Age of the Taishu Group,southwestern Japan,and implications for the origin and evolution of the Japan Sea

The Taishu Group, a marine formation with a thickness of >5400 m, crops out on Tsushima Island, located in the southwestern Japan Sea. The group, which is generally regarded as early Eocene to early Miocene in age, provides important information about the tectonic setting of the Japan Sea. In this study, we present new SHRIMP U–Pb dates for igneous zircons from the Kunehama Tuff, which is in the basal part of the Taishu Group, and the Oobaura Tuff, which is in the uppermost part of the group. Results show that the Taishu Group was deposited rapidly, during the short interval of 17.9–15.9 Ma (early–middle Miocene), and is equivalent to other early–middle Miocene strata found in the Japan Sea region. Our results provide new constraints on the geological history of the Japan Sea and its islands.     

Distribution and stoichiometry of Al,Mn, Fe,Co, Ni,Cu, Zn,Cd, and Pb in seawater around the Juan de Fuca Ridge

A central theme of the ongoing GEOTRACES program is to improve the understanding of processes occurring at ocean interfaces with continents, sediments, and ocean crust. In this context, we studied the distributions of Al, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb around the Juan de Fuca Ridge (JdFR) in total dissolvable (td), dissolved (d), and labile particulate (lp) fractions, which represent a fraction in unfiltered samples, filtered samples through an AcroPak capsule filter, and the difference between td and d, respectively. Al and Fe were dominated by lp-species, while Ni, Zn, and Cd were dominated by d-species with undetectable amounts of lp-species. Major findings in this study are as follows: (1) The continental margin (CM) provided large sources of Al, Mn, Fe, and Co from the surface to ~2000 m in depth. The supply from CM caused high surface concentrations of dMn and dCo, a subsurface (100–300 m depth) maximum of dCo, and intermediate (500–2000 m depth) maxima of lpAl and lpFe. The supply of dFe from CM was ~10 times that from the high-temperature hydrothermal activity at station BD21, which is located at ~3 km from the Middle Valley venting site and ~ 200 km from Vancouver Island. (2) DPb was maximum at the top layer of North Pacific Intermediate Water, probably owing to isopycnal transport of anthropogenic Pb via advection of subducted surface waters. Although dCo and dPb had different sources in the upper water, they showed a strong linearity below 300 m (r ² = 0.95, n = 38), indicating concurrent scavenging. (3) A high-temperature hydrothermal plume occurred at a depth of 2300 m at BD21, accounting for maxima of dAl, dMn, dFe, lpCu, and lpPb and a minimum of dCu. (4) Strong bottom maxima of lpAl, lpMn, lpFe, lpCo, and lpPb occurred above the abyssal plain at the western foot of the JdFR, indicating resuspension of sediments. However, bottom maxima of d-species were apparent only for dAl and dCu.     

Geochemical characteristics of sediment as indicators of post-glacial environmental changes off the Shandong Peninsula in the Yellow Sea

Core NYS-101, which was recovered at a water depth of 49 m northeast of the Shandong Peninsula in the North Yellow Sea, penetrates the Holocene subaqueous clinoform that wraps around the Shandong Peninsula. The uppermost 18 m of this well-dated core was deposited after about 13 cal kyr BP during the post-glacial transgression. We focused on trace and rare earth element (REE) chemistries of the core sediments in the uppermost 18 m to investigate the sediment provenance and factors controlling the sediment composition. On the basis of down-core distributions of REE fractionation parameters and of ratios among REEs and other immobile elements, we divided the uppermost 18 m into three distinct compositional intervals: Interval 1 (above 6.08 m, from the time tens of years earlier than 6500 cal yr BP up to the present), Interval 2 (13.90–6.08 m, from about 8200 cal yr BP to the boundary between Intervals 1 and 2), and Interval 3 (below 13.90 m, from about 13,000 to 10,400 cal yr BP). The chondrite- and upper continental crust (UCC)-normalized REE fractionation patterns of Intervals 3 and 2 are similar to those of Yellow River sediments, but the patterns in Interval 1 are obviously different.     

