Tectonic deformation buildup in folded mountain terrains in the October 23, 2004, Mid-Niigata earthquake

The October 23, 2004, Mid-Niigata Earthquake jolted central Japan, causing serious damage in a mountainous region of Pliocene sedimentary rocks. Though aftershocks distribution showed a diffused pattern, it indicated that a blind-thrust fault having a NE–SW strike and inclined towards NW was the most causative. Tectonic deformation caused by this faulting was considered to be one of the causes of flooding that occurred about 8 months after the earthquake. Precise digital elevation models (DEMs) before and after the earthquake were obtained with stereoscopy for aerial photographs and laser imaging detection and ranging technology (LIDAR), respectively, and then compared to detect elevation changes and translations. Lastly, the changes of landforms due to landslides are excluded from the estimated deformations to obtain only the components of tectonic deformations of the ground surface.     

MOA-cam3: a wide-field mosaic CCD camera for a gravitational microlensing survey in New Zealand

We have developed a wide-field mosaic CCD camera, MOA-cam3, mounted at the prime focus of the Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics (MOA) 1.8-m telescope. The camera consists of ten E2V CCD4482 chips, each having 2k×4k pixels, and covers a 2.2 deg² field of view with a single exposure. The optical system is well optimized to realize uniform image quality over this wide field. The chips are constantly cooled by a cryocooler at ??80° C, at which temperature dark current noise is negligible for a typical 1–3 min exposure. The CCD output charge is converted to a 16-bit digital signal by the GenIII system (Astronomical Research Cameras Inc.) and readout is within 25 s. Readout noise of 2–3 ADU (rms) is also negligible. We prepared a wide-band red filter for an effective microlensing survey and also Bessell V, I filters for standard astronomical studies. Microlensing studies have entered into a new era, which requires more statistics, and more rapid alerts to catch exotic light curves. Our new system is a powerful tool to realize both these requirements.     

Flow behavior and microstructures of hydrous olivine aggregates at upper mantle pressures and temperatures

Deformation experiments on olivine aggregates were performed under hydrous conditions using a deformation-DIA apparatus combined with synchrotron in situ X-ray observations at pressures of 1.5–9.8 GPa, temperatures of 1223–1800 K, and strain rates ranging from 0.8 × 10^?5 to 7.5 × 10^?5 s^?1. The pressure and strain rate dependencies of the plasticity of hydrous olivine may be described by an activation volume of 17 ± 6 cm³ mol^?1 and a stress exponent of 3.2 ± 0.6 at temperatures of 1323–1423 K. A comparison between previous data sets and our results at a normalized temperature and a strain rate showed that the creep strength of hydrous olivine deformed at 1323–1423 K is much weaker than that for the dislocation creep of water-saturated olivine and is similar to that for diffusional creep and dislocation-accommodated grain boundary sliding, while dislocation microstructures showing the [001] slip or the [001](100) slip system were developed. At temperatures of 1633–1800 K, a much stronger pressure effect on creep strength was observed for olivine with an activation volume of 27 ± 7 cm³ mol^?1 assuming a stress exponent of 3.5, water fugacity exponent of 1.2, and activation energy of 520 kJ mol^?1 (i.e., power-law dislocation creep of hydrous olivine). Because of the weak pressure dependence of the rheology of hydrous olivine at lower temperatures, water weakening of olivine could be effective in the deeper and colder part of Earth’s upper mantle.     

Hierarchical traveltime tomography

A new traveltime tomographic method was developed with hierarchical shape functions of the finite element method as slowness or velocity interpolation functions. The degree of the approximation of velocity modelling is adjusted by selecting a set of hierarchical shape functions in each element. The ray density parameter of each element controls the selection to make the approximation fine or coarse in the high- or low-ray-density area. The proposed method is applied to both synthetic traveltime data and actual data. The AIC is used to determine the number of model parameters. The result of the synthetic data shows that low-resolution model parameters can be eliminated by the ray density parameter. The result of the actual data shows that the velocity pattern is approximately the same in the fine approximation area and that the velocity fluctuation is suppressed in the coarse approximation area, compared with that obtained from a full set of hierarchical shape functions. The number of model parameters is drastically reduced. The resolution can be estimated by the checkerboard restoration test. The result of the real data set was compared with that of the linear velocity grid model.     

