The peristerite gap in low-grade metamorphic rocks

Coexisting Na-plagioclases from greenschists both in the thermal aureole of the Kasugamura Granite, Japan, and in the low-P metamorphic zone of Yap Island, western Pacific were analyzed in great detail; the peristerite solvus was determined for each suite. The asymmetric solvus has steep albite-rich and gentle oligoclase-rich limbs that are similar to those for higher pressure series. The present results together with those from Vermont, New Zealand, and the Sanbagawa belt indicate that the peristerite solvus shifts toward the albite component and higher temperature with increasing pressure. With increasing pressure, albite co-existing with oligoclase (An=100 Ca/Ca+ Na=20) varies in composition from An 8–9 (in Kasugamura), through An 3 (in Yap Island and Vermont), to An 1 (in New Zealand) and An less than 0.5 (in the Sanbagawa belt). The consolute temperatures for the peristerite solvus estimated from available geothermometry are 420° C in Kasugamura, 450–550° C in Vermont and 550°–600° C in the Sanbagawa belt. The variation of plagioclase composition in progressive metamorphic zones is explained by intersection of a plagioclase-forming reaction and the peristerite immiscibility gap in an isobaric T-X _An diagram. The greenschist zone is characterized by albite, the transition zone by occurrence of peristerite pairs and the amphibolite zone by plagioclase of An 20–50.     

Early stage incorporation of biolipids into kerogen in a lacustrine sediment: Evidence from alkaline potassium permanganate oxidation of sedimentary lipids and humic matter

Lipids, fulvic acid, humic acid and kerogen were isolated from a lacustrine sediment in which the organic matter is probably derived predominantly from phytoplankton (Lake Haruna, Japan). An alkaline KMnO₄ oxidation study of the organic matter showed that distributions of polymethylene chain lengths in the lipids, humic acid and kerogen fractions are almost the same. The polymethylene chains in the sediment are dominant in the kerogen, lipids and humic acid, their relative abundance estimated by the oxidation being: kerogen (42% of the total amounts of polymethylene chains estimated) > lipids (38%) > humic acid (19%) > fulvic acid (1%). It was concluded that algal lipids may have been incorporated into the kerogen and humic acid fractions after the death of the algae and during, after, their deposition.     

Temperature coefficients of elastic constants of single crystal MgO between 80 and 1,300 K

Elastic constants of single crystal MgO have been measured by the rectangular parallelepiped resonance (RPR) method at temperatures between 80 and 1,300 K. Elastic constants C _ij (Mbar=10³ kbar) and their temperature coefficients (kbar/K) are: $$\begin{gathered} {\text{ }}C_{{\text{11}}} {\text{ }}C_{{\text{12}}} {\text{ }}C_{{\text{44}}} {\text{ }}K_s {\text{ }}C_s \hfill \\ C_{ij} {\text{ 300 K 2}}{\text{.966 0}}{\text{.959 1}}{\text{.562 1}}{\text{.628 1}}{\text{.004}} \hfill \\ \partial C_{ij} {\text{/}}\partial T{\text{100 K }} - {\text{0}}{\text{.259 0}}{\text{.013 }} - {\text{0}}{\text{.072 }} - {\text{0}}{\text{.078 }} - {\text{0}}{\text{.136}} \hfill \\ {\text{ 300K }} - {\text{0}}{\text{.596 0}}{\text{.068 }} - {\text{0}}{\text{.122 }} - {\text{0}}{\text{.153 }} - {\text{0}}{\text{.332}} \hfill \\ {\text{ 800 K }} - {\text{0}}{\text{.619 0}}{\text{.009 }} - {\text{0}}{\text{.152 }} - {\text{0}}{\text{.200 }} - {\text{0}}{\text{.314}} \hfill \\ {\text{ 1,300 K }} - {\text{0}}{\text{.598 0}}{\text{.036 }} - {\text{0}}{\text{.130 }} - {\text{0}}{\text{.223 }} - {\text{0}}{\text{.218}} \hfill \\ \end{gathered} $$ By combining the present results with the previous data on the thermal expansivity and specific heat, the thermodynamic properties of magnesium oxide are presented and discussed. The elastic parameters of MgO at very high temperatures in the earth's lower mantle are also clarified.     

Space group and hydrogen sites of δ-AlOOH and implications for a hypothetical high-pressure form of Mg(OH)<Subscript>2</Subscript>

The space group and hydrogen positions of -(Al_0.84Mg_0.07Si_0.09)OOH are investigated using a single crystal synthesized using a multi-anvil apparatus under conditions of 1000 °C and 21 GPa. The space group determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction is to Pnn2, with unit-cell parameters of a=4.6975(8) Å, b= 4.2060(6) Å, c=2.8327(4) Å, and V=55.97(1) ų. Partial occupancy of the Al site by Mg and Si suggests the possibility of a limited solid solution between -AlOOH, stishovite, and a hypothetical CaCl₂-type Mg(OH)₂ that is 16% denser than brucite. Difference-Fourier maps reveal two small but significant Fourier peaks attributable to hydrogen atoms. Atomic distances and angles around the first peak indicate a hydrogen bond with O···O distances of 2.511 Å, while those around the second peak are suggestive of a bifurcated hydrogen bond with O···O distances of 2.743 and 2.743 Å.     

