The detectability of shallow slow earthquakes by the Dense Oceanfloor Network system for Earthquakes and Tsunamis (DONET) in Tonankai district,Japan

In order to understand the characteristics of shallow very low-frequency (VLF) events as revealed by recent ocean-floor observation studies, we perform a trial simulation of earthquake cycles in the Tonankai district by taking the characteristics of the 1944 Tonankai earthquake and assuming that slow earthquakes occur on numerous small asperities. Our simulation results show that the increase of moment release rate of shallower VLF events in the pre-seismic stage of a megathrust earthquake is higher than that of deeper VLF events. This increase may make leveling change due to VLF swarms detectable at Dense Oceanfloor Network system for Earthquakes and Tsunamis (DONET). We also introduce the time series of hydraulic pressure data at DONET, comparing with the leveling change expected from our numerical simulation. Since leveling change due to shallower VLF swarms is so local as to be incoherent, removal of the moving-averaged data from the data stacked by four nearby observation points in the same node may be useful to detect the short-term local leveling change.     

Trends in the near-zero range of the minimum air-temperature distribution

This study estimated the trends in the number of days that fall within the near-zero (0?°C) range of the temperature continuum. This narrow range has importance for potential transportation hazards and freeze-thaw cycles. While the tails of the air-temperature distribution and their trends often are closely examined under the climate change context, the frequency and trend of other portions of the air-temperature distribution can be equally important, as many societal impacts are caused by events in the non-tail region, such as near-zero °C temperatures (NZT). Examining the trend of the number of NZT days over the conterminous USA for the period of 1948–1949 through 2010–2011, we found three distinct spatial clusters. The most distinctive spatial clusters are found along the West Coast (positive temperature trends leading to a decrease in NZT days), the High Plains and Northern Rockies (positive temperature trends leading to an increase in NZT days), and the southeastern USA (negative temperature trends leading to an increase in NZT days). While trends in the number of NZT days are linked to changes in mean minimum air temperature, increasing minimum temperature leads to a positive trend at NZT days only at some locations.     

Reconnaissance report on landslide disasters in northeast Japan following the M 9 T��hoku earthquake

An earthquake of M_w 9.0 struck the Pacific coast in northeast Japan on March 11, 2011 and was followed by a hugely damaging tsunami along 500 km of the Japanese coastline. An inland aftershock of M. 7.0 occurred on April 11; during which, surface fault ruptures appeared on land. A large variety of landslide disasters resulted from these earthquakes in various parts of northeastern Honshu, Japan. The full extent of the landslides is still being determined. This brief report introduces some of the landslide phenomena so far investigated by the Japanese Landslide Society. These are (1) failure of a water reservoir embankment dam in Sukagawa, Fukushima prefecture, (2) landslides and surface seismic fault rupture from the April 11 aftershock in Iwaki, Fukushima, (3) a concentration of surface failures at Matsushima Bay in Miyagi prefecture, and (4) small landslides on modified slopes in residential areas around Sendai city.     

Non-local memory effects of the electromotive force by fluid motion with helicity and two-dimensional periodicity

In mean-field dynamo theory, the electromotive force term 〈u′ × B′〉 due to small-scale fields connects the small-scale magnetic field with the large-scale field. This term is usually approximated as the α-effect, assumed to be instantaneous in time and local in space. However, the approximation is valid only when the magnetic Reynolds number Rm is much less than unity, and is inappropriate when Rm ? 1, which is the condition satisfied in the Earth's core or solar convection zone. We introduce a function φ _qr as a non-local and non-instantaneous generalization of the usual α-effect and examine its behaviour as a function of Rm in the range 1/64 ≤ Rm ≤ 10 for a kinematic dynamo model. We use the flow of G.O. Roberts 1972 Roberts, GO. 1972. Dynamo action of fluid motions with two-dimensional periodicity. Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. London Ser. A, 271: 411–454. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] (Phil, Trans. Roy. Soc. London Ser. A, 1972, 271, 411–454), which is steady and has non-zero helicities and two-dimensional periodicity. As a result, we identify three regions in Rm space according to the behaviour of the function φ _qr : (i) Rm ? 1/4, where the function φ _qr is local and instantaneous and can be approximated by the traditional α and β effects, (ii) 1/4 ? Rm ? 4, where the deviation from the traditional α and β effects increases and non-localness and non-instantaneousness increase, and (iii) Rm ? 4, where boundary layers develop fully and non-localness and non-instantaneousness are prominent. We show that the non-local memory effect for Rm ? 4 strongly affects the dynamo action and explains an observed augmentation of the growth rate in the dispersion relation. The results imply that the non-local memory effect of the electromotive force should be important in the geodynamo or the solar dynamo.     

