Radio imaging of the Subaru/XMM–Newton Deep Field – I. The 100-μJy catalogue, optical identifications, and the nature of the faint radio source population

We describe deep radio imaging at 1.4 GHz of the 1.3-deg² Subaru/ XMM–Newton Deep Field (SXDF), made with the Very Large Array in B and C configurations. We present a radio map of the entire field, and a catalogue of 505 sources covering 0.8 deg² to a peak flux density limit of 100 μJy. Robust optical identifications are provided for 90 per cent of the sources, and suggested identifications are presented for all but 14 (of which seven are optically blank, and seven are close to bright contaminating objects). We show that the optical properties of the radio sources do not change with flux density, suggesting that active galactic nuclei (AGN) continue to contribute significantly at faint flux densities. We test this assertion by cross-correlating our radio catalogue with the X-ray source catalogue and conclude that radio-quiet AGN become a significant population at flux densities below 300 μJy, and may dominate the population responsible for the flattening of the radio source counts if a significant fraction of them are Compton-thick.     

ScS wave splitting of deep earthquakes around Japan

ScS wave splitting of five deep earthquakes in subduction zones near Japan is investigated using horizontal seismograms recorded al JMA stations. For each earthquake, we clearly observe uniform ScS wave splitting in all stations over Japan, especially for the events located south of Honshu in 1982, 1984 and 1993. However, the directions of fast-polarized waves of these events differed by a maximum of about 50° from one another. The orientation of fast-polarized waves in the 1982 event was NNW-SSE; those in the two later events WNW-ESE. We also recognize this discrepancy in the results of the analysis of the 1971 Sea of Okhotsk event reported by Fukao (1984). The Sakhalin Islands event in 1990 reveals a linear particle motion without such a change in direction of the second arrivals, implying no anisotropy. These observations are interpreted as indicating an anisotropic region within the slab near the earthquake sources but not beneath the receivers, since the orientations of fast-polarized waves recorded at each station are not common to all the earthquakes. Furthermore, we consider that anisotropy exists non-uniformly within the slab. The event in 1982, which occurred in almost the same area as those in 1984 and 1993, showed a fast direction different from the events in 1984 and 1993. The 1982 event was 179 km deep, but the two later events were at 398 km and 360 km, respectively. The fast direction observed from the 1982 event is parallel to the fossil plate motion, whereas those from the events in 1984 and 1993 are parallel to the compression axis within the subducting slab. The depth of 400 km is a phase boundary, where olivine changes to β spinel. We consider that the most likely cause of the change in anisotropy direction is the re-orientation of crystals associated with the phase change of olivine to β spinel due to subduction of the slab.     

Carbon isotope stratigraphy of Torinosu‐type limestone in the western Paleo‐Pacific and its implication to paleoceanography in the Late Jurassic and earliest Cretaceous

Carbon isotope stratigraphy of the Late Jurassic and earliest Cretaceous was revealed from Torinosu‐type limestone, which was deposited in a shallow‐marine setting in the western Paleo‐Pacific, in Japan. Two sections were examined; the Nakanosawa section of the late Kimmeridgian to early Tithonian age (Fukushima Prefecture, Northeast Japan), and the Furuichi section of the late Kimmeridgian to early Berriasian age (Ehime Prefecture, Southwest Japan). The age‐model was established using Sr isotope ratio and fossil occurrence. The limestone samples have a low Mn/Sr ratio (mostly <0.5) and lack a distinct correlation between δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O, indicating a low degree of diagenetic alteration. Our composite δ¹³C profile from the two limestone sections shows three stratigraphic correlation points that can be correlated with the profiles of relevant ages from the Alpine Tethyan region: a large‐amplitude fluctuation (the lower upper Kimmeridgian, ～152 Ma), a positive anomaly (above the Kimmeridgian/Tithonian boundary, ～150 Ma), and a negative anomaly (the upper lower Tithonian, ～148 Ma). In addition, we found that δ¹³C values of the Torinosu‐type limestone are ～1‰ lower than the Tethyan values in the late Kimmeridgian. This inter‐regional difference in δ¹³C values is likely to have resulted from a higher productivity and/or an organic burial in the Tethyan region. The difference gradually reduces and disappears in the late Tithonian, where the Tethyan and our δ¹³C records show similar stable values of 1.5–2.0‰. This isotopic homogenization is probably due to changes in the continental distribution and the global ocean circulation, which propagated the ¹³C‐depleted signature from the larger Paleo‐Pacific to the smaller Tethys Ocean during this time.     

