Molecules of Non-Photospheric Origin in Red Giants and Supergiants Revealed by the ISO SWS

Overall SEDs based on ISO SWS observations show fair agreement with photospheric model predictions for red (super)giant stars. However, some details of molecular spectra cannot be explained by a photospheric origin. In particular, fine structure in the H2O 2.7 μm band can be clearly resolved by the SWS and is identified in an early M giant, whose photosphere will never produce H2O. This is definite evidence for H2O of non-photospheric origin in an early M giant. Also, the observed H2O and CO2 bands in a late M giant are too strong to be explained by a photospheric origin alone. Further, the H2O 2.7 μm band is found in four early M supergiants in the h + χ Persei clusters (three of which show UIRs) and is especially strong in the M4 supergiant S Per (which also shows a highly peculiar SED). Thus, against a belief that H2O is found only in the latest M giants such as Miras, the SWS has revealed the presence of H2O in a wider region of the HR diagram. The origin of this H2O is unknown but is probably in a non-photospheric extra envelope. Such a H2O envelope appears to be a general feature through early M (super)giants to cool supergiants such as S Per, where the envelope has finally developed to be optically thick. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Geochemical and geochronological constraints on the origin and emplacement of the Shimo-ondori diorites in Shikoku,Southwest Japan

In this study, the LA-ICP-MS zircon U–Pb dating of the Shimo-ondori diorites in the Shimanto accretionary complex of SW Japan provides ~130 Ma, representing the timing of their crystallization ages. Combined with the geological occurrence, that age clearly indicates that the diorites occur as blocks, not as intrusive rocks as suggested by previous studies. Moreover, the ages of the Shimo-ondori diorites are suggesstive that they could be influential for the estimate of the early-Cretaceous tectonic evolution for the eastern Asian margin. Their whole-rock chemical compositions show high MgO, Ni and Cr contents, and low total FeO/MgO ratios, indicating that they were crystallized from high magnesian andesite (HMA) magmas. Moreover, their TiO₂ and REE compositions suggest that they were formed by the same processes as the sanukites. And, the zircon Hf isotopic ratios (ε_Hf [~130 Ma] = +9.9 − +17.5), which is close to or slightly lower than that of the ~130 Ma depleted mantle, suggest that the wedge-mantle materials were predominantly involved in the formation of the dioritic magmas. Their geochronological and geochemical similarities of the Shimo-ondori diorites with the early Cretaceous adakites and HMAs in the eastern Asian margin suggest that they might have been formed possibly by the same slab rollback of the Izanagi plate at the early Cretaceous. After the crystallization of the Shimo-ondori diorites, they were delivered and deposited as blocks in a trench site with the surrounding sedimentary rocks of the Shimanto accretionary complex.     

U–Pb zircon age from the radiolarian‐bearing Hitoegane Formation in the Hida Gaien Belt,Japan

The dating of radiolarian biostratigraphic zones from the Silurian to Devonian is only partially understood. Dating the zircons in radiolarian‐bearing tuffaceous rocks has enabled us to ascribe practical ages to the radiolarian zones. To extend knowledge in this area, radiometric dating of magmatic zircons within the radiolarian‐bearing Hitoegane Formation, Japan, was undertaken. The Hitoegane Formation is mainly composed of alternating beds of tuffaceous sandstones, tuffaceous mudstones and felsic tuff. The felsic tuff and tuffaceous mudstone yield well‐preserved radiolarian fossils. Zircon grains showing a U–Pb laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry age of 426.6 ± 3.7 Ma were collected from four horizons of the Hitoegane Formation, which is the boundary between the Pseudospongoprunum tauversi to Futobari solidus–Zadrappolus tenuis radiolarian assemblage zones. This fact strongly suggests that the boundary of these assemblage zones is around the Ludlowian to Pridolian. The last occurrence of F. solidus is considered to be Pragian based on the reinterpretation of a U–Pb sensitive high mass‐resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) zircon age of 408.9 ± 7.6 Ma for a felsic tuff of the Kurosegawa belt, Southwest Japan. Thus the F. solidus–Z. tenuis assemblage can be assigned to the Ludlowian or Pridolian to Pragian. The present data also contribute to establishing overall stratigraphy of the Paleozoic rocks of the Fukuji–Hitoegane area. According to the Ordovician to Carboniferous stratigraphy in this area, Ordovician to Silurian volcanism was gradually reduced to change the sedimentary environment into a tropical lagoon in the early Devonian. And the quiet Carboniferous environment was subsequently interrupted, throwing it once more into the volcanic conditions in the Middle Permian.     

Dawson tephra,a widespread 29-ka marker bed,in a marine core from Patton Seamount off the Alaska Peninsula and its potential marine–terrestrial correlation

A tephra layer with normal grading in the sub-bottom depth interval 119–122 cm in marine core SO202-27-6 was collected on Patton Seamount in the northeast North Pacific Ocean. Based on the geochemistry of volcanic glass shards determined by a wavelength dispersive electron probe micro-analyser and an X-ray fluorescence analyser, this layer is correlated to the Dawson tephra, a widespread late Pleistocene time marker tephra in Alaska and the Yukon. The age of the Dawson tephra in the core is 29.03 ± 0.178 ka (1 sigma) based on a published age model. The Dawson tephra is revealed to have been deposited in the transition from marine isotope stage 3 to 2, i.e. the last stage of Heinrich Stadial 3 derived from the ice-rafted debris signal. According to the correlation between Greenland (NGRIP ice core) and this core, the Dawson tephra occupies the record immediately before inter stadial 4 in the δ¹⁸O stratigraphy of NGRIP. The Dawson tephra on Patton Seamount includes lithic fragments, which suggests that it was deposited not only by fall-out but also in part via another mechanism, such as icebergs from the Cordilleran ice sheet or seasonal sea ice.     

