Suzaku observations of charge exchange emission from solar system objects

Recent results of charge exchange emission from solar system objects observed with the Japanese Suzaku satellite are reviewed. Suzaku is of great importance to investigate diffuse X‐ray emission like the charge exchange from planetary exospheres and comets. The Suzaku studies of Earth's exosphere, Martian exosphere, Jupiter's aurorae, and comets are overviewed (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Four-dimensional variational ocean reanalysis: a 30-year high-resolution dataset in the western North Pacific (FORA-WNP30)

We produced a four-dimensional variational ocean re-analysis for the Western North Pacific over 30 years (FORA-WNP30). It is the first-ever dataset covering the western North Pacific over 3 decades at eddy-resolving resolution. The four-dimensional variational analysis scheme version of the Meteorological Research Institute Multivariate Ocean Variational Estimation system (MOVE-4DVAR) is employed to conduct a long-term reanalysis experiment during 1982–2012. After evaluating the basic performance of FORA-WNP30, the interannual to decadal variability is analyzed. Overall, FORA-WNP30 reproduces basic features in the western North Pacific well. One of outstanding features in FORA-WNP30 is that anomalous events such as the Kuroshio large meander and anomalous intrusion of the Oyashio in the 1980s, when there were no altimeter data, are successfully reproduced. FORA-WNP30 is therefore a valuable dataset for a variety of oceanographic research topics and potentially for related fields such as climate study, meteorology and fisheries.     

Laboratory measurements of ‘porosity‐free’ intrinsic Vp and Vs in an olivine gabbro of the Oman ophiolite: Implication for interpretation of the seismic structure of lower oceanic crust

In order to determine ‘porosity‐free’ intrinsic ultrasonic compressional (Vp) and shear wave (Vs) velocities and Vp/Vs of an olivine gabbro from the Oman ophiolite, we developed a new experimental system using a piston‐cylinder type high‐pressure apparatus. The new system allowed us to measure velocities at pressures ranging from 0.20 to 1.00 GPa and at temperatures up to 300°C for Vp and 400°C for Vs. At room temperature, the Vp and Vp/Vs increase rapidly with pressure up to 0.40 GPa, while between 0.45 and 1.00 GPa the increase is more gradual. The change in increasing rate is attributed to closure of porosity at pressures above 0.45 GPa. Based on the linear regression of data obtained at higher pressures (0.45–1.00 GPa) and extrapolation to the lower pressures, combined with temperature derivatives of velocities of the sample measured at 1.00 GPa, we determined the intrinsic Vp and Vs of the sample as a function of pressure (P, in GPa) and temperature (T, in °C). The intrinsic velocities can be expressed as Vp (km/s) = 7.004 + 0.096 × P ? 0.00015 × T, and Vs (km/s) = 3.827 + 0.007 × P ? 0.00008 × T. We evaluated the intrinsic Vp and Vs of the olivine gabbro at oceanic crustal conditions and compared them with a velocity depth‐profile of the borehole seismic observatory WP‐2 area in the northwestern Pacific Basin. Although the intrinsic Vp (～7.0 km/s) and Vs (～3.8 km/s) for the olivine gabbro studied are comparable to those of seismic layer 3 in the WP‐2 area, the estimated vertical gradients of intrinsic velocities are significantly smaller than those reported from layer 3. These results suggest that velocity profiles of layer 3 in the WP‐2 area may reflect the presence of a minor porosity in lower oceanic crust, which closes with increasing depth and/or continuous changes in mineralogy of layer 3 rocks.     

Refinement of the Micro‐Distillation Technique for Isotopic Analysis of Geological Samples with pg‐Level Osmium Contents

In recent years, the ¹⁸⁷Re–¹⁸⁷Os isotope system has been increasingly used to study samples containing very small quantities of Os. For such samples, optimisation of measurement procedures is essential to minimise the loss of Os before mass spectrometric measurements. Micro‐distillation is a necessary purification step that is applied after the main Os chemical separation procedure, prior to Os isotope ratio measurements by negative‐thermal ionisation mass spectrometry (N‐TIMS). However, unlike the other separation steps, this procedure has not yet been optimised for small samples. In this study, we present a refined micro‐distillation method that achieved higher yields and allowed high‐precision R(¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os) expressed as ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os measurements for small‐sized geological samples that contain only a few pg Os. The Os recovery in the micro‐distillation step was tested by changing the operating conditions including heating time and temperature, and amounts of oxidant and reductant. Recoveries were measured by the isotope dilution ICP‐MS method after the addition of ¹⁹⁰Os‐enriched spike solution. We found that the most critical factor controlling the chemical yield of Os during micro‐distillation is the extent of dilution of the reductant (HBr) by H₂O evaporated from the oxidant. A refined micro‐distillation method, in which the amount of oxidant solution is reduced from the conventional method, achieved an improved chemical yield of Os (~ 90%). This refined method was applied to the measurement of ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os by N‐TIMS of varying test portions of the geological reference material BIR‐1a. The resulting ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios of BIR‐1a matched the literature data, with propagated uncertainties of 0.2, 1.1 and 11% digested sample quantities containing 150, 10 and 1 pg of Os, respectively.     

