Distribution of Trace Bioelements in the Subarctic North Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea (the R/V Hakuho Maru Cruise KH-97-2)

A column concentration-high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) determination was applied to measure the total dissolved concentrations of Fe, Co, Ni, Cu and Zn in seawater collected from the subarctic North Pacific (~45°N) and the Bering Sea in July–September 1997. Total adsorbable Mn was determined on board by column electrolysis preconcentration and chemiluminescence detection. The vertical profiles for Fe, Ni and Zn were nutrient-like. The deep water concentration of Fe was ~0.5 nM in the northeast Pacific (18°-140°W) and increased to ~1 nM in the northwest Pacific (161°E) and ~2 nM in the Bering Sea (57°N, 180°E). The deep water concentrations for Ni and Zn in the Bering Sea were also 1.3–2 times higher than in the North Pacific. The profiles for Co and Cu were examined in the subarctic North Pacific, and results obtained were consistent with previous reports. There was a significant correlation between the concentrations of Co and Mn except for surface mixed layer. The profiles for total adsorbable Mn were similar to the reported profiles for total dissolvable Mn. The deep water concentration of Mn in the Bering Sea was also 4 times higher than in the North Pacific. Iron and zinc were depleted in surface water of the subarctic North Pacific. The relationship between these trace elements and nutrients suggests that these elements could be a limiting factor of phytoplankton productivity. In the Bering Sea, surface water contained ~0.3 nM of Fe. The Zn concentration, which was less than the detection limit in surface water, increased at shallower depths (~30 m) compared with the subarctic North Pacific. These results imply a higher flux of Fe and Zn to surface water in the Bering Sea. This in turn may cause the ecosystem in the Bering Sea characterized by a dominance of diatoms and high regenerated production.     

Double-planed structure of the deep seismic zone in the northeastern Japan arc

A double-planed structure of deep seismic zone has been found over a wide area more then 300 km × 200 km in the Tohoku District, the northeastern part of Honshu, Japan. This prominent feature of the configuration of the deep seismic zone has been ascertained through a precise determination of the microearthquake hypocenters by using the data from the seismic network of Tohoku University. The two planes are nearly parallel to each other, the distance between the two planes being from 30 to 40 km.Composite focal mechanism solutions are derived from the superposition of the distribution of first motions of P waves, and the different fault types are obtained for the two groups of earthquakes; the earthquakes which occurred in the upper plane are characterized by reverse faulting, some of them by down-dip compressional stresses, and those in the lower plane by down-dip extensional stresses. The evidence obtained here provides valuable information for the definition of the type of mechanism producing the plate motion beneath the island arc.     

Induced seismicity in mines in Canada—An overview

Monitoring of mine-induced seismicity in Canada has improved with the expansion of regional seismograph networks into areas of active mining. However, the severity, and in some cases the frequency, of mine-induced tremors has increased as mining extends to greater depths and at accelerated rates of extraction. Because of the complex design and large areal extent of many mines (potash, coal and metalliferous), the most feasible and practical way to monitor these tremors at the present time is to deploy a network of seismometers in and on the surface above mines experiencing microearthquake activity. A few of these mines already have a network of seismometers deployed around them and plans are under way to deploy seismograph networks around other mines that have experienced some rather severe tremors in recent times. Six possible mechanisms for mine-induced tremors are described and the associatedP- andS-wave radiation patterns presented. A comparison of actual seismic radiation patterns with theoretical predictions is a quick way to diagnose the potential source mechanisms. In addition, recognizing the pattern of microearthquake activity preceding larger tremors can be used to mitigate the potential effects of severe tremors.     

Physical properties of the outflow sources in taurus

We have searched for CO outflows in eight embedded IRAS sources located in the Taurus molecular cloud using the 45m telescope of Nobeyama Radio Observatory. We have detected CO wing emission in four of these sources. CO outflow associated with TMC1A (04365+2535) is strong and spatially compact (radius 0.04 pc). The dynamical timescale of 2.5 × 10³ yr suggests this outflow is the youngest one in Taurus.We have combined our data with previously published survey data and have analyzed the physical properties of the outflow sources. We found that 12 out of 16 embedded sources ( 75 %) have CO outflows associated with them; this indicates that almost all stars experience a phase of molecular outflow in their embedded stage. The IRAS color of the outflow sources suggests that the outflows appear in considerably early phase of the evolution of YSOs, that is, as early as YSOs became observable with IRAS and that visible outflow sources are in a transient phase of evolution between embedded sources and visible T Tauri stars without outflow. Visible outflow sources are systematically more luminous than visible no-outflow sources, while embedded outflow sources have comparable luminosities with visible no-outflow sources. Such luminosity function suggests that the YSOs with outflow undergo mass accretion and increase their stellar mass as they progress from embedded sources to visible outflow sources. Typical mass accretion rate derived from the bolometric luminosity is 2 ×10^–6 M _yr ^–1. The timescale for mass accretion to acquire typical stellar mass, 0.5 – 0.8M , is 2.5 – 4 × 10⁵ yr.     

Geological prognosis ahead of a tunnel face

The locations of a specific geological boundary and aquifer were predicted, prior to reaching them, by a reflection method and the measurement of geothermic temperature. The determination was performed during tunnelling work which passed through the Median Tectonic Line in central Japan. The reflection method procedure was as follows. A P-wave was produced on the tunnel face by a small blasting. The location of the velocity layer boundary was predicted by the travel time of the direct wave and the reflected wave. The geothermic temperature was measured by a thermocouple which was set in the borehole at the face. The location of the aquifer was predicted by the thermal deviation between the measured value and the theoretical value that was determined from a mean geothermal gradient. Also, a water quality survey is performed, discussing the quality of the fissure water. In addition, we were able to confirm, using the Seismic Tomography method, that the sheared zone found, was the layer including lens-shaped low-velocity zone. The methods considered proved to be simple and effective for geological prognosis from within the tunnel.     

Composition and pressure dependence of lattice thermal conductivity of (Mg,Fe)O solid solutions

We measured the lattice thermal conductivities of Fe_0.98O wüstite and iron-rich (Mg,Fe)O magnesiowüstite using the pulsed light heating thermoreflectance technique with a diamond anvil cell up to 61 GPa at 300 K. We found that the thermal conductivity of wüstite does not show a monotonic increase as a function of pressure, contrary to that of MgO periclase. Rocksalt (B1) to rhombohedral B1 transition is likely to induce an abnormal pressure response in the conductivity of wüstite. Our results also show that magnesiowüstite has a lower conductivity than that of MgO and FeO endmembers due to a strong iron impurity effect, which is well reproduced by a model considering phonon-impurity scattering in a binary solid solution.