Hydraulic properties of and pressure-head dynamics in thick pyroclastic-fall deposits in Atsuma,Northern Japan: implications for the role of water in shallow landslides induced by the 2018 Hokkaido Eastern Iburi Earthquake

Landslides - The 2018 Hokkaido Eastern Iburi Earthquake triggered numerous shallow landslides on slopes covered with thick pyroclastic-fall deposits. The landslides occurred more frequently on...     

Two extraterrestrial dust horizons found in the Dome Fuji ice core,East Antarctica

Two silicate-rich dust layers were found in the Dome Fuji ice core in East Antarctica, at Marine Isotope Stages 12 and 13. Morphologies, textures, and chemical compositions of constituent particles reveal that they are high-temperature melting products and are of extraterrestrial origin. Because similar layers were found ～ 2000 km east of Dome Fuji, at EPICA (European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica)-Dome C, particles must have rained down over a wide area 434 and 481 ka. The strewn fields occurred over an area of at least 3 × 10⁶ km². Chemical compositions of constituent phases and oxygen isotopic composition of olivines suggest that the upper dust layer was produced by a high-temperature interaction between silicate-rich melt and water vapor due to an impact explosion or an aerial burst of a chondritic meteoroid on the inland East Antarctic ice sheet. An estimated total mass of the impactor, on the basis of particle flux and distribution area, is at least 3 × 10⁹ kg. A possible parent material of the lower dust layer is a fragment of friable primitive asteroid or comet. A hypervelocity impact of asteroidal/cometary material on the upper atmosphere and an explosion might have produced aggregates of sub-μm to μm-sized spherules. Total mass of the parent material of the lower layer must exceed 1 × 10⁹ kg. The two extraterrestrial horizons, each a few millimeters in thickness, represent regional or global meteoritic events not identified previously in the Southern Hemisphere.     

Global synchroneity of a positive carbon isotope excursion at the Cenomanian/Turonian boundary: Validation by calcareous microfossil biostratigraphy of the Yezo Group, Hokkaido, Japan

Abstract Isotopic analyses of organic carbon from the mid-Cretaceous sequence in Hokkaido, Japan, revealed a 2‰ positive excursion of δ¹³C values at the biostratigraphically defined Cenomanian/Turonian (C/T) boundary recognized in the Yezo Group. The planktonic foraminiferal Whiteinella archaeocretacea Zone, which is known to bracket the Cenomanian/Turonian boundary elsewhere in the world, was recognized in the Oyubari area of central Hokkaido based on the distribution of commonly occurring planktonic foraminifera. In the Tappu area of northwestern Hokkaido, where diagnostic planktonic foraminifera are rare but calcareous nannoplankton occur commonly, the interval coeval with the W. archaeocretacea Zone can also be established by recognizing the conjoined last appearance levels of Corollithion kennedyi and Axopodorhabdus albianus, both calcareous nannoplankton species. Carbon isotope profiles exhibit a similar pattern with comparable peaks and troughs occurring in the same stratigraphic position in the sequences. A prominent, positive 2‰ shift of δ¹³C values, here called ‘δ¹³C spike’ occurs in the middle of the W. archaeocretacea Zone in the Oyubari area and just above the conjoined last appearances of the two above-mentioned nannoplankton taxa in the Tappu area. The Cenomanian/Turonian boundary can be drawn just above the peak position of the spike in both sections. The Rock Eval analyses and biomarker analyses of organic carbon indicate that organic carbon subjected to our isotope analyses is of terrestrial origin. Therefore, the observed 2%o shift should reflect changes in the isotopic composition of the atmospheric CO₂. A unique layer composed predominantly of sand-grain sized spumellarian Radiolaria is present immediately above the δ¹³C spike both in the Oyubari and Tappu areas, suggesting an increasing availability of both nutrients and silica in surface waters.     

