In situ strength measurements on natural upper-mantle minerals

Using in situ strength measurements at pressures up to 10 GPa and at room temperature, 400, 600, and 700°C, we examined rheological properties of olivine, orthopyroxene, and chromian-spinel contained in a mantle-derived xenolith. Mineral strengths were estimated using widths of X-ray diffraction peaks as a function of pressure, temperature, and time. Differential stresses of all minerals increase with increasing pressure, but they decrease with increasing temperature because of elastic strain on compression and stress relaxation during heating. During compression at room temperature, all minerals deform plastically at differential stress of 4–6 GPa. During subsequent heating, thermally induced yielding is observed in olivine at 600°C. Neither orthopyroxene nor spinel shows complete stress relaxation, but both retain some stress even at 700°C. The strength of the minerals decreases in the order of chromian-spinel ≈ orthopyroxene > olivine for these conditions. This order of strength is consistent with the residual pressure of fluid inclusions in mantle xenoliths.     

Co-oscillating and independent tides of the Japan Sea

The generation of tides in the Japan Sea is investigated with relation to the tidal volume fluxes at the attached straits, which are estimated with the observed tidal current data. After the tides are separated into the co-oscillating tides induced by the tidal volume fluxes and the independent tide by the tide-generating force, their contributions to the Japan Sea tides are clarified using a one-dimensional tidal model.For the semidiurnal tide, the co-oscillating tide by the Tusima Strait is dominated in all of the area except the gulf of Tartary, and those by the Tugaru and Soya Straits are not effective anywhere. In the gulf of Tartary, the amplitude of the independent tide is the same as that of the co-oscillating tide attributed to the Tusima Strait.For the diurnal tide, the independent tide is not effective anywhere. The co-oscillating tide by the Tusima Strait is largest and those by the Tugaru and Soya Straits are also influential. In particular, the shifting of the diurnal amphidromic point to the Korean side is caused by the latter.     

Viscosity of peridotite liquid up to 13 GPa: Implications for magma ocean viscosities

The viscosity of synthetic peridotite liquid has been investigated at high pressures using in-situ falling sphere viscometry by combining a multi-anvil technique with synchrotron radiation. We used a newly designed capsule containing a small recessed reservoir outside of the hot spot of the heater, in which a viscosity marker sphere is embedded in a forsterite + enstatite mixture having a higher solidus temperature than the peridotite. This experimental setup prevents spheres from falling before a stable temperature above the liquidus is established and thus avoids difficulties in evaluating viscosities from velocities of spheres falling through a partially molten sample.

Experiments have been performed between 2.8 and 13 GPa at temperatures ranging from 2043 to 2523 K. Measured viscosities range from 0.019 (± 0.004) to 0.13 (± 0.02) Pa s. At constant temperature, viscosity increases with increasing pressure up to  8.5 GPa but then decreases between  8.5 and 13 GPa. The change in the pressure dependence of viscosity is likely associated with structural changes of the liquid that occur upon compression. By combining our results with recently published 0.1 MPa peridotite liquid viscosities [D.B. Dingwell, C. Courtial, D. Giordano, A. Nichols, Viscosity of peridotite liquid, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 226 (2004) 127–138.], the experimental data can be described by a non-Arrhenian, empirical Vogel-Fulcher-Tamman equation, which has been modified by adding a term to account for the observed pressure dependence of viscosity. This equation reproduces measured viscosities to within 0.08 log₁₀-units on average. We use this model to calculate viscosities of a peridotitic magma ocean along a liquid adiabat to a depth of  400 km and discuss possible effects on viscosity at greater pressures and temperatures than experimentally investigated.     

Temperatures and Oxygen Isotopic Compositions of Hydrothermal Fluids for the Takatori Tungsten-copper Deposit, Japan

Abstract. Fluid inclusion and oxygen isotope studies are performed to obtain temperatures and oxygen isotopic compositions of hydrothermal fluids for the vein-type tungsten-copper deposit at Takatori in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Temperatures of the hydrothermal fluids are calculated from fluid inclusion data. The calculation incorporates the effects of the salinity, gas concentration, and fluid pressure. The fluid temperatures range from 370 to 460C. For these calculations, this study obtains a density equation for H₂O-NaCl-CO₂ solution at the vapor-liquid two-phase boundary. Then the present study combines the obtained equation with the equation of state by Bowers and Helgeson (1983).
The fluid temperatures determined in this study are applied to the calculation of oxygen isotopic compositions of the hydrothermal fluids. The calculation of the oxygen isotopic compositions is based on the oxygen isotope analyses of vein quartz. The oxygen isotopic compositions of vein quartz range from +13.5 to +14.4 % relative to SMOW. Then, the oxygen isotopic compositions of the hydrothermal fluids in equilibrium with the vein quartz are calculated to be from +9.7 to +10.5 %. These δ¹⁸O_fluid values agree with those of magmatic fluids derived from the ilmenite-series granitic rock, which is related to the mineralization. Keywords: Takatori tungsten-copper deposit, fluid inclusion, oxygen isotope, vein quartz, H₂O-NaCl-CO₂ solution, density     

