Paleomagnetism of the Middle–Late Jurassic to Cretaceous red beds from the Peninsular Thailand: Implications for collision tectonics

Jurassic to Cretaceous red sandstones were sampled at 33 sites from the Khlong Min and Lam Thap formations of the Trang Syncline (7.6°N, 99.6°E), the Peninsular Thailand. Rock magnetic experiments generally revealed hematite as a carrier of natural remanent magnetization. Stepwise thermal demagnetization isolates remanent components with unblocking temperatures of 620–690 °C. An easterly deflected declination (D = 31.1°, I = 12.2°, α₉₅ = 13.9°, N = 9, in stratigraphic coordinates) is observed as pre-folding remanent magnetization from North Trang Syncline, whereas westerly deflected declination (D = 342.8°, I = 22.3°, α₉₅ = 12.7°, N = 13 in geographic coordinates) appears in the post-folding remanent magnetization from West Trang Syncline. These observations suggest an occurrence of two opposite tectonic rotations in the Trang area, which as a part of Thai–Malay Peninsula received clockwise rotation after Jurassic together with Shan-Thai and Indochina blocks. Between the Late Cretaceous and Middle Miocene, this area as a part of southern Sundaland Block experienced up to 24.5° ± 11.5° counter-clockwise rotation with respect to South China Block. This post-Cretaceous tectonic rotation in Trang area is considered as a part of large scale counter-clockwise rotation experienced by the southern Sundaland Block (including the Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo and south Sulawesi areas) as a result of Australian Plate collision with southeast Asia. Within the framework of Sundaland Block, the northern boundary of counter-clockwise rotated zone lies between the Trang area and the Khorat Basin.     

Uptake mechanism of anthropogenic CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> in the Kuroshio Extension region in an ocean general circulation model

The uptake mechanism of anthropogenic CO₂ in the Kuroshio Extension is examined by a Lagrangian approach using a biogeochemical model embedded in an ocean general circulation model. It is found that the uptake of anthropogenic CO₂ is caused mainly by the increase of pCO₂ dependency of seawater on temperature, which is caused by greater dissolved inorganic carbon concentration in the modern state than in the pre-industrial state. In contrast with the view of previous studies, the effect of the vertical entrainment, which brings waters that last contacted the atmosphere with the past lower CO₂ concentration, is comparatively small. Winter uptake of anthropogenic CO₂ increases with the rise of the atmospheric CO₂ level, while summer uptake is relatively stable, resulting in a larger seasonal cycle of the uptake. This increase is significant, especially in the Kuroshio Extension region. It is newly suggested that this increase in the Kuroshio Extension region is largely caused by the combined effects of the increased pCO₂ dependency of the sea water on the temperature and the seasonal difference in cooling.     

Influence of the ground profile on the reduction of earthquake motion at the filled man-made islands in the Kobe harbor during the 1995 Hyogoken Nambu earthquake

During the 1995 Hyogoken Nambu earthquake in Kobe, the ground motion at the filled man-made islands in the Kobe harbor was not as severe as that at the mainland. The building damage was also less compared to that on the mainland. It was found by comparative study of earthquake records that the magnitude of acceleration response on the ground surface decreases at the islands as opposed to the mainland. One dimensional effective stress analysis is adopted in this study. Input data has been generated from test results, e.g. the SPT N-value by standard penetration test and shear wave velocity V_s by PS logging. Results obtained by the analyses showed good agreement with the observed records, which is an indication of the suitability of the adopted analysis procedure. From this study, the followings are concluded. By the increase of SPT N-value of the filled layers, liquefaction near ground surface is restrained and damage modes such as ejection of water and soil can be prevented. Since the ground profile at the islands is that considerably soft filled layer and marine clay layers, etc. are present and the thickness of the surface layer is large, the initial natural period of the ground is above 1 s and the natural period is elongated further under the earthquake excitation, which is deemed to be the principal reason for the reduction of the earthquake motion at the ground surface.     

