Lithium and strontium isotopic systematics in playas in Nevada,USA: constraints on the origin of lithium

Lithium-rich brine in playas is a major raw material for lithium production. Recently, lithium isotopic ratios (δ⁷Li) have been identified as a tool for investigating water–rock interactions. Thus, to constrain the origin of lithium in playas by the use of its isotopes, we conducted leaching experiments on various lacustrine sediment and evaporite deposit samples collected from playas in Nevada, USA. We determined lithium and strontium isotopic ratios and contents and trace element contents of the leachate, estimated the initial δ⁷Li values in the water flowing into the playas, and examined the origin of lithium in playas by comparison with δ⁷Li values of the possible sources. In samples from the playas, δ⁷Li values show some variation, reflecting differences both in isotopic fractionation during mineral formation and in initial δ⁷Li value in water flowing into each playa. However, all δ⁷Li values in this study are much lower than those in river water and groundwater samples from around the world, but they are close to those of volcanic rocks. Considering the temperature dependence of lithium isotopic fractionation between solid and fluid, these results indicate that the lithium concentrated in playas in Nevada was supplied mainly through high-temperature water–rock interaction associated with local hydrothermal activity and not directly by low-temperature weathering of surface materials. This study, which is the first to report lithium isotopic compositions in playas, demonstrates that δ⁷Li may be a useful tracer for determining the origin of lithium and evaluating its accumulation processes in playas.     

A new high-stress undrained ring-shear apparatus and its application to the 1792 Unzen–Mayuyama megaslide in Japan

Sassa and others in the Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI), Kyoto University, developed a series of undrained ring-shear apparatus to physically simulate landslide initiation and motion, from DPRI-3 (Sassa 1992) to DPRI-7 (Sassa et al., Landslides 1(1):7–19, 2004). The maximum undrained capacities in the DPRI series ranged from 300 to 650 kPa. Sassa and others in the International Consortium on Landslides (ICL) have developed a new series of undrained ring-shear apparatus (ICL-1and ICL-2) for two projects of the International Programme on Landslides (IPL-161 and IPL-175). Both projects are supported by the Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development Program (SATREPS) of Japan. ICL-1 was developed to create a compact and transportable apparatus for practical use in Croatia; one set was donated to Croatia in 2012. ICL-2 was developed in 2012–2013 to simulate the initiation and motion of megaslides of more than 100 m in thickness. The successful undrained capacity of ICL-2 is 3 MPa. This apparatus was applied to simulate possible conditions for the initiation and motion of the 1792 Unzen–Mayuyama megaslide (volume, 3.4?×?10⁸ m³; maximum depth, 400 m) triggered by an earthquake. The megaslide and resulting tsunami killed about 15,000 people. The Unzen Restoration Office of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT) of Japan systematically collected various papers and reports and published two summary leaflets: one in English in 2002 and an extended version in Japanese in 2003. Samples were taken from the source area (for initiation) and the moving area (for motion). The hazard area was estimated by the integrated landslide simulation model LS-RAPID, using parameters obtained with the ICL-2 undrained ring-shear apparatus. The estimated hazard area agrees reasonably with the landslide moving area reported in the Ministry leaflets.     

Nanoindentation approach characterizing strain rate sensitivity of compressive response of asphalt concrete

This paper presents the results of a study on the use of nanoindentation test to characterize the strain rate-dependent compressive response of asphalt concrete. Nanoindentation is now widely used for characterization and testing of composite as well as single-phase materials. Using a small piece of sample, nanoindentation tests can evaluate material behavior and structure in terms of the elasticity, time-dependent response, yield strength, damage, crack advance, debonding, and fatigues. In this study, a mixture of asphalt and calcium carbonate filler powder filling the intergranular void space of the asphalt concrete was characterized in terms of strain rate sensitivity at room temperature. The indentation hardness is observed to continuously decrease during constant indentation strain rates, but the hardness response clearly indicates positive strain rate dependency when compared at the same indentation depths. Following the constant strain rate tests, indentation creep response of the asphalt–filler mixture was tested at constant load conditions. The strain rate sensitivity values characterized from double logarithmic relationships between indentation hardness and strain rate during constant strain rate and constant load tests are comparable with that determined from uniaxial compression test of cylindrical asphalt concrete samples. The observed indentation size effect on hardness value was analyzed based on an existing size effect model. The size effect in the asphalt–filler mixture, which is stronger than that defined by the model, could be attributed to a plastically graded surface of asphalt–filler sample.     

