Subduction of the Woodlark Basin at New Britain Trench, Solomon Islands region

The Woodlark Basin, located south of the Solomon Islands arc region, is a young (5 Ma) oceanic basin that subducts beneath the New Britain Trench. This region is one of only a few subduction zones in the world where it is possible to study a young plate subduction of several Ma. To obtain the image of the subducting slab at the western side of the Woodlark Basin, a 40-day Ocean Bottom Seismometer (OBS) survey was conducted in 1998 to detect the micro-seismic activity. It was the first time such a survey had been performed in this location and over 600 hypocenters were located. The seismic activity is concentrated at the 10–60 km depth range along the plate boundary. The upper limit just about coincides with the leading edge of the accretionary wedge. The upper limit boundary was identified as the up-dip limit of the seismogenic zone, whereas the down-dip limit of the seismogenic zone was difficult to define. The dip angle of the plate at the high seismicity zone was found to average about 30°. Using the Cascadia subduction zone for comparison, which is a typical example of a young plate subduction, suggests that the subduction of the Woodlark Basin was differentiated by a high dip angle and rather landward location of the seismic front from the trench axis (30 km landward from the trench axis). Furthermore, as pointed out by previous researchers, the convergent margin of the Solomon Islands region is imposed with a high stress state, probably due to the collision of the Ontong Java Plateau and a rather rapid convergence rate (10 cm/year). The results of the high angle plate subduction and inner crust earthquakes beneath the Shortland Basin strongly support the high stress state. The collision of the Ontong Java Plateau, the relatively rapid convergence rate, and moderately cold slab as evidenced by low heat flow, rather than the plate age, may be dominantly responsible for the geometry of the seismogenic zone in the western part of the Woodlark Basin subduction zone.     

New compact ocean bottom cabled seismometer system deployed in the Japan Sea

The Japanese islands are positioned near the subduction zones, and large earthquakes have repeatedly occurred in marine areas around Japan. However, the number of permanent earthquake observatories in the oceans is quite limited. It is important for understanding generation of large earthquakes to observe seismic activities on the seafloor just above these seismogenic zones. An ocean bottom cabled seismometer (OBCS) is the best solution because data can be collected in real-time. We have developed a new compact OBCS system. A developed system is controlled by a microprocessor, and signals from accelerometers are 24-bit digitized. Clock is delivered from the global positioning system receiver on a landing station using a simple dedicated line. Data collected at each cabled seismometer (CS) are transmitted using standard Internet Protocol to landing stations. The network configuration of the system adopts two dual methods. We installed the first practical OBCS system in the Japan Sea, where large earthquakes occurred in past. The first OBCS system has a total length of 25 km and 4 stations with 5 km interval. Installation was carried out in August 2010. The CSs and single armored optical submarine cable were buried 1 m below the seafloor to avoid a conflict with fishing activity. The data are stored on a landing station and sent to Earthquake Research Institute, University of Tokyo by using the Internet. After the installation, data are being collected continuously. According to burial of the CSs, seismic ambient noises are smaller than those observed on seafloor.     

Estimation of methane emission from whole waste landfill site using correlation between flux and ground temperature

A methodology to estimate a methane emission in a waste landfill site was developed. The methane flux at a waste landfill site in summer, autumn, and winter was within the following ranges: from −1.3×10⁻² to 16, from −6.4×10⁻² to 7.5, and from −1.6×10⁻³ to 1.5×10⁻² g-CH₄ m⁻² h⁻¹, respectively. In those seasons, the mean methane emission rate and coefficient of variation were 1.1 g-CH₄ m⁻² h⁻¹ ±290%, 0.57 g-CH₄ m⁻² h⁻¹ ±347%, and 5.4×10⁻² g-CH₄ m⁻² h⁻¹ ±370%, respectively. These results simultaneously showed that fluctuations of methane emission from the landfill surface were both of spatial and temporal variability. In each season, an exponential relationship was observed between the methane flux density and the ground temperature. Total methane emissions were estimated to be 5.7×10⁻², 7.1×10⁻³, and 1.7×10⁻³ g-CH₄ m⁻² h⁻¹ in the summer, autumn, and winter surveys, respectively, using a temperature surrogated-kriging method. The results of this study would improve upon the labor-intensive closed-chamber method, and could be a more practical way to estimate methane emissions from waste landfills.     