Content and behavior of fluorine in Japanese quaternary volcanic rocks and petrogenetic application

Fluorine contents in about 160 representative Quaternary volcanic rocks and 15 hornblende and biotite phenocrysts in a calc-alkali series in Japan have been determined by a selective ion-electrode method. Tholeiites have the lowest contents and the narrowest range (58–145 ppm), while alkali basalts have the highest contentws and the widest range (301–666 ppm), high-alumina basalts have intermediate values (188–292 ppm). F contents in basalts clearly increase from east to west across the Japanese Islands, as do alkalies, P₂O₅ REE, U, Th and H₂O.The volcanic rocks studied are divided into two groups on the basis of F: (1) witt, increasing % SiO₂ or advancing fractionation, F contents show either progressive enrichment; or (2) with increasing fractionation, F contents show rather constant values. The former is produced by fractionation of anhydrous phases from basalt to mafic andesite magmas; the tholeiite series of Nasu volcanic zone (outer zone), northeastern, Japan is a typical example. The latter group is derived through separation of amphibole-bearing phases from basaltic magmas at various depths from upper mantle (about 30 km) to upper crust; the alkali series in southwestern Japan and the calc-alkali series of Chokai volcanic zone (inner zone), northeastern Japan, are examples.     

Undrained shear testing of jointed rock

SummaryUndrained Shear Testing of Jointed Rock Water pressures must change inside joints undergoing shear without perfect drainage. This paper describes a new direct shear machine in which jacketed samples with oriented joints can be tested under consolidated undrained conditions with pore pressure measurement. Triaxial compression techniques for such tests are also described and typical results with intact and jointed sandstone samples are compared with results from the direct shear tests. Whereas intact specimens displayed increasing pore pressure followed by dilatancy and pore pressure decline before peak loading, the pore pressure in jointed specimens continued increasing right up to the peak load.

---

ZusammenfassungScherversuche an klüftigen Gesteinen ohne Dränung Wasserdruck in Klüften muß sich verändern, wenn ohne perfekte Dränage Scherkraft ausgeübt wird. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird ein neuer, direkt wirkender Scherapparat beschrieben, in welchem ummantelte Prüfkörper mit gerichteten Klüften unter Konsolidationsbedingungen ohne Dränage untersucht werden können, wobei der Porendruck gemessen wird. Es wird außerdem die Technik von Triaxialversuchen beschrieben und typische Ergebnisse mit ungestörtem und geklüftetem Sandstein werden mit Ergebnissen aus direkten Scherversuchen verglichen. Während ungestörte Proben steigenden Porendruck, gefolgt von Dilatanz, aufweisen und der Porendruck vor der Höchstbelastung nachläßt, nimmt derselbe in geklüfteten Proben bis zur Höchstbelastung ständig zu.

---

RésuméEssais de cisaillement non drainé sur des échantillons de roche contenant une discontinuité Les pressions interstitielles à l'intérieur des discontinuités doivent changer lorsqu'elles sont soumises au cisaillement et que le drainage n'est pas parfait. Cet article décrit une nouvelle machine pour essais de cisaillement direct permettant de tester, dans des conditions de consolidation non drainée, des échantillons de roche gainés comportant une discontinuité d'orientation déterminée. La machine permet la mesure de la pression interstitielle.L'article décrit également les techniques de compression triaxiale correspondantes et des résultats typiques obtenus sur des échantillons de grès intact ou traversé par un joint sont comparés à ceux provenant des essais de cisaillement direct. Alors que les échantillons de roche intacte montrent un accroissement de la pression interstitielle suivi de dilatance et d'une réduction de pression avant que la contrainte de cisaillement maximum ne soit atteinte, la pression interstitielle dans les échantillons contenant une discontinuité croît jusqu'au droit de la contrainte de cisaillement maximum.

