Modeling households’ decisions on reconstruction of houses damaged by earthquakes––Japanese case study

In this study, households’ decisions on reconstruction of damaged houses were modeled, using questionnaire data in Japan. Characteristics of households’ decisions were investigated using parameter estimation results. The effects of subsidizing policy were evaluated as follows. First, subsidy for rebuilding may be effective for the households whose houses were heavily damaged. Second, there is a possibility that subsidy accelerated rebuilding of houses by the households having children. Third, subsidy for rebuilding may not be effective for elderly people’s households and households in depopulated areas.     

Middle Miocene thermal metamorphism due to the infiltration of high-temperature fluid in the Sanbagawa metamorphic belt,southwest Japan

 The Middle Miocene Tobe hornfels in the Sanbagawa metamorphic belt, western Shikoku, southwest Japan, is characterized by an abnormally steep metamorphic gradient compared with other hornfelses associated with intrusive bodies. The basic hornfels, originally Sanbagawa greenschist rocks, is divided into the following three metamorphic zones: plagioclase, hornblende, and orthopyroxene. The plagioclase zone is defined by the appearance of calcic plagioclase, the hornblende zone by the assemblage of hornblende+calcic plagioclase+quartz, and the orthopyroxene zone is characterized by the assemblage of orthopyroxene + clinopyroxene + plagioclase + quartz. Calcic amphibole compositions change from actinolite to hornblende as a result of the continuous reactions during prograde metamorphism. Petrographical and thermometric studies indicate a metamorphic temperature range of 300–475°C for the plagioclase zone, 475–680°C for the hornblende zone, and 680–730°C for the orthopyroxene zone. The temperature gradient based on petrological studies is approximately 5°C/m, which is unusually high. Geological and petrological studies demonstrate that the hornfelses were formed by the focusing of high-temperature fluids through zones of relatively high fracture permeability. The steep thermal gradient in the Tobe hornfels body is consistent with a large fluid flux, greater than 8.3 × 10^–7 m³ m^–2S^–1, over the relatively short duration of metamorphism, approximately 100 years. Received: 10 October 1995 / Accepted: 28 May 1996     

Attenuation of coda waves and Q c value beneath the Chengdu telemetered seismic network

Based on the single scattering model of coda power spectrum analysis, digital waveform data of 50 events recorded by the real-time processing system of the Chengdu telemetry network are analyzed to estimate the Q _c values of earth medium beneath the Chengdu telemetry network for several specified frequencies. It is found that the Q _c shows the frequency dependency in the form of Q _c = Q ₀ f ⁿ in the range of 1.0 to 20.0Hz. Estimated Q ₀ ranges from 60.83 to 178.05, and n is found to be 0.713 to 1.159. The average value of Q ₀ and n are 117 and 0.978 respectively. This result indicates the strong frequency dependency of the attenuation of coda waves beneath the Chengdu telemetry network. Comparing with the results obtained in other regions of the world, it is found that Q ₀ ⁻¹ value and its change with frequency are similar to those in regions with strong tectonic activity. This subject is supported by the Ministry of Personnel, China for partly sponsoring.     

Detection of high-energy solar neutrons and protons by ground level detectors on April 15, 2001

In association with the large solar flare of April 15, 2001, the Chacaltaya neutron monitor observed a 3.6σ enhancement of the counting rate between 13:51 and 14:15 UT. Since the enhancement was observed beginning 11 min before the GLE, solar neutrons must be involved in this enhancement. The integral energy spectrum of solar neutrons can be expressed by a simple power law in energy with the index γ=-3.0±1.0. On the other hand, an integral energy spectrum of solar protons has been obtained in the energy range between 650 MeV and 12 GeV. The spectrum can also be expressed by a power law with the power index γ=-2.75±0.15. The flux of solar protons observed at Chacaltaya (at 12 GeV) was already one order less than the flux of the galactic cosmic rays. It may be the first simultaneous observation of the energy spectra of both high-energy protons and neutrons. Comparing the Yohkoh soft X-ray telescope images with the observed particle time profiles, an interesting picture of the particle acceleration mechanism has been deduced.     

