Challenges in detecting olivine on the surface of 4 Vesta

Identifying and mapping olivine on asteroid 4 Vesta are important components to understanding differentiation on that body, which is one of the objectives of the Dawn mission. Harzburgitic diogenites are the main olivine‐bearing lithology in the howardite‐eucrite‐diogenite (HED) meteorites, a group of samples thought to originate from Vesta. Here, we examine all the Antarctic harzburgites and estimate that, on scales resolvable by Dawn, olivine abundances in putative harzburgite exposures on the surface of Vesta are likely at best in the 10–30% range, but probably lower due to impact mixing. We examine the visible/near‐infrared spectra of two harzburgitic diogenites representative of the 10–30% olivine range and demonstrate that they are spectrally indistinguishable from orthopyroxenitic diogenites, the dominant diogenitic lithology in the HED group. This suggests that the visible/near‐infrared spectrometer onboard Dawn (VIR) will be unable to resolve harzburgites from orthopyroxenites on the surface of Vesta, which may explain the current lack of identification of harzburgitic diogenite on Vesta.     

Thermal equation of state of magnesite to 32 GPa and 2073 K

Pressure–volume–temperature relations have been measured to 32 GPa and 2073 K for natural magnesite (Mg_0.975Fe_0.015Mn_0.006Ca_0.004CO₃) using synchrotron X-ray diffraction with a multianvil apparatus at the SPring-8 facility. A least-squares fit of the room-temperature compression data to a third-order Birch–Murnaghan equation of state (EOS) yielded K₀ = 97.1 ± 0.5 GPa and K′ = 5.44 ± 0.07, with fixed V₀ = 279.55 ± 0.02 Å³. Further analysis of the high-temperature compression data yielded the temperature derivative of the bulk modulus (∂K_T/∂T)_P = −0.013 ± 0.001 GPa/K and zero-pressure thermal expansion α = a₀ + a₁T with a₀ = 4.03 (7) × 10⁻⁵ K⁻¹ and a₁ = 0.49 (10) × 10⁻⁸ K⁻². The Anderson–Grüneisen parameter is estimated to be δ_T = 3.3. The analysis of axial compressibility and thermal expansivity indicates that the c-axis is over three times more compressible (K_Tc = 47 ± 1 GPa) than the a-axis (K_Tc = 157 ± 1 GPa), whereas the thermal expansion of the c-axis (a₀ = 6.8 (2) × 10⁻⁵ K⁻¹ and a₁ = 2.2 (4) × 10⁻⁸ K⁻²) is greater than that of the a-axis (a₀ = 2.7 (4) × 10⁻⁵ K⁻¹ and a₁ = −0.2 (2) × 10⁻⁸ K⁻²). The present thermal EOS enables us to accurately calculate the density of magnesite to the deep mantle conditions. Decarbonation of a subducting oceanic crust containing 2 wt.% magnesite would result in a 0.6% density reduction at 30 GPa and 1273 K. Using the new EOS parameters we performed thermodynamic calculations for magnesite decarbonation reactions at pressures to 20 GPa. We also estimated stability of magnesite-bearing assemblages in the lower mantle.     

Secondary remanent magnetization carried by magnetite inclusions in silicates: a comparative study of unremagnetized and remagnetized granites

Magnetic carriers in remagnetized Cretaceous granitic rocks of northeast Japan were studied using paleomagnetism, rock magnetism, optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) by comparison with unremagnetized granitic rocks. The natural remanent magnetization (NRM) of the remagnetized rocks is strong (0.3–1.7 A/m) and shows a northwesterly direction with moderate inclination (NW remanence), whereas the unremagnetized rocks preserve weak NRM (<0.5 A/m) with westerly and shallow direction (W remanence). Although thermal demagnetization shows that both NRMs are carried by magnetite, the remagnetized rocks reveal a higher coercivity with respect to alternating field demagnetization (20 mT相似文献   

Effect of temperature on the methyl chloride production rate in a marine phytoplankton, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phaeodactylum tricornutum</Emphasis>

