Propagators and ridge jumps in a back‐arc basin,the West Philippine Basin

We explore the tectono‐magmatic processes in the western West Philippine Basin, Philippine Sea Plate, using bathymetric data acquired in 2003 and 2004. The northwestern part of the basin formed through a series of northwestward propagating rifts. We identify at least five sequences of propagating rifts, probably triggered by mantle flow away from the mantle thermal anomaly that is responsible for the origin of the Benham and Urdenata plateaus. Gravitational forces caused by along‐axis topographic gradient and a ～30° ridge reorientation appear to also be driving the rift propagations. The along‐axis mantle flow appears to be reduced and deflected along the Luzon‐Okinawa fracture zone, because the spreading system remained stable west of this major fault zone. North‐east of the Benham plateau, a left‐lateral fracture zone has turned into a NE–SW‐trending spreading axis. As a result, a microplate developed at the triple junction.     

The high-pressure phase relation of the MgSO4-H2O system and its implication for the internal structure of Ganymede

We have determined the phase relation of the MgSO₄-H₂O binary system using an externally heated diamond anvil cell in the compositional range of 0-30 wt.% MgSO₄, and under temperature and pressure conditions from 298 to 500 K and up to 4.5 GPa. Using our experimental results, we were able to estimate the composition of the ice mantle of the large icy satellites of Jupiter, such as Ganymede.In our experiments, we identified the following phases in the MgSO₄-H₂O system up to 4 GPa at 298 K: Ices VI and VII, magnesium heptahydrate, MgSO₄·7H₂O, and a liquid phase. The present phase relations suggest that there may be a deep internal ocean down to a depth about 800 km in the interior of Ganymede.     

Application of underwater optical data to estimation of primary productivity

We conducted time-series observations of optical fields near the base of the euphotic zone (approximately 40 m) using moored automatic optical sensors at a time-series station in the Western Pacific Subarctic Gyre from March 2005 to July 2006 (with some gaps). We used the ratio of photosynthetically available radiation at the surface (surface PAR) to in situ quantum irradiance (in situ QI) at about 40 m as an index of opacity (surface PAR/in situ QI), which began to increase in the middle of April and peaked between the end of June and the middle of July 2005. This ratio then decreased toward winter. The ratio increased again beginning in January 2006, and large peaks were observed in June and July 2006. As an index of chlorophyll abundance we used the ratio of spectral irradiance at wavelengths of 555 and 443 nm (Ed₅₅₅/Ed₄₄₃) at about 40 m; seasonal variability of this ratio synchronized well with the attenuation coefficient “k” estimated with surface PAR, in situ QI, and BLOOMS depth. We estimated primary productivity (PP) using Ed₅₅₅/Ed₄₄₃ and an empirical equation based on a previous model but improved on the basis of shipboard observations. Estimated PP agreed well with observed PP. Seasonal variability of estimated PP was synchronized with that of organic carbon flux observed by sediment traps from approximately 150, 540, 1000, and 5000 m. This study demonstrates that time-series observations of in situ optical fields could contribute to the estimation of primary productivity and the study of the biological pump in the ocean.     

YOHKOH/WBS Recalibration and a Comprehensive Catalogue of Solar Flares Observed by YOHKOH SXT, HXT and WBS Instruments

The flare catalogue of the Yohkoh mission is compiled and linked to this article as an electronic supplement. For showing flare characteristics over wide energy range concisely, we provide the images of Hard X-ray Telescope (HXT) and the Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT), and the spectra of Hard X-ray Spectrometer (HXS) and Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (GRS) with the Wide Band Spectrometer (WBS) time profiles. The energy versus pulse height (PH) data channels in HXS and GRS are re-calibrated by using the data of the whole mission period. Secular gain changes are recognized in HXS, and the characteristics of power-law flare spectra simultaneously observed by HXT and HXS confirms the trend. The GRS gains are different for the flare observations during the previous maximum and for the current maximum. The total of 33 γ -ray events are observed, and for 12 of them γ-ray flare spectra are obtained. Electronic supplementary material to this article is available at and is accessible for authorized users.     