Effect of ocean acidification on coastal phytoplankton composition and accompanying organic nitrogen production

The effect of ocean acidification, caused by the increase in pCO₂ in seawater, on phytoplankton population and on related organic nitrogen production was experimentally examined by use of a natural coastal microbial population. pCO₂ and pH were controlled by aeration with air in which pCO₂ was at the current level (control), for which ambient air was used, and with air in which pCO₂ was ??800?? and ??1200?? ppm, in 500-L culture vessels. The experiment was continued for 15?days after addition of the inorganic nutrients such as nitrate, phosphate, and silicate. During most of the experimental period, a minor increase in phytoplankton biomass was noted, probably because of low irradiance, an increase in phytoplankton biomass was observed at the end of the experiment. Flow cytometric and microscopic observations revealed that this increase was because of Chrysochromulina sp. (Haptophyceae). The growth of Chrysochromulina sp. was most obvious in the control vessel, and tended to be obscured by increasing pCO₂ (decrease in pH), indicating the possibility that ocean acidification inhibits the growth of specific phytoplankton groups, for example Chrysochromulina sp. Production of particulate organic nitrogen (PON), determined by the ¹⁵N tracer method, also diminished under acidified conditions compared with that at the current level.     

Levels and distribution of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and organochlorine compounds in sea turtles from Japan

Three species of sea turtles (green, hawksbill and loggerhead turtles) stranded along the coasts or caught (by-catch) around Ishigaki Island and Kochi, Japan were collected between 1998 and 2006 and analyzed for six organohalogen compounds viz., PBDEs, PCBs, DDTs, CHLs, HCHs and HCB. The present study is the first and foremost to report the occurrence of organohalogen compounds in the sea turtles from Japan. Among the compounds analyzed, concentrations of PCBs, DDTs and CHLs were the highest in all the turtle samples. PBDEs were ubiquitously present in all the turtle species. Comparing with the other two species, concentrations of organohalogens in green turtle were relatively low and decreasing trend in the concentrations were noted with increasing carapace length. Concentrations of OCs in sea turtles from the coasts of Ishigaki Island and Kochi were relatively low as compared to those from other locations in the world.     

Shaking Maps for Scenario Earthquakes by Applying the Upgraded Version of the Strong Ground Motion Prediction Method ��Recipe��

The strong ground motion prediction method ??Recipe?? was published by the Headquarters for Earthquake Research Promotion (HERP) of Japan. HERP has applied this method to prepare shaking maps for scenario earthquakes in specific active faults. Recently, Recipe was updated following its verification by simulations of strong ground motions associated with the Mw?=?6.6 off-shore earthquake west of Fukuoka prefecture in 2005, which occurred in the northwest part of the Kego fault zone located in northern Kyushu, Japan. One of the prominent changes in the upgraded version of Recipe is the inclusion of a procedure to evaluate seismic intensities on the ground surface from waveforms of S-wave velocity of 400?m/s on the engineering bedrock. By applying the upgraded version of Recipe, we have made shaking-maps for earthquakes in the southeast part of the Kego fault zone, which is located directly below the mega-city of Fukuoka. We assume four source models for scenario earthquakes; the locations of the asperities and the hypocenters vary between the models. The results show that in all cases, disastrous seismic intensities can strike a wide area of Fukuoka city. Differences in the distributions of seismic intensities among the four cases can be clearly observed in the area located on the extension of the source fault. Furthermore, we construct a velocity-layer structure model on the engineering bedrock for the central area of Fukuoka city. We assess not only the distribution of seismic intensities but also waveforms on the ground by using an equivalent linear method for the central area of Fukuoka city.     