Comparative analysis of contributing parameters for rainfall-triggered landslides in the Lesser Himalaya of Nepal

In the Himalaya, people live in widely spread settlements and suffer more from landslides than from any other type of natural disaster. The intense summer monsoons are the main factor in triggering landslides. However, the relations between landslides and slope hydrology have not been a focal topic in Himalayan landslide research. This paper deals with the contributing parameters for the rainfall-triggered landslides which occurred during an extreme monsoon rainfall event on 23 July 2002, in the south-western hills of Kathmandu valley, in the Lesser Himalaya, Nepal. Parameters such as bedrock geology, geomorphology, geotechnical properties of soil, and clay mineralogy are described in this paper. Landslide modeling was performed in SEEP/W and SLOPE/W to understand the relationship of pore water pressure variations in soil layers and to determine the spatial variation of landslide occurrence. Soil characteristics, low angle of internal friction of fines in soil, medium range of soil permeability, presence of clay minerals in soil, bedrock hydrogeology, and human intervention were found to be the main contributing parameters for slope failures in the region.     

西北太平洋九州-帕劳海脊北部KPR12岩芯40万年来有机碳来源、埋藏特征及其环境响应

西北太平洋海陆相互作用强烈,受黑潮和亚洲大陆风尘输入影响显著,是研究海洋沉积物中有机碳埋藏与陆源输入、海洋初级生产力和海洋环境演化关系的理想靶区。本研究基于采自九州-帕劳海脊北部的重力活塞647 cm长的KPR12岩芯,分析了总有机碳（TOC）、总氮（TN）、有机碳稳定碳同位素组成（δ¹³C_TOC）、蛋白石（Opal）以及粒度等指标,初步探讨了近40万年来轨道尺度沉积有机碳的来源、埋藏特征及其影响机制。岩芯的TOC含量平均值为0.214%,呈冰期较高、间冰期较低的旋回特征。岩芯沉积物粒度的不同端元反映了研究区风尘输入大致呈冰期较高的趋势。岩芯的δ¹³C_TOC（-25.24‰~-21.04‰,平均值为-22.59‰）显示有机质以海源为主（约62%）,海源有机碳含量趋势与TOC的变化一致。研究区不同时期陆源物质的输入受风尘输送和黑潮的综合控制,黑潮增强可能对该区间冰期陆源有机碳贡献的升高有一定影响。岩芯中TOC与Opal含量的相关性分析表明,海洋初级生产力可能不是控制该岩芯有机碳含量变化的主要原因。冰期-间冰期旋回中的深层水通风条件、黑潮和北太平洋中层水的发育以及陆源细颗粒物质输入可能共同影响着本区沉积有机碳的降解与埋藏保存。

     

Geological and geophysical studies of the Agoudal impact structure (Central High Atlas,Morocco): New evidence for crater size and age

Since the discovery of shatter cones (SCs) near the village of Agoudal (Morocco, Central High Atlas Mountains) in 2013, the absence of one or several associated circular structures led to speculation about the age of the impact event, the number, and the size of the impact crater or craters. Additional constraints on the crater size, age, and erosion rates are obtained here from geological, structural, and geophysical mapping and from cosmogenic nuclide data. Our geological maps of the Agoudal impact site at the scales of 1:30,000 (6 km²) and 1:15,000 (2.25 km²) include all known occurrences of SCs in target rocks, breccias, and vertical to overturned strata. Considering that strata surrounding the impact site are subhorizontal, we argue that disturbed strata are related to the impact event. Three types of breccias have been observed. Two of them (br1‐2 and br2) could be produced by erosion–sedimentation–consolidation processes, with no evidence for impact breccias, while breccia (br1) might be impact related. The most probable center of the structure is estimated at 31°59′13.73?N, 5°30′55.14?W using the concentric deviation method applied to the orientation of strata over the disturbed area. Despite the absence of a morphological expression, the ground magnetic and electromagnetic surveys reveal anomalies spatially associated with disturbed strata and SC occurrences. The geophysical data, the structural observations, and the area of occurrence of SCs in target rocks are all consistent with an original size of 1.4–4.2 km in diameter. Cosmogenic nuclide data (³⁶Cl) constrain the local erosion rates between 220 ± 22 m Ma^?1 and 430 ± 43 m Ma^?1. These erosion rates may remove the topographic expression of such a crater and its ejecta in a time period of about 0.3–1.9 Ma. This age is older than the Agoudal iron meteorite age (105 ± 40 kyr). This new age constraint excludes the possibility of a genetic relationship between the Agoudal iron meteorite fall and the formation of the Agoudal impact site. A chronolgy chart including the Atlas orogeny, the alternation of sedimentation and erosion periods, and the meteoritic impacts is presented based on all obtained and combined data.     