Nutrient and Phytoplankton Dynamics in Harima-Nada, Eastern Seto Inland Sea, Japan During a 35-Year Period from 1973 to 2007

Long-term monitoring of water quality and phytoplankton was conducted at 19 sampling stations in Harima-Nada, eastern Seto Inland Sea, Japan for 35 years from 1973 to 2007. There were two significant long-term changes, an increase in winter water temperatures of 0.042°C year^?1, and a decrease in dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) from about 10 μM in the 1970s to ~5 μM in the late 1990s due to the reduction in nutrient inputs. DIN concentrations and total phytoplankton cell density were both higher during the 1970s to the early 1980s and then exhibited a significant decrease in the mid 1980s and remained relatively constant thereafter. Diatoms were the dominant phytoplankton group (>90%) over the 35-year period, and there was a dramatic shift from Skeletonema dominance (~70%) to Chaetoceros in the mid 1980s. This shift in diatom species may be attributed to differences in the life cycle of Skeletonema and Chaetoceros and the response to the decrease in DIN concentration.     

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.     

Aeolian dust experiment on climate impact: An overview of Japan–China joint project ADEC

The Aeolian Dust Experiment on Climate Impact (ADEC) was initiated in April 2000 as a joint five-year Japan–China project. The goal was to understand the impact of aeolian dust on climate via radiative forcing (RF). Field experiments and numerical simulations were conducted from the source regions in northwestern China to the downwind region in Japan in order to understand wind erosion processes temporal and spatial distribution of dust during their long-range transportation chemical, physical, and optical properties of dust and the direct effect of radiative forcing due to dust. For this, three intensive observation periods (IOP) were conducted from April 2002 to April 2004.The in situ and network observation results are summarized as follows: (1) In situ observations of the wind erosion process revealed that the vertical profile of moving sand has a clear size dependency with height and saltation flux and that threshold wind velocity is dependent on soil moisture. Results also demonstrated that saltation flux is strongly dependent on the parent soil size distribution of the desert surface. (2) Both lidar observations and model simulations revealed a multiple dust layer in East Asia. A numerical simulation of a chemical transport model, CFORS, illustrated the elevated dust layer from the Taklimakan Desert and the lower dust layer from the Gobi Desert. The global-scale dust model, MASINGAR, also simulated the dust layer in the middle to upper free troposphere in East Asia, which originated from North Africa and the Middle East during a dust storm in March 2003. Raman lidar observations at Tsukuba, Japan, found the ice cloud associated with the dust layer at an altitude of 6 to 9 km. Analysis from lidar and the radio-sonde observation suggested that the Asian dust acted as ice nuclei at the ice-saturated region. These results suggest the importance of dust's climate impact via the indirect effect of radiative forcing due to the activation of dust into ice nuclei. (3) Studies on the aerosol concentration indicated that size distributions of aerosols in downwind regions have bimodal peaks. One peak was in the submicron range and the other in the supermicron range. The main soluble components of the supermicron peak were Na⁺, Ca²⁺, NO₃⁻, and Cl⁻. In the downwind region in Japan, the dust, sea salt, and a mixture of the two were found to be dominant in coarse particles in the mixed boundary layer. (4) Observation of the optical properties of dust by sky-radiometer, particle shoot absorption photometer (PSAP), and Nephelometer indicated that unpolluted dust at source region has a weaker absorption than originally believed.A sensitivity experiment of direct RF by dust indicated that single scattering albedo is the most important of the optical properties of dust and that the sensitivity of instantaneous RF in the shortwave region at the top of the atmosphere to the refractive index strongly depends on surface albedo. A global scale dust model, MASINGAR, was used for evaluation of direct RF due to dust. The results indicated the global mean RF at the top and the bottom of the atmosphere were − 0.46 and − 2.13 W m^− 2 with cloud and were almost half of the RF with cloud-free condition.     

Tectonic setting and formation of the Setouchi volcanic rocks in the western Seto Inland Sea,Japan

The Setouchi volcanic rocks include high-Mg andesites (HMAs) and garnet-bearing dacite–rhyolite, and are sporadically distributed along the Median Tectonic Line, Japan. New U–Pb zircon ages and geological and geochemical data are presented for those rocks in the Western Setouchi region (W-Setouchi). Previous studies referred to the altered andesite in the W-Setouchi as “pre-Setouchi volcanic rocks.” However, on the basis of the new U–Pb age (14.4 Ma ± 0.3 Ma) and geochemical characteristics, we redefine it as the Jikamuro Formation, part of the Setouchi volcanic rocks. Incompatible elements are more enriched in the Jikamuro Formation rocks than in the Setouchi HMAs. The characteristic element compositions may be explained by mixing of compositionally different magmas, including subducted sediment melts, plus a contribution from crustal contamination. A stress-inversion technique with Bingham distribution method was applied to the orientations of felsic and mafic dikes within the Setouchi volcanic rocks, and indicates paleo-stress conditions during the period of Setouchi volcanism in the W-Setouchi. The analysis reveals NNW-extensional stresses and a strike-slip stress. We infer that the former represents extensional conditions during the main period of volcanism and the latter represents a stress transition during the most recent period of volcanism (after 12 Ma).     

