Radiatively heated, protoplanetary discs with dead zones – I. Dust settling and thermal structure of discs around M stars

The irradiation of protoplanetary discs by central stars is the main heating mechanism for discs, resulting in their flared geometric structure. In a series of papers, we investigate the deep links between two-dimensional self-consistent disc structure and planetary migration in irradiated discs, focusing particularly on those around M stars. In this first paper, we analyse the thermal structure of discs that are irradiated by an M star by solving the radiative transfer equation by means of a Monte Carlo code. Our simulations of irradiated hydrostatic discs are realistic and self-consistent in that they include dust settling with multiple grain sizes  ( N = 15)  , the gravitational force of an embedded planet on the disc and the presence of a dead zone (a region with very low levels of turbulence) within it. We show that dust settling drives the temperature of the mid-plane from an   r ^−3/5  distribution (well mixed dust models) towards an   r ^−3/4  . The dead zone, meanwhile, leaves a dusty wall at its outer edge because dust settling in this region is enhanced compared to the active turbulent disc at larger disc radii. The disc heating produced by this irradiated wall provides a positive gradient region of the temperature in the dead zone in front of the wall. This is crucially important for slowing planetary migration because Lindblad torques are inversely proportional to the disc temperature. Furthermore, we show that low turbulence of the dead zone is self-consistently induced by dust settling, resulting in the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability (KHI). We show that the strength of turbulence arising from the KHI in the dead zone is  α= 10⁻⁵  .     

Cell contact-dependent lethal effect of the dinoflagellate Heterocapsa circularisquama on phytoplankton–phytoplankton interactions

We used bi-algal culture experiments to investigate and verify the roles of growth interaction between Heterocapsa circularisquama and Prorocentrum dentatum in monospecific bloom formation. Growth of H. circularisquama was slightly inhibited when inoculated at 10² cells mL^–1 along with P. dentatum at 10⁴ cells mL^–1. In other combinations of inoculation densities, P. dentatum density rapidly decreased to extremely low levels in the presence of H. circularisquama. We used a mathematical model to simulate growth and interactions of H. circularisquama and P. dentatum in bi-algal cultures. The model indicates that one species will always inhibit the growth of the other and that the relative initial cell densities of the species are critical in determining the outcome. When cultured together under conditions without cell contact, growth of H. circularisquama and P. dentatum was not inhibited. As with P. dentatum, the growth of Heterosigma akashiwo and Skeletonema costatum was inhibited in intact cell suspensions with H. circularisquama, but a nontoxic species, Heterocapsa triquetra, did not affect the growth of P. dentatum or the other species. Similarly, cell suspensions of H. circularisquama showed hemolytic activity toward rabbit erythrocytes, but those of H. triquetra did not. In addition, the cell-free supernatant of H. circularisquama cultures showed no significant hemolytic activity. These results suggest that H. circularisquama causes lethality in P. dentatum by direct cell contact in which live-cell-mediated hemolytic activity might be a contributing factor.     

Non-destructive elemental analysis of lunar meteorites using a negative muon beam

We report the result of a non-destructive elemental analysis of lunar meteorites using a negative muon beam at J-PARC. An experimental system of six Ge semiconductor detectors and a newly designed He analysis chamber (to enable quantitative analysis of Al) was used to provide a high signal-to-noise ratio for the detection of major elements from lunar rocks (Mg, Si, Fe, O, Ca, and Al). We performed a Monte Carlo simulation to determine the chemical compositions at two sides and the center of a sample (at depths of 0.33 and 0.96 mm below the sample surface, respectively) of the lunar meteorite DEW 12007. These results indicate that the three interior regions of DEW 12007 are likely to be 55.8:44.2, 51.4:48.6, and 54.4:45.6 wt% mixtures of anorthositic and basaltic clasts, respectively. This study is the first quantitative analysis of a heterogeneous meteorite interior using a negative muon beam. As elemental analysis using a muon beam is non-destructive and highly sensitive to light elements, including C, N, and O, the protocols established in this study are applicable to initial characterization of returned samples from the South Pole of the Moon.     

