature, and composition. The notable feature clarified is the very large contribution of nonideality in the olivine solid solution. The K _D of olivine crystals in the mantle is predicted; K _D increases to ～ 2.2 at the depth of 400 km, in contrast to 0.9 ～ 1.2 of natural samples available at the surface of the Earth.