Halogen concentrations in pore waters and sediments of the Nankai Trough,Japan: Implications for the origin of gas hydrates

Presented here are halogen concentrations (Cl, Br and I) in pore waters and sediments from three deep cores in gas hydrate fields of the Nankai Trough area. The three cores were drilled between 1999 and 2004 in different geologic regions of the northeastern Nankai Trough hydrate zone. Iodine concentrations in all three cores increase rapidly with depth from seawater concentrations (0.00043 mmol/L) to values of up to 0.45 mmol/L. The chemical form of I was identified as I⁻, in accordance with the anaerobic conditions in marine sediments below the SO₄ reduction depth. The increase in I is accompanied by a parallel, although lesser increase in Br concentrations, while Cl concentrations are close to seawater values throughout most of the profiles. Large concentration fluctuations of the three halogens in pore waters were found close to the lower boundary of the hydrate stability zone, related to processes of formation and dissociation of hydrates in this zone. Generally low concentrations of I and Br in sediments and the lack of correlation between sediment and pore water profiles speak against derivation of I and Br from local sediments and suggest transport of halogen rich fluids into the gas hydrate fields. Differences in the concentration profiles between the three cores indicate that modes of transportation shifted from an essentially vertical pattern in a sedimentary basin location to more horizontal patterns in accretionary ridge settings. Because of the close association between organic material and I and the similarity of transport behavior for I⁻ and CH₄, the results suggest that the CH₄ in the gas hydrates also was transported by aqueous fluids from older sediments into the present layers.     

Displacement properties of landslide masses at the initiation of failure in quick clay deposits and the effects of meteorological and hydrological factors

This study aimed to identify displacement properties of landslide masses at the initiation of failure and factors that affect the landslides activities in areas where quick clay is found. We set up a research site in a quick clay deposit area in Norway and monitored the displacements of landslide masses and meteorological and hydrological factors for a long period of time using an automatic monitoring system. The system collected data for two landslides that occurred at the site from the start of their movement until their ultimate collapse.

The two landslides that were monitored showed definite secondary and tertiary creep stages before they collapsed. One of the landslides moved from the secondary stage to the tertiary creep stage when another landslide occurred nearby. The tertiary stage of this landslide showed reconstruction of short primary, secondary, and tertiary creep stages. These phenomena suggested that (1) the stress at the end of the landslide mass was released during the nearby landslide, and (2) a new stress distribution was formed in the landslide mass. The critical strain differed for 14 times between the two landslide masses we monitored. The difference was likely attributable to the difference in the contents of quick clay, which shows small critical stress against slope failure, as well as topological factors.

Our analyses of the effects of hydrological and meteorological factors on landslides showed that the precipitation of 3 and 10 days before six slope failures as the final stages of the landslides that had occurred in the research area was no different from the mean precipitation of periods that showed no slope failure, suggesting that precipitation had no direct effects on the collapse of the landslide masses. On the other hand, the traveling velocities of the landslide masses during the secondary creep stage, which was prior to their collapse, were affected by the water content of the soil and precipitation (and the amount of snowmelt water), but was little correlated with the pore-water pressure of the quick clay layer. We also found that the presence of snow cover scarcely affected landslide movements.     

Formation of the Yakuno ophiolite; accretionary subduction under medium-pressure-type metamorphic conditions

The notion that the Yakuno ophiolite and overlying Maizuru Group represents an accretionary prism formed during the Permian evolution of Japan on the Yakuno eruptive sequence, association of hemipelagic mudstone with silicic tuff, exotic fossiliferous limestones derived from previously accreted sea-mounts, upward coarsening of sequences terrigenous sandstone and conglomerate, and mildly deformed Permian and Triassic forearc basin formations. The most important indicator, however, is the seaward imbrication and repetition observed in both the Maizuru Group and the ophiolite itself. D1 deformation structures include axial–planar foliations (pressure-solution cleavage for the Maizuru Group and granulite–amphibolite metamorphic layering in the ophiolite), flattening type strain, symmetric pressure shadows and fringes, and isoclinal folds showing axial–planar foliations and thrust faulting at their overturned limb. The exceptional asymmetry observed indicates seaward-directed shearing near the thrust, while D1 structures in the Maizuru zone are explained by off-scraping, above the basal decollement. The later Jurassic D2 kink fold structure includes a first-order asymmetric kink with a brittle thrust at its overturned limb, more-or-less coeval with M2 retrograde metamorphism. Medium-pressure M1 prograde metamorphism in the Yakuno ophiolite produced layering of granulite and amphibolite, and in the Maizuru Group, formation of illite along pressure-solution cleavage of mudstones. The metamorphic grade is controlled by the stratigraphic relationships and appears typical of that in ocean floor regions. However, there was only one episode of M1 prograde metamorphism which occurred contemporaneously with D1 off-scraping. Given that subduction zones are normally characterized by high P/T metamorphic regimes, the observed P/T history appears to reflect relatively unusual conditions. Such high thermal gradients may plausibly reflect the approach of a young, hot oceanic plate which continued subducting beneath the Japanese arc. Accordingly, the Yakuno ophiolite was probably formed at the trench–trench–ridge triple junction.     

