Two-stage model of incorporation of seamount and oceanic blocks into sedimentary melange: Geochemical and biostratigraphic constraints in Jurassic Chichibu accretionary complex, Shikoku, Japan

Abstract The significance of timing and formation of mélange in accretionary prisms, particularly concerning basaltic and related rocks and pelagic sediments, is exemplified in the Sawadani area of the Jurassic Chichibu accretionary complex in Shikoku, southwest Japan. Major and trace element geochemistry of the basaltic and related rocks indicates that all are of a hot-spot origin which produced a seamount. Most of the rocks have a trend of differentiation from an alkalic parental magma. The time relationship between the blocks and matrices of the mélange deduced from radiolarian fossil evidence and macro- to microscopic characteristics of contacts between different lithologies indicates two stages of mixing of materials in the seafloor. The first mixing occurred on the flank of the seamount in the pelagic environments in the Late Permian, and the second occurred on the trench floor or in the accretionary prism after the Early Jurassic. These two stages show respectively the geological phenomena of a seamount within the Izanagi-Kula plate and its incorporation into the Asian continental margin.     

Stoichiometry among bioactive trace metals in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas

The distribution of Al, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb in seawater was investigated in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas of the western Arctic Ocean in September 2000. The unfiltered and filtered seawater samples were used for determination of total dissolvable metal (TDM) and dissolved metal (DM), respectively. The concentration of labile particulate metal (LPM) was estimated with the difference between that of TDM and DM. The concentrations of TDAl, TDMn, TDFe, TDCo and TDPb varied substantially in the study area. The high concentrations occurred at stations near the Bering Strait, in the Mackenzie delta, and above reductive sediments on the shelf and slope. These elements were mostly dominated by labile particulate species, such as Fe?CMn oxides and species adsorbed on terrestrial clay. DCo was correlated with DMn over the study area (r?=?0.78, n?=?135), and the slope of the regression line was 27 times higher at a pelagic station than at a shelf station. TDNi, TDCu, TDZn and TDCd showed relatively small variations and were generally dominated by dissolved species. There was a moderate correlation between DCd and phosphate for all samples (r?=?0.79), whereas there were no significant correlation between the other DMs and nutrients. TDNi and TDCu showed a remarkable linearity for most stations except those near the Bering Strait (R ²?=?0.95, n?=?126). These results suggest that biogeochemical cycling including uptake by phytoplankton and remineralization from settling particles has only minor control over the distribution of trace metals in this area. Using the present data, the annual input of bioactive trace metals form the Bering Strait and the Mackenzie River was estimated. Also, the trace metal compositions of major water masses were evaluated. The dissolved elemental ratio was P:Al:Mn:Fe:Co:Ni:Cu:Zn:Cd?=?1:1.2?×?10^?2:4.4?×?10^?4:1.4?×?10^?3:3.7?×?10^?5:3.7?×?10^?3:1.4?×?10^?3:4.5?×?10^?3:2.2?×?10^?4 for Canada Basin deep water (CBDW). This ratio was significantly different from that for Pacific deep water and Bering Sea water, suggesting substantial modification of the trace metal compositions of seawater in the study area.     

Intra-Day Variability of Sagittarius A* at Multi-Wavelengths

This paper reviews the recent progress in the study of the intra-day variability (IDV) of Sagitarrius A* (Sgr A*), the best known supermassive black hole candidates with a dark mass concentration of 4 × 10\(^6 M_{\odot}\) at the center of our galaxy.     