Nutrients,light and phytoplankton production in the shallow,tropical coastal waters of Bandon Bay,Southern Thailand

Phytoplankton primary production and its regulation by light and nutrient availability were investigated in the shallow, tropical coastal waters of Bandon Bay, Southern Thailand. The bay was meso‐eutrophicated and highly turbid, receiving river water discharge. Water column stratification was consistently weak during both rainy and dry seasons. Dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) was higher off the river mouth than in the other regions, suggesting that river water discharge was a main source of DIN. By contrast, dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) showed a significant negative correlation with total water depth, implying that regeneration around the sea floor was an important source of DIP. Surface DIN and DIP showed positive correlations with surface primary production (PP) and water column primary productivity (ΣPP*), respectively. The combined correlation and model analyses indicate that total water depth had an ambivalent influence on water column primary production (ΣPP); shallower water depth induced more active regeneration of nutrients, but it also caused higher turbidity and lower light availability as a result of enhanced resuspension of sediments. Furthermore, there was a vertical constraint for phytoplankton during the rainy season: total water depth tended to be shallower than euphotic zone depth. In conclusion, light limitation and vertical constraint owing to shallow water depth appear to be more important than nutrient limitation for water column primary production in Bandon Bay.     

Preparation of a New Geological Survey of Japan Geochemical Reference Material: Coral JCp-1

A new geochemical reference material, coral Porites sp. JCp-1 has been prepared by the Geological Survey of Japan (GSJ). Provisional values for twenty one major, minor and trace elements are presented. The homogeneity tests showed that all elements studied are considered to be homogeneously distributed.     

Development of partial factor design method on bending strength of piles for Japanese Specifications for Highway Bridges

ABSTRACT

This paper describes the development of a partial factor design method on the bending strength of piles for the Japanese Specifications for Highway Bridges. First, uncertainties in mobilised bending moments and yield bending moments were evaluated by Monte Carlo simulations. Second, the reliability of piles designed by the previous specifications were evaluated on the basis of reliability analysis considering uncertainties in the mobilised bending moments, yield bending moments, and other factors. Finally, a partial factor design method utilising a survey subsurface investigation method and ground type was developed to reach target reliability levels determined by the Standards.     

Numerical analysis on seismic response of Shinkansen bridge-train interaction system under moderate earthquakes

This study is intended to evaluate the influence of dynamic bridge-train interaction (BTI) on the seismic response of the Shinkansen system in Japan under moderate earthquakes. An analytical approach to simulate the seismic response of the BTI system is developed. In this approach, the behavior of the bridge structure is assumed to be within the elastic range under moderate ground motions. A bullet train car model idealized as a sprung-mass system is established. The viaduct is modeled with 3D finite elements. The BTI analysis algorithm is verified by comparing the analytical and experimental results. The seismic analysis is validated through comparison with a general program. Then, the seismic responses of the BTI system are simulated and evaluated. Some useful conclusions are drawn, indicating the importance of a proper consideration of the dynamic BTI in seismic design.     

Scoria cone formation through a violent Strombolian eruption: Irao Volcano, SW Japan

Scoria cones are common volcanic features and are thought to most commonly develop through the deposition of ballistics produced by gentle Strombolian eruptions and the outward sliding of talus. However, some historic scoria cones have been observed to form with phases of more energetic violent Strombolian eruptions (e.g., the 1943–1952 eruption of Parícutin, central Mexico; the 1975 eruption of Tolbachik, Kamchatka), maintaining volcanic plumes several kilometers in height, sometimes simultaneous with active effusive lava flows. Geologic evidence shows that violent Strombolian eruptions during cone formation may be more common than is generally perceived, and therefore it is important to obtain additional insights about such eruptions to better assess volcanic hazards. We studied Irao Volcano, the largest basaltic monogenetic volcano in the Abu Monogenetic Volcano Group, SW Japan. The geologic features of this volcano are consistent with a violent Strombolian eruption, including voluminous ash and fine lapilli beds (on order of 10^?1 km³ DRE) with simultaneous scoria cone formation and lava effusion from the base of the cone. The characteristics of the volcanic products suggest that the rate of magma ascent decreased gradually throughout the eruption and that less explosive Strombolian eruptions increased in frequency during the later stages of activity. During the eruption sequence, the chemical composition of the magma became more differentiated. A new K–Ar age determination for phlogopite crystallized within basalt dates the formation of Irao Volcano at 0.4?±?0.05 Ma.