---

---

With 11 Figures     

Timing of Himalayan ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism: sinking rate and subduction angle of the Indian continental crust beneath Asia

Coesite relics were discovered as inclusions in clinopyroxene in eclogite and as inclusions in zircon in felsic and pelitic gneisses from Higher Himalayan Crystalline rocks in the upper Kaghan Valley, north‐west Himalaya. The metamorphic peak conditions of the coesite‐bearing eclogites are estimated to be 27–32 kbar and 700–770 °C, using garnet–pyroxene–phengite geobarometry and garnet–pyroxene geothermometry, respectively. Cathodoluminescence (CL) and backscattered electron (BSE) imaging distinguished three different domains in zircon: inner detrital core, widely spaced euhedral oscillatory zones, and thin, broadly zoned outermost rims. Each zircon domain contains a characteristic suite of micrometre‐sized mineral inclusions which were identified by in situ laser Raman microspectroscopy. Core and mantle domains contain quartz, apatite, plagioclase, muscovite and rutile. In contrast, the rim domains contain coesite and minor muscovite. Quartz inclusions were identified in all coesite‐bearing zircon grains, but not coexisting with coesite in the same growth domain (rim domain). ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U zircon ages reveal that the quartz‐bearing mantle domains and the coesite‐bearing rim were formed at c. 50 Ma and 46.2 ± 0.7 Ma, respectively. These facts demonstrate that the continental materials were buried to 100 km within 7–9 Myr after initiation of the India–Asia collision (palaeomagnetic data from the Indian oceanic floor supports an initial India‐Asia contact at 55–53 Ma). Combination of the sinking rate of 1.1–1.4 cm year^?1 with Indian plate velocity of 4.5 cm year^?1 suggests that the Indian continent subducted to about 100 km depth at an average subduction angle of 14–19°.     

Crustal thermal regime inferred from magnetic anomaly data and its relationship to seismogenic layer thickness: The Japanese islands case study

The seismogenic layer thickness correlates with surface heat flow beneath the Japanese islands. However, this correlation is shown at restricted area, where seismic activity is high. In order to overcome this spatial limitation, we used another approach to estimate the regional thermal structure in the crust beneath the Japanese islands with more uniform coverage. The bottom depths of the magnetized crust determined from the spectral analysis of residual magnetic anomalies is generally interpreted as the level of the Curie point isotherm. We applied this method to estimate the crustal thermal structure in square windows of 2.125° × 2.125°. The obtained depths ranging from 11 to 30 km with average value of 18 km, correlate with the seismogenic layer thickness. It suggests that the Curie point depth is a useful indicator of the crustal thermal structure in these regions.     

裂隙岩体一般块体理论初步

本文在前人工作的基础上提出了一种通用方法解决任意大小裂隙、任意形状工程岩体的岩石块体识别及稳定性计算问题。在这一方法中裂隙既可以是实测裂隙也可以是通过随机模拟方法生成的随机裂隙,工程岩体可以是任意由多面体组合成的形状,如复杂边坡或地下洞室,而且岩体和裂隙面可以是非均质的。这一通用过程被称为一般块体理论。它克服了关键块体理论(或楔形体法)中存在的弱点:即把裂隙假设为无限大的不连续面,因此无法预测岩石块体的数量和位置,而且一般只能识别出简单形状的凸形体。它在块体识别的同时将复杂的块体分解为几个简单的凸形块体,从而使复杂块体的几何描述、体积及重力计算、力学分析、可视化表示等一系列问题大大简化。在对一公路边坡的裂隙进行了详细观测之后,利用本文的方法进行了块体识别和稳定性分析,对本文的研究进行初步的验证。     

Meteorological features in Adélie Land during the austral summer season

Intensive meteorological observations were carried out at three sites along the slope of Adélie Land, Antarctica, with the goal of documenting summertime meteorological features of the katabatic zone. Three observational sites were placed at 5 km (D10), 110 km (D47), and 210 km (D57) from the coast, and frequency distributions of meteorological parameters were obtained at each site. Some meteorological features at D47 and D57 (interior sites) were different than at D10 (the coastal site); namely, mean air temperatures averaged for the whole observational period showed more pronounced diurnal variations at the interior sites than at the coastal site. These variations could be represented by sinusoidal curves. Wind speeds also showed diurnal variations, whose extremes appeared several hours later than the temperature extremes. The prevailing wind direction for all sites was southerly, about 30° east of the fall line, with small variations in wind direction. The strength and the height of temperature inversions were examined in two different layers (0 to 50 m, 50 to 300 m) at D47. A strong, shallow inversion layer formed at night, however, completely vanished during the day. On the other hand, an upper level inversion whose strength was weak persisted. The katabatic characteristics of the surface wind found at D47 in summer could be due to this upper level temperature inversion.A contribution to I.A.G.O. (Interaction-Atmosphere-Glace-Ocean).