Photographic Observations of the 1996 Leonid Fireballs in Japan

Several Leonid fireballs were successfully photographed by the Japanese Fireball Network and by other observers in Japan on 16 November, 1996. A totals of seven of these were simultaneously observed from two or more stations, from which the orbital and physical data were deduced. The radiant of these fireballs were very small, only 0.1°, similar to that of the 1991 Perseids. The 1996 Leonids showed a lower magnitude distribution index similar to those obtained in the 1961 and 1965 Leonids. All of these showers occurred before perihelion passage of the parent comet. We conclude that we have already encountered the elongated front part of the dust trail of the Leonid parent comet, where the trail is probably composed of larger dust particles. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Influence of microbial photosynthesis on tufa stromatolite formation and ambient water chemistry, SW Japan

Photosynthetic influences on tufa stromatolite formation and ambient water chemistry were investigated at two well-studied streams depositing tufa in Southwestern Japan (Shirokawa and Shimokuraida). The tufa stromatolites in both streams are composed of fine-grained calcite crystals showing annual lamination, and colonized by a number of filamentous cyanobacteria as well as non-phototrophic bacteria. Microelectrode measurements of pH, O₂, and Ca²⁺ near the stromatolite surface (the diffusive boundary layer; DBL) revealed that the investigated tufa stromatolites are formed by photosynthesis-induced CaCO₃ precipitation (PCP): cyanobacterial photosynthesis induces calcite precipitation under light conditions, while respiration of cyanobacteria and non-phototrophic bacteria inhibits precipitation in the dark. The bulk water chemistry at the lower sites of the investigated streams showed the daytime decreases of Ca²⁺ concentration and alkalinity that was expected for significant influence of PCP, while the other expected change, increased pH, was not observed. In order to examine this discrepancy, a novel approach using semi-in situ microelectrode measurements was applied to perform precise quantitative calculations. The calculation results demonstrated that the observed Ca²⁺ concentration and alkalinity decreases were caused by PCP, and that the concomitant pH increase was expected to be under the detection level of a conventional pH meter. Although the amount of PCP is supposed to be significantly affected by light intensity, observations in Shimokuraida revealed that the amount of PCP on cloudy day nonetheless accounted for about 80% of that on sunny day. Despite the significant role of PCP for tufa stromatolite formation, PCP accounted for only about 10% of the precipitated calcite in the investigated streams, which indicates that tufa stromatolites, the characteristic deposits in the streams, are responsible for only a small portion of calcite precipitation, and the rest is considered to precipitate inorganically at biofilm-free substrates.     

A fault scarp in an urban area identified by LiDAR survey: A Case study on the Itoigawa–Shizuoka Tectonic Line, central Japan

A light detection and ranging (LiDAR) survey was conducted in a densely built-up area to generate a high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM) to look for active faults. The urban district of Matsumoto City in central Japan is located in a 3-km² basin along the Itoigawa–Shizuoka Tectonic Line active fault system, one of Japanese onshore fault systems with the highest earthquake probability. A high-resolution DEM at a 0.5-m-grid interval was obtained after removing the effects of laser returns from buildings, clouds and vegetation. It revealed a continuous scarp, up to ~ 2 m in height. Borehole data and archaeological studies indicate the scarp was formed during the most recent faulting event associated with historical earthquakes. In addition, the fault scarp strongly supports that the urban district is in a pull-apart basin related to a fault step-over between two left-lateral strike-slip faults. Consequently, accurate interpretation of fault geometry is crucial to provide estimates of future surface deformation and to allow modeling of basin structure and strong ground motion. Thus, the LiDAR mapping survey in urban districts is effective for detailed active fault mapping in order to constrain basin structure and to forecast the exact location of surface rupturing associated with large earthquakes.     

The mid-infrared spectrum of the zodiacal and exozodiacal light

The zodiacal light is the dominant source of the mid-infrared sky brightness seen from Earth, and exozodiacal light is the dominant emission from planetary and debris systems around other stars. We observed the zodiacal light spectrum with the mid-infrared camera ISOCAM over the wavelength range 5-16 μm and a wide range of orientations relative to the Sun (solar elongations 68°-113°) and the ecliptic (plane to pole). The temperature in the ecliptic ranged from 269 K at solar elongation 68° to 244 K at 113°, and the polar temperature, characteristic of dust 1 AU from the Sun, is 274 K. The observed temperature is exactly as expected for large (>10 μm radius), low-albedo (<0.08), rapidly-rotating, gray particles 1 AU from the Sun. Smaller particles (<10 μm radius) radiate inefficiently in the infrared and are warmer than observed. We present theoretical models for a wide range of particle size distributions and compositions; it is evident that the zodiacal light is produced by particles in the 10-100 μm radius range. In addition to the continuum, we detect a weak excess in the 9-11 μm range, with an amplitude of 6% of the continuum. The shape of the feature can be matched by a mixture of silicates: amorphous forsterite/olivine provides most of the continuum and some of the 9-11 μm silicate feature, dirty crystalline olivine provides the red wing of the silicate feature (and a bump at 11.35 μm), and a hydrous silicate (montmorillonite) provides the blue wing of the silicate feature. The presence of hydrous silicate suggests the parent bodies of those particles were formed in the inner solar nebula. Large particles dominate the size distribution, but at least some small particles (radii ∼1 μm) are required to produce the silicate emission feature. The strength of the feature may vary spatially, with the strongest features being at the lowest solar elongations as well as at high ecliptic latitudes; if confirmed, this would imply that the dust properties change such that dust further from the Sun has a weaker silicate feature. To compare the properties of zodiacal dust to dust around other main sequence stars, we reanalyzed the exozodiacal light spectrum for β Pic to derive the shape of its silicate feature. The zodiacal and exozodiacal spectra are very different. The exozodiacal spectra are dominated by cold dust, with emission peaking in the far-infrared, while the zodiacal spectrum peaks around 20 μm. We removed the debris disk continuum from the spectra by fitting a blackbody with a different temperature for each aperture (ranging from 3.7″ to 27″); the resulting silicate spectra for β Pic are identical for all apertures, indicating that the silicate feature arises close to the star. The shape of the silicate feature from β Pic is nearly identical to that derived from the ISO spectrum of 51 Oph; both exozodiacal features are very different from that of the zodiacal light. The exozodiacal features are roughly triangular, peaking at 10.3 μm, while the zodiacal feature is more boxy, indicating a different mineralogy.     

