Brownish discoloration of the summit crater lake of Mt. Shinmoe-dake,Kirishima Volcano,Japan: volcanic–microbial coupled origin

A drastic change in lake water color from blue-green to brown was observed in the summit crater lake of Mt. Shinmoe-dake, Kirishima Volcano about 8 months after its 2008 eruption. The color change lasted for about 2 months (April–June 2009). The discoloration was attributed to a brownish color suspension that had formed in the lake water. X-ray fluorescence and Fourier transform infrared analyses of a sample of the suspension identified schwertmannite (Fe₈O₈(OH)₆(SO₄)). A cultivation test of iron-oxidizing bacteria for the sampled lake water with lakebed sediment revealed that the crater lake hosts iron-oxidizing bacteria, which likely participated in schwertmannite formation. We suggest that pyrite (FeS₂) provided an energy source for the iron-oxidizing bacteria since the mineral was identified in hydrothermally altered tephra ejected by the August 2008 eruption. From consideration of these and other factors, the brownish discoloration of the summit crater lake of Mt. Shinmoe-dake was inferred to have resulted from a combined volcanic–microbial process.     

Source Scaling of Inland Crustal Earthquake Sequences in Japan Using the S-Wave Coda Spectral Ratio Method

We estimate corner frequencies and stress drops for 298 events ranging from M _w 3.2–7.0 in 17 inland crustal earthquake sequences in Japan to investigate the source scaling and variation in stress drops. We obtain the source spectral ratio from observed records by the S-wave coda spectral ratio method. The advantage of using the S-wave coda is in obtaining much more stable source spectral ratios than using direct S-waves. We carefully examine the common shape of the decay of coda envelopes between event pair records. The corner frequency and stress drop are estimated by modeling the observed source spectral ratio with the omega-square source spectral model. We investigate the dependences of stress drops on some tectonic effects such as regionality, focal mechanism, and source depth. The principal findings are as follows: (1) a break in self-similar source scaling is found in our dataset. Events larger than M _w 4.5 show larger stress drops than those of smaller events. (2) Stress drops of aftershocks are mostly smaller than those of mainshocks in each sequence. (3) There are no systematic differences between stress drops of events occurring inside and outside the Niigata-Kobe Tectonic Zone in Japan. (4) Clear dependence of the faulting type on stress drops cannot be seen. (5) Stress drops of aftershocks depend on their source depth. (6) The crack size obtained from the corner frequency corresponds to the total rupture area of heterogeneous slip models for large events.     

Climatic physical snowpack properties for large-scale modeling examined by observations and a physical model

Here we have conducted an integral study using site observations and a model with detailed snow dynamics, to examine the capability of the model for deriving a simple relationship between the density and thermal conductivity of the snowpack within different climatic zones used in large-scale climate modeling. Snow and meteorological observations were conducted at multiple sites in different climatic regions (two in Interior Alaska, two in Japan). A series of thermal conductivity measurements in snow pit observations done in Alaska provided useful information for constructing the relationship. The one-dimensional snow dynamics model, SNOWPACK, simulated the evolution of the snowpack and compared observations between all sites. Overall, model simulations tended to underestimate the density and overestimate the thermal conductivity, and failed to foster the relationship evident in the observations from the current and previous research. The causes for the deficiency were analyzed and discussed, regarding a low density of the new snow layer and a slow compaction rate. Our working relationships were compared to the equations derived by previous investigators. Discrepancy from the regression for the melting season observations in Alaska was found in common.     

A Study Of The Atmospheric Boundary Layer Using Radon And Air Pollutants As Tracers

Concentrations of radon ²²²Rn andair pollutants, meteorological parametersnear the surface and vertical profiles of meteorological elements were measured atUchio (Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture, Japan) 12 km north from the coast ofthe Inland Sea of Japan. In the nighttime, the ²²²Rn concentration increased in the case of weak winds, but did not increase as much in the case of moderate or strong winds, as had been expected. In the daytime, the ²²²Rn concentrationheld at a slightly higher than average level for the period from sunrise to about 1100 JST. It is considered that this phenomenon is due to a period of morning calm, that is, a transition period from land breeze to sea breeze.NO, which is sensitive to traffic volume,brought information concerning advection.Oxidant concentrations,which reflect the availability of sunlight,acted in the reverse manner to ²²²Rnconcentrations. Thus, a set of ²²²Rn and air pollutants could provide useful information regarding the local conditions of the atmospheric boundary layer.     

Organochlorine and butyltin residues in deep-sea organisms collected from the western North Pacific,off-Tohoku,Japan

Organochlorine (OCs) and butyltin (BTs) residues were determined in deep-sea organisms collected from the western North Pacific, off-Tohoku, Japan. Among OCs, concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and DDTs (DDTs and its metabolites) were the highest in deep-sea organisms (maximum concentrations of 6700 and 13,000 ng/g lipid wt, respectively). Chlordane compounds (CHLs) were the next most abundant OCs, and hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) were the lowest. BTs were also detected at maximum concentrations of 570 ng/g wet wt. Concentrations of PCBs, CHLs and BTs in deep-sea organisms collected from the western North Pacific, off-Tohoku, were generally lower than those in deep-sea and shallow water organisms from Japanese coastal waters. On the other hand, considerable variations in the concentrations of OCs were found among deep-sea organisms analyzed. Several carnivorous fishes such as snubnosed eel, lanternshark and grenadiers accumulated some OCs such as PCBs, DDTs and CHLs at high concentrations of up to a few μg/g levels. In addition, the residue pattern of OCs and BTs in fishes showed a specific trend according to the sampling depth; higher concentrations of PCBs, DDTs and CHLs and lower concentrations of HCHs, HCB and BTs were found in fishes collected from greater depth (1000 m) compared to those from shallower waters. This trend is consistent with the results of our earlier study on mesopelagic myctophid fishes. Results of this study suggest vertical transport of hydrophobic OCs such as PCBs, DDTs and CHLs and its accumulation in benthic deep-sea organisms.     

