Melting relations of peridotite and the density crossover in planetary mantles

Melting relations of primitive peridotite were studied up to 25 GPa. The change of the liquidus phase from olivine to majorite occurs at 16 GPa. We confirmed the density crossover of the FeO-rich peridotite melt and the equilibrium olivine (Fo₉₀) at 7 GPa. Sinking of equilibrium olivine (Fo₉₅) in the primitive peridotite melt was observed up to 10 GPa. The compression curves of FeO-rich peridotitic and komatiite melts reported in this and earlier work suggest that the density crossover in the Earth's mantle will be located at 11–12 GPa at 2000°C, consistent with an previous estimation by C.B. Agee and D. Walker.

The density crossover can play a key role in the Moon and the terrestrial planets, such as the Earth, Venus and Mars. Majorite and some fraction of melt could have separated from the ascending diapir and sunk downwards at the depths below the density crossover. This process could have produced a garnet-rich transition zone in the Earth's mantle. The density crossover may exist in the FeO-rich lunar mantle at around the center of the Moon. The density crossover which exists at the depth of 600 km in the Martian mantle plays a key role in producing a fractionated mantle, which is the source the parent magmas of the SNC meteorites.     

Stability relation of (Mg,Fe)SiO3 garnets, major constituents in the Earth's interior

High-pressure and high temperature experiments at 20 GPa on (Mg,Fe)SiO₃ have revealed stability fields of two types of aluminium-free ferromagnesian garnets; non-cubic garnet and cubic garnet (majorite). Majorite garnet is stable only within a limited compositional variation, 0.2 < Fe/(Mg + Fe)< 0.4, and in the narrow temperature interval of 200°C around 2000°C, while the stability of non-cubic garnet with more iron-deficient compositions persists up to higher temperatures. These two garnets show fractional melting into iron-deficient garnet and iron-rich liquid, and the crystallization field of cubic garnet extends over Fe/(Mg + Fe)= 0.5. The assemblage silicate spinel and stishovite is a low-temperature phase, which also occurs in the iron-rich portion of the MgSiO₃—FeSiO₃ system. The sequence as given by the Fe/(Mg + Fe) value for the coexisting phases with the two garnets at 2000°C and 20 GPa is: silicate modified spinel aluminium-free garnets silicate spinel.Natural majorite in shock-metamorphosed chondrites is clarified to be produced at pressures above 20 GPa and temperatures around 2000°C. Similar shock events may cause the occurrence of non-cubic garnet in iron-deficient meteorites. Non-cubic garnet could be a stable phase in the Earth's mantle if a sufficiently low concentration of aluminium is present in the layer corresponding to the stable pressure range of non-cubic garnet. The chemical differentiation by melting in the deep mantle is also discussed on the basis of the present experimental results and the observed coexistence of majorite garnet with magnesiowüstite in chondrites.     

A study of the structure of low-level katabatic winds at Mizuho Station,East Antarctica

Low-level katabatic wind profiles, which have shapes similar to those of the low-level jet (LLJ) wind profiles, are often observed during strong winds in the summer period at Mizuho Station, which is located at 70°42 S, 44°20 E in East Antarctica. The profiles may be classified according to the height of the maximum wind speed, z _m , found below 30 m height. The behavior of z m and of conditions in the layer above z mare explained well by the normalized frequency, f N = Nz/U at 30 m, whose value can be used to predict the existence of a LLJ wind profile. Subsidence and inertial oscillations above z m are related closely to the height and time variations of z m. Thus, not only effects emanating upward from surface but also momentum and heat transported downward from above are significant for the evolution of z m.     

Lattice preferred orientation in CaIrO<Subscript>3</Subscript> perovskite and post-perovskite formed by plastic deformation under pressure

Lattice preferred orientations (LPO) developed in perovskite and post-perovskite structured CaIrO₃ were studied using the radial X-ray diffraction technique combined with a diamond anvil cell. Starting materials of each phase were deformed from 0.1 MPa to 6 GPa at room temperature. Only weak LPO was formed in the perovskite phase, whereas strong LPO was formed in the post-perovskite phase with an alignment of the (010) plane perpendicular to the compression axis. The present result suggests that the (010) is a dominant slip plane in the post-perovskite phase and it is in good agreement with the crystallographic prediction, dislocation observations via transmission electron microscopy, and a recent result of simple shear deformation experiment at 1 GPa–1,173 K. However, the present result contrasts markedly from the results on MgGeO₃ and (Mg,Fe)SiO₃, which suggested that the (100) or (110) is a dominant slip plane with respect to the post-perovskite structure. Therefore it is difficult to discuss the behavior of the post-perovskite phase in the Earth’s deep interior based on existing data of MgGeO₃, (Mg,Fe)SiO₃ and CaIrO₃. The possible sources of the differences between MgGeO₃, (Mg,Fe)SiO₃ and CaIrO₃ are discussed.     

Effect of incorporation of iron and aluminum on the thermoelastic properties of magnesium silicate perovskite

