Evolution of the composition of seawater through geologic time, and its influence on the evolution of life

The redox state of the surface environment of the early Earth is still controversial, and a detailed and quantitative estimate is still lacking. We carried out in-situ analyses of major, trace, and rare-earth elements of carbonate minerals in rocks with primary sedimentary structures in shallow and deep sea-deposits, in order to eliminate secondary carbonate and contamination of detrital materials, and to estimate the redox condition of seawater through time. Based on the Ce content and anomalies of the carbonate minerals at given parameters of atmospheric CO₂ content (pCO₂) and Ca content of seawater, we calculated the oxygen contents of shallow and deep seawater, respectively. The results show that the oxygen content of the deep sea was low and constant until at least 1.9 Ga. The oxygen content of shallow seawater increased after 2.7 Ga, but fluctuated. It became quite high at 2.5 and 2.3 Ga, but eventually increased after the Phanerozoic. In addition, the calculation of a high pCO₂ condition shows that seawater was more oxic even in the Archean than at present, suggesting a relatively low pCO₂ through geologic time.Our detailed calculations from compositions of carbonate minerals in Three Gorge area, south China show a low oxygen content of seawater after the Snowball Earth until the late Ediacaran, an increase in the late Ediacaran, and a significant decrease around the Precambrian–Cambrian and Nemakit/Daldynian–Tommotian boundaries. These variations were possibly caused by global regression and dissolution of methane hydrates.     

Source distribution of acoustic emissions during an in-situ direct shear test: Implications for an analog model of seismogenic faulting in an inhomogeneous rock mass

We monitored acoustic emission (AE) events during an in-situ direct shear test on a specimen composed of a slate-dominant alternation of slate and sandstone, measuring 0.5 m long, 0.5 m wide and 0.2 m high. The test was conducted in a survey tunnel for an underground powerhouse in central Japan. The AE epicenters located on a fractured plane are compared with the locations of joints and a loosening seam, the height distribution of the fractured plane, and the horizontal movement of the test block prior to failure. We conclude that an initially intact region of rock bounded by the joints and the seam is fractured, generating the AE. Considering these results in connection with asperity models of seismogenic faulting for a subduction-zone earthquake, the significant contrast of stress conditions derived from the geological inhomogeneity and the uneven fractured plane is analogous to that due to subducted seamounts and horst-graben structures on a subducted oceanic plate. For an inland earthquake, the intact regions on an expected shear plane can be considered to be a portion of the fault asperity that causes strong ground motion, while the weakened portion can be considered to correspond to a region of aseismic creep. Consequently, large-scale inhomogeneous rock fracturing experiments such as the in-situ direct shear test may provide useful insights as analog models of seismogenic faulting. Furthermore, understanding of inhomogeneous rock-mass fracturing obtained from such experiments will not only contribute to a better understanding of the mechanism of earthquakes but also provide valuable knowledge for AE monitoring applications in rock engineering, such as the predictions of rockbursts in mines and the monitoring of fractures around large underground chambers.     

Geochronological review of Sambagawa metamorphic belt in Southwest Japan

Based on almost all available published age data, the protolith ages, peak metamorphic ages and cooling rate of the Sambagawa metamorphic belt have been discussed and the latest constraints on the ages of the Sambagawa metamorphism and subduction-related accretionary evolutions were summarized. Peak metamorphic conditions attained within the Kuma nappe complex at ca. 145-185 Ma, and uplift through ca. 500℃at ca. 150 Ma and 350-400癈 at ca. 110 -115 Ma. The protolith sediments of the Besshi nappe complex were accumulated and subsequently progressively subducted and suffered high P-T prograde metamorphism during the Kuma nappe complex uplifting. The Besshi nappe complex arrived maximum metamorphic conditions at ca. 110- 120 Ma and subsequently started rapid uplift with the cooling rate of ca. 14.2℃/Ma at ca. 75 -85 Ma, followed with the cooling rate of ca. 6.0-8.9℃/Ma. The Oboke nappe complex started subduction later than other tectonic units and arrived the peak metamorphic conditions at ca. 75 Ma, which followed by the uplift with a cooling rate of ca. 8℃/Ma.     

Volatilization properties of gasoline components in soils

Understanding the volatilization properties of gasoline components in soils is of fundamental importance in the field of geoenvironments. A series of experiments were performed to investigate the effects of temperature, soil water content, soil organic matter content, as well as mean particle size on volatilization rate of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) and the paraffin (n-paraffin and isoparaffin), olefin, naphthene, and aromatic (PONA) components in four typical Japanese soils. The results of this study can be summarized as follows. (1) Volatilization rate of gasoline in a soil is concentration-dependent; extensive volatilization occurs above a certain threshold, while volatilization becomes very slow below this threshold. (2) Compared to other factors, temperature and soil organic matter content have greater effects on volatilization rate of gasoline in soils. The volatilization rate is proportional to temperature, but inversely related to soil organic matter content. (3) The characteristics of time-dependent decreases of TPH and PONA components in soils are similar. The volatilization rate of olefin is higher than those of other components. In addition, volatilization of olefin is also more sensitive to temperature as well as organic matter content.     