Late Paleozoic faults of the Altai region, Central Asia: tectonic pattern and model of formation

The present kinematic and dynamic analysis of large-scale strike-slip faults, which enabled the formation of a collage of Altai terranes as a result of two collisional events. The Late Devonian–Early Carboniferous collision of the Gondwana-derived Altai-Mongolian terrane and the Siberian continent resulted in the formation of the Charysh–Terekta system of dextral strike-slip faults and later the Kurai and Kuznetsk–Teletsk–Bashkauss sinistral strike-slip faults. The Late Carboniferous–Permian collision of the Siberian and Kazakhstan continents resulted in the formation of the Chara, Irtysh and North-East sinistral strike-slip zones. The age of deformation of both collisional events becomes younger toward the inner areas of the Siberian continent. In the same direction the amount of displacement of strike-slip faulting decreases from several thousand to several hundred kilometers. The width of the Late Paleozoic zone of deformation reaches 1500 km. These events deformed the accretion-collision continental margins and their primary paleogeographic pattern.     

Experimental Study of Sulfur Solubility in Silicate Melts Coexisting with Graphite as a Function of Silicate Melt Composition

Abstract. Sulfur (S) solubility is determined in silicate melts, in particular with low-FeO content coexisting with graphite. In a high FeO range (>10 mol %), the S solubility is strongly dependent on the FeO content in silicate melt, which is in good agreement with previous works. In an intermediate FeO range (1∼10 mol %), the S solubility in melts with a multi-component system is higher than that in melts with a simple system. The SKα shift of the electron microprobe shows the dissolve sulfur is all sulfide. A positive dependence is observed between CaO and S content in the melt undoped with FeO, but the dissolved sulfur is sulfate. The relationship between melt composition, S content, and S oxidation state is discussed.     

Energy dissipation behaviour of shear panels made of low yield steel

This paper presents the results of a pilot test conducted for evaluating the energy dissipation behaviour of shear panels made of low yield steel whose 0.2 per cent offset yield stress is 120 MPa. A total of six full-scale shear panels were tested with the loading condition, stiffener spacing, and magnitude of axial force as test variables. The shear panels tested yielded at a shear force that is approximately 1/3 of the yield shear force of equivalent shear panels made of common mild steel. Shear panels with proper stiffener arrangement exhibited stable hysteresis, thus ensuring large energy dissipation capacity. Sufficient strain hardening was observed in the shear panels tested, with their energy dissipation capacity about 1.5 times larger than that of an equivalent linear-elastic and perfect-plastic system. Plate buckling did not lead the shear panels to immediate degradation in their energy dissipation capacity. Post-buckling resistance was found to be a subject that requires further studies for quantifying the performance of shear panels made of low yield stress steel as hysteretic dampers.     

Electrical conductivity measurement of gneiss under mid- to lower crustal P–T conditions

We conducted electrical conductivity measurements perpendicular and parallel to mineral foliation in dry gneiss at up to 1000 K and a constant pressure of 1 GPa. The analyzed gneisses were obtained from the Higo metamorphic belt, Kyushu, Japan. As the metamorphic conditions of these rocks have been well determined by previous studies, we were able to select samples that were representative of the middle to lower crust. Prior to the conductivity measurements, the samples were maintained at the maximum temperature for a long period, until the electrical conductivity had stabilized. Our experiment results reveal linear and reproducible conductivity data between temperatures of 600 and 1000 K. Conductivity measured perpendicular and parallel to foliation differ by an order of magnitude over the same temperature window. A plausible explanation for this discrepancy in conductivity is the contrasting configuration of minerals in the two sample orientations, as observed by backscattered electron image (BEI) and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). We evaluated the conductivity and computed activation energy for each of the samples and compared the results with those of previous studies; our results are consistent with the conductivity values reported for other types of rocks. We also compared the experiment results with data derived from electromagnetic (EM) soundings. Electrical conductivity measurements undertaken perpendicular to foliation can account for the subsurface conductivity structure beneath central Kyushu, Japan.     

Detailed Observation of Spatial Abundance of Clam Larva Ruditapes philippinarum in Tokyo Bay, Central Japan

The spatial distribution of the larval abundance of the clam Ruditapes philippinarum has been investigated at 65 stations throughout Tokyo Bay on August 2, 2001. The large number of small D-shaped larvae that were found shortly after hatching in the waters around the Banzu, Futtu, and Sanmaizu-Haneda areas indicates that spawning populations in these areas probably contribute greatly to the larval supply in the bay. Small larvae also occurred abundantly around the Yokohama and Ichihara port areas, suggesting that these port regions play a role in the transport of larvae into Tokyo Bay. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.