Concentrations of Trace Elements in Carbonate Reference Materials Coral JCp-1 and Giant Clam JCt-1 by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry

Trace elements in the Geological Survey of Japan carbonate reference materials Coral JCp-1 and Giant Clam JCt-1 were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry after digestion with 2% v/v HNO₃. A standard addition method was adopted in this determination in order to neutralise the Ca matrix effect. In addition, Sc, Y, In and Bi were used as internal standards to control the matrix effect and correct instrumental drift. Of the eighteen elements measured in JCp-1, precisions for fourteen elements, including Cu, Cd and Ba, were better than 10% RSD and concentrations ranged from 0.002 μg g^-1 (Cs) to 8.02 μg g^-1 (Ba). The concentrations of measured trace elements in JCt-1, except for Cu, were lower than those in JCp-1. Precisions for all elements with concentrations higher than 0.04 μg g^-1 in JCt-1 were also better than 10% RSD and concentrations were found to be between 0.001 μg g^-1 (Cs) and 4.84 μg g^-1 (Ba). The concentrations of more than fifteen trace elements in the aragonite reference materials are reported here for the first time. Both reference materials are suitable for use in geochemical studies of environmental reconstruction based upon biogenic carbonate materials.     

Carbon and water cycling in a Bornean tropical rainforest under current and future climate scenarios

We examined how the projected increase in atmospheric CO₂ and concomitant shifts in air temperature and precipitation affect water and carbon fluxes in an Asian tropical rainforest, using a combination of field measurements, simplified hydrological and carbon models, and Global Climate Model (GCM) projections. The model links the canopy photosynthetic flux with transpiration via a bulk canopy conductance and semi-empirical models of intercellular CO₂ concentration, with the transpiration rate determined from a hydrologic balance model. The primary forcing to the hydrologic model are current and projected rainfall statistics. A main novelty in this analysis is that the effect of increased air temperature on vapor pressure deficit (D) and the effects of shifts in precipitation statistics on net radiation are explicitly considered. The model is validated against field measurements conducted in a tropical rainforest in Sarawak, Malaysia under current climate conditions. On the basis of this model and projected shifts in climatic statistics by GCM, we compute the probability distribution of soil moisture and other hydrologic fluxes. Regardless of projected and computed shifts in soil moisture, radiation and mean air temperature, transpiration was not appreciably altered. Despite increases in atmospheric CO₂ concentration (C_a) and unchanged transpiration, canopy photosynthesis does not significantly increase if C_i/C_a is assumed constant independent of D (where C_i is the bulk canopy intercellular CO₂ concentration). However, photosynthesis increased by a factor of 1.5 if C_i/C_a decreased linearly with D as derived from Leuning stomatal conductance formulation [R. Leuning. Plant Cell Environ 1995;18:339–55]. How elevated atmospheric CO₂ alters the relationship between C_i/C_a and D needs to be further investigated under elevated atmospheric CO₂ given its consequence on photosynthesis (and concomitant carbon sink) projections.     

Geology and Hydrothermal Alteration of the Low Sulfidation

Abstract. The Pantingan Gold System (PGS) is a vein-type epithermal prospect exposed within the summit caldera of Mount Mariveles, Bagac, Bataan (Luzon), Philippines. It consists of nine major veins, eight of which trend NW-WNW and distributed in an en echelon array. The eastern tips of these veins appear to terminate near the NE-NNE trending Vein 1, which is located in the easternmost portion of the prospect. Metal assay results on vein and wall rock samples indicate concentrations of 0.01 to 1.1 g/ton Au, trace to 34 g/ton Ag and 0.003 to 0.02 % Cu. Andesite lava flow deposits host the PGS. Potassium-Argon isotopic dating of these andesites yields anarrow age range of 0.88± 0.13 to 1.13 ± 0.17 Ma. The surface exposures of the veins (up to 5 m wide) are encountered at different levels between 590–740 masl. These commonly display a massive texture although banding prominently occurs in Vein 1. The veins consist of gray to cream-colored crystalline and chalcedonic quartz and amorphous silica. Pyrite is the most ubiquitous sulfide mineral. It occurs either as fine-grained disseminations and aggregates in quartz or as infillings in vugs. Calcite, marcasite and bornite are also occasionally noted in the deposit. The prospect shows silicic, argillic, propylitic and advanced argillic alteration zones. Silicic and argillic alterations are confined in the immediate wall rocks of the quartz veins. Argillic alteration grades to a propylitic zone farther away from the veins. The advanced argillic alteration zone, indicated by a suite of acidic clay minerals that include kaolin-ite, dickite, pyrophyllite and alunite, might have been imprinted during the late stages of gold deposition. As a whole, the PGS displays geological and mineralogical features typical of gold mineralization in a low sulfidation, epithermal environment. It is also representative of a young, tectonically undisturbed gold deposit.     

