Calorimetric study of high-pressure polymorphs of MnSiO3

With increasing pressure, MnSiO₃ rhodonite stable at atmospheric pressure transforms to pyroxmangite, then to clinopyroxene and further to tetragonal garnet, which finally decomposes into MnO (rocksalt) plus SiO₂ (stishovite). High temperature solution calorimetry of synthetic rhodonite, clinopyroxene and garnet forms of MnSiO₃ was used to measure the enthalpies of these transitions. ΔH ₉₇₄ ⁰ for the rhodonite-clinopyroxene and ΔH ₂₉₈ ⁰ for the clinopyroxene-garnet transition are 520±490 and 8,270±590 cal/mol, respectively. The published data on the enthalpy of the rhodonite-pyroxmangite transition, phase equilibrium boundaries, compressibility and thermal expansion data are used to calculate entropy changes for the transitions. The enthalpy, entropy and volume changes are very small for all the transitions among rhodonite, pyroxmangite and clinopyroxene. The calculated boundary for the clinopyroxene-garnet transition is consistent with the published experimental results. The pyroxene-garnet transition in several materials, including MnSiO₃, is characterized by a relatively small negative entropy change and large volume decrease, resulting in a small positiveP – T slope. The disproportionation of MnSiO₃ garnet to MnO plus stishovite and of Mn₂SiO₄ olivine to garnet plus MnO are calculated to occur at about 17–18 and 14–15 GPa, respectively, at 1,000–1,500 K.     

Prograde pressure-temperature path of jadeite-bearing eclogites and associated high-pressure/low-temperature rocks from western Tianshan, northwest China

Abstract Jadeite‐bearing eclogites and associated blueschists locally crop out in a greenschist facies area at Kuldkourla, near the Akeyazhi River in the western Chinese Tianshan region, northwestern China. Garnet in these metamorphic rocks shows prograde zoning with increasing Mg and decreasing Mn from the crystal center towards the rim, and is divided into Ca‐poor/Fe‐rich core and Ca‐rich/Fe‐poor mantle parts. The garnet cores include the assemblages of (i) jadeite/omphacite (X_jd = 0.34–0.96) + barroisite/taramite; and (ii) omphacite + barroisite/pargasite, with paragonite, epidote, rutile and quartz as major phases with rare albite. The garnet mantles rarely contain inclusions of omphacite, glaucophane, epidote, rutile and quartz. Major matrix phases of the pre‐exhumation stage are omphacite, glaucophane, paragonite, rutile and quartz. These mineral parageneses give pressure (P)‐temperature (T) conditions of 0.9 GPa/390°C?1.4 GPa/560°C for the stage of the garnet core formation, 1.8 GPa/520°C for the stage of the garnet mantle formation, and 2.2 GPa/495°C‐2.4 GPa/535°C for the peak eclogite facies assemblage in the matrix. The estimated P‐T conditions and continuous changes of mineral parageneses imply a counterclockwise P‐T path which is a combination of (i) an early prograde stage of high‐pressure/low‐temperature (HP/LT) blueschist facies and/or LP/LT eclogite facies; (ii) a later prograde stage involving compression with minimal heating; and (iii) a climax‐of‐subduction stage characterized by a slight decrease of temperature with increasing pressure. The negative dP/dT of the latest subduction stage is possibly a record of the following events after a continuous subduction and ridge approach: (i) material migration within the upper part of the subducting slab, which has an inverse thermal gradient caused by ductile flow and/or slab break during subduction; and/or (ii) temporary cooling of the wedge mantle–slab interface by continuous subduction of a relatively cold slab following subduction of a hotter ridge.     

Pressure dependence of electrical conductivity of (Mg,Fe)SiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> ilmenite

The electrical conductivity of (Mg_0.93Fe_0.07)SiO₃ ilmenite was measured at temperatures of 500–1,200 K and pressures of 25–35 GPa in a Kawai-type multi-anvil apparatus equipped with sintered diamond anvils. In order to verify the reliability of this study, the electrical conductivity of (Mg_0.93Fe_0.07)SiO₃ perovskite was also measured at temperatures of 500–1,400 K and pressures of 30–35 GPa. The pressure calibration was carried out using in situ X-ray diffraction of MgO as pressure marker. The oxidation conditions of the samples were controlled by the Fe disk. The activation energy at zero pressure and activation volume for ilmenite are 0.82(6) eV and −1.5(2) cm³/mol, respectively. Those for perovskite were 0.5(1) eV and −0.4(4) cm³/mol, respectively, which are in agreement with the experimental results reported previously. It is concluded that ilmenite conductivity has a large pressure dependence in the investigated P–T range.     

CHIME monazite ages of metasediments from the Altai orogen in northwestern China: Devonian and Permian ages of metamorphism and their significance

Abstract   The chemical Th-U-total Pb isochron method (CHIME) has been applied to determine the ages of monazite grains from metasediments of greenscshist-amphibolite facies in the Altai orogen, northwest China. The area of distribution of these metamorphic rocks is divided into the Permian (261–268 Ma) central-western and Devonian (377–382 Ma) eastern units on the basis of their metamorphic ages. The Devonian CHIME ages are consistent with the Pb–Pb ages of granitoid in the eastern unit, and support the idea that emplacement of the granitoids was synchronous with regional metamorphism at deep levels. The Permian metamorphic ages (the present study) and igneous ages previously reported from the central-western unit can be interpreted in terms of subduction of crustal material and oceanic plate, and rapid exhumation.     

