Cathodoluminescence of high-pressure feldspar minerals as a shock barometer

Cathodoluminescence (CL) analyses were carried out on maskelynite and lingunite in L6 chondrites of Tenham and Yamato-790729. Under CL microscopy, bright blue emission was observed in Na-lingunite in the shock veins. Dull blue-emitting maskelynite is adjacent to the shock veins, and aqua blue luminescent plagioclase lies farther away. CL spectroscopy of the Na-lingunite showed emission bands centered at ~330, 360–380, and ~590 nm. CL spectra of maskelynite consisted of emission bands at ~330 and ~380 nm. Only an emission band at 420 nm was recognized in crystalline plagioclase. Deconvolution of CL spectra from maskelynite successfully separated the UV–blue emission bands into Gaussian components at 3.88, 3.26, and 2.95 eV. For comparison, we prepared K-lingunite and experimentally shock-recovered feldspars at the known shock pressures of 11.1–41.2 GPa to measure CL spectra. Synthetic K-lingunite has similar UV–blue and characteristic yellow bands at ~550, ~660, ~720, ~750, and ~770 nm. The UV–blue emissions of shock-recovered feldspars and the diaplectic feldspar glasses show a good correlation between intensity and shock pressure after deconvolution. They may be assigned to pressure-induced defects in Si and Al octahedra and tetrahedra. The components at 3.88 and 3.26 eV were detectable in the lingunite, both of which may be caused by the defects in Si and Al octahedra, the same as maskelynite. CL of maskelynite and lingunite may be applicable to estimate shock pressure for feldspar-bearing meteorites, impactites, and samples returned by spacecraft mission, although we need to develop more as a reliable shock barometer.     

Molecular and isotopic characteristics of gas hydrate-bound hydrocarbons in southern and central Lake Baikal

We investigated the molecular composition (methane, ethane, and propane) and stable isotope composition (methane and ethane) of hydrate-bound gas in sediments of Lake Baikal. Hydrate-bearing sediment cores were retrieved from eight gas seep sites, located in the southern and central Baikal basins. Empirical classification of the methane stable isotopes (δ¹³C and δD) for all the seep sites indicated the dominant microbial origin of methane via methyl-type fermentation; however, a mixture of thermogenic and microbial gases resulted in relatively high methane δ¹³C signatures at two sites where ethane δ¹³C indicated a typical thermogenic origin. At one of the sites in the southern Baikal basin, we found gas hydrates of enclathrated microbial ethane in which ¹³C and deuterium were both highly depleted (mean δ¹³C and δD of –61.6‰ V-PDB and –285.4‰ V-SMOW, respectively). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of C₂ δ¹³C–δD classification for hydrate-bound gas in either freshwater or marine environments.     

Effect of temperature on the methyl chloride production rate in a marine phytoplankton, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phaeodactylum tricornutum</Emphasis>

Methyl halides such as methyl chloride (CH₃Cl) are known to be important carriers of halogen from the ocean to the atmosphere, and the halogens they release into the stratosphere by photolysis catalyze ozone depletion. Marine phytoplankton have been reported as a source of CH₃Cl, but the effects of environmental temperature on the CH₃Cl production by phytoplankton have not been investigated. In this study, we investigated the effects of temperature on the production of CH₃Cl in the culture of a marine diatom, Phaeodactylum tricornutum CCMP 630, incubated at 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 °C. CH₃Cl concentrations in cultured samples were determined using purge and trap gas chromatograph–mass spectrometry. Phytoplankton growth was monitored by measuring the chlorophyll a concentrations. CH₃Cl production was observed for several weeks at four different temperatures ranging from 10 to 25 °C. The CH₃Cl production from P. tricornutum was increased with increasing temperature from 10 to 25 °C, and the maximum production rate for CH₃Cl was 0.21~0.26 μmol (g chlorophyll a)^?1 d^?1 at 25 °C, which was several times higher than that at 10 °C (~0.03 μmol (g chlorophyll a)^?1 d^?1). The Arrhenius equation was successfully used to characterize the effects of temperature on the production rates of CH₃Cl in the culture of P. tricornutum. Our results suggest that water temperature directly affects CH₃Cl production derived from P. tricornutum and that water temperature would be a significant factor for estimating the emissions of CH₃Cl from marine environments.     

Distribution of Phyllosoma Larvae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Palinuridae,Scyllaridae and Synaxidae) in the Western North Pacific

Phyllosoma larvae were identified and their distribution was examined, based on the larvae in ichthyoplankton samples collected in the Japanese Eel Expedition to the spawning area of A. japonica in the western North Pacific from August 30 to September 13, 1986 (Leg. 1), and from September 22 to 25, 1986 (Leg. 2), on board the R/V Hakuho-maru. Phyllosoma larvae belonged to 3 families (Scyllaridae, Palinuridae and Synaxidae) representing 6 genera and 14 species. A total of 336 palinurid and synaxid phyllosoma larvae were collected, of which 233 larvae (about 70%) were identical with P. longipes s. l, while a total of 362 scyllarid phyllosoma larvae were collected, of which 274 larvae (about 76%) were identical with S. cultrifer. Phyllosoma larvae of P. longipes s. l and S. cultrifer showed a similar distribution to each other. The larvae were abundant in the water close to Mariana Islands, although late stage examples were abundant in waters of Luzon and eastern Taiwan. Distributions of these larvae may be related intimately with the North Equatorial Current existing along 15°N. The North Equatorial Current approaches the eastern coast of the Philippines and then separates into two branches of northward and southward flows. The northward flow contributes to generating the Kuroshio Current while the southward flow goes to generate the Mindanao Current. Judging from distributions of phyllosoma larvae in the present study, it is assumed that the larvae of the above two species may have been released in Mariana Islands and transported westward from there through the North Equatorial Current. These larvae may then be transported to eastern Taiwanese waters.     