A Paleogene magmatic overprint on Cretaceous seamounts of the western Pacific

The West Pacific Seamount Province (WPSP) represents a series of short-lived Cretaceous hotspot tracks. However, no intraplate volcanoes in advance of petit-spot volcanism erupted near a trench have been identified after the formation of the WPSP on the western Pacific Plate. This study reports new ages for Paleogene volcanic edifices within the northern WPSP, specifically the Ogasawara Plateau and related ridges, and Minamitorishima Island. These Paleogene ages are the first reported for basaltic rocks on western Pacific seamounts, in an area that has previously only yielded Cretaceous ages. The newly found Paleogene volcanisms overprint the Early–middle Cretaceous volcanic edifices, because the seamount or paleo-island material-covered reefal limestone caps on these edifices are uniformly older than the Paleogene volcanism identified in this study. This study outlines several possible causative factors for the Paleogene volcanism overprinting onto existing Cretaceous seamounts, including volcanism related to lithospheric stress, or a younger hotspot track within the northern part of the WPSP that records magmatism from ~60 Ma.     

Fine-scale chemostratigraphy of cross-sectioned hydrogenous ferromanganese nodules from the western North Pacific

A broad area densely covered by ferromanganese nodules was recently discovered around Minamitorishima (Marcus) Island, representing a high-potential metal resource, particularly for Co, Ni, Mo, and W. We studied 16 nodule samples from nodule fields around Minamitorishima Island. To define the fine-scale chemostratigraphy of the nodules, polished cross-sections of the samples were analyzed by microfocus X-ray fluorescence. Our results show that a general pattern of compositional variation was common throughout the growth history of the nodules in all the regions we studied. Chemical mapping clarified changes in the chemical signature and proportion of five lithological components throughout the growth history: Mn represented columnar δ-MnO₂; Fe represented layered amorphous FeOOH*xH₂O; Ti represented TiO₂*2H₂O intergrown with an amorphous FeOOH phase; P, Ca and Y represented particles of biogenic calcium phosphate; and Si, Al, K, Cu, and Ni represented pelagic sediment infills. We proposed a method for a creating a multi-dimensional compositional map of the fine-scale chemostratigraphy observed in the ferromanganese oxide layers on the basis of merging the mapped Mn, Fe, Ti, P, Si and Cu intensities. Multi-dimensional compositional mapping of the sampled nodules from the western North Pacific revealed two fundamental findings: (1) previously recognized first-order Fe–Mn layers, L0, L1, and L2, were further divided into two, three, and four sublayers, respectively, and (2) a delayed supply of material to be nuclei of nodule or a growth hiatus of Fe–Mn layer(s), leading to missing sublayers in the layers L0 and L2, regulated the nodule size. In contrast, layer L1, which does not have any missing sublayers, was commonly observed in the samples for this study and has been reported in studies of other regions in the western Pacific. We propose, therefore, that the layer L1 is a key facies for examining chemostratigraphic correlations with other areas of seafloor.     

Pressure-induced structural evolution of pyrite-type SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>

The equation of state and pressure-induced structural evolution of pyrite-type SiO₂ have been investigated based on synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements in a diamond-anvil cell. The Rietveld refinement revealed that the oxygen coordinate x of pyrite-type SiO₂ increases with increasing pressure. The SiO₆ coordination polyhedra of pyrite-type SiO₂ is less compressible than the unit cell, and the increase in x induces a rotation of the SiO₆ coordination polyhedra to fill the blank space in the unit cell. Thus, the volume reduction in pyrite-type SiO₂ is achieved mainly by the rotation of the SiO₆ polyhedra, rather than by the compression of the SiO₆ polyhedra. In addition, the increase in x with increasing pressure enhances a distortion of the coordination polyhedra of pyrite-type SiO₂, implying that pyrite-type SiO₂ is not likely to transform into a fluorite-type structure at higher pressures.     