Methyl halides such as methyl chloride (CH₃Cl) are known to be important carriers of halogen from the ocean to the atmosphere, and the halogens they release into the stratosphere by photolysis catalyze ozone depletion. Marine phytoplankton have been reported as a source of CH₃Cl, but the effects of environmental temperature on the CH₃Cl production by phytoplankton have not been investigated. In this study, we investigated the effects of temperature on the production of CH₃Cl in the culture of a marine diatom, Phaeodactylum tricornutum CCMP 630, incubated at 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 °C. CH₃Cl concentrations in cultured samples were determined using purge and trap gas chromatograph–mass spectrometry. Phytoplankton growth was monitored by measuring the chlorophyll a concentrations. CH₃Cl production was observed for several weeks at four different temperatures ranging from 10 to 25 °C. The CH₃Cl production from P. tricornutum was increased with increasing temperature from 10 to 25 °C, and the maximum production rate for CH₃Cl was 0.21~0.26 μmol (g chlorophyll a)^?1 d^?1 at 25 °C, which was several times higher than that at 10 °C (~0.03 μmol (g chlorophyll a)^?1 d^?1). The Arrhenius equation was successfully used to characterize the effects of temperature on the production rates of CH₃Cl in the culture of P. tricornutum. Our results suggest that water temperature directly affects CH₃Cl production derived from P. tricornutum and that water temperature would be a significant factor for estimating the emissions of CH₃Cl from marine environments.     

Crystal-field theory calculations for Fe2+ Ions in bronzite,augite, and olivine

Crystal-field theory was applied to Fe²⁺ ions in three types of silicates in an attempt to assign all the major absorption bands with only one parameter to adjust. Coulomb potential energy field were calculated by Fourier method based on all the actual atomic coordinates refined by X-ray diffraction studies. Perturbed d-electron splitting energies of the central Fe²⁺ ion were calculated by introducing Configuration Interaction (CI) method for the lowest energy spectral states. All the major absorption bands observed in powdered bronzite, augite, and olivine, were assigned to the transitions between those calculated energy levels by optimizing only one parameter that expresses expansion or contraction of d-electron cloud. The result of the calculations gives almost the same assignments as the other previous works for bronzites, different assignments for augites, and a possibility of the existence of the fourth band hidden in the composite 1-μm band of olivines.     

Tidal Mixing in the Kuril Straits and Its Impact on Ventilation in the North Pacific Ocean

A numerical study using a 3-D nonhydrostatic model has been applied to baroclinic processes generated by the K ₁ tidal flow in and around the Kuril Straits. The result shows that large-amplitude unsteady lee waves are generated and cause intense diapycnal mixing all along the Kuril Island Chain to levels of a maximum diapycnal diffusivity exceeding 10³ cm²s⁻¹. Significant water transformation by the vigorous mixing in shallow regions produces the distinct density and potential vorticity (PV) fronts along the Island Chain. The pinched-off eddies that arise and move away from the fronts have the ability to transport a large amount of mixed water (∼14 Sv) to the offshore regions, roughly half being directed to the North Pacific. These features are consistent with recent satellite imagery and in-situ observations, suggesting that diapycnal mixing within the vicinity of the Kuril Islands has a greater impact than was previously supposed on the Okhotsk Sea and the North Pacific. To examine this influence of tidal processes at the Kurils on circulations in the neighboring two basins, another numerical experiment was conducted using an ocean general circulation model with inclusion of tidal mixing along the islands, which gives a better representation of the Okhotsk Sea Mode Water than in the case without the tidal mixing. This is mainly attributed to the added effect of a significant upward salt flux into the surface layer due to tidal mixing in the Kuril Straits, which is subsequently transported to the interior region of the Okhotsk Sea. With a saline flux into the surface layer, cooling in winter in the northern part of the Okhotsk Sea can produce heavier water and thus enhance subduction, which is capable of reproducing a realistic Okhotsk Sea Mode Water. The associated low PV flux from the Kuril Straits to the open North Pacific excites the 2nd baroclinic-mode Kelvin and Rossby waves in addition to the 1st mode. Interestingly, the meridional overturning in the North Pacific is strengthened as a result of the dynamical adjustment caused by these waves, leading to a more realistic reproduction of the North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW) than in the case without tidal mixing. Accordingly, the joint effect of tidally-induced transport and transformation dominating in the Kuril Straits and subsequent eddy-transport is considered to play an important role in the ventilation of both the Okhotsk Sea and the North Pacific Ocean. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Application of Sensitivity Analysis Using an Adjoint Model for Short-Range Forecasts of the Kuroshio Path South of Japan

