Warm water intrusion from the Kuroshio into the coastal areas south of Japan

Sea surface temperature (SST) has been measured in the south of Japan using a thermometer set up in the ferry boat to investigate the characteristics of the warm water intrudes into the coastal areas from the Kuroshio. Time series analysis was applied to the SST data with satellite images and hydrographic observation data from April 1987 to September 1989. The results indicate that the warm Kuroshio water intruded into the coastal areas on the Enshu-nada and the Kumano-nada Seas intermittently with periods of about 50 and 20 days associated with the fluctuation of the Kuroshio path and the Kuroshio frontal disturbance respectively. The intrusion with a 50-day period was dominant when the Kuroshio took a stationary small meander path (B- and C-types). The warm water spread to the west at 20 cm s^–1, and was estimated to have a depth of 150 m at least and supply enough heat to make up the loss due to the evaporation in the coastal area. During the straight path of the Kuroshio, it was detected that the warm water intruded into coastal areas only with a 20-day period. The warm water that intrudes with a period of 20 days spreads to the west at 25 cm s^–1 in a small scale.     

Interstellar Dust in the Solar System

We deduce the mass distribution and total mass density of interstellar dust streaming into the solar system and compare the results to the conditions of the very local interstellar medium (VLISM). The mass distribution derived from in situ measurements shows a gentler slope and includes larger grains, compared to a model distribution proposed for the wavelength dependence of the interstellar extinction. The mass density of grains in the solar system is consistent with that expected from measurements of the visible interstellar extinction and the abundance constraints of elements in the diffuse interstellar medium (ISM), instead of those in the VLISM. This may imply that interstellar dust grains are not associated with the VLISM and that the conditions of the grains are better represented by the ones expected in the diffuse ISM. If this is the case, then the flatter slope in the mass distribution and the detection of larger interstellar grains in the solar system may even indicate that coagulation growth of dust in the diffuse ISM is more effective than previously inferred. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Repeating earthquake activities associated with the Philippine Sea plate subduction in the Kanto district, central Japan: A new plate configuration revealed by interplate aseismic slips

We detect repeating earthquakes associated with the Philippine Sea plate subduction to reveal the plate configuration. In the Kanto district, we find 140 repeating earthquake groups with 428 events by waveform similarity analysis. Most repeating earthquakes in the eastern part of the Kanto district occur with a regular time interval. They have thrust-type focal mechanisms and are distributed near the upper surface of the Philippine Sea plate. These observations indicate that the repeating earthquakes there occur as a repetition of ruptures on the isolated patches distributed on the plate boundary owing to the concentration of stress caused by aseismic slips in the surrounding areas. This shows that the distributions of repeating earthquakes suggest the aseismic slips in the surrounding areas of small patches. We determine spatial distributions of repeating earthquakes in the eastern part of the Kanto district and find that they correspond to the upper boundary of the Philippine Sea plate, that is, the upper boundary of the oceanic crust layer of the Philippine Sea plate. The plate geometry around Choshi is newly constrained by repeating earthquake data and a rather flat geometry in the eastern part of the Kanto district is revealed. The obtained geometry suggests uplift of the Philippine Sea plate due to the collision with the Pacific plate beneath Choshi.Repeating earthquakes in the western part of the Kanto district have extremely shorter recurrence times, and their focal mechanisms are not of the thrust types. These repeating earthquakes are classified as “burst type” activity and likely to occur on the preexistent fault planes which are distributed around the “collision zone” between the Philippine Sea plate and the inland plate. The variation among the repeating earthquake activities in the Kanto district indicates that regular repetition of repeating earthquakes is possible only on the plate boundary with a smooth and simple geometry.     