Petrological variation of large-volume felsic magmas from Hakkoda-Towada caldera cluster: Implications for the origin of high-K felsic magmas in the Northeast Japan Arc

Abstract The Hakkoda‐Towada caldera cluster (HTCC) is a typical Late Cenozoic caldera cluster located in the northern part of the Northeast Japan Arc. The HTCC consists of five caldera volcanoes, active between 3.5 Ma and present time. The felsic magmas can be classified into high‐K (HK‐) type and medium‐ to low‐K (MLK‐) type based on their whole‐rock chemistry. The HK‐type magmas are characterized by higher K₂O and Rb contents and higher ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios than MLK‐type magmas. Both magmas cannot be derived from fractional crystallization of any basaltic magma in the HTCC. Assimilation‐fractional crystallization model calculations show that crustal assimilation is necessary for producing the felsic magmas, and HK‐type magmas are produced by higher degree of crustal assimilation with fractional crystallization than MLK‐type magmas. Although MLK‐type magmas were erupted throughout HTCC activity, HK‐type magmas were erupted only during the initial stage. The temporal variations of magma types suggest the large contribution of crustal components in the initial stage. A major volcanic hiatus of 3 my before the HTCC activity suggests a relatively cold crust in the initial stage. The cold crust probably promoted crustal assimilation and fractional crystallization, and caused the initial generation of HK‐type magmas. Subsequently, the repeated supply of mantle‐derived magmas raised temperature in the crust and formed relatively stable magma pathways. Such a later system produced MLK‐type magmas with lesser crustal components. The MLK‐type magmas are common and HK‐type magmas are exceptional during the Pliocene–Quaternary volcanism in the Northeast Japan Arc. This fact suggests that exceptional conditions are necessary for the production of HK‐type magmas. A relatively cold crust caused by a long volcanic hiatus (several million years) is considered as one of the probable conditions. Intensive crustal assimilation and fractional crystallization promoted by the cold crust may be necessary for the generation of highly evolved HK‐type felsic magmas.     

Factors controlling diurnal variation in the isotopic composition of atmospheric water vapour observed in the taiga,eastern Siberia

Deciduous forest covers vast areas of permafrost under severe dry climate in eastern Siberia. Understanding the water cycle in this forest ecosystem is quite important for climate projection. In this study, diurnal variations in isotopic compositions of atmospheric water vapour were observed in eastern Siberia with isotope analyses of precipitation, sap water of larch trees, soil water, and water in surface organic layer during the late summer periods of 2006, 2007, and 2008. In these years, the soil moisture content was considerably high due to unusually large amounts of summer rainfall and winter snowfall. The observed sap water δ¹⁸O ranged from ?17.9‰ to ?13.3‰, which was close to that of summer precipitation and soil water in the shallow layer, and represents that of transpired water vapour. On sunny days, as the air temperature and mixing ratio rose from predawn to morning, the atmospheric water vapour δ¹⁸O increased by 1‰ to 5‰ and then decreased by about 2‰ from morning to afternoon with the mixing ratio. On cloudy days, by contrast, the afternoon decrease in δ¹⁸O and the mixing ratio was not observed. These results show that water vapour that transpired from plants, with higher δ¹⁸O than the atmospheric water vapour, contributes to the increase in δ¹⁸O in the morning, whereas water vapour in the free atmosphere, with lower δ¹⁸O, contributes to the decrease in the afternoon on sunny days. The observed results reveal the significance of transpired water vapour, with relatively high δ¹⁸O, in the water cycle on a short diurnal time scale and confirm the importance of the recycling of precipitation through transpiration in continental forest environments such as the eastern Siberian taiga. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A new mineralogical approach for CO3 chondrite characterization by X-ray diffraction: Identification of primordial phases and thermal history

Using the in-plane rotation of polished thin section, the X-ray diffraction patterns exhibiting a high degree of randomness similar to powder pattern were obtained for 10 CO3 chondrites, which distinguished 130 reflections of olivine in the chondrules from that in the matrix, and showed systematic differences among subtypes based on the full width at half maximum intensity of two olivine 130 peaks. A lower petrologic subtype is characterized by sharp and strong peaks for forsteritic olivines in type I chondrules and by a weak and broad peak for ferroan matrices, and the higher petrologic subtypes are characterized by sharp and strong peaks for recrystallized matrices and a weakened or absent peak of magnesian olivines. The systematic change in the split peak of olivine 130 was linked with the mean diffusion length of Mg-Fe in olivine phenocrysts in type I chondrules. Fe-Ni diffusion in metals was considered to estimate the peak temperature of CO3.0, near the surface on the parent body. The peak metamorphic temperatures were estimated to be ~600–910 K using the onion-shell model when the cooling time was 10⁶–10⁸ yr on the parent body. A weak peak for ferroan olivine of CO3.0 suggests the amorphous silicate in matrices. The modal abundance of the amorphous Fe-silicate for subtype 3.0 (15% for Allan Hills [ALH] 77307 and 9% for Yamato [Y]-81020) was also evaluated from the deviation in trend of the relative peak ratios of the Fe-rich (≥Fa₂₅) and Mg-rich (<Fa₂₅) olivines for subtypes. The existence of martensites was suggested for ALH 77307. Amorphous silicate in matrices is a more resistant primordial component that produced the CO3 chondrites than martensite.     