Fragility function development and seismic loss assessment of expansion joints

Expansion joints are used as a special connection equipment between adjacent buildings to accommodate the relative motions generated by wind, thermal, or earthquake loads, but they often exhibit damage during severe earthquakes. The level of damage and safety factors required to avoid loss of function are not well considered in current design practices. The objective of this paper is to provide quantitative information on the seismic damage probability of common expansion joints and the associated repair costs. The designer and engineer can refer to this information as a basis for decision making in the selection of expansion joints. Four common types of expansion joints are considered: high- and standard-performance floor and wall expansion joints, whose damage states have been evaluated recently by the authors through shaking table tests. First, the fragility functions of expansion joints for seven damage patterns are developed utilizing the test results. Next, the vulnerability of expansion joints installed between adjacent building models is assessed via incremental dynamic analysis. The recommended level of safety factor to ensure the function of expansion joints is discussed. Finally, a procedure for cost-effective selection of expansion joints is introduced, where case studies are examined using buildings with different characteristics. The presented results are deemed to be beneficial for improving the design practice of expansion joints and for reducing future seismic loss.     

Novel sledge net system employing propulsion vehicles for sampling demersal organisms on sandy bottoms

A new sledge net system using propulsion vehicles has been developed to sample more efficiently the demersal juveniles of marine organisms. A net attached to a sledge maneuvered by a SCUBA diver who uses operating switches on a steering handle to adjust the altitude of the sledge and the position of the tickler chains to ensure that the footcloth of the mouth of the net remains in constant contact with the bottom surface. Video camera, flow meter, compass, and dive computers are positioned on the sledge net in the view of the diver. Given that the system can attain speeds of 70 cm s⁻¹, the net can be employed to capture highly mobile fish. Unlike most boat-based net sampling methods, the use of propulsion vehicles means that there are no sound or vibration disturbances due to the boat and tow ropes typically used to maneuver these types of sampling nets. Marine fauna was collected at monthly intervals over a two-year period in a sampling area along the southern coast of Hokkaido, Japan. A total of 2641 specimens comprising 61 species and including five species which were the first records for the region were collected. These findings suggest that the new sledge net system employing propulsion vehicles was effective for sampling demersal juveniles, particularly in situations where sledge nets towed by boats or push nets cannot be deployed.     

Rock magnetic property of gravity core CSH1 from the northern Okinawa Trough and the effect of early diagenesis

Detailed rock magnetic investigations were undertaken at 2~4 cm interval for the gravity core CSH1(with a length of 17.36 m) from the northern Okinawa Trough.Time-scale of the core was constructed by two characteristic tephras and foraminferal assemblages,indicating an age of 50 ka for the bottom of the core.Except for three tephras and abrupt decrease in surface,there are little changes in all kinds of rock magnetic parameters that can be correlated to the climate change for the last 50 ka.Different from the common sediments,most S-ratios(S equals the negative ratio of IRM-0.3T to SIRM,which is an indicator of low coercivity content)of the sediments are smaller than 0.9,which implies a substantial amount of magnetic minerals with high coercivity.The existence of iron sulphide(greigite or pyrrhotite) is revealed by representative susceptibility-temperature curves showing 200~350 ℃ Curie temperature in addition to 580 ℃ of magnetite,and also by awful smell during heating and dark heating products.Both the occurrence of authigenic iron sulphide and quick decrease of magnetic parameters near the surface clearly show that sediments from Core CSH1 have undergone early diagenesis.The featureless magnetic changes of the whole core except for three tephras mean that the post-depositonal alteration is so strong that most original signals have been destroyed.For the same reason,the organic matter in sediment and sulphate in pore water must have been consumed along with dissolution,precipitation of iron and manganese happening sequencially during the redox reaction series.Great caution must be taken when using these altered chemical parameters for the interpretation of climatic changes.     