Mineral chemistry of MUSES‐C Regio inferred from analysis of dust particles collected from the first‐ and second‐touchdown sites on asteroid Itokawa

The mineralogy and mineral chemistry of Itokawa dust particles captured during the first and second touchdowns on the MUSES‐C Regio were characterized by synchrotron‐radiation X‐ray diffraction and field‐emission electron microprobe analysis. Olivine and low‐ and high‐Ca pyroxene, plagioclase, and merrillite compositions of the first‐touchdown particles are similar to those of the second‐touchdown particles. The two touchdown sites are separated by approximately 100 meters and therefore the similarity suggests that MUSES‐C Regio is covered with dust particles of uniform mineral chemistry of LL chondrites. Quantitative compositional properties of 48 dust particles, including both first‐ and second‐touchdown samples, indicate that dust particles of MUSES‐C Regio have experienced prolonged thermal metamorphism, but they are not fully equilibrated in terms of chemical composition. This suggests that MUSES‐C particles were heated in a single asteroid at different temperatures. During slow cooling from a peak temperature of approximately 800 °C, chemical compositions of plagioclase and K‐feldspar seem to have been modified: Ab and Or contents changed during cooling, but An did not. This compositional modification is reproduced by a numerical simulation that modeled the cooling process of a 50 km sized Itokawa parent asteroid. After cooling, some particles have been heavily impacted and heated, which resulted in heterogeneous distributions of Na and K within plagioclase crystals. Impact‐induced chemical modification of plagioclase was verified by a comparison to a shock vein in the Kilabo LL6 ordinary chondrite where Na‐K distributions of plagioclase have been disturbed.     

Space weathered rims found on the surfaces of the Itokawa dust particles

On the basis of observations using Cs‐corrected STEM, we identified three types of surface modification probably formed by space weathering on the surfaces of Itokawa particles. They are (1) redeposition rims (2–3 nm), (2) composite rims (30–60 nm), and (3) composite vesicular rims (60–80 nm). These rims are characterized by a combination of three zones. Zone I occupies the outermost part of the surface modification, which contains elements that are not included in the unchanged substrate minerals, suggesting that this zone is composed of sputter deposits and/or impact vapor deposits originating from the surrounding minerals. Redeposition rims are composed only of Zone I and directly attaches to the unchanged minerals (Zone III). Zone I of composite and composite vesicular rims often contains nanophase (Fe,Mg)S. The composite rims and the composite vesicular rims have a two‐layered structure: a combination of Zone I and Zone II, below which Zone III exists. Zone II is the partially amorphized zone. Zone II of ferromagnesian silicates contains abundant nanophase Fe. Radiation‐induced segregation and in situ reduction are the most plausible mechanisms to form nanophase Fe in Zone II. Their lattice fringes indicate that they contain metallic iron, which probably causes the reddening of the reflectance spectra of Itokawa. Zone II of the composite vesicular rims contains vesicles. The vesicles in Zone II were probably formed by segregation of solar wind He implanted in this zone. The textures strongly suggest that solar wind irradiation damage and implantation are the major causes of surface modification and space weathering on Itokawa.     

海底地震学

在海洋地区进行高质量的长期地震观测是全球地震观测的一个重要组成部分，DSDP／ODP是唯一能够钻穿软的沉积物、在坚硬的岩石里安置地震传感器这一目标的科学计划。介绍了ODP航次在井孔中设立地震台站、并获得一些有趣的结果的成功例子。ODP在日本外海布置了两个井中地震台站，与陆上台站一起来观测板块边界的活动性。此外，还介绍了西太平洋井中宽带台站、海上地震信号和噪音等问题。     

Seismological structure and implications of collision between the Ontong Java Plateau and Solomon Island Arc from ocean bottom seismometer–airgun data

A seismic refraction–reflection experiment using ocean bottom seismometers and a tuned airgun array was conducted around the Solomon Island Arc to investigate the fate of an oceanic plateau adjacent to a subduction zone. Here, the Ontong Java Plateau is converging from north with the Solomon Island Arc as part of the Pacific Plate. According to our two-dimensional P-wave velocity structure modeling, the thickness of the Ontong Java Plateau is about 33 km including a thick (15 km) high-velocity layer (7.2 km/s). The thick crust of the Ontong Java Plateau still persists below the Malaita Accreted Province. We interpreted that the shallow part of the Ontong Java Plateau is accreted in front of the Solomon Island Arc as the Malaita Accreted Province and the North Solomon Trench are not a subduction zone but a deformation front of accreted materials. The subduction of the India–Australia Plate from the south at the San Cristobal Trench is confirmed to a depth of about 20 km below sea level. Seismicity around our survey area shows shallow (about 50 km) hypocenters from the San Cristobal Trench and deep (about 200 km) hypocenters from the other side of the Solomon Island Arc. No earthquakes occurred around the North Solomon Trench. The deep seismicity and our velocity model suggest that the lower part of the Ontong Java Plateau is subducting. After the oceanic plateau closes in on the arc, the upper part of the oceanic plateau is accreted with the arc and the lower part is subducted below the arc. The estimation of crustal bulk composition from the velocity model indicates that the upper portion and the total of the Solomon Island Arc are SiO₂ 58% and 53%, respectively, which is almost same as that of the Izu–Bonin Arc. This means that the Solomon Island Arc can be a contributor to growing continental crust. The bulk composition of the Ontong Java Plateau is SiO₂ 49–50%, which is meaningfully lower than those of continents. The accreted province in front of the arc is growing with the convergence of the two plates, and this accretion of the upper part of the oceanic plateau may be another process of crustal growth, although the proportion of such contribution is not clear.