Spinel inclusions in olivine and plagioclase crystals in a layered gabbro: a marker and a tracer for primary phenocrysts in a differentiating magma reservoir

The problem of whether cumulate rocks were formed by crystal settling or by in situ crystallization after magma emplacement is an important issue concerning the mechanisms of magmatic differentiation. However, it is hard to distinguish these two processes for plutonic rocks because the primary texture and chemical composition have generally been modified by postcumulus processes. To contribute this problem, we studied the distribution and compositions of Cr-spinel inclusions hosted in olivine and plagioclase in the Murotomisaki Gabbroic Intrusion (MGI), SW Japan. It is shown that the olivine-hosted inclusions are restricted to specific horizons where accumulation of olivine phenocrysts is thought to have occurred and that the compositional variations of the Cr-spinel are explained by a secondary compositional modification that probably took place after the magma emplacement. It is also shown that the Cr-spinel inclusions in a chilled margin have suffered the least compositional modification and nearly retains the primary composition. Those in the interior of the intrusion, on the contrary, have been significantly modified by re-equilibration with residual melt driven by cation diffusions through the host phases. Those in plagioclase have been less modified. It is shown that all the spinel inclusions had primarily the same and common composition at the time of magma emplacement. This implies that all the inclusion-bearing crystals, olivine and plagioclase, represent primary phenocrysts that had already existed in the emplaced magma. In this way, spinel inclusion in the MGI may be regarded to be a useful petrographic “marker” for identifying intratelluric phenocrysts and also as a “tracer” to trace the motion of the primary phenocrysts after the magma emplacement.     

Evidence for ocean water invasion into the Chicxulub crater at the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary

Abstract— The possibility of ocean water invasion into the Chicxulub crater following the impact at the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary was investigated based on examination of an impactite between approximately 794.63 and 894.94 m in the Yaxcopoil‐1 (Yax‐1) core. The presence of cross lamination in the uppermost part of the impactite suggests the influence of an ocean current at least during the sedimentation of this interval. Abundant occurrence of nannofossils of late Campanian to early Maastrichtian age in the matrices of samples from the upper part of the impactite suggests that the carbonate sediments deposited on the inner rim margin and outside the crater were eroded and transported into the crater most likely by ocean water that invaded the crater after its formation. The maximum grain size of limestone lithics and vesicular melt fragments, and grain and bulk chemical compositions show a cyclic variation in the upper part of the impactite. The upward fining grain size and the absence of erosional contact at the base of each cycle suggest that the sediments were derived from resuspension of units elsewhere in the crater, most likely by high energy currents association with ocean water invasion.     

Photometric observations of 107P/Wilson-Harrington

We present lightcurve observations and multiband photometry for 107P/Wilson-Harrington using five small- and medium-sized telescopes. The lightcurve has shown a periodicity of 0.2979 day (7.15 h) and 0.0993 day (2.38 h), which has a commensurability of 3:1. The physical properties of the lightcurve indicate two models: (1) 107P/Wilson-Harrington is a tumbling object with a sidereal rotation period of 0.2979 day and a precession period of 0.0993 day. The shape has a long axis mode (LAM) of L₁:L₂:L₃ = 1.0:1.0:1.6. The direction of the total rotational angular momentum is around λ = 310°, β = −10°, or λ = 132°, β = −17°. The nutation angle is approximately constant at 65°. (2) 107P/Wilson-Harrington is not a tumbler. The sidereal rotation period is 0.2979 day. The shape is nearly spherical but slightly hexagonal with a short axis mode (SAM) of L₁:L₂:L₃ = 1.5:1.5:1.0. The pole orientation is around λ = 330°, β = −27°. In addition, the model includes the possibility of binary hosting. For both models, the sense of rotation is retrograde. Furthermore, multiband photometry indicates that the taxonomy class of 107P/Wilson-Harrington is C-type. No clear rotational color variations are confirmed on the surface.     