Radiolaria‐dated Lower Permian clastic‐rock sequence in the Fukuji area of the Hida‐gaien terrane,central Japan,and its inter‐terrane correlation across Southwest Japan

The stratigraphy and radiolarian age of the Mizuyagadani Formation in the Fukuji area of the Hida‐gaien terrane, central Japan, represent those of Lower Permian clastic‐rock sequences of the Paleozoic non‐accretionary‐wedge terranes of Southwest Japan that formed in island arc–forearc/back‐arc basin settings. The Mizuyagadani Formation consists of calcareous clastic rocks, felsic tuff, tuffaceous sandstone, tuffaceous mudstone, sandstone, mudstone, conglomerate, and lenticular limestone. Two distinctive radiolarian faunas that are newly reported from the Lower Member correspond to the zonal faunas of the Pseudoalbaillella u‐forma morphotype I assemblage zone to the Pseudoalbaillella lomentaria range zone (Asselian to Sakmarian) and the Albaillella sinuata range zone (Kungurian). In spite of a previous interpretation that the Mizuyagadani Formation is of late Middle Permian age, it consists of Asselian to Kungurian tuffaceous clastic strata in its lower part and is conformably overlain by the Middle Permian Sorayama Formation. An inter‐terrane correlation of the Mizuyagadani Formation with Lower Permian tuffaceous clastic strata in the Kurosegawa terrane and the Nagato tectonic zone of Southwest Japan indicates the presence of an extensive Early Permian magmatic arc(s) that involved almost all of the Paleozoic non‐accretionary‐wedge terranes in Japan. These new biostratigraphic data provide the key to understanding the original relationships among highly disrupted Paleozoic terranes in Japan and northeast Asia.     

Middle Permian radiolarians from Anmenkou, Chaohu, Northeastern Yangtze platform, China

The biostratigraphy of the Middle Permian Gufeng Formation in the northeastern Yangtze platform is examined based on radiolarians. This study is concentrated on the Anmenkou section in the Chaohu area of Anhui Province, China. The Gufeng Formation is divided into the Phosphate Nodule-bearing Mudstone Member (PNMM) and the Siliceous Rock Member (SRM) in ascending order. The former primarily consists of mudstone including abundant phosphate nodules, and the latter consists mainly of alternating beds of chert, siliceous mudstone and mudstone, with intercalations of porous chert. Ammonoids in the mudstone of the lower PNMM are Wordian. Chert, siliceous mudstone and mudstone of the SRM include abundant radiolarians with sponge spicule assemblages suggestive of the Wordian–Capitanian. Albaillellaria are predominant in the lower SRM, while Entactinaria and Spumellaria are predominant in the middle and upper SRM. These radiolarians correspond to three radiolarian assemblage zones: Pseudoalbaillella longtanensis – Pseudoalbaillella fusiformis , Follicucullus monacanthus , and Follicucullus scholasticus – Ruzhencevispongus uralicus . The assemblage of radiolarians and sponge spicule fauna suggests a depositional depth of 150–500 m. The radiolarian fauna of the Gufeng Formation is considered to be representative of the relatively shallow, tropical radiolarian fauna of the Middle Permian eastern Paleotethys.     

Geochemical Characteristics,Origin, and Evolution of Ore‐Forming Fluids of the Khut Copper Skarn Deposit,West of Yazd in Central Iran

