Putting Japanese investment in Europe in its place

Summary Research on Japanese economic activity in Europe concentrates almost exclusively on investment in manufacturing. However, this paper demonstrates that this emphasis both underestimates the longevity of Japanese direct investment in Europe and also grossly underdefines the importance of services. Not only does Japanese direct investment have a much longer history in Europe than is usually recognized but also—and perhaps more significantly—the bulk of that investment is not in manufacturing production per se but in a variety of circulation services. Using establishment-level data, this paper shows that the spatial manifestation of these circulation services is very different from that of manufacturing production.     

The replacement of anthophyllite by jimthompsonite: a model for hydration reactions in biopyriboles

Anthophyllite crystals found in ultramafic lenses of the Lepontine Alps (Switzerland) contain coherent, submicroscopic intergrowths of ordered and disordered biopyribole polysomes. The chain width distributions of disordered polysomes were analyzed using high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Chains wider than triple were interpreted as intermediate products in the transformation of anthophyllite to the triple chain silicate jimthompsonite. The concentration of individual chain types is strongly correlated with the reaction progress. Based on observed zipper terminations and the transformation rules given by Veblen and Buseck (1980) a scheme of possible reaction paths leading from anthophyllite to jimthomp sonite is proposed. The reaction scheme and a simple kinetic model for elementary reactions allow modeling of the observed chain width distributions. The model suggests that the complex reaction paths involving steps with increasing and decreasing chain width are more important in the formation of jimthompsonite than the direct transformation from anthophyllite. The wide chains (>triple) occurring as intermediate products of the multi-step paths are structurally closer to talc than jimthompsonite. The back-transformation of these wide chains to triple chains is, therefore, a strong argument that jimthompsonite is a stable phase and not only a metastable intermediate product in the transformation of anthophyllite to talc. Received: 8 July 1996 / Accepted: 13 December 1996     

Osmium-strontium-neodymium-lead isotopic covariations in mid-ocean ridge basalt glasses and the heterogeneity of the upper mantle

Osmium, strontium, neodymium, and lead isotopic data have been obtained for 30 hand picked samples of basaltic glass from the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian mid-oceanic ridges. Large variations in Os isotopic ratios exist in the glasses, from abyssal peridotite-like values to radiogenic compositions similar to oceanic island basalts (¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁶Os and ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios range from 1.06 to 1.36 and from 0.128 to 0.163, respectively). Os isotopic and elemental data suggest the existence of mixing correlations. This relationship might be ascribed to secondary contamination processes; however, such a hypothesis cannot account for the negative correlation observed between Os and Nd isotopes and the existence of complementary covariations between Os and SrPb isotopes. In this case, OsSrNdPb isotopic variations are unrelated to late post-eruption or shallow level contamination. These relationships provide strong evidence that the Os isotopic composition of the samples are derived from the mantle and thus implies a global chemical heterogeneity of the oceanic upper mantle. The results are consistent with the presence of recycled oceanic crust in the mantle sources of mid-ocean ridge basalts, and indicate that the unique composition of the upper mantle below the Indian ocean results from its contamination by a mantle component characterized by radiogenic Os and particularly unradiogenic Nd and Pb isotopic compositions.     

Crystal morphologies in pillow basalts: implications for mid-ocean ridge processes

We present the results of a detailed petrological study of a sparsely phyric basalt (MAPCO CH98-DR11) dredged along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (30°41′N). The sample contains microphenocrysts of olivine that display four different rapid-growth morphologies. Comparison of these morphologies with those obtained in dynamic crystallization experiments allows us to constrain the thermal history of the sample. The dendritic morphology (swallowtail, chain and lattice olivine) is directly related to the final quenching during magma–seawater interaction. In contrast, the three other morphologies, namely the complex polyhedral crystal, the closed hopper and the complex swallowtail morphology result from several cycles of cooling–heating (corresponding to a maximum degree of undercooling of 20–25°C) during crystal growth. These thermal variations occurred before eruption and are interpreted to be the result of turbulent convection in a small magmatic body beneath the ridge. The results suggest that the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is underlain by a mush zone that releases batches of liquid during tectonic segregation. Aphyric basalts are emitted during eruptions controlled by the tectonic activity, whereas phyric basalts correspond to small fractions of magma from the mush zone mobilized by reinjections of primitive magmas.     