Test on full‐scale three‐storey steel moment frame and assessment of ability of numerical simulation to trace cyclic inelastic behaviour

A test on a full‐scale model of a three‐storey steel moment frame was conducted, with the objectives of acquiring real information about the damage and serious strength deterioration of a steel moment frame under cyclic loading, studying the interaction between the structural frame and non‐structural elements, and examining the capacity of numerical analyses commonly used in seismic design to trace the real cyclic behaviour. The outline of the test structure and test program is presented, results on the overall behaviour are given, and correlation between the experimental results and the results of pre‐test and post‐test numerical analyses is discussed. Pushover analyses conducted prior to the test predicted the elastic stiffness and yield strength very reasonably. With proper adjustment of strain hardening after yielding and composite action, numerical analyses were able to accurately duplicate the cyclic behaviour of the test structure up to a drift angle of 1/25. The analyses could not trace the cyclic behaviour involving larger drifts in which serious strength deterioration occurred due to fracture of beams and anchor bolts and progress of column local buckling. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Petrogenesis of olivine-phyric shergottite Yamato 980459, revisited

Primitive magmas provide critical information on mantle sources, but most Martian meteorites crystallized from fractionated melts. An olivine-phyric shergottite, Yamato 980459 (Y-980459), has been interpreted to represent a primary melt, because its olivine megacrysts have magnesian cores (Fo84-86) that appear to be in equilibrium with the Y-980459 whole-rock composition based on Fe-Mg partitioning. However, crystal size distribution (CSD) plots for Y-980459 olivines show a size gap, suggesting a cumulus origin for some megacrysts. Because melting experiments using the Y-980459 whole-rock composition have been used to infer the thermal structure and volatile contents of the Martian mantle, the interpretation that this rock is primitive should be scrutinized.We report major, minor and trace element compositions of Y-980459 olivines and compare them with results from melting experiments (both hydrous and anhydrous) and thermodynamic calculations. Cores of the olivine megacrysts have major and minor element contents identical to those of the most magnesian olivines from the experiments, but they differ slightly from those of thermodynamic calculations. This is probably because the Y-980459 whole-rock composition lies near the limit of the range of liquids used to calibrate these models. The megacryst cores (Fo80-85) exhibit minor and trace element (Mn-Ni-Co-Cr-V) characteristics distinct from other olivines (megacryst rims and groundmass olivines, Fo < 80), implying that the megacryst cores crystallized under more reduced conditions (∼IW + 1).Y-980459 contains pyroxenes with orthopyroxene cores mantled by pigeonite and augite. We also found some reversely zoned pyroxenes that have augite cores (low-Mg#) mantled by orthopyroxenes (high-Mg#), although they are uncommon. These reversely zoned pyroxenes are interpreted to have grown initially as atoll-like crystals with later crystallization filling in the hollow centers, implying disequilibrium crystallization at a moderate cooling rate (3-7 °C/h). The calculated REE pattern of a melt in equilibrium with normally zoned pyroxene is parallel to those of glass and the Y-980459 whole-rock as well as other depleted olivine-phyric shergottites, suggesting that Y-980459 was derived from a depleted mantle reservoir.Considering the CSD patterns of Y-980459 olivines, we propose that the olivine megacrysts are cumulus crystals which probably formed in a feeder conduit by continuous melt replenishment, and the parent melt composition was indistinguishable from the Y-980459 whole-rock with 0-2 wt% of H₂O and 0-5 wt% of CO₂. The final magma pulse entrained these cumulus olivines and then crystallized groundmass olivines and pyroxenes. Although Y-980459 contains small amounts of cumulus olivine (<∼6 vol%), we conclude that the Y-980459 whole-rock composition closely approximates a Martian primary melt composition.     