Calcite U–Pb age of the Cretaceous vertebrate‐bearing Bayn Shire Formation in the Eastern Gobi Desert of Mongolia: Usefulness of caliche for age determination

To verify the usefulness of calcite U–Pb measurement for vertebrate‐bearing strata in the Eastern Gobi, Mongolia, we performed laser ablation‐inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry calcite U–Pb and trace element analyses of three caliche (calcrete) of the Bayn Shire Formation. The trace element analysis demonstrates high concentration of U in the calcites. Two meaningful calcite U–Pb ages were obtained; 95.9 ± 6.0 and 89.6 ± 4.0 Ma, which are consistent with published ages from the Bayn Shire Formation. Our results demonstrate that the calcite U–Pb method can be powerful tool for age determination of vertebrate‐bearing strata in the Gobi that do not contain index fossils or beds, but do contain caliches. This would make it possible for a comparison of biostratigraphy between the Gobi and other areas yielding abundant vertebrate fossils in Asia, North America and Europe, based on chronological data.     

Source Scaling of Inland Crustal Earthquake Sequences in Japan Using the S-Wave Coda Spectral Ratio Method

We estimate corner frequencies and stress drops for 298 events ranging from M _w 3.2–7.0 in 17 inland crustal earthquake sequences in Japan to investigate the source scaling and variation in stress drops. We obtain the source spectral ratio from observed records by the S-wave coda spectral ratio method. The advantage of using the S-wave coda is in obtaining much more stable source spectral ratios than using direct S-waves. We carefully examine the common shape of the decay of coda envelopes between event pair records. The corner frequency and stress drop are estimated by modeling the observed source spectral ratio with the omega-square source spectral model. We investigate the dependences of stress drops on some tectonic effects such as regionality, focal mechanism, and source depth. The principal findings are as follows: (1) a break in self-similar source scaling is found in our dataset. Events larger than M _w 4.5 show larger stress drops than those of smaller events. (2) Stress drops of aftershocks are mostly smaller than those of mainshocks in each sequence. (3) There are no systematic differences between stress drops of events occurring inside and outside the Niigata-Kobe Tectonic Zone in Japan. (4) Clear dependence of the faulting type on stress drops cannot be seen. (5) Stress drops of aftershocks depend on their source depth. (6) The crack size obtained from the corner frequency corresponds to the total rupture area of heterogeneous slip models for large events.     

Early Paleozoic subduction initiation volcanism of the Iwatsubodani Formation,Hida Gaien belt,Southwest Japan

International Journal of Earth Sciences - In placing Japanese tectonics in an Asian context, variation in the Paleozoic geological environment is a significant issue. This paper investigates the...     

Raman spectroscopy and heat capacity measurement of calcium ferrite type MgAl2O4 and CaAl2O4

Raman spectroscopy of calcium ferrite type MgAl₂O₄ and CaAl₂O₄ and heat capacity measurement of CaAl₂O₄ calcium ferrite were performed. The heat-capacity of CaAl₂O₄ calcium ferrite measured by a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) was represented as C_P(T)=190.6–1.116 × 10⁷T^–2 + 1.491 × 10⁹T^–3 above 250 K (T in K). The obtained Raman spectra were applied to lattice dynamics calculation of heat capacity using the Kieffer model. The calculated heat capacity for CaAl₂O₄ calcium ferrite showed good agreement with that by the DSC measurement. A Kieffer model calculation for MgAl₂O₄ calcium ferrite similar to that for CaAl₂O₄ calcium ferrite was made to estimate the heat capacity of the former. The heat capacity of MgAl₂O₄ calcium ferrite was represented as C_P(T)=223.4–1352T ^–0.5 – 4.181 × 10⁶T ^–2 + 4.300 × 10⁸T ^–3 above 250 K. The calculation also gave approximated vibrational entropies at 298 K of calcium ferrite type MgAl₂O₄ and CaAl₂O₄ as 97.6 and 114.9 J mol^–1 K^–1, respectively.     

Sanidine—olivine—diopside Association in a Metasomatized Garnet Lherzolite Xenolith from Southeastern China

A garnet lherzolite xenolith hosted in olivine nephelinite from Xilong,Zhejiang Province ,southeastern China, shows clear evidence of modal metasomatism involving a special sanidine-olivine-diopside(SOD) association which was produced by replacement of primary orthopyroxene.The fluid responsible for the measomatism was a silica-undersaturated vapour,rich in K,Ba,Sr and Ti.It is suggested that the SOD assemblage is the product of metasomatism of a depleted lherzolite precursor,and formed in the upper mantle prior to entrainment and eruption.     

Rare gases in a phlogopite nodule and a phlogopite-bearing peridotite in South African kimberlites

Rare gas isotopes in a phlogopite nodule and a phlogopite-bearing peridotite nodule in South African kimberlites were studied to examine the state of rare gases in the deep interior of the kimberlite region.Within the experimental error of 1 ～ 2%, rare gas isotopic compositions are atmospheric except for radiogenic⁴He and⁴⁰Ar. No excess¹²⁹Xe was observed.In phlogopite, Ne is more depleted, whereas the heavier rare gases are more enriched than the atmospheric rare gases relative to³⁶Ar.Together with other data these results suggest that the state of rare gases in the upper mantle of the South African kimberlite region might have been changed from the typical primitive mantle by a process such as mixing of crustal materials.