Stable isotope geochemistry and diagenetic mineralization associated with the Tono sandstone-type uranium deposit in Japan

The Tono sandstone-type uranium mine area, middle Honsyu, Japan is composed of Miocene lacustrine sedimentary rocks in the lower part (18–22 Ma) and marine facies in the upper part (15–16 Ma). Calcite and pyrite occur as dominant diagenetic alteration products in these Neogene sedimentary rocks. The characteristics of calcite and pyrite differ significantly between lacustrine and marine facies. Abundant pyrite, calcite, organic matter, and small amounts of marcasite or pyrrhotite occur in the lacustrine facies, whereas small amounts of calcite and framboidal pyrite, organic matter and no marcasite or pyrrhotite are found within the marine units. The δ¹³C values of calcite in the lacustrine deposits are low (−19 to −6‰ PDB) but those in marine formation are high (−11 to +3‰). This implies that the contribution of marine carbonate is larger in upper marine sedimentary rocks, and carbon in calcite in the lower lacustrine formation was derived both from oxidation of organic matter and from dissolved marine inorganic carbon. The δ³⁴S values of framboidal pyrite in the upper marine formation are low (−14 to −8‰ CDT), indicating a small extent of bacterial seawater sulfate reduction, whereas those of euhedral-subhedral pyrite in the lower lignite-bearing arkose sandstone are high (+10 to +43‰), implying a large extent of closed-system bacterial seawater sulfate reduction. The δ³⁴S and δ¹³C data which deviate from a negative correlation line toward higher δ¹³C values suggest methanogenic CO₂ production. During diagenesis of the lacustrine unit, large amounts of euhedral-subhedral pyrite were formed, facilitated by extensive bacterial reduction of seawater sulfate with concomitant oxidation of organic matter, and by hydrolysis reactions of organic matter, producing CH₄ and CO₂. Uranium minerals (coffinite and uraninite) were also formed at this stage by the reduction of U⁶⁺ to U⁴⁺. The conditions of diagenetic alteration within the lacustrine deposits and uranium mineralization is characterized by low Eh in which nearly equal concentrations of CH₄ and HCO₃ ⁻ existed and reduced sulfur species (H₂S, HS⁻) are predominant among aqueous sulfur species, whereas diagenetic alteration of the marine formations was characterized by a predominance of SO₄ ²⁻ among dissolved sulfur species. Modern groundwater in the lacustrine formation has a low Eh value (−335 mV). Estimated and measured low Eh values of modern and ancient interstitial waters in lacustrine environments indicate that a reducing environment in which U⁴⁺ is stable has been maintained since precipitation of uranium minerals. Received: 9 February 1996 / Accepted: 11 April 1997     

汶川MS8.0级地震成因三“层次”分析——基于深部电性结构

2008年5月12日汶川M_S8级地震的发生不是局部地区孤立的构造事件,研究汶川地震的孕震机制,应该把局部分析和区域分析相结合,关注地壳上地幔直至地幔过渡带的深部结构.基于近年来在东北、华北和汶川地震附近地区进行的深部结构电磁探测结果,结合地震学等其他资料,从太平洋板块的俯冲、印度板块的碰撞和松潘甘孜地块的推挤三个“层次”探讨分析汶川特大地震的成因.太平洋板块向亚洲大陆的俯冲作用,导致中国大陆东部地幔过渡带深度较普遍地存在着停滞的板片,它对汶川地震的影响不可忽视.印度板块与青藏高原的碰撞,使组成高原的各地块发生向北和向东的运动,各地块向东的运动作用于南北地震带中南段,影响到该区域的地震活动.松潘甘孜地块向四川地块的推挤,使松潘甘孜地块运动方向和龙门山断裂带形成“丁”字形结构,龙门山断裂带显示为较陡直的电性边界,加剧了汶川地震前的应力积累,可能是汶川地震发生的最直接的诱因.     

Variability of the topographic core-mantle torque calculated from core surface flow models

With the prospect of studying the relevance of the topographic core-mantle coupling to the variations of the Earth’s rotation and also its applicability to constraining the core surface flow, we investigate the variability of the topographic torque estimated by using core surface flow models accompanied by (a) uncertainty due to the non-uniqueness problem in the flow inversion, and (b) variance originating in that of geomagnetic secular variation models employed in the inversion. Various flow models and their variances are estimated by inverting prescribed geomagnetic models at the epoch 1980. The subsequent topographic torque is then calculated by using a core-mantle boundary topography model obtained by seismic tomography. The calculated axial and equatorial torques are found subject to the variability of order 10¹⁹ and 10²⁰  Nm, respectively, on which (b) is more effective than (a). The variability of the torque is attributed even to (a) and (b) of the large-scale flows (degrees 2 and 3). Yet, it still seems unlikely for the decadal polar motion with the observed amplitude to be excited exclusively by the equatorial topographic torque associated with any of reasonable core surface flow models. It is also confirmed that, with the topography model adopted here, the axial topographic torque on a rigid annulus in the core (coaxial with the Earth’s rotation axis) associated with any of reasonable flow models is larger by two orders of magnitude than the plausible inertial torque on such cylinders. This implies that any core surface flow model consistent with the topographic coupling does not exist, unless the topography model is appropriately modified. Nevertheless, the topographic coupling might provide not only a weak constraint for explaining the decadal LOD variations, but also the possibility to probe the core surface flow and the core dynamics.     

