Progressive metamorphism of the Taitao ophiolite; evidence for axial and off-axis hydrothermal alterations

We estimated metamorphic conditions for the  6 Ma Taitao ophiolite, associated with the Chile triple junction. The metamorphic grade of the ophiolite, estimated from secondary matrix minerals, changes stratigraphically downwards from the zeolite facies, through the prehnite–actinolite facies, greenschist facies and the greenschist–amphibolite transition, to the amphibolite facies. The metamorphic facies series corresponds to the low-pressure type. The metamorphic zone boundaries are subparallel to the internal lithological boundaries of the ophiolite, indicating that the metamorphism was due to axial hydrothermal alteration at a mid-ocean ridge.

Mineral assemblages and the compositions of veins systematically change from quartz-dominated, through epidote-dominated, to prehnite-dominated with increasing depth. Temperatures estimated from the vein assemblages range from  230 °C in the volcanic unit to  380 °C at the bottom of the gabbro unit, systematically  200 °C lower than estimates from the adjoining matrix minerals. The late development of veins and the systematically lower temperatures suggest that the vein-forming alteration was due to off-axis hydrothermal alteration.

Comparison between the Taitao ophiolite with its mid-ocean ridge (MOR) affinity, and other ophiolites and MOR crusts, suggests that the Taitao ophiolite has many hydrothermal alteration features similar to those of MOR crusts. This is consistent with the tectonic history that the Taitao ophiolite was formed at the South Chile ridge system near the South American continent (Anma, R., Armstrong, R., Danhara, T., Orihashi, Y. and Iwano, H., 2006. Zircon sensitive high mass-resolution ion microprobe U–Pb and fission-track ages for gabbros and sheeted dykes of the Taitao ophiolite, Southern Chile, and their tectonic implications. The Island Arc, 15(1): 130–142).     

An organic geochemical study of KP-2 core on the mud volcano at Nankai Trough

Organic geochemical data was collected from a KP-2 piston core sample obtained from a mud volcano in the Nankai Trough, off the southeast coast of Japan. The Nankai Trough was investigated geologically and was found to have a large amount of methane hydrates. Biomarkers indicating anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) were expected to be found in the sediment of the mud volcano collected by KP-2 core. But the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of the samples showed only one biomarker related to the methane-oxidizing Archaea, namely 2,6,10,15,19-pentamethyleicosane (PME), could be detected throughout the KP-2 core. Phytane was predominant in the upper part of the KP-2 core; however, a series of 2,2-dimethylalkanes (2,2-DMAs) were characterized in the lower part of KP-2 core. The individual δ¹³C values of 2,2-DMAs, which were − 29.1 to − 27.3‰ indicate that the origin of 2,2-DMAs was not related to methane-oxidizing Archaea.     

Effect of seasonal forcing on global circulation in a world ocean general circulation model

 Effects of the seasonal variation in thermohaline and wind forcing on the abyssal circulation are investigated by using an ocean general circulation model. To isolate effects of the seasonality in the thermohaline forcing from those in the wind forcing, we carry out three experiments with (1) annual-mean wind forcing and perpetual-winter thermohaline forcing, (2) annual-mean wind forcing and seasonal thermohaline forcing, and (3) seasonal wind forcing and seasonal thermohaline forcing. The deep water under the seasonal thermohaline forcing becomes warmer than under the perpetual-winter thermohaline forcing. Although the perpetual-winter thermohaline forcing is widely used and believed to reproduce the deep water better than the annual-mean forcing, the difference between the results of the perpetual-winter and the seasonal thermohaline forcing is significant. The seasonal variation of the Ekman convergence and divergence produces meridional overturning cells extending to the bottom because the period of seasonal cycle is shorter than the adjustment timescale by baroclinic Rossby waves. The heat transport owing to those Ekman flows and temperature anomalies makes the upper water (0–200 m) colder at low to mid-latitudes (40S–40N) and warmer at high latitudes. Also the deep water becomes warmer owing to the warming of the northern North Atlantic, the main source region of North Atlantic Deep Water. The model is also synchronously (i.e., without acceleration) integrated with seasonal forcing for 5400 y. A past study suggested that under seasonal forcing, a sufficient equilibrium state can be achieved after only decades of synchronous integration following more than 10 000 y of accelerated integration. Here, the result so obtained is compared with that of the 5400-y synchronous integration. The difference in the global average temperature is as small as 0.12 °C, and most of the difference is confined to the Southern Ocean. Received: 1 May 1998 / Accepted: 5 January 1999     