The Khut copper skarn deposit is located at about 50 km northwest of Taft City in Yazd province in the middle part of the Urumieh‐Dokhtar magmatic arc. Intrusion of granitoid of Oligocene–Miocene age into carbonate rocks of the Triassic Nayband Formation led to the formation of marble and a calcic skarn. The marble contains high grade Cu mineralization that occurs mainly as open space filling and replacement. Cu‐rich sulfide samples from the mineralized marble are also anomalous in Au, Zn, and Pb. In contrast, the calcic skarn is only weakly anomalous in Cu and W. The calcic skarn is divided into garnet skarn and garnet–pyroxene skarn zones. Paragenetic relationships and microthermometric data from fluid inclusions in garnet and calcite indicate that the compositional evolution of skarn minerals occurred in three main stages as follows. (i) The early prograde stage, which is characterized by Mg‐rich hedenbergite (Hd_53.7Di_42.3–Hd_86.1Di_9.5) with Al‐bearing andradite (69.8–99.5 mol% andradite). The temperature in the early prograde skarn varies from 400 to 500°C at 500 bar. (ii) The late prograde stage is manifested by almost pure andradite (96.2–98.4 mol% andradite). Based on the fluid inclusion data from garnet, fluid temperature and salinity in this stage is estimated to vary from 267 to 361°C and from 10.1 to 21.1 wt% NaCl equivalent, respectively. Pyrrhotite precipitation started during this stage. (iii) The retrograde stage occurs in an exoskarn, which consists of an assemblage of ferro‐actinolite, quartz, calcite, epidote, chlorite, sphalerite, pyrite, and chalcopyrite that partially replaces earlier mineral assemblages under hydrostatic conditions during fracturing of the early skarn. Fluids in calcite yielded lower temperatures (T < 260°C) and fluid salinity declined to ～8 wt% NaCl equivalent. The last stage mineralization in the deposit is supergene weathering/alteration represented by the formation of iron hydroxide, Cu‐carbonate, clay minerals, and calcite. Sulfur isotope data of chalcopyrite (δ³⁴S of +1.4 to +5.2‰) show an igneous sulfur source. Mineralogy and mineral compositions of the prograde assemblage of the Khut skarn are consistent with deposition under intermediately oxidized and slightly lower fS₂ conditions at shallow crustal levels compared with those of other typical Fe‐bearing Cu–Au skarn systems.     

Projected climate change scenario over California by a regional ocean–atmosphere coupled model system

This study examines a future climate change scenario over California in a 10-km coupled regional downscaling system of the Regional Spectral Model for the atmosphere and the Regional Ocean Modeling System for the ocean forced by the global Community Climate System Model version 3.0 (CCSM3). In summer, the coupled and uncoupled downscaled experiments capture the warming trend of surface air temperature, consistent with the driving CCSM3 forcing. However, the surface warming change along the California coast is weaker in the coupled downscaled experiment than it is in the uncoupled downscaling. Atmospheric cooling due to upwelling along the coast commonly appears in both the present and future climates, but the effect of upwelling is not fully compensated for by the projected large-scale warming in the coupled downscaling experiment. The projected change of extreme warm events is quite different between the coupled and uncoupled downscaling experiments, with the former projecting a more moderate change. The projected future change in precipitation is not significantly different between coupled and uncoupled downscaling. Both the coupled and uncoupled downscaling integrations predict increased onshore sea breeze change in summer daytime and reduced offshore land breeze change in summer nighttime along the coast from the Bay area to Point Conception. Compared to the simulation of present climate, the coupled and uncoupled downscaling experiments predict 17.5 % and 27.5 % fewer Catalina eddy hours in future climate respectively.     

2500年来艾比湖的环境演变信息

通过对艾比湖缘1，8m浅孔的沉积相和孢粉组合，结合14C测年资料分析。指出近2500年来艾比湖的沉积环境总体是比较稳定的，但由于气候波动引起艾比湖水位曾发生较明显的变化。约在公元前300～400年，是艾比湖面积缩小时期；约公元前300—公元300年，即东周末至西晋，是艾比湖水位较高时期；约公元300—1400年，即东晋至15世纪初，是艾比湖的高水位时期；约15世纪初至17世纪中是艾比湖的水位下降期，但水位比现代仍然高；约17世纪中至19世纪初的小冰期是艾比湖的水位上升期。研究还提供了历史时期湖泊的盐度变化和湖周发生大火的信息。     

Phase transition in Ca-poor clinopyroxenes

High(C2/c)-low(P2₁/c) phase transition in clinoenstatite and pigeonite was successfully observed in situ at high temperatures for the first time under a transmission electron microscope. The phase transition was revealed to possess the characteristics of a first-order transition, due to the coexistence of both phases separated by the sharp interfaces and the nucleation-growth process. The diffusionless and time-independent reaction suggests that the transition occurs athermal-martensitically. Furthermore, the small or even negative thermal hysteresis and the interface motion suggest that the transition is not a typical type but a thermoelastic type of the martensitic transformation. This type of the transformation, studied extensively in metallurgy in relation to shape memory effect, is first recognized in rock-forming minerals.