On the prediction of the kurtosis of velocity derivatives in a turbulent field

The prediction of the values of non-dimensional fourth-order moment (kurtosis) of the velocity derivative in a turbulent field is made under the assumption that the values of kurtosis depend on both the turbulence Reynolds number and the intermittency factor. The method consists of modeling a suitable probability density of the variable in a given turbulence Reynolds number and the intermittency factor. A crude model of the probability density function is derived, and the numerical calculations based on the model show excellent agreement with many of the experimental data. The analysis shows that the values of kurtosis depend strongly on the intermittency factor, and that depending on the value of the intermittency factor, it is entirely possible to have values of kurtosis as low as five in a flow with a turbulence Reynolds number of 5000.     

Rayleigh wave scattering at wedge corners with major wedge angles

Theoretical calculations were performed on reflected and transmitted Rayleigh waves and scattered body waves, in the case where a two-dimensional Rayleigh wave is incident to a wedge-shaped medium having a wedge angle between 250° and 290° and arbitrary value of Poisson ratio. The reflection and transmission coefficients of Rayleigh waves were also experimentally measured in cases of wedges with 190° to 330° wedge angles. The method of theoretical analysis and the techniques of experiment are based on those developed in our preceding research (W-1. W-2 and W-3). Compared with the results where the wedge angle is smaller than 180° (W-1 and W-2), all features show consistent variation with wedge angle.     

Dating of Dissolved Iodine in Pore Waters from the Gas Hydrate Occurrence Offshore Shimokita Peninsula,Japan: 129I Results from the D/V Chikyu Shakedown Cruise

Iodine concentration and radioisotopic composition (¹²⁹I/I) were measured in the pore waters from the gas hydrate occurrence in the forearc basin offshore Shimokita Peninsula, north-eastern Japan, to determine the source formation of I and accompanying hydrocarbons. Iodine concentrations correlate well with the alkalinity and SO₄ patterns, reflecting degradation stages of I-rich buried organic matter, rapidly increasing in the sulfate reduction interval, and becoming constant below 250 meters below the seafloor with an upwelling flux of 1.5 × 10⁻¹¹ µmol cm⁻² year⁻¹. The ¹²⁹I/I ratios of 300 × 10⁻¹⁵–400 × 10⁻¹⁵ in deep pore waters suggest ages for iodine and hydrocarbon sources as old as 40 Ma. These ages correlate well with the coaly source formations of the Eocene age thought to be responsible for the conventional natural gas deposits underlying the gas hydrate stability zone. Similar profiles are observed in ¹²⁹I/I ratios of pore waters in the gas hydrate stability zone from the forearc basin in the eastern Nankai Trough, offshore central Japan, where pore waters are enriched in I and reach ages as old as ∼50 Ma through the sediment column. At the outer ridge site along the trough, on the other hand, relatively younger I are more frequently delivered probably through thrusts/faults associated with subduction. The nature of source formations of I and hydrocarbons in the offshore Shimokita Peninsula has a more terrestrial contribution compared with those in the Nankai Trough, but these formations are also considerably older than the host sediments, suggesting long-term transport of I and hydrocarbons for the accumulation of gas hydrates in both locations.     

Generation of electromotive force in igneous rocks subjected to non-uniform loading

When one end of an air-dry igneous rock block was uniaxially loaded in laboratory, there appeared an electromotive force that made electric currents flow from the stressed volume to the unstressed volume. Quartz-free rocks such as gabbro also generated this force, stronger than quartz-bearing rocks such as granite. This indicates that the piezoelectric effect of quartz and the electrokinetic effect of pore water do not make a large contribution toward generating the electromotive force. We focus on peroxy bond that is one of the abundant lattice defects in igneous rock-forming minerals. When mechanical loading deforms the lattice structure around this defect and breaks its bond, its energy levels change and act like an accepter. As an electron is trapped at this defect from a neighbor O^2- site, a positive hole is activated there. They attempt to diffuse toward the unstressed volume through the valence band and are simultaneously affected by the attractive electric force with the electrons trapped in peroxy bonds. This leads to a polarization in the stressed volume and the generation of electromotive force between the stressed and unstressed volumes. Similar electromotive force may be generated in the Earth's crust where inhomogeneous stress/strain is changing.     

Effects of tributyltin at concentrations below ambient levels in seawater on Caprella danilevskii (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Caprellidae)

Hatched juveniles of Caprella danilevskii (Crustacea: Amphipoda) were exposed to one of two concentrations of tributyltin (TBT) (1.1 and 10.7 ng TBTL(-1)) for 49 d at 20 degrees C. These concentrations are near or below ambient levels in seawater. In both treatments and control, the survival rate was 100% at maturation, and >85% at the end of the experiments. Females reached maturation at 20 (median) to 21.5d at instar VII, and repeated spawning 4-5 times during the experiment. The total number of juveniles per female decreased significantly from 39.5 in the control to 24.5 and 17.5 in 1.1 ng L(-1) and 10.7 ng L(-1) treatments, respectively. An earlier study reported that as the TBT concentration in seawater increased from a 0-10 ng L(-1) regime to a 10-20 ng L(-1) regime, the number of stations where Caprella spp. could be collected decreased along the coast of the Seto Inland Sea, of Japan. Thus, the present study indicates the possibility that the extremely low concentration of TBT measured in Japanese waters after 2000 lead to a reduction in reproductive success of Caprella spp.