Manganiferous schists and their origin,Hidaka Mountains,Hokkaido, Japan

Manganiferous quartz-mica schists (4 m in stratigraphic thickness) overlie epidote amphibolite in the Chiroro River area, Hidaka Mountains, Hokkaido. The schist layers have a considerable range of A/F ratios and bulk oxidation ratios which vary from 21.5 to 100. Manganese contents are from 4 to 30 times higher than that of the average shale with 0.09% MnO. The schists are essentially quartz-white mica-biotite-Mn garnet-tourmaline-±epidote-magnetite assemblages. A highly oxidized layer (5–8 cm thick) 95 cm above the epidote amphibolite contact is characterized by viridine-piemontite-spessartine-Mn white mica-Mn tourmaline-Ti-Mn haematite indicative of both high initial manganese content and very high f _O2 conditions of recrystallization.Viridine contains up to 17 mol% Mn³⁺SiO₅ and coexists with piemontite with between 13.6 and 15.4 wt% Mn₂O₃. Mn-poor-Fe-rich (Ps₃₂) epidote occurs in the less oxidized schist enclosing the viridine-piemontite bearing seam. Garnets vary widely in composition with end member variations (mol%) of Spess_22.9–80.5; And_0.2–11.7; Alm_1.1–57.1; Pyr_2.0–12.2; Gross_7.0–49.0. The more manganiferous garnets occur in rocks with higher oxidation ratios while almandiferous varieties occur in schists with low oxidation ratios. Biotite ranges from green to red-brown varieties (increasing Ti and Fe) with Mg/ (Mg+Fe) ratios varying from 56 to 48. Ten to fifteen percent octahedral R²⁺ is replaced by Al indicating a trend towards eastonite-siderophyllite. The white micas deviate only slightly from dioctahedral stoichiometry but have up to 25% of octahedral sites occupied by Fe, Mg and to a lesser extent Mn and Ti as R²⁺ Si⁴⁺2Al³⁺ and in highly oxidized rocks as (Fe,Mn)³⁺Al³⁺. The white mica in the highly oxidized viridine-piemontite schist is pale pinkishorange, exhibits reverse pleochroism, and has between 0.30 and 0.43 wt% Mn₂O₃.There is a close comparison, both in terms of stratigraphic thickness and Fe-Mn variation, between the Chiroro schist sequence and many oceanic cores so that the bulk chemistry and mineralogy of the pelitic schists is largely an extension of the original Eh-pH conditions of hemipelagic sedimentation and post-depositional adjustments during diagenesis. The thin viridine-piemontite bearing schist is correlated with an oxidized, Fe-Mn rich layer commonly found in present day oceanic cores. The viridine presumably formed by reaction of original ferro-manganese microgranules and clay minerals. Halmrolytic alteration of the underlying metabasalt resulted in leaching of Mn and Fe (in particular) into the overlying sediments and the formation of concentrations of haematite — manganese oxide — Mn garnet along the schist-epidote amphibolite contact.Estimation of the P-T conditions of metamorphism from the phase relations and compositions in the epidote amphibolite associated with the manganiferous schist gives T °C = 530560 and a minimum P _fluid > 3 kb which corresponds to the epidote amphibolite facies of Barrovian-type terrains.This paper is dedicated to Professor Kenzo Yagi on the occasion of his retirement from the Chair of Mineralogy, Department of Geology and Mineralogy, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan     

侵蚀沉积模型在嘉陵江流域的应用

从20世纪50年代到80年代长江宜昌水文站观测的泥沙输送量逐年增加,但是到了90年代却出现了逐渐减少的趋势。泥沙量增加的原因主要是乱伐森林和土地利用方式的快速改变,而减少的原因则可能是采取了一系列防止水土流失的对策和在上游修建了许多大坝而造成的。嘉陵江流域是长江泥沙的主要源区之一,90年代每年从嘉陵江流域到长江的输沙量减少到1988年前的约36%。因此,分析该流域每年泥沙输送动态及其变化原因,对制定减小水土流失的森林规划,防止三峡水库的淤积以及保护长江流域的生存环境和生态系统等具有重大意义。本研究开发并改进了一个流域集水坡面上的侵蚀模型,并将它应用到1987年的嘉陵江流域,以对其适用性进行了研究。结果表明,该模式可被用于月度泥沙生产量的评估中。     

An experimental study on Fischer‐Tropsch catalysis: Implications for impact phenomena and nebular chemistry

Abstract— Fischer‐Tropsch catalysis, by which CO and H₂ are converted to CH₄ on the surface of transition metals, has been considered to be one of the most important chemical reactions in many planetary processes, such as the formation of the solar and circumplanetary nebulae, the expansion of vapor clouds induced by cometary impacts, and the atmospheric re‐entry of vapor condensate due to asteroidal impacts. However, few quantitative experimental studies have been conducted for the catalytic reaction under conditions relevant to these planetary processes. In this study, we conduct Fischer‐Tropsch catalytic experiments at low pressures (1.3 times 10^?4 bar ≤ P ≤ 5.3 times 10^?1 bar) over a wide range of H₂/CO ratios (0.25–1000) using pure iron, pure nickel, and iron‐nickel alloys. We analyze what gas species are produced and measure the CH₄ formation rate. Our results indicate that the CH₄ formation rate for iron catalysts strongly depends on both pressure and the H₂/CO ratio, and that nickel is a more efficient catalyst at lower pressures and lower H₂/CO ratios. This difference in catalytic properties between iron and nickel may come from the reaction steps concerning disproportionation of CO, hydrogenation of surface carbon, and the poisoning of the catalyst. These results suggest that nickel is important in the atmospheric re‐entry of impact condensate, while iron is efficient in circumplanetary subnebulae. Our results also indicate that previous numerical models of iron catalysis based on experimental data at 1 bar considerably overestimate CH₄ formation efficiency at lower pressures, such as the solar nebula and the atmospheric re‐entry of impact condensate.     

