The assessment of weathering stages in granites using an EC/pH meter

The sidewall effects of a wind tunnel on aeolian sand transport were investigated experimentally. A wind tunnel was used to conduct the experiments with a given channel height of 120 cm and varying widths (B) of 40, 60, 80, 100 and 120 cm. Both vertical profiles of wind velocity and sand mass flux were measured at different locations across the test section. The results show that the wind velocity with saltation first increases and then decreases to a minimum, from the sidewall to the central line of the wind tunnel. The discrepancy among wind velocities at different locations of the transverse section decreases with decreasing tunnel width. The wind friction velocity across the wind tunnel floor, with the exception of the region closest to the sidewalls, does not deviate strongly in wide wind tunnels from that along the central line, whereas it does vary in narrow tunnels. The sand mass fluxes, with the exception of some near-bed regions, are larger along the central line of the wind tunnel than they are at the quarter width location from the sidewall. Unlikely previously reported results, the dimensionless sand transport rate, Qg / (ρu³) (where Q is the total sand transport rate, g is the gravitational acceleration constant, ρ is the air density, and u is the wind friction velocity), first decreases and then increases with the dimensionless friction velocity, u / u_t (where u_t is the threshold friction velocity). The above differences may be attributed to the sidewall effects of the wind tunnel. A dimensionless parameter, F_B = u / (gB)^1/2, is defined to reflect the sidewall effects on aeolian sand transport. The flows with F_B of 0.33 or less may be free from the sidewall effects of the wind tunnel and can ensure accurate saltation tunnel simulation.     

Evaluation of the structural damage of high‐rise reinforced concrete buildings using ambient vibrations recorded before and after damage

Evaluation of the degrees of structural damage suffered by high‐rise residential buildings after being subjected to strong ground motions is extremely important to the development of life continuity planning for building residents. However, these evaluations cannot be based on strong‐motion records alone, because earthquake observation equipment is not installed in most such buildings in Japan. In this study, we propose simple equations for estimating the stiffness degradation rate and the peak inter‐story drift ratio (PIDR) by using ambient vibration records instead of strong‐motion records when high‐rise RC buildings are subjected to a severe earthquake. More specifically, we propose one equation that relates the square root of the stiffness degradation rate, which is the ratio of natural frequencies at the maximum response to the preliminary tremor response (elastic state), in strong‐motion records with the ratio of natural frequencies identified from ambient vibrations before and after damage was suffered. We also propose an equation that relates the PIDR with the stiffness degradation rate on the basis of the stiffness‐degrading bilinear restoring force characteristic derived from the strong‐motion records of 13 high‐rise buildings for the 1995 Hyogoken‐Nanbu Earthquake (Mw 6.9) and the 2011 Tohoku‐Oki Earthquake (Mw 9.0). Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Holocene Deposits in Saga Plain: Leaching Mechanism and Soil Sensitivity

The Saga Plain in Japan contains a 10–30 m thick Holocene clayey soil deposit with a natural water content generally more than 100% and a liquidity index (I _L ) larger than 1.0. Most of this is a marine deposit known as the Ariake clay formation. Using salinity in the pore water of this deposit as an index, the mechanism of post-depositional salinity leaching from the Ariake clay formation has been investigated. This has been achieved using current measurements of the salinity distribution in the deposit and the groundwater flow velocity in an underlying Pleistocene gravelly sand layer, together with advection–diffusion analyses. It is suggested that diffusion together with possible rainfall percolation and/or upward seepage flow from the Pleistocene gravelly sand layer was the main mechanism causing salinity leaching. Detailed analysis of the test results from four boreholes indicates that for the locations where the activity of the clay minerals was less than 1.25, salinity leaching probably accounts for the observed low undrained shear strength (<0.5 kPa) of remoulded soil samples, high values of the sensitivity (S _t ), and the formation of a quick clay.     

Colonization of Sulfurovum sp. on the gill surfaces of Alvinocaris longirostris, a deep-sea hydrothermal vent shrimp

Deep‐sea hydrothermal vents are unique light‐independent ecosystems that are sustained by chemosynthetic bacteria. For many of the invertebrates inhabiting in such environments, bacteria play essential roles in both energy acquisition and detoxification of potentially toxic gases such as H₂S. In this study, the bacterial flora present on the gills of Alvinocaris longirostris (Bresiliidae: Caridea), a shrimp inhabiting hydrothermal vents (1532 m depth) at the Hatoma Knoll of the Okinawa Trough, was investigated. Bacterial 16S rDNA fragments were successfully amplified from the gills and 70% of these fragments showed an identical pattern in the restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. These fragments were assigned to the ribotype AL‐1. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that AL‐1 forms a monophyletic clade with Sulfurovum spp. (ε‐Proteobacteria). Fluorescence in situ hybridization for AL‐1 and electron microscopy showed the presence of short‐rod bacteria lining up on the cuticular layer of the surface of the gill filaments. These results suggest that bacterial association with gills also occurs in bresiliid shrimps.     

Mechanism of currents through the straits of the Japan Sea: Mean state and seasonal variation

The mechanism governing the mean state and the seasonal variation of the transports through the straits of the Japan Sea is studied using a newly presented, simple analytical model and a basin scale general circulation model (GCM). The GCM reproduces the transports through the straits of the Japan Sea realistically owing to its fine horizontal resolution of about 20 km and realistic topography. A series of experiments conducted by changing surface forcing shows that the annual mean wind-driven circulation in the North Pacific Ocean is most responsible for the formation of the mean transports. It is also found that the seasonal variation of the alongshore component of monsoonal wind stress over the North Pacific basin, especially that over the Okhotsk Sea, is responsible for the seasonal variation of the transports. The simple analytical model can explain these simulated features very well. The physical concept of this model is based on the formation of the around-island circulation through the adjustment of coastally trapped waves and Rossby waves and geostrophic control at the narrow straits. It solves the sea surface heights (SSHs) at the edge of each strait and the transport through it. The value of the line integral of the SSH along the island is determined by the baroclinic Rossby waves approaching the island from the east and the alongshore wind stress around the island. The basin scale seasonal variation of SSH along the coast induced by the variation of the alongshore monsoonal wind stress can also be incorporated into this model by giving the SSH anomaly at the northeastern point of the Soya Strait. Thus, it is suggested that both the mean state and the seasonal variation are caused mainly by wind stress forcing. Minor modification by the seasonal heat flux forcing brings the amplitude and the phase of the seasonal variation closer to the observed values.     

