Coexisting sodic augite and omphacite in a Sanbagawa metamorphic rock,Japan

Coexisting sodic augite and omphacite were found in a zoisite amphibolite from the Iratsu epidote amphibolite mass in the Sanbagawa metamorphic terrain of central Shikoku, Japan. The occurrences of the sodic augite-omphacite pairs are classified into four types by texture: independent, composite, intergrowth and exsolution types. Sodic augite and omphacite of the independent and composite types (pair A) have X _Na (=Na/(Na + Ca)) = 0.15 and 0.35, respectively, and were stable in the epidote amphibolite facies during the Sanbagawa progressive metamorphism. On the other hand, X ^Na values of sodic augite and omphacite of the intergrowth and exsolution types (pair B) are 0.10 and 0.44, respectively. The Na-poor augite and Na-rich omphacite of the pair B were formed by re-equilibration of the pair A at lower temperature. The pair A of the Iratsu sample suggests that a compositional gap lies between sodic augite and C2/c omphacite under epidote amphibolite facies conditions, and is in marked contrast to the coexistence of sodic augite and P2/n omphacite reported from some low-grade, high-pressure metamorphic terrains. A possible phase diagram to explain the chemistry and mode of occurrence of the coexisting sodic pyroxenes is proposed.     

Early exhumation of the collisional orogen and concurrent infill of foredeep basins in the Miocene Eurasian–Okhotsk Plate boundary, central Hokkaido, Japan: Inferences from K–Ar dating of granitoid clasts

Abstract   Thick Middle (–Upper) Miocene turbiditic deposits filled very deep and narrow foredeep basins formed in the western margin of the Hidaka collision zone in central Hokkaido. Cobble- to boulder-sized clasts of eight monzogranites and a single granodiorite in the Kawabata Formation in the Yubari Mountains area yielded biotite K–Ar ages of 44.4 ± 1.0 to 45.4 ± 1.0 Ma and 42.8 ± 1.1 Ma, respectively. Major elemental compositions of the clasts all fall in the field of S-type granite on an NK/A (Na₂O + K₂O/Al₂O₃ in molecule) versus A/CNK (Al₂O₃/CaO + Na₂O + K₂O in molecule) diagram, verifying their peraluminous granite character (aluminium saturation index (ASI): 1.12–1.19). These geochronological and petrographical features indicate that the granitoid clasts in the Kawabata Formation correlate with Eocene granitic plutons in the northeastern Hidaka Belt, specifically the Uttsudake (43 Ma) and Monbetsu (42 Ma) plutons. Foredeep basins are flexural depressions developed at the frontal side of thickened thrust wedges. The results presented here suggest that deposition of the Middle Miocene turbidites was coeval with rapid westward up-thrusting and exhumation of the Hidaka Belt. This early mountain building may have occurred in response to thrusting in the Tertiary fold-and-thrust system of central Hokkaido.     

Garnet-ilmenite-perovskite transitions in the system Mg4Si4O12-Mg3Al2Si3O12 at high pressures and high temperatures: phase equilibria, calorimetry and implications for mantle structure