Geochemical characteristics of Tertiary Sagara oil from an active forearc basin, Shizuoka, Japan

Abstract   The Sagara oil field is located in the Neogene Kakegawa Basin, close to the Izu collision zone at the junction between the main Japanese Islands and the Izu–Bonin Arc. The Sagara oil field is one of the few oil fields situated in a forearc basin on the Pacific side of Japan and is present in a sedimentary basin with poor oil-generating potential. Several crude oils from Sagara oil field were investigated to infer their origin. Organic geochemical characteristics of Sagara oils showed the influences of light biodegradation, migration-contamination, and migration-fractionation. The maturity levels of Sagara oils evaluated based on abundant alkylnaphthalenes corresponded to 0.9–1.2% vitrinite reflectance. Sagara oils were characterized by significant amounts of higher plant biomarkers, a high pristane/phytane ratio and an absence of organic sulphur compounds, suggesting a siliciclastic source rock deposited under nearshore to fluvial–deltaic environments. Numerous faults and fractures in the active forearc basin provided excellent conduits and facilitated upward migration of light hydrocarbons generated at greater depth in the Kakegawa Basin.     

Bathymetry, biota and sediments on the Hirota Reef, Tane-ga-shima – the northernmost coral reef in the Ryukyu Islands

Abstract Investigations were conducted on bathymetry, reef biota and sediments on the Hirota Reef, Tane‐ga‐shima, North Ryukyus, near the northern limit for coral‐reef formation. A bathymetric profile from shore to the reef edge was depicted along an approximately 420‐m transect on the Hirota Coast of this island. A total of 20 quadrats (1 m × 1 m) were analyzed along the profile at 10‐ or 20‐m intervals to clarify distribution of macrobenthos inhabiting the reef. The Hirota Reef is divided into four geomorphologic zones according to their depth, gradient, surface roughness, substrate and characteristic macrobenthos. They are, from shore to offshore, shallow lagoon, seaward reef flat, reef edge and reef slope. The shallow lagoon comprises a shoreward depression (∼160 m wide on the transect) with a sand/gravel bottom that inclines gently toward offshore, and a seaward patch zone (∼70 m wide). The patches (<2 m high) are covered with fleshy algae, coralline algae and hermatypic corals. The seaward reef flat (∼190 m wide) is a flat plane that is constructed by biogenic carbonates and is covered with turf algae, with hermatypic corals scattered. Although the seaward reef flat of the Hirota Reef cannot be differentiated into different geomorphologic zones, similar seaward reef flat areas in the Central and South Ryukyus can be clearly subdivided into inner reef flat, reef crest and outer reef flat. This difference may be attributed to a lower reef growth rate and/or the later reef formation of the Hirota Reef in Holocene time than the southern examples. The coral fauna on the Hirota Reef is delineated by low diversity and characterized by taxa typical of high‐latitude, non‐reefal communities. The algal flora consists of tropical to subtropical species associated with warm‐temperate species. These faunal and floral characteristics may be related largely to lower water temperature in Tane‐ga‐shima than those in typical coral‐reef regions.     

230Th/234U and 14C dating of a lowstand coral reef beneath the insular shelf off Irabu Island, Ryukyus, southwestern Japan

Abstract   High-resolution seismic reflection profiles delineated the distribution of mound-shaped reflections, which were interpreted as reefs, beneath the insular shelf western off Irabu Island, Ryukyus, southwestern Japan. A sediment core through one of the mounded structures was recovered from the sea floor at a depth of −118.2 m by offshore drilling and was dated by radiometric methods. The lithology and coral fauna of the core indicate that the mounded structure was composed of coral–algal boundstone suggesting a small-scaled coral reef. High-precision α-spectrometric ²³⁰Th/²³⁴U dating coupled with calibrated accelerator mass spectrometric ¹⁴C ages of corals obtained reliable ages of this reef ranging from 22.18 ± 0.63 to 30.47 ± 0.98 ka. This proves that such a submerged reef was formed during the lowstand stage of marine oxygen isotope stages 3–2. The existence of low-Mg calcite in the aragonitic coral skeleton of 22.18 ± 0.63 ka provides evidence that the reef had once been exposed by lowering of the relative sealevel to at least −126 m during the last glacial maximum in the study area. There is no room for doubt that a coral reef grew during the last glacial period on the shelf off Irabu Island of Ryukyus in the subtropical region of western Pacific.