Comprehensive numerical analysis of fault‐structure systems – Computation of the large‐scale seismic structural response to a given earthquake scenario –

The seismic structural response is affected by temporal and spatial variations in strong ground motion. It can be evaluated through the fault‐structure system: the fault mechanism, wave propagation through the crust, amplification near the surface, and soil‐structure interaction. To analyze this system at high resolution and accuracy, we previously proposed a new multiscale analysis method and numerically verified its validity. However, the problem of the extremely large computation cost of constructing a three‐dimensional numerical model and solving the discretized governing equations still remains. Here, we introduce a new method to resolve these difficulties. By combining this new method with our multiscale analysis, we developed a tool for fault‐structure system analysis. The accuracy of this tool is verified by comparing it to a Green's function solution. Finally, we demonstrate the potential utility of the method by estimating the seismic response of a large and complex underground highway junction in a given earthquake scenario. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Asymptotic giant branch stars in the Phoenix dwarf galaxy

JHK _s near-infrared photometry of stars in the Phoenix dwarf galaxy is presented and discussed. Combining these data with the optical photometry of Massey et al. allows a rather clean separation of field stars from Phoenix members. The discovery of a Mira variable ( P = 425 d), which is almost certainly a carbon star, leads to an estimate of the distance modulus of 23.10 ± 0.18 that is consistent with other estimates and indicates the existence of a significant population of age ∼2 Gyr. The two carbon stars of Da Costa have   M _bol=−3.8  and are consistent with belonging to a population of similar age; some other possible members of such a population are identified. A Da Costa non-carbon star is  Δ K _s∼ 0.3  mag brighter than these two carbon stars. It may be an asymptotic giant branch star of the dominant old population. The nature of other stars lying close to it in the   K _s, ( J − K _s)  diagram needs studying.     

Geochemical and hydrological controls on biannual lamination of tufa deposits

Fluvial tufa deposits in southwest Japan commonly develop biannual lamination consisting of dense summer layers and porous winter layers, and the clearness of the laminae varies among the sites. The laminae have been largely attributed to a seasonally variable inorganic precipitation rate of calcite. This rate-controlled hypothesis was examined by using quantitative data for calcite packing-density (CPD) and the precipitation rate of calcite (PWP rate) calculated from water chemistry. The results for four tufa-depositing sites in SW Japan show that a positive correlation between CPD and PWP rate becomes less certain with increasing PWP rate. In the temperature realm of SW Japan, tufas develop regular distinct seasonal change in CPD when deposited in water containing Ca values less than 65 mg/l, which results in a relatively low precipitation rate. The CPD of tufa deposits rarely exceeds 65%, owing to pore space between fine-grained calcite crystals and to porosity derived from decomposed cyanobacteria and other microorganisms. By increasing the Ca content to more than 65 mg/l, the CPD often attains an upper limit and becomes insensitive to seasonal changes in the PWP rate. Therefore, seasonal variations in CPD at sites with a higher Ca content are unclear, as seen in two examples from tropical islands in southern Japan and in one locality in a temperate climate. The flow rate and microbial density on the tufa surface are subordinate factors with respect to the CPD. Seasonal changes in these two factors often enhance the porous/dense contrast of biannual lamination in SW Japan.     

Influence of interaction between small asperities on various types of slow earthquakes in a 3-D simulation for a subduction plate boundary

Recently, the occurrence of slow earthquakes such as low-frequency earthquakes and very low-frequency earthquakes have been recognized at depths of about 30 km in southwest Japan and Cascadia. These slow earthquakes occur sometimes in isolation and sometimes break into chain-reaction, producing tremor that migrates at a speed of about 5–15 km/day and suggesting a strong interaction among nearby small asperities. In this study, we formulate a 3-D subduction plate boundary model with two types of small asperities chained along the trench at the depth of 30 km. Our simulation succeeds in representing various types of slow earthquakes including low-frequency earthquakes and rapid slip velocity in the same asperity, and indicates that interaction between asperities may cause the very low-frequency earthquakes. Our simulation also shows chain reaction along trench with propagation speed that can be made consistent with observations by adjusting model parameters, which suggests that the interactions also explain the observed migration of slow earthquakes.