Phase relations in the system Mg₄Si₄O₁₂-Mg₃Al₂Si₃O₁₂ were examined at pressures of 19-27 GPa and relatively low temperatures of 800-1000 °C using a multianvil apparatus to clarify phase transitions of pyroxene-garnet assemblages in the mantle. Both of glass and crystalline starting materials were used for the experiments. At 1000 °C, garnet solid solution (s.s.) transforms to aluminous ilmenite s.s. at 20-26 GPa which is stable in the whole compositional range in the system. In Mg₄Si₄O₁₂-rich composition, ilmenite s.s. transforms to a single-phase aluminous perovskite s.s., while Mg₃Al₂Si₃O₁₂-rich ilmenite s.s. dissociates into perovskite s.s. and corundum s.s. These newly determined phase relations at 1000 °C supersede preliminary phase relations determined at about 900 °C in the previous study. The phase relations at 1000 °C are quite different from those reported previously at 1600 °C where garnet s.s. transforms directly to perovskite s.s. and ilmenite is stable only very close to Mg₄Si₄O₁₂. The stability field of Mg₃Al₂Si₃O₁₂ ilmenite was determined at 800-1000 °C and 25-27 GPa by reversed phase boundaries. In ilmenite s.s., the a-axis slightly increases but the c-axis and molar volume decrease substantially with increasing Al₂O₃ content. Enthalpies of ilmenite s.s. were measured by differential drop-solution calorimetry method using a high-temperature calorimeter. The excess enthalpy of mixing of ilmenite s.s. was almost zero within the errors. The measured enthalpies of garnet-ilmenite and ilmenite-perovskite transitions at 298 K were 105.2±10.4 and 168.6±8.2 kJ/mol, respectively, for Mg₄Si₄O₁₂, and 150.2±15.9 and 98.7±27.3 kJ/mol, respectively, for Mg₃Al₂Si₃O₁₂. Thermodynamic calculations using these data give rise to phase relations in the system Mg₄Si₄O₁₂-Mg₃Al₂Si₃O₁₂ at 1000 and 1600 °C that are generally consistent with those determined experimentally, and confirm that the single-phase field of ilmenite expands from Mg₄Si₄O₁₂ to Mg₃Al₂Si₃O₁₂ with decreasing temperature. The earlier mentioned phase relations in the simplified system as well as those in the Mg₂SiO₄-Fe₂SiO₄ system are applied to estimate mineral proportions in pyrolite as a function of depth along two different geotherms: one is a horizontally-averaged temperature distribution in a normal mantle, and the other being 600 °C lower than the former as a possible representative geotherm in subducting slabs. Based on the previously described estimated mineral proportions versus depth along the two geotherms, density and compressional and shear wave velocities are calculated as functions of depth, using available mineral physics data. Along a normal mantle geotherm, jumps of density and velocities at about 660 km corresponding to the post-spinel transition are followed by steep gradients due to the garnet-perovskite transition between 660 and 710 km. In contrast, along a low-temperature geotherm, the first steep gradients of density and velocities are due to the garnet-ilmenite transition between 610 and 690 km. This is followed by abrupt jumps at about 690 km for the post-spinel transition, and steep gradients between 700 and 740 km that correspond to the ilmenite-perovskite transition. In the latter profile along the low-temperature geotherm, density and velocity increases for garnet-ilmenite and ilmenite-perovskite transitions are similar in magnitude to those for the post-spinel transition. The likely presence of ilmenite in cooler regions of subducting slabs is suggested by the fact that the calculated velocity profiles along the low-temperature geotherm are compatible with recent seismic observations indicating three discontinuities or steep velocity gradients at around 600-750 km depth in the regions of subducting slabs.     

Basin-To-Basin and Year-To-Year Variation of Temperature and Salinity Characteristics in the East Sea (Sea of Japan)

Analysis of CTD data from four CREAMS expeditions carried out in summers of 1993–1996 produces distinct T-S relationships for the western and eastern Japan Basin, the Ulleung Basin and the Yamato Basin. T-S characteristics are mainly determined by salinity as it changes its horizontal pattern in three layers, which are divided by isotherms of 5°C and 1°C; upper warm water, intermediate water and deep cold water. Upper warm water is most saline in the Ulleung Basin and the Yamato Basin. Salinity of intermediate water is the highest in the eastern Japan Basin. Deep cold water has the highest salinity in the Japan Basin. T-S curves in the western Japan Basin are characterized by a salinity jump around 1.2–1.4°C in the T-S plane, which was previously found off the east coast of Korea associated with the East Sea Intermediate Water (Cho and Kim, 1994). T-S curves for the Japan Basin undergo a large year-to-year variation for water warmer than 0.6°C, which occupies upper 400 m. It is postulated that the year-to-year variation in the Japan Basin is caused by convective overturning in winter. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

新疆阿勒泰红柱石-矽线石型递增变质带特征及其PT条件研究

新疆阿勒泰地区发育了红柱石-矽线石型递增变质带,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-红柱石带和矽线石带组成,根据石榴石成分环带、变质与变形关系、矿物共生组合演化等特征,将变质作用分为峰前期、峰期和峰后期3个演化阶段。峰前期、峰期为连续的递增变质过程,形成典型的中-低压过渡型递增变质带,峰后期属于退变质过程。据石榴石一斜长石一黑云母-白云母-石英组合内部一致地质温压计估算出峰期温度-压力：T=580℃～670℃,P一0．4GPa～0．5GPa。变质作用演化具有顺时针的PTt轨迹,代表陆壳有一定程度的构造增厚,但幅度不大,没有大规模的陆壳俯冲或拆沉作用,这种增厚可能以陆壳的构造叠置机制为主。总体相当于地体间斜向走滑兼有一定垂直分量的拼合过程的地球动力学机制。     

Redeposition of volcaniclastic sediments by a tsunami 4600 years ago at Kushima City,south-eastern Kyushu,Japan