A sensitivity experiment has been performed by assimilating altimetric data into a 1.5-layer primitive equation model as a first attempt to examine the impact of initialization on forecasts of the Kuroshio path variability south of Japan. By exploiting the advantage of an adjoint model, our approach clearly shows that a small meander off Shikoku Island has a large impact on the prediction of meander growth in the Kuroshio region. Further, the strengthening of the Kuroshio current and its recirculation clearly becomes an important factor in the development of the meander. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of our assimilation approach in identifying efficient initialization schemes on numerical forecasting of the Kuroshio south of Japan and should help in the construction of an effective observing system for improving the forecasting. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The Kyucho in the Bungo Channel,Japan —Periodic intrusion of oceanic warm water

Kyucho is a sudden and swift current which is usually accompanied by rise of water temperature. Several features of the Kyucho in the Bungo Channel, Japan, are presented through field observations. The Kyucho in the Bungo Channel is an intrusion of warm water from the Pacific Ocean into the eastern half of the Bungo Channel, being driven gravitationally and advancing along the eastern coast of the channel. The Kyucho occurs usually in summer and seldom occurs in winter. It occurs at neap tides showing the prominent spring-neap periodicity. The modulation of the vertical mixing intensity associated with the variations of tidal current, wind and surface heating etc. is supposed to be a main cause of springneap and seasonal periodicities.     

Dating pseudotachylyte of the Asuke Shear Zone using zircon fission-track and U–Pb methods

Zircon fission-track (FT) and U–Pb analyses were performed on zircon extracted from a pseudotachylyte zone and surrounding rocks of the Asuke Shear Zone (ASZ), Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The U–Pb ages of all four samples are  67–76 Ma, which is interpreted as the formation age of Ryoke granitic rocks along the ASZ. The mean zircon FT age of host rock is 73 ± 7 (2σ) Ma, suggesting a time of initial cooling through the zircon closure temperature. The pseudotachylyte zone however, yielded a zircon FT age of 53 ± 9 (2σ) Ma, statistically different from the age of the host rock. Zircon FTs showed reduced mean lengths and intermediate ages for samples adjacent to the pseudotachylyte zone. Coupled with the new zircon U–Pb ages and previous heat conduction modeling, the present FT data are best interpreted as reflecting paleothermal effects of the frictional heating of the fault. The age for the pseudotachylyte coincides with the change in direction of rotation of the Pacific plate from NW to N which can be considered to initialize the NNE–SSW trending sinistral–extensional ASZ before the Miocene clockwise rotation of SW Japan. The present study demonstrates that a history of fault motions in seismically active regions can be reconstructed by dating pseudotachylytes using zircon FT thermochronology.     

Rapid contamination during storage of carbonaceous chondrites prepared for micro FTIR measurements

Abstract— Organic contamination (?2965 and ?1260 cm^?1peaks) was found on Tagish Lake (C2) and Murchison (CM2) carbonaceous chondrites containing abundant hydrous minerals by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) microspectroscopy on the samples pressed on Al plates. On the other hand, anhydrous chondrite (Moss, CO3) was not contaminated. This contamination occurred within one day of storage, when the samples pressed on Al were stored within containers including silicone rubber mats. Volatile molecules having similar peaks to the contaminants were detected by long‐path gas cell FTIR measurements for the silicone rubber mat. Rapid adsorption of the volatile contaminants also occurred when silica gel and hydrous minerals such as serpentine were stored in containers including silicone rubber, silicone grease, or adhesive tape. However, they did not show any contamination when stored in glass and polystyrene containers without these compounds. Therefore, precious astronomical samples such as meteorites, interplanetary dust particles (IDPs), and mission‐returned samples from comets, asteroids, and Mars, should be measured by micro FTIR within one day of storage in glass containers without silicone rubber, silicone grease, or adhesive tape.