Sound velocity and density of liquid Ni68S32 under pressure using ultrasonic and X-ray absorption with tomography methods

A new experimental setup for simultaneous P-wave velocity (V_P) and density (ρ) measurements for liquid alloys is developed using ultrasonic and X-ray absorption methods combined with X-ray tomography at high pressures and high temperatures. The new setup allows us to directly determine adiabatic bulk moduli (K_S) and to discuss the correlation between the V_P and ρ of the liquid sample. We measured V_P and ρ of liquid Ni₆₈S₃₂ up to 5.6 GPa and 1045 K using this technique. The effect of pressure on the V_P and ρ values of liquid Ni₆₈S₃₂ is similar to that of liquid Fe₅₇S₄₃. (Both compositions correspond to near-eutectic ones.) The obtained K_S values are well fitted to the finite strain equation with a $K_{{\text{S}}_0}$ value (K_S at ambient pressure) of 31.1 GPa and a dK_S/dP value of 8.44. The measured V_P was found to increase linearly with increasing ρ, as approximated by the relationship: V_P [m/s] = 1.29 ρ [kg/m³] – 5726, suggesting that liquid Ni–S follows an empirical linear relationship, Birch's law. The dV_P/dρ slope is similar between Ni₆₈S₃₂ and Fe₅₇S₄₃ liquids, while the V_P–ρ plot of liquid Ni–S is markedly different from that of liquid Fe–S, which indicates that the effect of Ni on Birch's law is important for understanding the V_P–ρ relation of planetary and Moon's molten cores.     

Sound velocity and elastic properties of Fe–Ni and Fe–Ni–C liquids at high pressure

The sound velocity (V _P) of liquid Fe–10 wt% Ni and Fe–10 wt% Ni–4 wt% C up to 6.6 GPa was studied using the ultrasonic pulse-echo method combined with synchrotron X-ray techniques. The obtained V _P of liquid Fe–Ni is insensitive to temperature, whereas that of liquid Fe–Ni–C tends to decrease with increasing temperature. The V _P values of both liquid Fe–Ni and Fe–Ni–C increase with pressure. Alloying with 10 wt% of Ni slightly reduces the V _P of liquid Fe, whereas alloying with C is likely to increase the V _P. However, a difference in V _P between liquid Fe–Ni and Fe–Ni–C becomes to be smaller at higher temperature. By fitting the measured V _P data with the Murnaghan equation of state, the adiabatic bulk modulus (K _S0) and its pressure derivative (K _S ^′ ) were obtained to be K _S0 = 103 GPa and K _S ^′  = 5.7 for liquid Fe–Ni and K _S0 = 110 GPa and K _S ^′  = 7.6 for liquid Fe–Ni–C. The calculated density of liquid Fe–Ni–C using the obtained elastic parameters was consistent with the density values measured directly using the X-ray computed tomography technique. In the relation between the density (ρ) and sound velocity (V _P) at 5 GPa (the lunar core condition), it was found that the effect of alloying Fe with Ni was that ρ increased mildly and V _P decreased, whereas the effect of C dissolution was to decrease ρ but increase V _P. In contrast, alloying with S significantly reduces both ρ and V _P. Therefore, the effects of light elements (C and S) and Ni on the ρ and V _P of liquid Fe are quite different under the lunar core conditions, providing a clue to constrain the light element in the lunar core by comparing with lunar seismic data.     

Three‐dimensional microstructure of samples recovered from asteroid 25143 Itokawa: Comparison with LL5 and LL6 chondrite particles

In this study, the three‐dimensional (3‐D) microstructure of 48 Itokawa regolith particles was examined by synchrotron microtomography at SPring‐8 during the preliminary examination of Hayabusa samples. Moreover, the 3‐D microstructure of particles collected from two LL6 chondrites (Ensisheim and Kilabo meteorites) and an LL5 chondrite (Tuxtuac meteorite) was investigated by the same method for comparison. The modal abundances of minerals, especially olivine, bulk density, porosity, and grain size are similar in all samples, including voids and cracks. These results show that the Itokawa particles, which are surface materials from the S‐type asteroid Itokawa, are consistent with the LL chondrite materials in terms of not only elemental and isotopic composition of the minerals but also 3‐D microstructure. However, we could not determine whether the Itokawa particles are purely LL5, LL6, or a mixture of the two. No difference between the particles collected from Rooms A and B of the sample chamber, corresponding to the sampling sequence of the spacecraft's second and first touchdowns, respectively, was detected because of the statistically small amount of particles from Room B.     