Formation process of pyrite polyframboid based on the heavy-metal analysis by micro-PIXE

Pyrite framboid in sedimentary rocks could be concerned with arsenic contamination in groundwater of acidic environment and has been studied for the formation process of its unique morphology. However, not much has been discussed about the formation process based on the heavy-metal distribution in pyrite framboids and their aggregates. To reveal the formation process of pyrite framboids and their aggregates, mudstone from the Late Cretaceous Hakobuchi Group, central Hokkaido, Japan, are investigated for mode, petrographical, mineralogical, and micro-PIXE (particle-induced X-ray emission) analysis in this study. Spherical and sub-spherical pyrite framboids observed in polyframboids can be divided into two types based on the diameter of framboids (D) and the average diameter of microcrystals (d) within framboids: type 1, ranging from 2 to 9 μm and from 0.4 to 0.9 μm, respectively, and type 2, ranging from 8 to 50 μm and from 0.5 to 1.8 μm, respectively. Based on the quantitative traverse analyses and 2-D elemental mapping results by micro-PIXE, heterogeneities in the concentrations of heavy metals within the analyzed aggregations of pyrite are exhibited. On the basis of the As and Pb zoning patterns, the time range and chronological stages of pyrite-aggregation growth are revealed.     

The Potential of Eleocharis acicularis for Phytoremediation: Case Study at an Abandoned Mine Site

Phytoremediation, a plant‐based and cost‐effective technology for the cleanup of contaminated soil and water, is receiving increasing attention. In this study, the aquatic macrophyte Eleocharis acicularis was examined for its ability to take up multiple heavy metals and its potential application for phytoremediation at an abandoned mining area in Hokkaido, Japan. Elemental concentrations were measured in samples of E. acicularis, water, and soil collected from areas of mine tailing and drainage. The results reveal that Pb, Fe, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Mn accumulation in the plants increased over the course of the experiment, exceeding their initial concentrations by factors of 930, 430, 60, 25, 10, and 6, respectively. The highest concentrations of Fe, Pb, Zn, Mn, Cr, Cu, and Ni within the plants were 59500, 1120, 964, 388, 265, 235, and 47.4 mg/kg dry wt., respectively, for plants growing in mine drainage after 11 months of the experiment. These results indicate that E. acicularis is a hyperaccumulator of Pb. We also found high Si concentrations in E. acicularis (2.08%). It is likely that heavy metals exist in opal‐A within cells of the plant. The bioconcentration factors (BCF: ratio of metal concentration in the plant shoots to that in the soil) obtained for Cr, Cu, Zn, Ni, Mn, and Pb were 3.27, 1.65, 1.29, 1.26, 1.11, and 0.82, respectively. The existence of heavy metals as sulphides is thought to have restricted the metal‐uptake efficiency of E. acicularis at the mine site. The results of this study indicate that E. acicularis shows great potential in the phytoremediation of mine tailing and drainage rich in heavy metals.     

Tectonic Setting of the Permo-Triassic Chiang Khong Volcanic Rocks, Northern Thailand Based on Petrochemical Characteristics

The inferred Permo-Triassic Chiang Khong volcanic belt is composed of felsic to mafic volcanic rocks and their pyroclastic equivalents. Almost all the least-altered mafic volcanic rocks are lava flows; a few might have occurred as dykes. These mafic volcanic rocks are non-foliated to weakly foliated, and mostly have porphyritic textures. The phenocrysts/microphenocrysts in porphyritic samples are commonly plagioclase, and may include clinopyroxene, olivine, Fe-Ti oxide, apatite and amphibole. The matrix of lava flows ranges texturally from felty to trachytic but a few samples show felty to ophitic/subophitic, and glassy textures, whereas that of possible dyke samples is holocrystalline. The primary matrix constituents are largely plagioclase and variable proportions of clinopyroxene, Fe-Ti oxide, amphibole, olivine, apatite, quartz, alkali feldspar and/or glass. All the studied samples have been subjected to greenschist-facies regional metamorphism. Chemically, the samples show narrow ranges of least-mobile incompatible-element ratios and range compositionally from dacite to basalt of tholeiitic series. These samples are chemically analogous to those of the Tertiary andesite from Sardinian Rift, Sardinia, Italy, particularly in terms of least-mobile incompatible-element ratios. Accordingly, the studied mafic volcanic rocks are interpreted to have formed in a continental volcanic arc. However, the problem related to the geometry of plate convergence, giving rise to the continental volcanic arc, still exists.