Ion microprobe U‐Th‐Pb dating of phosphates in martian meteorite ALH 84001

Abstract— Phosphates in martian meteorites are important carriers of trace elements, although, they are volumetrically minor minerals. PO₄ also has potential as a biomarker for life on Mars. Here, we report measurements of the U‐Th‐Pb systematics of phosphates in the martian meteorite ALH 84001 using the Sensitive High Resolution Ion MicroProbe (SHRIMP) installed at Hiroshima University, Japan. Eleven analyses of whitlockites and 1 analysis of apatite resulted in a total Pb/U isochron age of 4018 ± 81 Ma in the ²³⁸U/²⁰⁶Pb‐²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb‐²⁰⁴Pb/²⁰⁶ Pb 3‐D space, and a ²³²Th‐²⁰⁸Pb age of 3971 ± 860 Ma. These ages are consistent within a 95% confidence limit. This result is in agreement with the previously published Ar‐Ar shock age of 4.0 ± 0.1 Ga from maskelynite and other results of 3.8–4.3 Ga but are significantly different from the Sm‐Nd age of 4.50 ± 0.13 Ga based on the whole rock and pyroxene. Taking into account recent studies on textural and chemical evidence of phosphate, our result suggests that the shock metamorphic event defines the phosphate formation age of 4018 ± 81 Ma, and that since then, ALH 84001 has not experienced a long duration thermal metamorphism, which would reset the U‐Pb system in phosphates.     

Development of regional simulation of seismic ground‐motion and induced liquefaction enhanced by GPU computing

Much research has been conducted for physics‐based ground‐motion simulation to reproduce seismic response of soil and structures precisely and to mitigate damages caused by earthquakes. We aimed at enabling physics‐based ground‐motion simulations of complex three‐dimensional (3D) models with multiple materials, such as a digital twin (high‐fidelity 3D model of the physical world that is constructed in cyberspace). To perform one case of such simulation requires high computational cost and it is necessary to perform a number of simulations for the estimation of parameters or consideration of the uncertainty of underground soil structure data. To overcome this problem, we proposed a fast simulation method using graphics processing unit computing that enables a simulation with small computational resources. We developed a finite‐element‐based method for large‐scale 3D seismic response analysis with small programming effort and high maintainability by using OpenACC, a directive‐based parallel programming model. A lower precision variable format was introduced to achieve further speeding up of the simulation. For an example usage of the developed method, we applied the developed method to soil liquefaction analysis and conducted two sets of simulations that compared the effect of countermeasures against soil liquefaction: grid‐form ground improvement to strengthen the earthquake resistance of existing houses and replacement of liquefiable backfill soil of river wharves for seismic reinforcement of the wharf structure. The developed method accelerates the simulation and enables us to quantitatively estimate the effect of countermeasures using the high‐fidelity 3D soil‐structure models on a small cluster of computers.     

Financial risk management for energy service project under the Tokyo emission trading system

Recently, energy service providers (ESP) have increased due to deregulation in the power market. They install energy supply equipment at their own cost and supply the necessary energy to the client. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government started Asia’s first cap-and-trade program in April 2010. This program caps energy-related carbon dioxide emissions from some 1,330 offices and factories in Tokyo. Then, ESPs have to manage the many risks of energy service project directly linked to the profits. In this paper, we describes the risk analysis and investment optimization for energy service projects using financial engineering.     

Using ISS telescopes for electromagnetic follow-up of gravitational wave detections of NS-NS and NS-BH mergers

The International Space Station offers a unique platform for rapid and inexpensive deployment of space telescopes. A scientific opportunity of great potential later this decade is the use of telescopes for the electromagnetic follow-up of ground-based gravitational wave detections of neutron star and black hole mergers. We describe this possibility for OpTIIX, an ISS technology demonstration of a 1.5 m diffraction limited optical telescope assembled in space, and ISS-Lobster, a wide-field imaging X-ray telescope now under study as a potential NASA mission. Both telescopes will be mounted on pointing platforms, allowing rapid positioning to the source of a gravitational wave event. Electromagnetic follow-up rates of several per year appear likely, offering a wealth of complementary science on the mergers of black holes and neutron stars.