The structural behaviour of timber joints subjected to bi‐axial bending

This study investigates the structural performance of interior, exterior and corner traditional timber joints found in a traditional temple in Japan subjected to bi‐axial bending. A total of 36 half‐scale specimens were fabricated and tested under both uni‐axial and bi‐axial cyclic bending for comparison of their structural behaviour. The results show that the corner joints exhibit lower rotational stiffness than the interior and exterior joints. Further, connections subjected to only uni‐axial moments exhibit better performance with regard to moment resistance, energy dissipation and stiffness degradation as compared with those subjected to bi‐axial moments. Hence, this study suggests that if the timber joints are subjected to bi‐axial bending, this effect on timber joints should be considered during the design and evaluation process in the future. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Constraining paleo-latitude of a biogeographic boundary in mid-Panthalassa: Fusuline province shift on the Late Guadalupian (Permian) migrating seamount

The Guadalupian paleo-atoll limestone (Iwato Formation) in SW Japan was primarily formed in low-latitude mid-Panthalassa and was later tectonically accreted to South China (Japan) margin during the Jurassic. The present biostratigraphic study clarified that the Iwato Formation consists of 5 biostratigraphical intervals; i.e. four fusuline assemblage zones (Assemblage zones 1 to 4) and a barren interval on the top. Assemblage zones 1 to 4 correspond to the Neoschwagerina craticulifera Zone, N. margaritae Zone, Yabeina globosa Zone, and Lepidolina multiseptata Zone of the conventional Tethyan fusuline stratigraphy, respectively. The present study newly clarified the following significant aspects of paleobiogeography of the Permian fusulines as to the extinction of large-tested taxa in the latest Guadalupian. 1) The long unknown stratigraphic relationship was documented for the first time between the Yabeina-dominant interval and the overlying Lepidolina-dominant one within a single limestone unit. 2) The occurrence of Lepidolina cf. kumaensis Kanmera, the unique last runner of large-tested fusuine, was detected for the first time in mid-oceanic paleo-atoll limestones. 3) With respect to the northbound migration history of the paleo-seamount capped by the Iwato Formation, the development of the two coeval fusuline biogeographic territories in the low-latitude Panthalassa, i.e., the Yabeina territory on the south and the Lepidolina territory on the north, was confirmed. 4) The paleo-latitude of the biogeographic boundary between the Yabeina and Lepidolina territories is constrained around 12° in the southern hemisphere on the basis of the latest geomagnetic data from the same limestone. This new approach utilizing biostratigraphy on ancient migrating seamounts coupled with geomagnetic paleo-latitude data is applicable to other cases in different time-space co-ordinates and of other fossil groups for constraining position of ancient biogeographic boundaries within lost oceanic domains of deep past.     

Song Hong (Red River) delta evolution related to millennium-scale Holocene sea-level changes

The Song Hong (Red River) delta occurs on the northwest coast of the South China Sea. Its evolution in response to Holocene sea-level changes was clarified on the basis of sedimentary facies and 14 radiocarbon dates from the 40 m long Duy Tien core from the delta plain, and using previously reported geological, geomorphological, and archaeological data. The delta prograded into the drowned valley as a result of early Holocene inundation from 9 to 6 cal. kyr BP, as sea-level rise decelerated. The sea-level highstand at +2–3 m from 6 to 4 cal. kyr BP allowed widespread mangrove development on the delta plain and the formation of marine notches in the Ha Long Bay and Ninh Binh areas. During sea-level lowering after 4 cal. kyr BP, the former delta plain emerged as a marine terrace, and the delta changed into the present tide- and wave-influenced delta with accompanying beach ridges. Delta morphology, depositional pattern, and sedimentary facies are closely related to Holocene sea-level changes. In particular, falling sea level at 4 cal. kyr BP had a major impact on the evolution of the Song Hong delta, and is considered to be linked to climate changes.     

Eccentricity cycles shown by early Pleistocene planktonic foraminifers of the Omma Formation, Sea of Japan

There is a continuous record of planktonic foraminifers for oxygen isotope stages 50 to 26 (ca. 1.5–1.0 Ma) in the early Pleistocene Omma Formation near Kanazawa City, Central Japan, on the Sea of Japan coast. The warm-water species Globigerinoides ruber entered the Sea of Japan with the Tsushima Current during all interglacial periods and went locally extinct in the succeeding glacial periods. This implies that the marine climate of the Sea of Japan varied predominantly with the 41,000-year period of Earth's orbital obliquity. However, the relative abundances of G. ruber in marine isotope stages 47, 43 and 31 are significantly higher than those in other interglacial stages. These stages correspond to periods when eccentricity-modulated precession extremes were aligned with obliquity maxima. The Tsushima Current is a branch of the warm Kuroshio Current which is the strong northwestern component of the subtropical North Pacific Ocean gyre. Our data imply that the early Pleistocene climate in the northwestern Pacific was influenced not only by obliquity cycles but also by eccentricity cycles. This study also supports the climate model regarding eccentricity's role in the origin of low-frequency climate changes before the late Pleistocene ice ages.     