An overview of decadal climate predictability in a multi-model ensemble by climate model MIROC

Decadal climate predictability is examined in hindcast experiments by a multi-model ensemble using three versions of the coupled atmosphere-ocean model MIROC. In these hindcast experiments, initial conditions are obtained from an anomaly assimilation procedure using the observed oceanic temperature and salinity with prescribed natural and anthropogenic forcings on the basis of the historical data and future emission scenarios in the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change. Results of the multi-model ensemble in our hindcast experiments show that predictability of surface air temperature (SAT) anomalies on decadal timescales mostly originates from externally forced variability. Although the predictable component of internally generated variability has considerably smaller SAT variance than that of externally forced variability, ocean subsurface temperature variability has predictive skills over almost a decade, particularly in the North Pacific and the North Atlantic where dominant signals associated with Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) and the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO) are observed. Initialization enhances the predictive skills of AMO and PDO indices and slightly improves those of global mean temperature anomalies. Improvement of these predictive skills in the multi-model ensemble is higher than that in a single-model ensemble.     

Phase relations of pumpellyite-actinolite facies metabasites in the Sanbagawa metamorphic belt in central Shikoku, Japan

Sanbagawa metabasites metamorphosed at conditions near the upper limit of the pumpellytic-actinolite facies were examined in terms of phase equilibria in the five component system Al₂O₃---Fe₂O₃---CaO---MgO---FeO. The Fe³⁺ content of epidote measured as X^Ep_Fe (=Fe/(Fe + Al) of epidote) in the assemblage epidote-chlorite-actinolite-pumpellyite decreases gradually towards the higher-grade, pumpellyite-free areas. The progressive change in X_Fe^Ep can be detected within one metabasite bed 200 meters thick near the upper limit of the pumpellyite-actinolite facies. The Mg---Fe²⁺ substitution, as expressed by variation of Fe/(Fe + Mg) in chlorite (0.40–0.55) has little effect on the Fe³⁺ + Al) ratios of epidote and pumpellyite in the above-mentioned assemblage. The lowet X_Fe^Ep in the pumpellite-bearing assemblage is 0.15 and hence the upper limit of the pumpellyite-actinolite facies is defined by the appearance of an epidote-chlorite-actinolite assemblage with X^Ep_Fc = C.15     

Non-transparent uppermost mantle in the island-arc region of Japan

In Japan, the crust and uppermost mantle seismic character is yet unimaged although many refraction surveys have been recorded. The longest seismic profiles are analyzed. A remarkable feature, a long-duration coda wave after the PmP wave (reflected wave at the Moho boundary), is observed on the record sections. Several possible models are considered to explain the long-duration coda wave. The model with many scatterers located in the uppermost mantle explains the observed data well while the undulating Moho and continuous layering models do not account for some aspects of the observed data. The scatterer distributed uppermost mantle is not consistent with that of continental region which is often characterized as transparent. We estimate the scattering coefficient of the uppermost mantle and crust using simulations. The scattering coefficients obtained for upper crust, lower crust, and uppermost mantle are 0.01, 0.02, and 0.025, respectively. The scattering coefficient of the uppermost mantle is slightly larger than that of lower crust, which is characterized as being reflective. The many scatterers in the uppermost mantle might be related to magmatism in Japan. This will be one of the important observations for understanding formation processes of the Moho boundary and uppermost mantle in the island-arc environment.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987112001065

It has been thought that granitic crust,having been formed on the surface,must have survived through the Earth’s evolution because of its buoyancy.At subduction zones continental crust is predominantly created by arc magmatism and is returned to the mantle via sediment subduction,subduction erosion, and continental subduction.Granitic rocks,the major constituent of the continental crust,are lighter than the mantle at depths shallower than 270 km,but we show here,based on first principles calculations, that beneath 270 km they have negative buoyancy compared to the surrounding material in the upper mantle and transition zone,and thus can be subducted in the depth range of 270-660 km.This suggests that there can be two reservoirs of granitic material in the Earth,one on the surface and the other at the base of the mantle transition zone(MTZ).The accumulated volume of subducted granitic material at the base of the MTZ might amount to about six times the present volume of the continental crust.Our calculations also show that the seismic velocities of granitic material in the depth range from 270 to 660 km are faster than those of the surrounding mantle.This could explain the anomalous seismic-wave velocities observed around 660 km depth.The observed seismic scatterers and reported splitting of the 660 km discontinuity could be due to jadeite dissociation,chemical discontinuities between granitic material and the surrounding mantle,or a combination thereof.     