The Megadeltas of Asia: interlinkage of land and sea,and human development

This special issue describes research arising from the megadelta project of the Asia‐Pacific‐Networks (APN), undertaken between 2004 and 2009 ( www.megadelta.ecnu.edu.cn ). Numerous delta‐coast scientists from more than 20 countries were involved in the project concerned with developing our knowledge of land–estuarine–coastal interactions in megadeltas, and with fusing this knowledge with societal development and management. Project workshops were held in Bangkok (2004), Ho Chi Minh City (2005), Dhaka (2007) and Shanghai (2008) with over 500 participants. The main objectives of the project were: (1) development of regional databases; (2) understanding of delta formation and associated fluxes between land and sea; (3) knowledge transfer and building research capacity; and (4) understanding how better social management might follow. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于ASTER VNIR SWIR多光谱遥感数据识别与提取干旱地区岩性信息——以西南天山柯坪隆起东部为例

ASTER多光谱遥感数据目前可以用于岩石矿物资源信息的识别和提取。本研究尝试利用ASTER 可见光近红外（VNIR）和短波红外（SWIR）的多光谱遥感数据提取干旱地区的岩石与矿物信息。基于新疆天山西南缘柯坪隆起东部不同地层单元岩石的化学组成和矿物成份以及VNIR SWIR谱域光谱吸收特征的分析,我们采用相关吸收波段深度（RBD）和波段比值（BR）方法对研究区的多光谱遥感数据进行图像处理,有效区分和识别了白云岩、石灰岩、砂岩以及阿克苏群的蓝片岩—绿片岩和砂质片岩。白云岩的CO2-3吸收谱带中心波长位于232〖KG*3〗μm,与灰岩的CO2-3 吸收谱带中心波长位置235 μm相比,具有向短波长方向移动的特点,据此可以利用RBD7、RBD8分别有效的识别白云岩和灰岩; 长英质岩石显示Al OH和Fe3+ VNIR SWIR吸收特征,而基性 超基性岩石显示Fe2+ 和Fe、Mg OH特征,利用不同的铁价态和次要矿物可以区分它们：ASTER band2/band1代表了含Fe3+ 矿物分布信息、ASTER band5/band4代表了含Fe2+ 矿物分布信息、RBD6可以估计Al OH矿物的丰度; 砂质/泥质片岩含较多的多硅白云母、绿泥石、黑硬绿泥石以及风化后表面覆盖的其它粘土矿物,在221 μm（band 6）存在有特征的吸收谱带,并且在165 μm（band 4）具有较高的反射率,而蓝片/绿片岩在221 μm（band 6）反射率较高,不具有明显特征吸收谱带,同时其在165 μm（band 4）反射率较低,因此蓝片/绿片岩ASTER band4/band6 比值低。应用ASTER band4/band6波段比值可以有效的区分开砂质/泥质片岩与蓝片岩/绿片岩。     

High-resolution records of thermocline in the Okinawa Trough since about 10000 aBP

The present paper uses planktonic foraminifera and their stable isotopes to study the changes in the depth of thermocline (DOT) in the Okinawa Trough since the last 10000 a based on the analysis of Core B-3GC in the northern Okinawa Trough, together with that of the core in the southern Okinawa Trough. As results show, the thermocline was shallow before 6400 aBP, and deepened afterward, then became shallow again from 4000 to 2000 aBP. The DOT fluctuations display a positive correlation with those of sea surface temperature (SST). In addition, the changes in the northern Okinawa Trough are similar to those in the southern trough, implying a possible connection with the variation of the Kuroshio Current. The changes of SST and DOT suggest that the Kuroshio Current changed its intensity or main axis from 4000 to 2000 aBP and around about 6400 aBP respectively. Moreover, the changes of DOT from 8200 to 6400 aBP may indicate a gradual intensification of the Kuroshio Current.