Olivine-rich exposures in the South Pole-Aitken Basin

The distribution and the geological context of the olivine-rich exposures in the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin on the Moon were investigated based on the spectral data obtained from the Spectral Profiler (SP) and Multiband Imager (MI) onboard the Japanese lunar explorer Kaguya/SELENE. The olivine-rich exposures are found only in the peak rings or central peaks of the Schrödinger basin and Zeeman crater, which are located in the outer region of the SPA Basin and not in the center region. On a localized scale, the olivine-rich materials are exposed on landslide features on the crater walls or sloped wall of the central peaks or the peak rings. Another observational finding is the co-existence of olivine-rich and plagioclase-rich materials on a kilometer scale spanning most of the olivine-rich sites in the Schrödinger basin. Pyroxene-rich materials are found in fresh craters outside the peak rings or the central peaks with olivine-rich materials. Based on these results, the following scenario are proposed: (1) the impact to form the SPA Basin melted a large amount of the lunar upper mantle and crust, and distributed the melted materials to the outer region; (2) local differentiation of melted materials hid the olivine-rich materials in the center region of the SPA Basin; (3) later impacts that formed the Schrödinger and Zeeman craters excavated and exposed the olivine-rich materials to the surface again; and (4) space weathering and regolith gardening obscured the olivine-rich spectra at the exposure sites, but recent, small scale impacts or landslides on the sloped wall exposed fresh olivine-rich materials, allowing the identification of the olivine-rich exposures by spectral remote-sensing. This suggests that several, different scale events play an important role in forming the surface distributions of originally deep-seated materials on the Moon, as well as on other planetary bodies.     

Kinematics of an alpine retrogressive rockslide in the Japanese Alps

The Aresawa rockslide in the Japanese Alps experienced a partial collapse (5–10 × 10⁵ m³) in 2004, followed by an accelerated downward movement of the head area rather than stabilization. This paper discusses the kinematics of a retrogressive rockslide area and factors promoting slope instability subsequent to the 2004 collapse, on the basis of geodetic surveys and meteorological observations from 2006 to 2010. The unstable area covers at least 2·3 × 10⁴ m² and consists of five active blocks. The main blocks are separated from the stable rock slope by pre‐existing ‘sackung features’ that follow the strike of the bedding plane. Shear zones below these sackung features have developed into slip planes potentially causing the next collapse. In particular, the propagation of a slip plane causing movement at 70 cm yr^?1 in the head area is promoted by bidirectional movement. It consists of slow ‘dip‐slip’ movement in snow‐accumulating periods and rapid ‘side‐slip’ movement in snow‐melting and snow‐free periods, both of which occur on the same slip plane. This bidirectional movement appears to result from the combination of a loss of lateral support by the 2004 event and the immature state of the slip plane. The primary trigger of the acceleration in the unstable area is the stress release by the 2004 collapse. In addition, the presence of a potential slip plane below the sackung features also promotes slope instability, suggesting that sackung features behind a rockslide area may predefine the new head scarp of a forthcoming collapse. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Contribution of abiogenic and biogenic particles to trace-metal composition of phytoplankton assemblages in seawater of Shimizu Port, Japan

The contribution of abiogenic and biogenic particles to trace-metal (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, Ti, V, and Zn) composition was investigated for phytoplankton (primarily diatoms) collected in Shimizu Port, a coastal seawater region. Except for Cd, the trace metals occurred predominantly in lithogenic or nonlithogenic abiogenic particles associated with plankton. In contrast, it is likely that Cd in seawater is taken up intracellularly, and not adsorbed extracellularly by phytoplankton. The lower P-normalized quotas of Cd in Shimizu Port than in offshore regions may be because plankton are dominated by diatoms.     

Comment on “Evaluation of palaeo-oxygenation of the ocean bottom cross the Permian–Triassic boundary” by Kakuwa (2008): Was the Late Permian deep-superocean really oxic?

Nearly 15 years after the proposal of the superanoxia concept (Isozaki, Y., 1994. Superanoxia across the Permo–Triassic boundary: record in accreted deep-sea pelagic chert in Japan. In: Embry, A.F., Beauchamp, B., Glass, D.J. (Eds.), Pangea: Global Environments and Resources. Memoir, Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists, 17, pp. 805–812.), it is an appropriate timing to re-evaluate its geological context with the updated dataset. Kakuwa (Kakuwa, Y., 2008. Evaluation of palaeo-oxygenation of the ocean bottom across the Permian–Triassic boundary. Global and Planetary Change 63, 40–56.) lately discussed that the deep-sea anoxia across the Permian–Triassic boundary (P–TB) may have been much shorter than previously proposed, on the basis of ichnofabrics and geochemical data; however, his interpretations of the data do not appear straightforward nor persuading, and thus his claim is likely misled. Here we raise comments to his explanation on the following four issues: 1) invalid application of ichnofabric indices for shallow sea sediments to deep-sea cherts, 2) misinterpretation of Ce anomaly as a redox indicator, 3) improper application of various redox sensitive trace elements, and 4) questionable interpretations of δ³⁴S data of pyrites.