Sylvite and halite on particles recovered from 25143 Itokawa: A preliminary report

We observed cross sectional ultra‐thin sections near the surface of 12 particles recovered from the S‐type asteroid Itokawa by the Hayabusa spacecraft in 2010, using spherical aberration–corrected STEM and conventional TEM. Although their mineralogy is almost identical to the equilibrated LL chondrites and therefore basically anhydrous, micrometer‐to‐submicrometer‐sized sylvite was identified on the surface of Itokawa particle RA‐QD02‐0034. Separately, micrometer‐sized halite was also identified on the surface of Itokawa particle RA‐QD02‐0129. Detailed inspection of the sample processing procedures at the JAXA's Planetary Materials Sample Curation Facility and textural observation of the sylvite and halite indicate that they were clearly present on two Itokawa particles before they were removed from Clean Chamber #2 at JAXA. However, there is no direct evidence for their extraterrestrial origin at present. If the sylvite and halite are extraterrestrial, their presence suggests that they may be more abundant on the surface of S‐type asteroids than previously thought.     

Miocene provenance change in Himalayan foreland basin and Bengal Fan sediments,with special reference to detrital garnet chemistry

Bengal Fan Miocene sediments were collected during International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 354 and investigated using petrographic and detrital garnet chemistry analyses. The Miocene Siwalik Group, which is composed of sediments deposited in the Himalayan foreland basin, was also analyzed for comparison with the Bengal Fan data for the provenance change during the Miocene. Our petrographic analyses revealed that the Miocene sediments of the Bengal Fan and Siwalik Group consist predominantly of Higher Himalayan Crystalline (HHC)-derived detritus such as chloritoid, staurolite, sillimanite, and/or kyanite, which appear among the accessory minerals. The chemistry of the detrital garnet varies across the stratigraphy; most of the garnet is rich in almandine and poor in spessartine and pyrope. However, pyrope-rich garnet, which is considered to originate from the HHC core (granulite facies), was found in the lower to upper Miocene deposits. The deposition of HHC-derived detrital garnet began before the Middle Miocene (15 Ma) and before the Late Miocene (10–9 Ma) in the Siwalik Group. The Bengal Fan data, by contrast, indicated that pyrope-rich garnet appeared in the Early Miocene (17.3 Ma) and Late Miocene (8.5–6.5 Ma). We conclude that the Bengal Fan sediments record the erosion of the HHC zone since the Early Miocene that appears in the Siwalik sediments. Furthermore, we found that the HHC-derived inputs decreased from the late Middle Miocene (12 Ma) to the early Middle Miocene (10 Ma) in both the Nepal Himalaya foreland basin and the Bengal Fan. The disappearance of the HHC-derived detritus is probably the result of dilution by Lesser Himalayan detritus, which suggests that the Lesser Himalayan zone, which is composed of metamorphosed and unmetamorphosed sedimentary rocks, was uplifted.     

Fine-scale chemostratigraphy of cross-sectioned hydrogenous ferromanganese nodules from the western North Pacific

A broad area densely covered by ferromanganese nodules was recently discovered around Minamitorishima (Marcus) Island, representing a high-potential metal resource, particularly for Co, Ni, Mo, and W. We studied 16 nodule samples from nodule fields around Minamitorishima Island. To define the fine-scale chemostratigraphy of the nodules, polished cross-sections of the samples were analyzed by microfocus X-ray fluorescence. Our results show that a general pattern of compositional variation was common throughout the growth history of the nodules in all the regions we studied. Chemical mapping clarified changes in the chemical signature and proportion of five lithological components throughout the growth history: Mn represented columnar δ-MnO₂; Fe represented layered amorphous FeOOH*xH₂O; Ti represented TiO₂*2H₂O intergrown with an amorphous FeOOH phase; P, Ca and Y represented particles of biogenic calcium phosphate; and Si, Al, K, Cu, and Ni represented pelagic sediment infills. We proposed a method for a creating a multi-dimensional compositional map of the fine-scale chemostratigraphy observed in the ferromanganese oxide layers on the basis of merging the mapped Mn, Fe, Ti, P, Si and Cu intensities. Multi-dimensional compositional mapping of the sampled nodules from the western North Pacific revealed two fundamental findings: (1) previously recognized first-order Fe–Mn layers, L0, L1, and L2, were further divided into two, three, and four sublayers, respectively, and (2) a delayed supply of material to be nuclei of nodule or a growth hiatus of Fe–Mn layer(s), leading to missing sublayers in the layers L0 and L2, regulated the nodule size. In contrast, layer L1, which does not have any missing sublayers, was commonly observed in the samples for this study and has been reported in studies of other regions in the western Pacific. We propose, therefore, that the layer L1 is a key facies for examining chemostratigraphic correlations with other areas of seafloor.     