High-Magnesian Andesite Produced by Two-Stage Magma Mixing: a Case Study from Hachimantai, Northern Honshu, Japan

High-magnesian andesite occurs at Hachimantai, northern Honshu,Japan. Disequilibrium zoning features indicate that the phenocrystminerals were derived from three different magmas. Chemicalcompositions and zoning profiles are accounted for by two-stagemagma mixing: the first mixing occurred between a crystal-freebasalt magma and a more differentiated olivine basalt magma;the second stage occurred by mixing between the resultant ofthe first-stage mixing and a hypersthene–augite andesitemagma. Mass balance of phenocryst crystals shows that end-membercompositions were c. 52·0 wt % SiO₂ and 10·1 wt% MgO for the mafic end-member and 57·0 wt % SiO₂ forthe felsic end-member of the second-stage mixing. Phenocrystminerals of the first-stage mixing end-member indicate the similarityof the end-member composition to that of basalts from nearbyvolcanoes. The counterpart aphyric magma in the first-stagemixing was more magnesian than the estimated mafic end-member.Calculations of the phase equilibria of similar basalts fromnearby volcanoes and comparison of results with previous phaseequilibrium experiments showed that the olivine basalt end-memberof the first stage was hydrous and situated at a depth wherethe pressure was less than 2 kbar. Two-pyroxene thermometryestimates are about 1050°C for the pyroxenes derived fromthe felsic end-member of the second-stage mixing, and about1180°C for groundmass pyroxenes. Crystallization temperaturesof 1170–1230°C are estimated for minerals from themafic end-member of the second-stage mixing based on phase equilibriumcalculations. These similar temperature estimates between thegroundmass and the mafic end-member imply achievement of thermalequilibrium between end-members preceding crystallization. Themagma plumbing system of the eastern Hachimantai is illustratedby a recent volcanic event, involving lateral dike intrusiontoward a pressure source. The encounter of a laterally migratingbasalt dike and an andesite magma chamber triggered the magmamixing that produced the high-magnesian andesite. The modelcan account for the relation between the petrological modeland surface distribution of volcanic rocks. The infrequencyof such mixing-derived high-magnesian andesite stems from therarity of high-magnesian basalt as a potential mixing end-memberin northern Honshu. KEY WORDS: high-magnesian andesite; Hachimantai; Northern Honshu; high-magnesian basalt; two-stage magma mixing     

Spinel group minerals in LL3.00-6 chondrites: Indicators of nebular and parent body processes

We carried out a systematic study of spinel group minerals in LL3.00-3.9 and LL4-6 chondrites. With increasing petrologic type, the size and abundance of spinel increase. The compositions of spinel group minerals in type 3 chondrites depend on the occurrence; Mg-Al-rich spinel occurs mainly in chondrules. Some chromite occurs in chondrules and matrix, and nearly pure chromite is exclusively encountered in the matrix. The occurrence of nearly pure chromite and the wide compositional variations distinguish spinel group minerals in types 3.00-3.3 from those in the other types. Spinel group minerals in types 3.5-3.9 show a narrower range of compositions, and those in types 4-6 are homogeneous. The changes in composition and abundance of spinel in type 3 chondrites are most likely due to thermal metamorphism. Therefore, the chemistry of spinel group minerals could be used as a sensitive indicator of metamorphic conditions, not only for type 3-6, but also 3.00-3.9. They can be applied to identify the most primitive (least metamorphosed) chondrites. The bulk compositions of spinel-bearing chondrules and the textural setting of the spinel indicate that most spinel group minerals crystallized directly from chondrule melts. However, some spinel grains, especially those enclosed in olivine phenocrysts, can not be explained by in situ crystallization in the chondrule. We interpret these spinel grains to be relic phases that survived chondrule melting. This is supported by the oxygen isotopic composition of a spinel grain, which has significantly lighter oxygen than the coexisting olivine. The oxygen isotopic composition of this spinel is similar to those of Al-rich chondrules. Our discovery of relic spinel in chondrules is an indication of the complexities in the early solar nebular processes that ranged from formation of refractory inclusion, through Al-rich chondrule, to ferromagnesian chondrules, and attests to the recycling of earlier formed materials into the precursors of later formed materials. The characteristic features of spinel group minerals are not only sensitive to thermal metamorphism, but also shed light on chondrule formation processes.