汶川Ms8．0级地震成因三“层次”分析——基于深部电性结构

2008年5月12日汶川Ms8级地震的发生不是局部地区孤立的构造事件,研究汶川地震的孕震机制,应该把局部分析和区域分析相结合,关注地壳上地幔直至地幔过渡带的深部结构.基于近年来在东北、华北和汶川地震附近地区进行的深部结构电磁探测结果,结合地震学等其他资料,从太平洋板块的俯冲、印度板块的碰撞和松潘甘孜地块的推挤三个"层次"探讨分析汶川特大地震的成因.太平洋板块向亚洲大陆的俯冲作用,导致中国大陆东部地幔过渡带深度较普遍地存在着停滞的板片,它对汶川地震的影响不可忽视.印度板块与青藏高原的碰撞,使组成高原的各地块发生向北和向东的运动,各地块向东的运动作用于南北地震带中南段,影响到该区域的地震活动.松潘甘孜地块向四川地块的推挤.使松潘甘孜地块运动方向和龙门山断裂带形成"丁"字形结构,龙门山断裂带显示为较陡直的电性边界,加剧了汶川地震前的应力积累,可能是汶川地震发生的最直接的诱因.     

Seafloor electromagnetic induction studies in the Bay of Bengal

Seafloor magnetometer array experiments were conducted in the Bay of Bengal to delineate the subsurface conductivity structure in the close vicinity of the 85°E Ridge and Ninety East Ridge (NER), and also to study the upper mantle conductivity structure of the Bay of Bengal. The seafloor experiments were conducted in three phases. Array 1991 consisted of five seafloor stations across the 85°E Ridge along 14°N latitude with a land reference station at Selam (SLM). Array 1992 also consisted of five seafloor stations across 85°E Ridge along 12°N latitude. Here we used the data from Annamalainagar Magnetic Obervatory (ANN) as land reference data. Array 1995 consisted of four seafloor stations across the NER along 9°N latitude with land reference station at Tirunelveli (TIR). OBM-S4 magnetometers were used for seafloor measurements. The geomagnetic Depth Sounding (GDS) method was used to investigate the subsurface lateral conductivity contrasts. The vertical gradient sounding (VGS) method was used to deliniate the depth-resistivity structure of the oceanic crust and upper mantle. 1-D inversion of the VGS responses were conducted and obtained a 3-layer depth-resistivity model. The top layer has a resistivity of 150–500 m and a thickness of about 15–50 km. The second layer is highly resistive (2000–9000 m) followed by a very low resistive (0.1–50 m) layer at a depth of about 250–450 km. The 3-component magnetic field variations and the observed induction arrows indicated that the electromagnetic induction process in the Bay of Bengal is complex. We made an attempt to solve this problem numerically and followed two approaches, namely (1) thin-sheet modelling and (2) 3-D forward modelling. These model calculations jointly show that the observed induction arrows could be explained in terms of shallow subsurface features such as deep-sea fans of Bay of Bengal, the resistive 85°E Ridge and the sea water column above the seafloor stations. VGS and 3-D forward model responses agree fairly well and provided depth-resistivity profile as a resistive oceanic crust and upper mantle underlained by a very low resistive zone at a depth of about 250–400 km. This depth-range to the low resistive zone coincide with the seismic low velocity zone of the northeastern Indian Ocean derived from the seismic tomography. Thus we propose an electrical conductivity structure for the oceanic crust and upper mantle of the Bay of Bengal.     

网式大地电磁阻抗张量及其影响因素分析

网式大地电磁（Network-MT,N-MT）法采用长数公里至数十公里的电话线为电极线测量电场,很难形成两条笔直且相互垂直的电极线,因此阻抗张量的计算不如大地电磁法中直接.本文依据阻抗张量的旋转规则提出了一种计算N-MT阻抗张量的简便算法.依据该算法计算了中国东北地区5个N-MT测站的阻抗张量,获得了基于阻抗张量的视电阻率、相位曲线和最佳主轴方位角分布图像,为我国东北N-MT资料的进一步处理和解释提供了基础性数据.此外,本文对比分析了朝阳测站中6条N-MT观测电极线上阻抗张量旋转值与观测值之间的差异,重点讨论了产生这种系统性偏差的各种因素,提出其主要因素可能来自“电场等效各向异性”效应,即测站附近的地壳内部存在与观测电极线尺度相比拟的横向非均匀构造,而测站各电极线沿不同方向跨越不均匀构造,此时各电极线上的电场分量不遵循同一电场矢量的分解准则,导致地表观测三角形内阻抗分量不满足统一的阻抗张量旋转规则.