Subhorizontal boundary between ultrahigh-pressure and low-pressure metamorphic units in the Sulu–Tjube area of the Kokchetav Massif, Kazakhstan

Abstract The Kokchetav Massif of Kazakhstan includes high to ultrahigh-pressure (HP–UHP) metamorphic rocks (some of which were recrystallized at depths in excess of 150 km), juxtaposed against much lower pressure metamorphic components. We investigated the relationship between the HP–UHP metamorphic unit and the low pressure (LP) unit (Daulet Suite) in the Sulu–Tjube area, where the metamorphic rocks have previously been interpreted as constituting a megamelange with subvertical structural attitudes. Analyses of fold structures suggest that the HP–UHP metamorphic unit overlies the LP unit across a west-dipping subhorizontal boundary. In addition, kinematic indicators display top-to-the-north senses of shear along the tectonic contact between the two units, indicating that the HP–UHP unit has been extruded northward onto the LP unit. Following the juxtaposition of the two units, upright folds developed in both units, and these are associated with the previously reported steeply dipping metamorphic foliations. These data have important implications for the mode of exhumation of the UHP rocks from upper mantle to shallow crustal depths.     

Classification of Tsunami and Evacuation Areas

On March 11, 2011, a large earthquake that occurred offshore the north-east coast of Japan generated a large tsunami which devastated extensive areas of the Tohoku coastline. Despite Japan being considered a country well prepared for these types of disasters, large casualties were recorded, with numerous discussions amongst the Japanese coastal engineering community ensuing. As a result, two different levels of tsunamis have been proposed and now recognized in Japan, depending on the frequency of such extreme events. The idea that hard measures can protect the lives of inhabitants of coastal areas has been abandoned, and these measures are only considered to be effective in protecting properties against the more frequent but lower magnitude events. Soft measures should always be used to protect against the loss of lives, and to this respect, the authors of the paper propose the introduction of a Classification of Evacuation Areas, to show which of these should be prioritized by residents as they seek to evacuate.     

Transport process of sand grains from fluvial to deep marine regions estimated by luminescence of feldspar: example from the Kumano area,central Japan

Using the concept of bleaching in optical dating, a new index of sediment sample bleaching percentage (BLP‐2) was developed and applied to evaluate sand grain transport from riverine to deep‐marine environments. As bleached grains in modern sediments have no optically stimulated luminescence (OSL)/infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) signal, bleached and unbleached feldspar grains are distinguished by IRSL intensity. The BLP‐2 distribution of present deposits around the Kumano area, on the Pacific coast of central Japan, suggests that sand grains in surface turbidites obtained from the bottom of the Kumano Trough are of flood/storm origin rather than seismogenic origin. The distribution of BLP‐2 tentatively suggests sand grain erosion–transport–depositional processes; for example, origin and transport agencies of shelf sand, and influence of coastal erosion on the beach deposit. Although the present BLP analysis is not yet supported by a rigorous statistical test, it is useful to distinguish recent deposition and remobilization of sand grains. Furthermore, if the depositional age and the luminescence age of sand grains are accurately estimated, sand grain transport processes of old (late Quaternary) sediments may be estimated by the methodology similar to that of the present study.     

Chronological and paleoceanographic constraints of Miocene to Pliocene ‘mud sea’ in the Ryukyu Islands (southwestern Japan) based on calcareous nannofossil assemblages