Petrochemistry of Volcanic Rocks in the Hishikari Mining Area of Southern Japan, with Implications for the Relative Contribution of Lower Crust and Mantle-derived Basalt

Abstract. This study presents the petrographical, mineralogical, and geochemical characteristics of Late Pliocene‐Pleistocene volcanic rocks distributed in the Hishikari gold mining area of southern Kyushu, Japan, and discusses their origin and evolution. The Hishikari volcanic rocks (HVR), on the basis of age and chemical compositions, are divided into the Kurosonsan (2.4–1.0 Ma) and Shishimano (1.7–0.5 Ma) Groups, which occur in the northern and southern part of the area, respectively. Each group is composed of three andesites and one rhyodacite. HVR are characterized by high concentrations of incompatible elements compared with other volcanic rocks in southern Kyushu, and have low Sr/Nd and high Th/U, Th/Pb, and U/Pb ratios compared with typical subduction‐related arc volcanic rocks. Modal and whole‐rock compositions of the HVR change systematically with the age of the rocks. Mafic mineral and augite/hypersthene ratios of the andesites decrease with decreasing age in the Kurosonsan Group, whereas in the Shishimano Group, these ratios are higher in the youngest andesite. Similarly, major and trace element compositions of the younger andesites in the former group are enriched in felsic components, whereas in the latter group the youngest andesite is more mafic than older andesites. Moreover, the crystallization temperature of phenocryst minerals decreases with younger age in the former group, whereas the opposite trend is seen in the latter group. Another significant feature is that rhyodacite in the Shishimano Group is enriched in felsic minerals and incompatible elements, and exhibits higher crystallization temperatures of phenocryst minerals than the rhyodacite of the Kurosonsan Group. Geochemical attributes of the HVR and other volcanic rocks in southern Kyushu indicate that a lower subcontinental crust, characterized by so‐called EMI‐type Sr‐Nd and DUPAL anomaly‐like Pb isotopic compositions, is distributed beneath the upper to middle crust of the Shimanto Supergroup. The HVR would be more enriched in felsic materials derived from the lower crust by high‐alumina basaltic magma from the mantle than volcanic rocks in other areas of southern Kyushu. The Kurosonsan Group advanced the degree of the lower crust contribution with decreasing age from 51 %, through 61 and 66 % to 77 %. In the Shishimano Group, the younger rhyodacite and andesite are derived from hotter magmas with smaller amounts of lower crust component (58 and 57 %) than the older two andesites (65 % and 68 %). We suggest that the Shishimano rhyodacite, which is considered to be responsible for gold mineralization, was formed by large degree of fractional crystallization of hot basaltic andesite magma with less lower crustal component.     

Multiple‐indicator study of groundwater flow and chemistry and the impacts of river and paddy water on groundwater in the alluvial fan of the Tedori River,Japan

To investigate the source, flow paths, and chemistry of rich resources of high‐quality, shallow groundwater in the alluvial fan between the Tedori and Sai rivers in central Japan, we analysed stable isotope ratios of H, O, and Sr and concentrations of major dissolved ions and trace elements in groundwater, river water, and paddy water. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of the groundwater are related to near‐surface geology: groundwater in sediment from the Tedori River has high ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (>0.711), whereas that from the Sai River in the north of the fan has low ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (<0.711). δ²H and δ¹⁸O values and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios indicate that groundwater in the central and southern fans is recharged by the Tedori River, whereas recharge in the north is from the Sai River. Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Sr²⁺, HCO₃^?, and SO₄^2? concentrations and δ²H and δ¹⁸O values in the groundwater are high in the central fan and, except for the northern area, tend to increase with distance from the Tedori River. There are linear relationships between ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio and the reciprocal concentrations of Sr²⁺, Mg²⁺, and Ca²⁺. These geochemical characteristics suggest that as groundwater recharged from the Tedori River flows towards the central fan, it mixes with waters derived from precipitation and paddy water that have become enriched in these components during downward infiltration. These results are consistent with our hydrological analysis and numerical simulation of groundwater flow, thus verifying the validity of the model we used in our simulation of groundwater flow. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analysis of narrow spikes in two cosmic gamma-ray bursts

An analysis has been made of the narrow intensity spikes occurring in two cosmic gammaray bursts which were observed with a fast time resolution germanium spectrometer on board the low altitude polar orbiting satellite 1972-076B (Imhofet al., 1974a, 1975; Nakanoet al., 1974a). The bursts on 18 December, 1972 and 21 July, 1973, were also recorded on the Vela satellite system. The durations of three spikes were observed to be 0.06 s with the limits being 0.03 to 0.10 s. Four other narrow spikes were measured to have time width limits between 0.001 and 0.10 s. An additional eight spikes had widths less than 0.9 s. During the spikes, the gamma-ray intensities increased by factors of 2 to 10, with a median value of 3. These and other characteristics of the fast time structure are presented.Paper presented at the COSPAR Symposium on Fast Transients in X- and Gamma-Rays, held at Varna, Bulgaria, 29–31 May, 1975.