He,Ne and Ar in peridotitic and eclogitic paragenesis diamonds from the Jwaneng kimberlite,Botswana—Implications for mantle evolution and diamond formation ages

We have undertaken helium, neon and argon step-heating, isotopic analyses of eleven polycrystalline diamonds of known peridotite/eclogite paragenesis from the Jwaneng kimberlite pipe, Botswana. In contrast to the findings of crustal noble gases in framesites from the same kimberlite pipe (Honda et al., 2004. Unusual noble gas compositions in polycrystalline diamonds: preliminary results from the Jwaneng kimberlite, Botswana. Chem. Geol. 203, 347–358.), the Jwaneng polycrystalline diamonds appear to contain similar noble gas isotopic compositions (particularly Ne) to those representing a mantle source for MORBs. This implies that the Jwaneng polycrystalline diamonds may have formed in recent times, possibly close to the time of kimberlite emplacement at ~ 235 Ma. In contrast, Jwaneng framesites could be as old as gem diamonds (mineral inclusion ages of ~ 2.9 Ga). Furthermore, the data indicate that the sub-continental mantle lithosphere in the region has heterogeneous Ne isotopic compositions, or that these compositions changed over time from crustal Ne (as observed in the framesites) to MORB-like (as observed in the polycrystalline diamonds).     

Regional climatic effects according to different estimations of biogenic volatile organic compounds during the asian summer monsoon

A series of 60-year numerical experiments starting from 1851 was conducted using a global climate model coupled with an aerosol-cloud-radiation model to investigate the response of the Asian summer monsoon to variations in the secondary organic aerosol (SOA) flux induced by two different estimations of biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOC) emissions. One estimation was obtained from a pre-existing archive and the other was generated by a next-generation model (the Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols from Nature, MEGAN). The use of MEGAN resulted in an overall increase of the SOA production through a higher rate of gasto-particle conversion of BVOCs. Consequently, the atmospheric loading of organic carbon (OC) increased due to the contribution of SOA to OC aerosol. The increase of atmospheric OC aerosols was prominent in particular in the Indian subcontinent and Indochina Peninsula (IP) during the pre- and early-monsoon periods because the terrestrial biosphere is the major source of BVOC emissions and the atmospheric aerosol concentration diminishes rapidly with the arrival of monsoon rainfall. As the number of atmospheric OC particles increased, the number concentrations of cloud droplets increased, but their size decreased. These changes represent a combination of aerosol-cloud interactions that were favorable to rainfall suppression. However, the modeled precipitation was slightly enhanced in May over the oceans that surround the Indian subcontinent and IP. Further analysis revealed that a compensating updraft in the surrounding oceans was induced by the thermally-driven downdraft in the IP, which was a result of surface cooling associated with direct OC aerosol radiative forcing, and was able to surpass the aerosolcloud interactions. The co-existence of oceanic ascending motion with the maximum convective available potential energy was also found to be crucial for rainfall formation. Although the model produced statistically significant rainfall changes with locally organized patterns, the suggested pathways should be considered guardedly because in the simulation results, 1) the BVOC-induced aerosol direct effect was marginal; 2) cloud-aerosol interactions were modeldependent; and 3) Asian summer monsoons were biased to a nonnegligible extent.