Absorption of Atmospheric CO2 and Its Transport to the Intermediate Layer in the Okhotsk Sea

In the southwestern Okhotsk Sea off Hokkaido we observed chemical components related to the carbonate system for 1 year from August 1997 to June 1998. Using the conservative components salinity and water temperature, we confirmed the existence of two water masses flowing into the intermediate layer of the Okhotsk Sea, the East Sakhalin Current Water (ESCW) which becomes denser by mixing of brine water, and the Forerunner of Soya Warm Current Water (FSWW) which becomes denser due to cooling of the saline Kuroshio water. The ΔNTC_x values were calculated by comparing the ESCW and the FSWW with the Pacific Deep Water (PDW). The ΔNTC_x values obtained are 100–110 μmol/kg and 70–100 μmol/kg for the ESCW and the FSWW off Hokkaido, respectively, which are considerably larger than that of the Kuroshio water. These large ΔNTC_x values may be due to both low DIC concentration in the surface water and intense gas exchange under the cold and stormy winter conditions for the ESCW and the cooling of the FSWW as it flows northward. Since the flow rates of dense waters concerned with the ESCW and the FSWW have previously been estimated as 0.9 Sv and 0.2 Sv, respectively, the amount of atmospheric CO₂ absorbed and transported to the intermediate layer turns out to be 3.9−4.1 × 10¹³ gC/yr. This flux is small on a global scale, but the flux divided by the surface layer of the Okhotsk Sea is 30 gC/m²/yr, which is 5 times greater than the mean absorption flux of anthropogenic CO₂ in the world's oceans. It is thus considered that atmospheric CO₂ is efficiently absorbed in the Okhotsk Sea. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Effects of non‐uniform traction and specimen height in the direct shear test on stress and deformation in a rock fracture

In the direct shear test (DST), an internal moment is distributed within the rock specimen by non‐coaxial shear loads applied to the specimen, which cause non‐uniform distributions of both the traction on the loading planes and the stress and deformation in the specimen. To examine the validity of the DST for a rock fracture and to clarify the effect of specimen height, both the stress and deformation in a fracture in the DST were analyzed for specimens with three different heights using a three‐dimensional finite element method with quadratic joint elements for a fracture model. The constitutive law of the fracture considers the dependence of the non‐linear behavior of closure on shear displacement and that of shear stiffness on normal stress and was implemented in simulation code to give a conceptional fracture with uniform mechanical properties to extract only the effect of non‐uniform traction on the stress and deformation in the fracture. The results showed that both normal and shear stresses are concentrated near the end edges of the fracture, and these stress concentrations decrease with a decrease in the specimen height according to the magnitude of the moment produced by the non‐coaxial shear loads. Furthermore, although closure is greater near the end edges of the fracture, where normal stress is concentrated, this concentration of closure is not so significant within the range of this study because of the non‐linear behavior of closure, that is, closure does not significantly increase with an increase in normal stress at large normal stresses. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Potential of submarine-cave sediments and oxygen isotope composition of cavernicolous micro-bivalve as a late Holocene paleoenvironmental record

A sediment layer (43 cm thick) and surface sediments (5 cm thick) in a submarine limestone cave (31 m water depth) on the fore-reef slope of Ie Island, off Okinawa mainland, Japan, were examined by visual, mineralogical and geochemical means. Oxygen isotope analysis was performed on the cavernicolous micro-bivalve Carditella iejimensis from both cored sediments and surface sediments, and the water temperature within the cave was recorded for nearly one year. These data show that: (1) water temperature within the cave is equal to that at 30 m deep in the open sea; (2) the biotic and non-biotic environments within the cave have persisted for the past 2000 years; (3) mud-size carbonate detritus is a major constituent of the submarine-cave deposit, and may have come mainly from the suspended carbonate mud produced on the emergent Holocene reef flat over the past two millennia; (4) the δ¹⁸O-derived temperature (T_δ18_O) of C. iejimensis suggests that the species grows between April and July; (5) the T_δ18_O of C. iejimensis from cored sediments implies that there were two warmer intervals, at AD 340 ± 40 and AD 1000 ± 40, which correspond to the Roman Warm Period and Medieval Warm Period, respectively. These suggest that submarine-cave sediments provide unique information for Holocene reef development. In addition, oxygen isotope records of cavernicolous C. iejimensis are a useful tool to reconstruct century-scale climatic variability for the Okinawa Islands during the Holocene.