Excitation processes of infrared atmospheric emissions

Excitation rates of the infrared emissions which are likely to occur in the mesosphere and thermosphere are quantitatively evaluated. They include the 9.6 μm band of O₃, the 15 and 4.3 μm bands of CO₂ and the 5.3 and 2.8 μm bands of NO. These emissions may be excited through nonthermal processes such as chemiluminescent reactions and resonant fluorescence in the thermosphere, whereas they are of thermal origin in the stratosphere and mesosphere. Increase of the non-thermal excitation rate caused by precipitating electrons could be responsible for the enhancement of the 4.3 μm band of CO₂, and the 5.3 and 2.8 μm bands of NO observed in the auroral thermosphere.     

Frequency dependent power fluctuations: a feature of the ESR system or physical?

The k-dependence of the Reviced power in high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) conditions, occurring for naturally enhanced ion-acoustic lines (NEIALs) and for real satellites, is investigated by using the EISCAT Svalbard Radar (ESR), where the data are recorded in eight separate channels using different frequencies. For the real satellites we find large variations of the relative powers from event to event, which is probably due to a different number of pulses catching the satellite over the integration period. However, the large power difference remains unexpected in one case. Over short time scale (10 s) the relative power difference seems to be highly stable. For most NEIAL events the differences between channels are within noise level. In a few cases variations of the relative power well above both the estimated and expected 1-sigma level occur over a signal preintegrated profile. We thus suggest that the frequency dependence of the power in NEIAL events has its origin in the scattering medium itself as the most plausible explanation.     

Factors Controlling the Fractionation and Seasonal Mobility Variations of Ga and In in Systems Impacted by Acidic Thermal Waters: Effects of Thermodynamics and Bacterial Activity

This work assessed both the fractionation and the seasonal mobility variations of Ga and In in systems impacted by acidic thermal waters. This was accomplished by performing thermodynamic calculations using the PHREEQC algorithm and by assessing the activity of acidophilic iron-oxidizing bacteria. The pH of the Kusatsu thermal waters in Gunma Prefecture, central Japan, is rapidly increased following the addition of a lime suspension. After an abrupt pH increase, under which conditions free ions of Ga and In and their complexes with Cl^? and SO₄^2? exist only in negligible quantities, the majority of dissolved Ga and In is removed by sorption onto suspended hydrous ferric oxides (HFOs). These HFOs are then transported to an artificial lake without significant sedimentation along the river. Subsequently, the suspended HFOs settle out and are added to sediments without significant fractionation between Ga and In. The Tamagawa thermal waters in Akita Prefecture, northeast Japan, are also treated with lime. However, complete neutralization requires mixing with some tributary streams, leading to a gradual downstream increase in pH. Dissolved Ga is, in general, sorbed by HFOs in upstream areas, leading to wide dispersal of Ga across the entire watershed. In comparison, In is transported to the lake inlet predominantly as a Cl^? complex species without significant removal along the river, with the majority being precipitated in an artificial lake, where Cl^? concentrations are too low to form stable complex species with In, and thus, dissolved In is sorbed by HFOs. As a result, In is effectively concentrated within downstream lakebed sediments, whereas Ga is dispersed along the river. Seasonal variations in Ga mobility within the Tamagawa field between snowmelt and low-flow seasons are primarily controlled by pH, because hydrolysis reactions of these metals, which are related to sorption reactions, tend to occur in the upstream regions in the snowmelt season. However, under warmer conditions, HFO formation preferably occurs due to the activity of acidophilic iron-oxidizing bacteria. Thus, under similar pH variations, dissolved Ga is more effectively removed by HFOs during warmer seasons. On the contrary, because HFOs are abundantly formed in low-flow season, even under colder conditions, before In hydrolysis reaction starts to occur, In mobility is less affected by water temperature and then bacterial activity.     

Sr–Nd isotopic systematics and geochemistry of intermediate plutonic rocks from Ikoma Mountains, Southwest Japan: evidence for a sequence of Mesozoic magmatic activity in the Ryoke Belt

Abstract The Ryoke Belt in the Ikoma Mountains, Nara Prefecture, Japan, is composed mainly of various granitic, intermediate and gabbroic rocks. Igneous activity in this area is divided into two periods, early–middle Jurassic and late Cretaceous, based on isotopic dating. The intermediate plutonic rocks in the Fukihata area are composed of two rock types: Kyuanji quartz diorite and Fukihata tonalite. Rb–Sr whole-rock isochron ages have been determined for both plutonic rocks. Their ages and initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios are as follows: the Kyuanji quartz diorite has an age of 161.0 ± 17.9 Ma with an initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of 0.70727 ± 0.00007, while the Fukihata tonalite has an age of 121.4 ± 24.6 Ma with an initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of 0.70753 ± 0.00020. Our chronological results indicate that the Kyuanji quartz diorite belongs to the Jurassic mafic rocks, such as the Ikoma gabbroic mass, while the Fukihata tonalite belongs to the early Cretaceous granitic rocks. Both these intermediate plutonic rocks have different chemical characteristics and were derived from different magmas.     