Stoichiometry among bioactive trace metals in seawater on the Bering Sea shelf

The distribution of Al, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb in seawater was investigated on the Bering Sea shelf (56–64°N, 165–169°W) in September 2000. The unfiltered and filtered seawater samples were used for determination of total dissolvable (TD) and dissolved (D) metals (M), respectively. The TD-M concentrations were generally higher than in the Pacific Ocean. TD-Cd was highest in deep water of the outer shelf domain and dominated by dissolved species. The other TD-M were highest at stations close to the Yukon River delta and had higher fractions of labile particulate (LP) species that were obtained as the difference between TD-M and D-M. Dissolved Al, Ni, and Cu were characterized by input from the Yukon River. Dissolved Mn and Co showed maximums on the bottom of the coastal domain, suggesting influence of sedimentary Mn reduction. The correlations of D-Zn, D-Cd, and macronutrients indicated their distributions were largely controlled through uptake by microorganisms and remineralization from settling particles. All these three processes (river input, sedimentary reduction, and biogeochemical cycle) had an influence on the distribution of D-Fe. D-Pb was fairly uniformly distributed in the study area. The stoichiometry of D-M in the Bering Sea shelf showed enrichment of Co and Pb and depletion of Ni, Cu, Zn, and Cd compared with that in the North Pacific. The LP-M/LP-Al ratio revealed significant enrichment of the other eight metals relative to their crustal abundance, suggesting importance of formation of Fe–Mn oxides and adsorption of trace metals on the oxides.     

Possible variation in methane flux caused by gas hydrate formation on the northeastern continental slope off Sakhalin Island, Russia

The Sakhalin Slope Gas Hydrate Project (SSGH) is an international collaborative effort by scientists from Japan, Korea, and Russia to investigate natural gas hydrates (GHs) that have accumulated on the continental slope off Sakhalin Island, Okhotsk Sea. From 2009 to 2011, field operations of the SSGH-09, -10, and -11 projects were conducted. GH-bearing and -free sediment cores were retrieved using steel hydro- and gravity corers. The concentrations of sulfate ions in sediment pore waters were measured to investigate sulfate concentration–depth profiles. Seventeen cores showed linear depth profiles of sulfate concentrations. In contrast, eight cores and two cores showed concave-up and -down profiles plausibly explained by sudden increase and decrease in methane flux from below, respectively, presumably caused by the formation of gas hydrate adjacent to the core sampling sites.     

Effects of structural walls on the elastic–plastic earthquake responses of frame–wall buildings

Effects of structural walls on the elastic–plastic earthquake response of short- to medium-height reinforced concrete buildings were investigated. The analytical model consists of independent lumped mass systems representing walls and frames connected at each floor. The wall structure undergoes flexural as well as shear deformation and fails in shear at relatively small story drifts, the frames deforming only in shear. As a measure of structural damage, the ductility factor responses of frame structures were calculated for different combinations of base shear coefficients for the frames and walls. In buildings with relatively weak frames, the installation of structural walls did not improve the large plastic response of the frames up to the point where the walls were unfailed in shear and the ductility factors of the frame structure were suddenly reduced to a very small number. For relatively strong frames, however, the response displacements decreased gradually as the number of walls increased, whether or not the walls failed. Empirical formulas for the required base shear coefficients of the walls and frames which gave a target ductility factor response also were derived for two particular groups of accelerograms. These equations should be of practical use in designing frame-wall type buildings and in retrofitting damaged buildings. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Methane with Abnormally High δ13C and δD Values from the Coastal Hot Springs in Lake Baikal

Lithology and Mineral Resources - We studied the composition and isotopic characteristics (δ13C and δD) of hydrocarbon gases from the Kotelnikovsky, Zmeiny, and Goryachnisky hot springs...     

Isotopic composition of dissolved inorganic carbon in subsurface sediments of gas hydrate-bearing mud volcanoes, Lake Baikal: implications for methane and carbonate origin

We report on the isotopic composition of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in pore-water samples recovered by gravity coring from near-bottom sediments at gas hydrate-bearing mud volcanoes/gas flares (Malenky, Peschanka, Peschanka 2, Goloustnoe, and Irkutsk) in the Southern Basin of Lake Baikal. The δ¹³C values of DIC become heavier with increasing subbottom depth, and vary between ?9.5 and +21.4‰ PDB. Enrichment of DIC in ¹³C indicates active methane generation in anaerobic environments near the lake bottom. These data confirm our previous assumption that crystallization of carbonates (siderites) in subsurface sediments is a result of methane generation. Types of methanogenesis (microbial methyl-type fermentation versus CO₂-reduction) were revealed by determining the offset of δ¹³C between dissolved CH₄ and CO₂, and also by using δ¹³C and δD values of dissolved methane present in the pore waters. Results show that both mechanisms are most likely responsible for methane generation at the investigated locations.