Integrated colors of globular clusters

Integrated colors of M3, M5, M13, and M92 are calculated from the luminosity function, the color-magnitude diagram, and the two-color diagram to compare them with observed ones. The results show good agreements for M3, M13, and M92 and the discrepancy for M5. Possible causes for this discrepancy are discussed.To study the way in which integrated colors are affected by changes in the distribution of stars in the color-magnitude diagram, we calculate the integrated colors by taking into account changes in the distribution of horizontal branch stars and in the ratio of the number of horizontal branch stars to that of red giant branch stars. The result shows that (B-V) color varies within the range of about 0.1 mag with changes in the distribution of horizontal branch stars, implying that the cluster with a well-developed blue horizontal branch has bluer intrinsic integrated (B-V) color than that with yellow one. This tendency is compared with observation.     

新疆阿尔泰冲乎尔地区蓝晶石-夕线石型变质带独居石CHIME二叠纪年龄及其地质意义

新疆冲乎尔地区的蓝晶石-夕线石型递增变质带由绿泥石-黑云母带、黑云母-石榴石带、石榴石-十字石带、十字石-蓝晶石带和夕线石带组成;递增变质作用峰期温度、压力分别为T=520～640℃,p=(4.5～5.8)×108Pa;十字石-蓝晶石带和夕线石带变质岩中含有丰富的独居石,而且Th-U-Pb含量比较高,适合电子探针独居石CHIME法定年,独居石CHIME法确定的变质时代为268±10～261±20Ma,与阿勒泰地区发育的红柱石-夕线石型(低压型)变质带形成时代(262±10～264±22Ma)一致,说明阿尔泰造山带蓝晶石-夕线石型和红柱石-夕线石型递增变质带是同一次大规模的构造热事件的产物,时代为二叠纪中期。     

Small-Amplitude Disturbances in a Radiating and ScatteringGrey MediumI. Solutions of Given Real Frequency ω

We reanalyze the propagation of one-dimensional small-amplitude disturbances of given real frequency ω in a radiating and scattering grey medium using the Eddington approximation, which has been studied previously by us (Kaneko et al., 1976). Numerical results reveals three frequency regimes to be distinguished, and two wave modes always appear in each frequency regime. The governing equations and analytic solutions are derived for all wave modes using Whitham's method modified into quadratic form and approximate methods based on radiation thermodynamics. In the high-frequency regime appear the radiation-wave and adiabatic sound modes, which are damped by opacity and radiative cooling, respectively. Wave patterns in the intermediate-frequency and low-frequency regimes depend critically on the importance of radiation, for which the criterion is given in terms of the ratio of total specific heats at constant pressure and constant volume. When the radition overwhelms the matter (radiation-dominated case), the radiative mode in the intermediate-frequency regime is the constant-volume diffusion mode. When the matter overwhelms the radiation (matter-dominated case), damped radiation-wave and damped radiation-diffusion modes newly appear between the radiation-wave and constant-volume diffusion modes. The acoustic mode in the intermediate-frequency regime is the isothermal sound mode,which is damped by radiative cooling at higher frequencies and by radiation-thermal drag force at lower frequencies. Two modes appearing in the low-frequency regime are the isentropic radiation-acoustic and constant-pressure diffusion modes. The absorption coefficient derived for the former is shown to be a radiation-thermodynamic extension of that of Landau and Lifshitz (1987). The transition frequencies between all adjacent two modes are also derived to discuss the implications of them. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Biomarker records from core GH02-1030 off Tokachi in the northwestern Pacific over the last 23,000 years: Environmental changes during the last deglaciation

We investigated marine and terrestrial environmental changes at the northern Japan margin in the northwestern Pacific during the last 23,000 years by analyzing biomarkers (alkenones, long-chain n-alkanes, long-chain n-fatty acids, and lignin-derived materials) in Core GH02-1030. The U ₃₇^K′-derived temperature in the last glacial maximum (LGM) centered at 21 ka was ∼10°C, which was 2°C lower than the core-top temperature (∼12°C). This small temperature drop does not agree with pollen evidence of a large air temperature drop (more than 4°C) in the Tokachi area. This disagreement might be attributed to a bias of U ₃₇^K′-derived temperature within 2.5°C by a seasonal shift in alkenone production. The U ₃₇^K′-derived temperature was significantly low during the last deglaciation. Because this cooling was significant in the Kuroshio-Oyashio transition zone, the temperature drops are attributable to the southward displacement of the Kuroshio-Oyashio boundary. Abundant lignin-derived materials, long-chain n-alkanes and long-chain n-fatty acids indicate a higher contribution of terrigenous organic matter from 17 to 12 ka. This phenomenon might have resulted from an enhanced coastal erosion of terrestrial soils due to marine transgression and/or an efficient inflow of higher plant debris to river waters from 17 to 12 ka.     

Groundwater flow and storage processes in an inactive rock glacier

Groundwater flow through coarse blocky landforms contributes to streamflow in mountain watersheds, yet its role in the alpine hydrologic cycle has received relatively little attention. This study examines the internal structure and hydrogeological characteristics of an inactive rock glacier in the Canadian Rockies using geophysical imaging techniques, analysis of the discharge hydrograph of the spring draining the rock glacier, and chemical and stable isotopic compositions of source waters. The results show that the coarse blocky sediments forming the rock glacier allow the rapid infiltration of snowmelt and rain water to an unconfined aquifer above the bedrock surface. The water flowing through the aquifer is eventually routed via an internal channel parallel to the front of the rock glacier to a spring, which provides baseflow to a headwater stream designated as a critical habitat for an at‐risk cold‐water fish species. Discharge from the rock glacier spring contributes up to 50% of basin streamflow during summer baseflow periods and up to 100% of basin streamflow over winter, despite draining less than 20% of the watershed area. The rock glacier contains patches of ground ice even though it may have been inactive for thousands of years, suggesting the resiliency of the ground thermal regime under a warming climate.