Rb–Sr isochron ages of the Cretaceous granitoids in the Ryoke belt, Kinki district, Southwest Japan

Abstract Granitoids are widely distributed in the Ryoke belt and have been divided into four main igneous stages based on their field setting. In this paper, we present Rb–Sr isochron ages for the younger Ryoke granitoids (second stage to fourth stage) in the Kinki district. The Yagyu granite (second stage) gave a Rb–Sr whole‐rock isochron age of 74.6 ± 10.9 Ma with an initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of 0.70938 ± 0.00016, and a Rb–Sr mineral isochron age of 71.8 ± 0.1 Ma. The Narukawa granite (second stage) yielded a Rb–Sr mineral isochron age of 79.5 ± 0.4 Ma. A Rb–Sr whole‐rock isochron age of 78.3 ± 3.0 Ma with an initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of 0.70764 ± 0.00014 was obtained for the Takijiri adamellite (third stage). The Katsuragi quartzdiorite (fourth stage) gave a Rb–Sr whole‐rock isochron age of 85.1 ± 18.3 Ma (initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of 0.70728 ± 0.00006), and mineral isochron ages of 76.9 ± 0.5 Ma and 74.8 ± 0.5 Ma. The Minamikawachi granite (fourth stage) gave a Rb–Sr whole‐rock isochron age of 72.8 ± 2.0 Ma with an initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of 0.70891 ± 0.00021. These age data indicate that the igneous activity in younger Ryoke granitoids of Kinki district occurred between 80 and 70 Ma, except for the Katsuragi quartz diorite. The isotopic data on the various igneous stages in Kinki district correspond with the relative timing from field observations. Based on the initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios, the granitoids of the Ryoke belt in Kinki district are spatially divided into two groups. One is granitoids with initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of 0.707–0.708, distributed in the southern part of the Ryoke belt. The other is granitoids with initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of 0.708–0.710 distributed in the northern part of the Ryoke belt. The initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of granitoids increase with decreasing (becoming younger) Rb–Sr whole‐rock isochron ages.     

Sr–Nd isotope ratios of gabbroic and dioritic rocks in a Cretaceous-Paleogene granite terrain, Southwest Japan

Abstract Whole‐rock chemical and Sr and Nd isotope data are presented for gabbroic and dioritic rocks from a Cretaceous‐Paleogene granitic terrain in Southwest Japan. Age data indicate that they were emplaced in the late Cretaceous during the early stages of a voluminous intermediate‐felsic magmatic episode in Southwest Japan. Although these gabbroic and dioritic rocks have similar major and trace element chemistry, they show regional variations in terms of initial Sr and Nd isotope ratios. Samples from the South Zone have high initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.7063–0.7076) and low initial Nd isotope ratios (?_Nd, ?2.5 to ?5.3); whereas those from the North Zone have lower initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (usually less than 0.7060) and higher Nd isotope ratios (?_Nd, ?0.8 to + 3.3). Regional variations in Sr and Nd isotope ratios are similar to those observed in granitic rocks, although gabbroic and dioritic rocks tend to have slightly lower Sr and higher Nd isotope ratios than granitic rocks in the respective zones. Limited variations in Sr and Nd isotope ratios among samples from individual zones may be attributed partly to a combination of upper crustal contamination and heterogeneity of the magma source. Contamination of magmas by upper crustal material cannot, however, explain the observed Sr and Nd isotope variations between samples from the North and South Zones. Between‐zone variations would reflect geochemical difference in magma sources. The gabbroic and dioritic rocks are enriched in large ion lithophile elements (LILE) and depleted in high field strength elements (HFSE), showing similar normal‐type mid‐ocean ridge basalt (N‐MORB) normalized patterns to arc magmas. Geochronological and isotopic data may suggest that some gabbroic and dioritic rocks are genetically related to high magnesian andesite. Alternatively, mantle‐derived mafic or intermediate rocks which were underplated beneath the crust may be also plausible sources for gabbroic and dioritic rocks. The magma sources (the mantle wedge and lower crust) were isotopically more enriched beneath the South Zone than the North Zone during the Cretaceous‐Paleogene. Sr and Nd isotope ratios of the lower crustal source of the granitic rocks was isotopically affected by mantle‐derived magmas, resulting in similar initial Sr and Nd isotope ratios for gabbroic, dioritic and granitic rocks in each zone.