Zircon U–Pb ages and Sr–Nd isotope ratios for the Sirstan granitoid body,NE Iraq: Evidence of magmatic activity in the Middle Cretaceous Period

The Sirstan granitoid (SG), comprising diorite and granodiorite, is located in the Shalair Valley area, in the northeastern part of Iraq within the Sanandaj–Sirjan Zone (SSZ) of the Zagros Orogenic Belt. The U–Pb zircon dating of the SG rocks has revealed a concordia age of 110 Ma, which is interpreted as the age of crystallization of this granitoid body during the Middle Cretaceous. The whole-rock Rb–Sr isochron data shows an age of 52.4 ± 9.4 Ma (MSWD = 1.7), which implies the reactivation of the granitoid body in the Early Eocene due to the collision between the Arabian and Iranian plates. These rocks show metaluminous affinity with low values of Nb, Ta and Ti compared to chondrite, suggesting the generation of these rocks over the subduction zone in an active continental margin regime. The SG rocks are hornblende-bearing I-type granitoids with microgranular mafic enclaves. The positive values of ?_Nd (t = 110 Ma) (+0.1 to +2.7) and the low (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i ratios (0.7044 to 0.7057) indicate that the magma source of the SG granitoids is a depleted subcontinental mantle. The chemical and isotope compositions show that the SG body originated from the metasomatic mantle without a major role for continental contamination. Our findings show that the granitoid bodies distributed in the SSZ were derived from the continuous Neo-Tethys subduction beneath the SSZ in Mesozoic times and that the SSZ was an active margin in the Middle Cretaceous.     

Vibrations of corner point supported shallow shells of rectangular planform

The first known solution of the title problem is presented. The Ritz method is used, with algebraic polynomials forming the set of trial functions. The condition that all three components of displacement be zero at the four corners is straightforwardly enforced. Numerical studies show that the convergence is relatively slow, requiring more terms than for shells which are completely free. The class of problems studied includes independent, constant curvature in each of the directions parallel to the edges, yielding vibration modes which fall into one of four symmetry classes, with symmetry or antisymmetry of the displacements existing with respect to each of the two symmetry axes of the problem. Detailed results are given for the frequencies and mode shapes of the first two modes of each symmetry class for shells having square planform and circular cylindrical, spherical and hyperbolic paraboloidal curvatures. Accuracy of the results is partially established by comparison with other previously published, accurate results for the corner supported flat square plate.     

Assessment of turbulence closure models for resonant inertial response in the oceanic mixed layer using a large eddy simulation model

Large eddy simulation (LES) of the resonant inertial response of the upper ocean to strong wind forcing is carried out; the results are used to evaluate the performance of each of the two second-order turbulence closure models presented by Mellor and Yamada (Rev Geophys Space Phys 20:851–875, 1982) (MY) and by Nakanishi and Niino (J Meteorol Soc Jpn 87:895–912, 2009) (NN). The major difference between MY and NN is in the formulation of the stability functions and the turbulent length scale, both strongly linked with turbulent fluxes; in particular, the turbulent length scale in NN, unlike that in MY, is allowed to decrease with increasing density stratification. We find that MY underestimates and NN overestimates the development of mixed layer features, for example, the strong entrainment at the base of the oceanic mixed layer and the accompanying decrease of sea surface temperature. Considering that the stability functions in NN perform better than those in MY in reproducing the vertical structure of turbulent heat flux, we slightly modify NN to find that the discrepancy between LES and NN can be reduced by more strongly restricting the turbulent length scale with increasing density stratification.     

Talnakhite Associated with Andradite Skarn at Fuka, Okayama Prefecture, Japan

Abstract. Talnakhite occurs in an andradite skarn forming adjacent to a leucocratic quartz monzonite dike intruded into limestone at Fuka. The mineral densely contains exsolution lamellae of chalcopyrite, and the talnakhite-chalcopyrite inter-growth is intimately associated with bornite that contains chalcopyrite as a lattice-form exsolution. The chemical composition of the talnakhite acquired on an electron probe microanalyzer corresponds to Cu_9.00Fe_8.08S_15.92, very close to the ideal chemical formula Cu₉Fe₈S₁₆. Nickel is not detected. The X-ray powder diffraction lines are well indexed on a body-centered cubic cell with a = 10.589 Å. The characteristic (110) reflection of talnakhite is clearly observed at 7.49 Å. The present talnakhite retains the chalcopyrite-like colored polished surface without tarnish in air more than a month.
Talnakhite at Fuka is likely to be derived from breakdown of Cu-rich intermediate solid solution ( iss ), which was in equilibrium with Fe-rich bornite at elevated temperatures. Talnakhite thus formed has survived the subsequent cooling processes, probably because the ƒ_s2 was maintained in suitable levels preventing its decomposition into bornite and chalcopyrite.