Paleoseismology of the Itoigawa-Shizuoka tectonic line in central Japan

The 150-km-long Itoigawa-Shizuoka tectonic line active fault system (ISTL)in central Japan is one of the most active Quaternary fault systems inJapan. Estimated slip-rates on the fault system are as large as 10 m/ka, butthe historic seismicity has been low since 841 A.D. with no largeearthquakes recorded. The high slip rates contrast with the long time sincethe last major earthquake on the ITSL and indicates the high potential of a largeearthquake from the ISTL. Based on slip-rate estimates, more than 10 mof potential slip may have accumulated on the fault system since the 841A.D. earthquake. Recent paleoseismolgical studies on the middle andnorthern parts of the ISTL have determined that the average recurrenceinterval of surface-faulting earthquakes on the middle ISTL is 680 to 825years (Gofukuji fault) and 1258 to 1510 years in the northern ISTL. These data suggest the most recent event on both northern and middleISTL occurred in 841 A.D. The results highlight the high seismic potentialof the ISTL. Additional studies of the entire ISTL are needed to define theextent of the next rupture.     

Gradual and stepwise pyrolyses of insoluble organic matter from the Murchison meteorite revealing chemical structure and isotopic distribution

To study the detailed structural and isotopic heterogeneity of the insoluble organic matter (IOM) of the Murchison meteorite, we performed two types of pyrolytic experiments: gradual pyrolysis and stepwise pyrolysis. The pyrolysates from the IOM contained 5 specific organic groups: aliphatic hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, sulfur-bearing compounds, nitrogen-bearing compounds, and oxygen-bearing compounds. The release temperatures and the compositions of these pyrolysates demonstrated that the IOM is composed of a thermally unstable part and a thermally stable part. The thermally unstable part mainly served as the linkage and substituent portion that bound the thermally stable part, which was dispersed throughout the IOM. The linkage and substituent portion consisted of aliphatic hydrocarbons from C₄ to C₈, aromatic hydrocarbons with up to 6 rings, sulfo and thiol groups (the main reservoirs of sulfur in the IOM), and carboxyl and hydroxyl groups (the main reservoirs of oxygen). However, the thermally stable part was composed of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) containing nitrogen heterocycles in the IOM. Isotopic data showed that the aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons in the linkage and substituent portion were rich in D and ¹³C, while the thermally stable part was deficient in D and ¹³C. The structural and isotopic features suggested that the IOM was formed by mixing sulfur- and oxygen-bearing compounds rich in D and ¹³C (e.g., polar compounds in the interstellar medium (ISM)) and nitrogen-bearing PAHs deficient in D and ¹³C (e.g., polymerized compounds in the ISM).     

Color-change processes of a plinian pumice and experimental constraints of color-change kinetics in air of an obsidian

Colors of plinian pumices were measured by spectrocolorimetry, and their quantitative color parameters in the L*a*b* color space were determined. A series of heating experiments of obsidian was conducted to simulate the color-change processes of rhyolitic glasses. In these experiments, following three stages of color-change processes were observed. Stage I showed a rapid b* (yellowishness) increase associated with fast dehydration controlled by water diffusivity (D _water). In stage II, a* (reddishness) increase was accompanied by Fe²⁺ decrease. Both a* increase and Fe²⁺ decrease can be simulated by a diffusion model. Obtained diffusivity D _oxidation were about two orders of magnitude smaller than D _water . The a*-value increase after the oxidation in stage III appeared to be quasi-linear with time, indicating the zeroth order reaction corresponding to the formation of hematite-like structures in rhyolitic glasses. The diffusion-limited a* increase model in stage II was applied to a natural plinian pumice fall unit to evaluate time periods of color-change processes through oxidation by air of fragmented rhyolitic materials.     

A method for tsunami risk assessment: a case study for Kamakura,Japan

This paper presents a methodology for tsunami risk assessment, which was applied to a case study in Kamakura, Japan. This methodology was developed in order to evaluate the effectiveness of a risk-reducing system against such hazards, also aiming to demonstrate that a risk assessment is possible for these episodic events. The tsunami risk assessment follows these general steps: (1) determination of the probability of flooding, (2) calculation of flood scenarios, (3) assessment of the consequences and (4) integration into a risk number or graph. The probability of flooding was approximated based on the data provided by local institutes, and the flood scenarios were modeled in 1D using the Simulating WAves till SHore model. Results showed that a tsunami in Kamakura can result in thousands of casualties. Interventions such as improvements in evacuation systems, which would directly reduce the number of casualties, would have a large influence in risk reduction. Although this method has its limits and constraints, it illustrates the value it can add to existing tsunami risk management in Japan.