On the Application of Mwp in the Near Field and the March 11, 2011 Tohoku Earthquake

Tsunami Warning Centers issue rapid and accurate tsunami warnings to coastal populations by estimating the location and size of the causative earthquake as soon as possible after rupture initiation. Both US Tsunami Warning Centers have therefore been using Mwp to issue Tsunami Warnings 5–10 min after Earthquake origin time since 2002. However, because Mwp (Tsuboi et al., Bulletin of the Seismological society of America 85:606–613, 1995) is based on the far-field approximation to the P-wave displacement due to a double couple point source, we should only very carefully apply Mwp to data obtained in the near field, at distances of less than a few wavelengths from the fault. On the other hand, the surface waves from Great Earthquakes, including those that occur just offshore of populated areas, such as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, clip seismographs located near the fault. Because the first arriving P-waves from such large events are often on scale, Mwp should provide useful information, even for these Great Earthquakes. We therefore calculate Mwp from 18 unclipped STS-1 broadband P-wave seismograms, recorded at 2–15° distance from the Tohoku epicenter to determine if Mwp can usefully estimate Mw for this earthquake, using data obtained close to the epicenter. In this case there should be a good chance to get reliable Mwp values for stations at epicentral distances of 9–10°, since the source duration for the Tohoku earthquake is less than 200 s and the time window used to estimate Mwp is 120 s in duration. Our analysis indicates that Mwp does indeed give reliable results (Mw ~ 9.1) beginning at about 11° distance from the epicenter. The values of Mwp from seismic waveforms obtained at 11–15° epicentral distance from the Mw 9.1 off the east coast of Tohuku earthquake of March 11, 2011 fell within the range 9.1–9.3, and were available within 4–5 min after origin time. Even the Mwp values of 7.7–8.4, obtained at less than 5° epicentral distance, exceed the PTWC’s threshold of Mw 7.6 for issuing a regional tsunami warning to coastal populations within 1,000 km of the epicenter, and of Mw 6.9 for issuing a local tsunami warning to the coastal populations of Hawaii.     

Distribution and dispersal of the early larval stages of the Japanese spiny lobster Panulirus japonicus in the East China Sea

The annual distribution and dispersal of early‐stage phyllosoma of the Japanese spiny lobster Panulirus japonicus were examined in the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan off western Japan. Early‐stage larvae were sampled mainly in summer and relatively near the coast off western Kyusyu Island. Few larvae were found in the other three seasons in the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan. This finding suggests that P. japonicus larvae are retained in coastal areas for a few months after hatching until stage V and are transported offshore until autumn, before they grow to stage VI. Examination of archival drifter data off western Kyusyu Island during the spawning season of P. japonicus supported the relatively rapid dispersal of the larvae from the East China Sea near Japan to the Pacific Ocean or the Sea of Japan. Larval transport from the East China Sea to the Pacific Ocean, which is considered to be a main distribution area of middle‐ and late‐stage larvae, would occur in the south at approximately 32–33°N in the East China Sea near western Kyusyu Island.     

Thermohaline staircases in the Warm-Core Ring off Cape Erimo,Hokkaido and their fluxes due to salt finger

Thermohaline staircases off Cape Erimo, Hokkaido are described and their physical properties are compared with those in other seas. The mean fluxes for heat and salt across the interface induced by salt finger were estimated as 105 cal cm^–2d^–1, and 0.03 g cm^–2d^–1, respectively. These values were in the same order as those in Caribbean Sea. The effective eddy diffusivities were also in the same order as the Caribbean ones. This suggests that the double-diffusive convection plays on important role on the water mass conversions occurring in the interfrontal zone between the Oyashio and the Kuroshio Waters.