Geochemical composition of dykes along the Cameroon Line (CL): Petrogenesis and similarities with the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province

We report whole-rock geochemistry and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic compositions of mafic dykes intruded in the Precambrian granito-gneissic basement complex, exposed at Nyos, Batibo, Dschang and Foumban on the Cameroon Line. The dykes are alkaline (Batibo), transitional (Foumban), and subalkaline (Nyos, Batibo and Dschang) with SiO₂ of 45–54 wt% and MgO of 2–9 wt%, similar to dykes reported in other areas of the Cameroon Line (CL) and the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP). The abundances of rare earth elements (REE) and the Primitive Mantle normalised patterns for the Nyos, Batibo and Dschang dykes are similar to those of MORB, indicating that the dykes formed at shallower depths by a higher degree of partial melting relative to the Foumban dykes and the alkaline lavas of the CL. The transitional basaltic dykes with steeper REE patterns have their sources at deeper levels in the lithospheric mantle, possibly the garnet-spinel transition zone and were generated by a lower degree partial melting of the lithospheric and plume components. The Nyos and Batibo subalkaline dykes show similar isotopic compositions with a spectrum extending from depleted (DMM-like) to enriched (EM1-like) mantle, indicating the similarity in their source components. The Dschang dykes show distinct isotopic characteristics with relatively unradiogenic Nd-Pb isotope compositions compared to the Batibo and Nyos dykes. The Foumban transitional dykes with characteristic wide ranges in Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic compositions reveal varying contributions from enriched mantle components (EM1 and EM2) in addition to its plume signature similar to those of CL lavas. The Nyos and Batibo dykes alongside other dykes on the CL have low TiO₂ abundances (<2 wt%), negative PM-normalised Nb-anomalies, and moderately to strongly enriched REE patterns, and isotopic composition that overlaps with those of CAMP, suggesting a similar lithospheric origin.     

Early to Middle Miocene rotational tectonics of the Ou Backbone Range,northeast Japan

It is well known that a counterclockwise rotation occurred in the Miocene in northeast Japan. However, the detailed timing and mechanism of the rotation has been debated. Moreover, there has been no research about the relationship between rotational tectonics and the evolution of sedimentary basins. We carried out paleomagnetic and rock magnetic analyses in Nishiwaga Town, Iwate Prefecture, northeast Japan, where the stratigraphy and sedimentary basin formation have previously been clarified. We found that there was a counterclockwise rotational movement of about 45° at about 15 Ma. From our results and previous studies on the tectonics and sedimentary basin development, we are able to ascertain the following tectonic history and sedimentary basin evolution in this area: (i) before the rotational movement, sandstone and mudstone were deposited in a tranquil environment with no volcanic activity coupled with slow tectonic subsidence; (ii) between 16.4–15.1 Ma and 14 Ma, a counterclockwise rotation occurred with rapid tectonic subsidence and continuous explosive volcanism; (iii) at about 14 Ma, the counterclockwise rotation ended and there was a reduction in both subsidence and volcanism. This result shows the impact that rotational tectonics can have on sedimentary basin formation.     

Differences in the damage caused by hypoxia to the macrobenthic communities in source regions of hypoxic water and in regions with advected hypoxic water

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of transported hypoxic water on macrobenthic species composition in Isahaya Bay, Kyushu, Japan. To this end, we conducted a field survey of water quality, sediment quality, and the macrobenthic community across seasons. Hypoxic intensity, defined as the percentage of the time that a region exhibits hypoxic conditions [dissolved oxygen (DO) <?3.0 mg L^?1], was calculated for the summer period from July 1 to September 30, 2014 based on continuous monitoring data derived from six monitoring towers in the bay. Here, we discuss how the hypoxia-induced damage, defined as the change in the species compositions of the macrobenthic communities in the bay due to hypoxia, differs between the inner and middle regions of the bay (with muddy sediment) and the outer regions of the bay (with sandy sediment). A decrease in the density of macrobenthic species that was correlated to the period of lowest DO concentration (<?1.0 mg L^?1) was observed in the inner region of the bay. A large number of species disappeared from the macrobenthic community in the outer region after the DO concentration had dropped to its lowest level, even though this region presented the lowest hypoxic intensity (6.6%). The species that disappeared, including crustaceans and some polychaetes, were presumed to be sensitive to, and to have escaped from, hypoxia. Fewer species disappeared from the inner and intermediate regions of the bay, which had high hypoxic intensities of 14.0 and 26.7%, respectively, than from the outer region. The reason for this appeared to be a predominance of hypoxia-tolerant species in the inner and intermediate regions but not in the outer region. Our study suggests that estimating the effect of hypoxia in a spatially heterogeneous environment must be done with caution.