Fitting the Linear Model of Coregionalization by Generalized Least Squares

In geostatistical studies, the fitting of the linear model of coregionalization (LMC) to direct and cross experimental semivariograms is usually performed with a weighted least-squares (WLS) procedure based on the number of pairs of observations at each lag. So far, no study has investigated the efficiency of other least-squares procedures, such as ordinary least squares (OLS), generalized least squares (GLS), and WLS with other weighing functions, in the context of the LMC. In this article, we compare the statistical properties of the sill estimators obtained with eight least-squares procedures for fitting the LMC: OLS, four WLS, and three GLS. The WLS procedures are based on approximations of the variance of semivariogram estimates at each distance lag. The GLS procedures use a variance–covariance matrix of semivariogram estimates that is (i) estimated using the fourth-order moments with sill estimates (GLS₁), (ii) calculated using the fourth-order moments with the theoretical sills (GLS₂), and (iii) based on an approximation using the correlation between semivariogram estimates in the case of spatial independence of the observations (GLS₃). The current algorithm for fitting the LMC by WLS while ensuring the positive semidefiniteness of sill matrix estimates is modified to include any least-squares procedure. A Monte Carlo study is performed for 16 scenarios corresponding to different combinations of the number of variables, number of spatial structures, values of ranges, and scale dependence of the correlations among variables. Simulation results show that the mean square error is accounted for mostly by the variance of the sill estimators instead of their squared bias. Overall, the estimated GLS₁ and theoretical GLS₂ are the most efficient, followed by the WLS procedure that is based on the number of pairs of observations and the average distance at each lag. On that basis, GLS₁ can be recommended for future studies using the LMC.     

Petrology and geochemistry of a diamondiferous lherzolite from the Premier diamond mine, South Africa

This paper reports on the petrology and geochemistry of a diamondiferous peridotite xenolith from the Premier diamond mine in South Africa.

The xenolith is altered with pervasive serpentinisation of olivine and orthopyroxene. Garnets are in an advanced state of kelyphitisation but partly fresh. Electron microprobe analyses of the garnets are consistent with a lherzolitic paragenesis (8.5 wt.% Cr₂O₃ and 6.6 wt.% CaO). The garnets show limited variation in trace element composition, with generally low concentrations of most trace elements, e.g. Y (<11 ppm), Zr (<18 ppm) and Sr (<0.5 ppm). Garnet rare earth element concentrations, when normalised against the C1 chondrite of McDonough and Sun (Chem. Geol. 120 (1995) 223), are characterised by a rare earth element pattern similar to garnet from fertile lherzolite.

All diamonds recovered are colourless. Most crystals are sharp-edged octahedra, some with minor development of the dodecahedral form. A number of crystals are twinned octahedral macles, while aggregates of two or more octahedra are also common. Mineral inclusions are rare. Where present they are predominantly small black rosettes believed to consist of sulfide. In one instance a polymineralic (presumably lherzolitic) assemblage of reddish garnet, green clinopyroxene and a colourless mineral is recognised.

Infrared analysis of the xenolith diamonds show nitrogen contents generally lower than 500 ppm and variable nitrogen aggregation state, from 20% to 80% of the ‘B’ form. When plotted on a nitrogen aggregation diagram a well defined trend of increasing nitrogen aggregation state with increasing nitrogen content is observed. Carbon isotopic compositions range from −3.6 ‰ to −1.3 ‰. These are broadly correlated with diamond nitrogen content as determined by infrared spectroscopy, with the most negative C-isotopic compositions correlating with the lowest nitrogen contents.

Xenolith mantle equilibration temperatures, calculated from nitrogen aggregation systematics as well as the Ni in garnet thermometer are on the order of 1100 to 1200 °C.

It is concluded that the xenolith is a fertile lherzolite, and that the lherzolitic character may have resulted from the total metasomatic overprinting of pre-existing harzburgite. Metasomatism occurred prior to, or accompanied, diamond growth.