In situ X-ray diffraction measurements of Fe- and Al-bearing MgSiO₃-rich perovskite (FeAl-Pv), which was synthesized from a natural orthopyroxene, were performed at pressures of 19–32 GPa and temperatures of 300–1,500 K using a combination of a Kawai-type apparatus with eight sintered-diamond anvils and synchrotron radiation. Two runs were performed using a high-pressure cell with two sample chambers, and both MgSiO₃ perovskite (Mg-Pv) and FeAl-Pv were synthesized simultaneously in the same cell. Thus we were able to measure specific volumes (V/V ₀) of Mg-Pv and FeAl-Pv at the same P−T conditions. At all the measurement conditions, values of the specific volume of FeAl-Pv are consistent with those of Mg-Pv within 2 Standard Deviation, strongly suggesting that effect of incorporation of iron and aluminum on the thermoelastic properties of magnesium silicate perovskite is undetectable in this composition, pressure, and temperature range. Two additional runs were performed using a high-pressure cell that has one sample chamber and unit-cell volumes of FeAl-Pv were measured at pressures and temperatures up to 32 GPa and 1,500 K, respectively. All the unit-cell volume data of FeAl-Pv perovskite were fitted to the high temperature Birch–Murnaghan equation of state and a complete set of thermoelastic parameters of this perovskite was determined with an assumption of K′ _300,0 = 4. The determined parameters are K _300,0 = 243(3) GPa, (∂K _T,0/∂T) _P = −0.030(8) GPa/K, a ₀ = 2.78(18) × 10⁻⁵ K⁻¹, and b ₀ = 0.88(28) × 10⁻⁸ K⁻², where a ₀ and b ₀ are the coefficients of the following expression describing the zero-pressure thermal expansion: α _T,0 = a ₀ + b ₀ T. The equation-of-state parameters of FeAl-Pv are in good agreement with those of MgSiO₃ perovskite at the conditions corresponding to the uppermost part of the lower mantle.     

Hydrogen, Oxygen and Sulfur Isotope Studies of Seafloor Hydrothermal System at the Desmos Caldera, Manus Back-arc Basin, Papua New Guinea: An Analogue of Terrestrial Acid Hot Crater-lake

Abstract. The Onsen site is an active submarine hydrothermal system hosted by the Desmos caldera in the Eastern Manus Basin, Papua New Guinea. The hydrothermal fluid is very acidic (pH=1.5) and abundant native sulfur is deposited around the vent. The δ³⁴S values of native sulfur range from -6.5 to -9.3 %o. δ³⁴S values of H₂S and SO₄ in the hydrothermal fluid are -4.3 to -9.9 %o and +18.6 to +20.0 %o, respectively. These δ³⁴S values are significantly lower than those of the other hydrothermal systems so far reported. These low δ³⁴S values and the acidic nature of the vent fluids suggest that volcanic SO₂ gas plays an important role on the sulfur isotope systematic of the Onsen hydrothermal system. Relationship among the δ³⁴S values of S-bearing species can be successively explained by the model based on the disproportionation reaction starting from the volcanic SO₂ gas. The predicted δ³⁴S values of SO₂ agree with the measured whole rock δ³⁴S values. δD and δ¹⁸O values of clay minerals separated from the altered rock samples also suggest the contribution of the magmatic fluid to the hydrothermal system. Present stable isotopic study strongly suggests that the Onsen hydrothermal site in the Desmos caldera is a magmatic submarine hydrothermal system.     

The hydrogeology of granitic rocks in deep boreholes used for compressed air storage

The compressed air energy storage(CAES) is a much-awaited new system for load leveling power supply. An economical system must be developed, preventing leakage of stored air (with pressures of more than 20 atm) using groundwater pressure surrounding an unlined cavern in hard rock. The air tightness of the rock around the cavern must be confirmed. In this study, the hydrogeology of the test site was examined prior to field air tightness tests in the borehole. The results indicate that, when evaluating the hydrogeology of the test site related to the air tightness of rocks, it is necessary to understand the geological structure and fracture characteristics of the site. This is done by means of a field survey, investigations and tests in and between the boreholes, and the examination of the distribution of permeability and pore water pressures.     

Inclined single piles under vertical loadings in cohesionless soil

Physical-scaled model testing under 1 g conditions is carried out in obtaining the vertical response of fixed head floating-inclined single piles embedded in dry sand. Practical pile inclinations of 5° and 10° besides a vertical pile (0°) subjected to static and dynamic vertical pile head loadings are considered. To account for the effects of soil nonlinearity as well as the soil–pile interface nonlinearity on the response of piles, a range of low-to-high magnitude of pile head displacements is considered for the static case while a varying amplitude of harmonic accelerations for a wide range of frequencies is considered for the dynamic case. Experimental results are obtained in the form of pile head stiffnesses and strains generated in the pile under both the static and dynamic loadings. Results suggest that the nonlinear behavior of soil as well as the nonlinearity generated at the interface between the soil and the pile as the result of applied loading considerably affect the response of piles. The soil–pile interface nonlinearity that governs the slippage of pile shows a clear influence on the pile head stiffnesses by providing two distinct values of stiffnesses corresponding to the push and the pull directional movement of piles; the two values are significantly different. Axial and bending strains generated in the piles show expected dependency on the amplitude of applied loading; the pile head-level bending strain increases almost linearly with the increase in the angle of pile inclination.

     

Origin of the Tonaru body in the Sanbagawa metamorphic belt,SW Japan

Zircon U–Pb dating of the Tonaru metagabbro body in the Sanbagawa metamorphic belt, southwest Japan, suggests that igneous events at ca 200–180 Ma were involved in the protolith formation. The trace element compositions of the Tonaru zircons are enriched in U (a fluid‐mobile element) and Sc (an amphibole‐buffered element), and depleted in Nb (a fluid‐immobile element), suggesting that the parental magmas related to the Tonaru metagabbros formed in an arc setting. Integration of our results with previous studies of the metasedimentary rocks in the Tonaru body clearly indicates that the protoliths of the Tonaru body were produced by oceanic‐arc magmatism. With the previous geochronological and geological studies, the tectono‐magmatic–metamorphic history of the Tonaru and other mafic bodies in the Sanbagawa metamorphic belt may be summarized as follows: (i) the protolith formation by the oceanic‐arc magmatic event had occurred at 200–180 Ma; (ii) the protoliths were accreted in the trench at ca 130–120 Ma; and (iii) they were completely subducted into the depth of the eclogite‐facies condition after 120 Ma.