The Hyuga-nada Sea, south-eastern Kyushu, Japan, is located between a strong (Nankai Trough) and a weak interplate coupling zone (Ryukyu Trench). Over the past 400 years this area has only experienced Magnitude 7·5 earthquakes or smaller and associated small-scale tsunamis. However, this short historical record most likely does not include the full range of high magnitude, low frequency giant earthquakes that might have occurred in the region. Thus, it is still unclear whether giant earthquakes and their associated tsunamis have occurred in this region. This paper reports on a prehistoric tsunami deposit discovered in a coastal lowland in south-eastern Kyushu facing the Hyuga-nada Sea. There is a reddish-brown pumiceous layer preserved in a non-marine, organic-rich mud sequence obtained from onshore sediment cores. This layer is recognized as the ca 4600 year old Kirishima-Miike tephra (that is now placed around 4500 years ago) sourced from Mount Kirishima, southern Kyushu. Another whitish pumiceous layer is evident below the Kirishima-Miike tephra in almost all of the sediment cores. A relatively high percentage of marine and brackish diatoms is recorded within this lower pumiceous layer (but not in the surrounding muds or in the overlying Kirishima-Miike tephra), indicating a marine or beach sediment source. Plant material obtained from organic-rich mud immediately below the event layer was dated to ca 4430 to 4710 cal yr bp , providing a limiting-maximum age for this marine incursion event. The presence of marine diatoms below the event layer is probably explained by pre-seismic subsidence. An absence of the resting spore of the planktonic brackish diatom Cheatoceros and the appearance of the freshwater diatom Eunotia serra immediately above the event layer probably represents a marked change to a relatively low-salinity environment. Assuming that there were no significant local geomorphological changes, such as drainage obstruction caused by formation of a new barrier spit, it is considered that co-seismic or immediate post-seismic uplift are the most likely explanations for this notable environmental change. Based on the crustal movements noted before and after the marine incursion, this event is interpreted here as an earthquake-generated tsunami. Moreover, because of these notable seismic crustal movements the tsunamigenic earthquake probably occurred immediately offshore of the study site.     

Separation of Heavy Lanthanoids by Flash Column Chromatography for Precise Determination of Er and Yb Isotope Compositions in Rock Samples

We present a new column chemistry technique for the quantitative separation of heavy lanthanoids by an ultra‐fine‐grained LN resin (20–50 µm) with a specific emphasis on the purification of Er and Yb for their isotopic analysis. To achieve the quantitative separation of Er and Yb within a reasonable timescale, flash column chromatography was applied, where the column was attached to a newly designed vacuum box system, thus accelerating the elution speed by ten times compared with that of the normal column procedure operated by gravity flow. The recovery yields of Er and Yb were confirmed to be approximately 100%, which is important to suppress the effect of the mass‐independent fractionation of the Er and Yb isotopes during chromatography. Additionally, we have developed precise Er and Yb isotope measurements by thermal ionisation mass spectrometry (TIMS) using multistatic and/or dynamic methods. Moreover, in most cases, the Er and Yb isotope compositions of the measured four terrestrial rock samples were indistinguishable from those of the commercially available Er and Yb Alfa Aesar solutions. The new method presented in this work will be useful for future studies on heavy lanthanoids in various geological materials.     

Water masses and currents of deep circulation southwest of the Shatsky Rise in the western North Pacific

We conducted full-depth hydrographic observations in the southwestern region of the Northwest Pacific Basin in September 2004 and November 2005. Deep-circulation currents crossed the observation line between the East Mariana Ridge and the Shatsky Rise, carrying Lower Circumpolar Deep Water westward in the lower deep layer (θ<1.2 °C) and Upper Circumpolar Deep Water (UCDW) and North Pacific Deep Water (NPDW) eastward in the upper deep layer (1.3–2.2 °C). In the lower deep layer at depths greater than approximately 3500 m, the eastern branch current of the deep circulation was located south of the Shatsky Rise at 30°24′–30°59′N with volume transport of 3.9 Sv (1 Sv=10⁶ m³ s⁻¹) in 2004 and at 30°06′–31°15′N with 1.6 Sv in 2005. The western branch current of the deep circulation was located north of the Ogasawara Plateau at 26°27′–27°03′N with almost 2.1 Sv in 2004 and at 26°27′–26°45′N with 2.7 Sv in 2005. Integrating past and present results, volume transport southwest of the Shatsky Rise is concluded to be a little less than 4 Sv for the eastern branch current and a little more than 2 Sv for the western branch current. In the upper deep layer at depths of approximately 2000–3500 m, UCDW and NPDW, characterized by high and low dissolved oxygen, respectively, were carried eastward at the observation line by the return flow of the deep circulation composing meridional overturning circulation. UCDW was confined between the East Mariana Ridge and the Ogasawara Plateau (22°03′–25°33′N) in 2004, whereas it extended to 26°45′N north of the Ogasawara Plateau in 2005. NPDW existed over the foot and slope of the Shatsky Rise from 29°48′N in 2004 and 30°06′N in 2005 to at least 32°30′N at the top of the Shatsky Rise. Volume transport of UCDW was estimated to be 4.6 Sv in 2004, whereas that of NPDW was 1.4 Sv in 2004 and 2.6 Sv in 2005, although the values for NPDW may be slightly underestimated, because they do not include the component north of the top of the Shatsky Rise. Volume transport of UCDW and NPDW southwest of the Shatsky Rise is concluded to be approximately 5 and 3 Sv, respectively. The pathways of UCDW and NPDW are new findings and suggest a correction for the past view of the deep circulation in the Pacific Ocean.     