Recent developments in the radiation belt environment model

The fluxes of energetic particles in the radiation belts are found to be strongly controlled by the solar wind conditions. In order to understand and predict the radiation particle intensities, we have developed a physics-based Radiation Belt Environment (RBE) model that considers the influences from the solar wind, ring current and plasmasphere. Recently, an improved calculation of wave-particle interactions has been incorporated. In particular, the model now includes cross diffusion in energy and pitch-angle. We find that the exclusion of cross diffusion could cause significant overestimation of electron flux enhancement during storm recovery. The RBE model is also connected to MHD fields so that the response of the radiation belts to fast variations in the global magnetosphere can be studied. We are able to reproduce the rapid flux increase during a substorm dipolarization on 4 September 2008. The timing is much shorter than the time scale of wave associated acceleration.     

Hydrogen isotopes in volcanic plumes: Tracers for remote temperature sensing of fumaroles

In high-temperature volcanic fumaroles (>400 °C), the isotopic composition of molecular hydrogen (H₂) reaches equilibrium with that of the fumarolic H₂O. In this study, we used this hydrogen isotope exchange equilibrium of fumarolic H₂ as a tracer for the remote temperature at volcanic fumaroles. In this remote sensing, we deduced the hydrogen isotopic composition (δD value) of fumarolic H₂ from those in the volcanic plume. To ascertain that we can estimate the δD value of fumarolic H₂ from those in a volcanic plume, we estimated the values in three fumaroles with outlet temperatures of 630 °C (Tarumae), 203 °C (Kuju), and 107 °C (E-san). For this we measured the concentration and δD value of H₂ in each volcanic plume, along with those determined directly at each fumarole. The average and maximum mixing ratios of fumarolic H₂ within a plume’s total H₂ were 97% and 99% (at Tarumae), 89% and 96% (at Kuju), and 97% and 99% (at E-san). We found a linear relationship between the depletion in the δD values of H₂, with the reciprocal of H₂ concentration. Furthermore, the estimated end-member δD value for each H₂-enriched component (−260 ± 30‰ vs. VSMOW in Tarumae, −509 ± 23‰ in Kuju, and −437 ± 14‰ in E-san) coincided well with those observed at each fumarole (−247.0 ± 0.6‰ in Tarumae, −527.7 ± 10.1‰ in Kuju, and −432.1 ± 2.5‰ in E-san). Moreover, the calculated isotopic temperatures at the fumaroles agreed to within 20 °C with the observed outlet temperature at Tarumae and Kuju. We deduced that the δD value of the fumarolic H₂ was quenched within the volcanic plume. This enabled us to remotely estimate these in the fumarole, and thus the outlet temperature of fumaroles, at least for those having the outlet temperatures more than 400 °C. By applying this methodology to the volcanic plume emitted from the Crater 1 of Mt. Naka-dake (the volcano Aso) where direct measurement on fumaroles was impractical, we estimated that the δD value of the fumarolic H₂ to be −172 ± 16‰ and the outlet temperature to be 868 ± 97 °C. The remote temperature sensing using hydrogen isotopes developed in this study is widely applicable to many volcanic systems.     

Pressure responses of portlandite and H–D isotope effects on pressure-induced phase transitions

The pressure responses of portlandite and the isotope effect on the phase transition were investigated at room temperature from single-crystal Raman and IR spectra and from powder X-ray diffraction using diamond anvil cells under quasi-hydrostatic conditions in a helium pressure-transmitting medium. Phase transformation and subsequent peak broadening (partial amorphization) observed from the Raman and IR spectra of Ca(OH)₂ occurred at lower pressures than those of Ca(OD)₂. In contrast, no isotope effect was found on the volume and axial compressions observed from powder X-ray diffraction patterns. X-ray diffraction lines attributable to the high-pressure phase remained up to 28.5 GPa, suggesting no total amorphization in a helium pressure medium within the examined pressure region. These results suggest that the H–D isotope effect is engendered in the local environment surrounding H(D) atoms. Moreover, the ratio of sample-to-methanol–ethanol pressure medium (i.e., packing density) in the sample chamber had a significant effect on the increase in the half widths of the diffraction lines, even at pressures below the hydrostatic limit of the pressure medium.