The Cenozoic sedimentary succession in Okinawa‐jima, including the upper Miocene to Pleistocene siliciclastic deposits (Shimajiri Group) and the Pleistocene reef to shelf deposits (Ryukyu Group), suggests a drastic paleoceanographic change from a ‘mud sea’ to a ‘coral sea.’ To delineate the paleoceanographic evolution of the mud sea, we quantified the stratigraphic distribution of the calcareous nannofossil assemblages from the Shimajiri Group in a 2119.49 m‐deep well (Nanjo R1 Exploratory Well) drilled in southern Okinawa‐jima (Ryukyu Islands, southwestern Japan). Four late Miocene and Pliocene datum planes were found in the studied interval: the first occurrence of Amaurolithus spp. (7.42 Ma), the last occurrence of Discoaster quinqueramus (5.59 Ma), the first occurrence of Ceratolithus rugosus (5.12 Ma), and the last occurrence of Reticulofenestra pseudoumbilicus (3.70 Ma). The calcareous nannofossil assemblages from the Tomigusuku Formation and the lower part of the Yonabaru Formation are characterized by a lower total number of coccoliths and abundant Sphenolithus abies that is associated, at times, with common Discoaster spp. Overall, these suggest the existence of oligotrophic conditions between 5.3 and >8.3 Ma. The total number of coccoliths increased and small Reticulofenestra spp. became more common in the middle part of the Yonabaru Formation, suggesting that eutrophic conditions were present between 3.5 and 5.3 Ma. The rare occurrence of calcareous nannofossils in the upper part of the Yonabaru Formation indicates a return to oligotrophic conditions at 3.5 Ma. Micropaleontological evidence suggests that these oceanographic changes were likely caused by local tectonic movement (shallowing of the sedimentary basin in which the Shimajiri Group was deposited).     

Impact of mesoscale eddies on particulate organic carbon flux in the western subarctic North Pacific

The mechanism that controls particulate organic carbon (POC) flux in the deep sea differs depending on the season and sea. The POC produced in the western subarctic North Pacific are known to be transported to the deep sea efficiently, but the direct relationship between the POC flux and physical processes is still unclear. In this study, we evaluated the effect of mesoscale eddies on POC flux in the western subarctic North Pacific. The seasonal and interannual variabilities of POC flux were investigated using data from a time-series sediment trap deployed at 4810 m at station K2 (47°N, 160°E) from 2005 to 2018. POC flux was high during May–November, appearing to reflect spring and fall blooms at the ocean surface. POC flux also showed interannual variability, with twelve peaks that were mostly affected by enhanced bloom just before the peak. Nine peaks of the twelve peaks were affected by mesoscale eddies, which enhanced bloom around K2 by extending the area with a high chlorophyll-a concentration along the coastal region into the offshore region, suggesting that mesoscale eddies strongly impact the interannual variability of POC flux at K2.

     

Alkalinization and acidification of stream water with changes in atmospheric deposition in a tropical dry evergreen forest of northeastern Thailand

Field surveys on atmospheric deposition and stream water chemistry were conducted in an evergreen forest in northeastern Thailand characterized by a tropical savanna climate with distinct dry and wet seasons. Atmospheric deposition of ion constituents by throughfall and stemflow was shown to increase in the beginning and end of the wet season, reflecting the precipitation pattern. The pH and electrical conductivity of stream water increased with alkalinity and base cation concentrations due to mineralization of organic matter by the first rain and retention of anions in soil during the start of the wet season. After initial alkalinization, the pH and alkalinity declined rapidly with the highest SO₄^2? concentration displayed in the middle towards the end of the wet season. The magnitude of peaks in SO₄^2? concentration (13.5–60.6 μmol_c/L) reflects deposition during the first 2 months of the wet season (March and April) in respective years (60.8–170 mol_c/ha). Release of SO₄^2? with H⁺, which is retained in soil during the early wet season, may cause acidification later in the season. The deposition and concentration of SO₄^2? declined over 6 years. However, the pH of stream water declined with increasing concentrations of SO₄^2? and other major ions. The release of materials accumulated in the ecosystem was facilitated by the decrease in SO₄^2? concentration/deposition and increased precipitation in the middle–late wet season. The retention‐release cycle of SO₄^2? largely contributed to both seasonal and interannual variations in stream water chemistry in the tropical savanna climate studied.     

PALEOCLIMATIC CHANGES IN DABUSU LAKE

Study on the carbonate content and oxygen isotope of a sediment section in Dabusu Lake revealed that this region has experienced several cold-wet and warm-dry climatic cycles since 15400 a BP. It was about 6740 a BP when the climate in the region reached a relatively stable warm stage, so that the lake water was gradually condensed and finally a saline lake was formed.