TWO NEW CHONDRITE-FALLS IN JAPAN

In the summer of 1984, two meteorites fell in the northern part of Honshu, Japan; Aomori, at 1:50 p.m. on June 30, and Tomiya, at 1:35 p.m. on August 22. Coordinates of the falls of the Aomori and the Tomiya are at 140°47.1'E., 40°48.6'N., and 140°51.9'E., 38°22.0'N., respectively. Results of chemical analyses of major elements, ratios of Fe_total/SiO₂ (0.546 and 0.803) and Fe_metal/Fe_total (0.332 and 0.581), and molar compositions of olivines (Fa₂₅ and Fa₁₉) indicate that the Aomori and the Tomiya are typical L- and H-group ordinary chondrites, respectively. In the Aomori, chondrules are present as relicts in the well-recrystallized matrix. Olivine and pyroxene are homogeneous in composition, and coarse clear feldspar, up to 100 micrometers in size, is well developed in the chondrules and matrix. Though the Aomori is a petrologic type 6 based on its texture and mineralogy, it includes a few grains of multiple twinned clinobronzite which is rarely observed in highly equilibrated ordinary chondrites. In the Tomiya, chondrules possess a fine-grained mesostasis, and both orthopyroxene and clinobronzite are noticeable in thin sections. Plagioclase is mostly microcrystalline, but is also sparsely present as tiny, visible grains. Thus, the Tomiya was classified to be petrologic type between 4 and 5. The deformation texture of olivine, pyroxene and plagioclase indicates that both meteorites were shocked by 0.2-0.25 Mb. In conjunction with the discussion of the frequency of meteorite-falls, all observed falls of meteorites in Japan are tabulated in this paper.     

The variations of stable carbon isotope ratio of land plant-derived n-alkanes in deep-sea sediments from the Bering Sea and the North Pacific Ocean during the last 250,000 years

Two piston cores, one located far from the continents (The North Pacific Ocean: ES core), and another located comparatively closer to the continents (The Bering Sea: BOW-8a core) were investigated to reconstruct environmental changes on source land areas. The results show significant contribution of terrestrial organic matter to sediments in both cores. The δ¹³C values of n-C₂₇, n-C₂₉, and n-C₃₁ alkanes in sediments from the North Pacific ES core show significant glacial to interglacial variation whereas those from the Bering Sea core do not. Variations of δ¹³C values of land plant n-alkanes are related to the environmental or vegetational changes in the source land areas. Environmental changes, especially, aridity, rainfall, and pCO₂ during glacial/interglacial transitional periods can affect vegetation, and therefore C₃ / C₄ plant ratios, resulting in δ¹³C changes in the preserved land plant biomarkers. Maximum values of δ¹³C as well as maximum average chain length values of long chain n-alkanes in the ES core occur mostly at the interglacial to glacial transition zones reflecting a time lag related to incorporation of living organic matter into soil and transportation into ocean basins via wind and/or ability of C₄ plants to adapt for a longer period before being replaced by C₃ plants when subjected to gradual climatic changes. Irregular variations with no clear glacial to interglacial trends in the BOW-8a core may result from complex mixture of aerosols from westerly winds and riverine organic matter from the Bering Sea catchments. In addition, terrestrial organic matter entering the Bering Sea could originate from multiple pathways including eolian, riverine, and ice rafted debris, and possibly be disturbed by turbidity and other local currents which can induce re-suspension and re-sedimentation causing an obliterated time relation in the Bering Sea biomarker records.