Coastal upwelling along the north coast of Papua New Guinea and SST cooling over the pacific warm pool: A case study for the 2002/03 El Niño event

We investigate an overlooked mechanism—coastal upwelling—for sea surface temperature (SST) cooling in the western side of the mean location of the Pacific warm pool (WSWP: 5°S–5°N, 140°E–150°E) prior to El Niño onset. We analyze various observed data such as the TRIangle Trans-Ocean buoy Network (TRITON) moored buoy data, Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) data, satellite data and a hindcast experiment output by a high-resolution ocean general circulation model (OGCM). We focus on the precondition of the 2002/03 El Niño event, for which many datasets are available. Relatively cool water upwelled along the north coast of Papua New Guinea (PNG) during December 2001, prior to the onset of the 2002/03 El Niño event, and then spread out over a wider area to the northeast. Simultaneously, strong west-northerly surface winds occur along the north coast. Heat budget analysis of TRITON buoy data in the WSWP reveals that negative zonal heat advection due to eastward current is the main factor for cooling the mixed layer in the WSWP in contrast to the warming effect of the surface heat flux during the period. This cooling requires a source of colder water to the west. Similar analysis of OGCM outputs also suggests that the upwelled relatively cool water along the PNG north coast, and its northeastward extension to the equatorial region, contributes to cooling of the surface water over the WSWP mainly via negative zonal heat advection. Similar mechanisms are confirmed also for the 1982/83 and 1997/98 El Niño events by analyses of OGCM outputs and historical SST data. The low SST in the WSWP generated a positive zonal SST gradient together with high SST east of the WSWP. It may contribute to enhancement of the westerly surface wind in this region, leading to the onset of the 2002/03 El Niño event.     

Olivine phenocrysts in some Cameroonian Basalts—implications for primary magma composition

Summary The chemical composition of olivine phenocrysts was determined for 13 basaltic samples taken from the central part of the Cameroon Volcanic line to estimate the compositions of the primary olivine phenocrysts and the primary magmas. The Mg/(Mg + Fe) ratios of the olivines attain 0.91, though many of the magnesian olivines are identified on a textural basis as xenocrysts from peridotite inclusions. Most magnesian olivine phenocrysts have Mg/(Mg + Fe) ratios of 0.87–0.88 and NiO contents of 0.32–0.35 wt %. The NiO versus Mg/(Mg + Fe) ratios of the olivines can be used to estimate the compositions of the primary phenocrysts in a range of Mg/(Mg + Fe) = 0.88–0.90. Assuming the Fe(3)/(total Fe) ratios of the magmas are 0.17–0.25, which is estimated from the Fe-Mg partitioning between plagioclase and groundmass, the compositions of the primary magmas were obtained from the Fe²⁺-Mg partition equilibrium with the primary olivine phenocrysts. The primary magmas of the Cameroonian basalts have 13.5 ± 4.0 wt MgO, which is similar to the compositions of basalts with highest MgO contents reported so far from the Cameroon volcanic line.

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Olivin Kristalle in einigen Basalten aus Kamerun: Hinweise auf die Zusammensetzung des primitiven Magmas

Zusammenfassung Die chemische Zusammensetzung von Olivin Phenokristallen wurde in 13 Basalt-Proben, die vom Zentralteil .des Kamerun-Vulkangürtels stammen, bestimmt, um Hinweise auf die Zusammensetzung der primären Olivineinsprenglinge and des primären Magmas zu erlangen. Die Mg/(Mg + Fe) Verhältnisse der Olivine reichen bis 0.91, obwohl viefle dieser Mg-Olivine auf Grund textureller Kriterien als aus Peridotit-Einschlüssen stammende Xenokristalle zu identifizieren sind. Die Mg/(Mg + Fe) Verhältnsse der Hauptmasse der Olivin-Phenokristalle liegen im Bereich von 0.87 bis 0.88, die Ni0 Gehalte zwischen 0.32 und 0.35 Gew %. Die Ni0 gegen Mg/(Mg + Fe) Verhältnisse eignen sich zur Abschätzung der Zusammensetzung der primären Phenokristalle, solange die Mg/(Mg + Fe) Verhältnisse im Bereich von 0.88 bis 0.90 liegen. Die Zusammensetzung des Primärmagmas wurde mittels der Fe²⁺-Mg-Verteilung zwischen dem Magma und den sich mit dem Magma im Gleichgewicht befindlichen primären Olivinkristallen unter der Annahme eines Fe³⁺/Fe total Verhältnisses von 0.17–0.25, welches sich aus der Mg-Fe Verteilung zwischen Plagioklas und Grundmasse ergibt, bestimmt. Demnach ergibt sich für das primäre Magma der Kamerun Basalte ein MgO Gehalt von 13.5 + 4.0 Gew%. Dieser Wert ist mit der Zusammensetzung von Basalten mit höchsten MgO-Gehalten, wie sie bisher vom Kamerun-Vulkangürtel berichtet worden sind, vergleichbar.

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With 6 Figures