Rare Earth Elements in Hydrothermally Altered Granitic Rocks in the Ranong and Takua Pa Tin‐Field,Southern Thailand

Geochemical studies were conducted on the hydrothermally altered granitic rocks in the Ranong and Takua Pa tin‐fields in southern Thailand in order to investigate the mode of occurrence of REE (rare earth elements), with emphasis placed on a potential REE resource associated with granitic rocks in the Southeast Asian Tin Belt. The total REE (ΣREE) content of altered granitic rocks ranges from 130 to 350 ppm at Haad Son Paen (which is presently mined for kaolin clay) in the Ranong tin‐field, and that of altered granitic rocks and kaolinite veinlets reaches up to 424 ppm and 872 ppm, respectively, at Nok Hook in the Takua Pa tin‐field. Rare earth elements in the altered granitic rocks and kaolinite veinlets show a relatively flat chondrite‐normalized pattern, thus enriched in heavy REE compared with the original granitic rocks and their weathered crusts. At Nok Hook (Takua Pa), the ΣREE content of kaolinite separated from an altered granitic rock by elutriation is 1313 ppm, a ΣREE amount about four times higher than that of whole‐rock composition of the altered granitic rock. Chondrite‐normalized REE patterns of the elutriated kaolinite and of the altered granite are relatively flat. Sequential extraction experiments suggest that 41 and 85 percent of REE are present as ion exchangeable‐form in the altered granitic rock, and in the kaolinite veinlets, respectively. In addition, more than 90% of REE in the kaolinite veinlets are present as the acid‐soluble state. On the other hand, the ΣREE content of kaolinite veinlets and of the kaolinite concentrated by elutriation from an altered granitic rock at Haad Som Paen (Ranong) is 70 ppm and 75 ppm, respectively, thus enrichment of REE in kaolinite was not confirmed. In addition, by the sequential extraction experiments, 23% and 4% of REE were extracted from the altered granitic rock and the kaolinite veinlets at Haad Som Paen. In the altered granitic rocks at Haad Som Paen, REE are present as refractory phases, and REE in the acid‐soluble states had been leached by hydrothermal fluid.     

Magnetic detection of heated soils at paleolithic sites in Japan

We present a methodological approach to detect heated soil on ancient sites, using magnetic measurements. The method is based on changes in magnetic signals of soil by heating. The following three types of soil were used for testing the method: silty soil (SS), weathered volcanic ash (WVA, = loam) and fairly fresh volcanic ash (VA) called Odori tephra. On heating above 250–600°C, the magnetic susceptibility and remanent magnetization intensity increased for the SS and WVA samples, reflecting chemical alteration of magnetic minerals (from goethites to magnetites through hematites). The VA sample showed no susceptibility change suggesting the absence of goethites within it. On heating below 250°C, only the intensities of all the samples increased. This is possibly due to acquisition of thermal remanent magnetization. The largest change of the magnetic signals was identified for the SS sample and the smallest one was seen for the VA sample. Therefore, the in situ susceptibility measurement, which is the nondestructive and indirect method, seems to be effective to detect heated soil for sites of aqueous deposits as the SS. On the other hand, for sites of aeolian deposits as the WVA (loam) and VA, the intensity measurement of collected soils seems to be the most reliable method to detect evidence of heating. The degree of the magnetic stability (coercivity) against progressive alternating-field demagnetization was also an important parameter, indicating whether the investigated soils were heated or unheated. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.