Evaluation of Vector Winds Observed by NSCAT in the Seas around Japan

In order to validate wind vectors derived from the NASA Scatterometer (NSCAT), two NSCAT wind products of different spatial resolutions are compared with observations by buoys and research vessels in the seas around Japan. In general, the NSCAT winds agree well with the wind data from the buoys and vessels. It is shown that the root-mean-square (rms) difference between NSCAT-derived wind speeds and the buoy observations is 1.7 ms^–1, which satisfies the mission requirement of accuracy, 2 ms^–1. However, the rms difference of wind directions is slightly larger than the mission requirement, 20°. This result does not agree with those of previous studies on validation of the NSCAT-derived wind vectors using buoy observations, and is considered to be due to differences in the buoy observation systems. It is also shown that there are no significant systematic trends of the NSCAT wind speed and direction depending on the wind speed and incidence angle. Comparison with ship winds shows that the NSCAT wind speeds are lower than those observed by the research vessels by about 0.7 ms^–1 and this bias is twice as large for data observed by moving ships than by stationary ships. This result suggests that the ship winds may be influenced by errors caused by ship's motion, such as pitching and rolling.     

Spinifex Texture of Native Sulfur: A Cooling Product of Sulfur Flow Eruptions at Shiretoko-Iwozan Volcano, Hokkaido, Japan

Abstract: Several native sulfur specimens, collected from Shiretoko-Iwozan volcano, eastern Hokkaido, Japan, exhibit spinifex texture, which appears to resemble that often observed in komatiite. The spinifex texture is exhibited by yellow-colored elongated skeletal native sulfur crystals up to 5 cm long settled in medium gray-colored fine–grained clayey matrix. One surface of a specimen is coated by layers of micro pillow lava of native sulfur. Such specimens were rarely found as clasts or fragments around the 1936 No. 1 crater that erupted native sulfur flows, together with the most common monomineralic native sulfur fragments of native sulfur flows having pahoehoe surface and of native sulfur dikes. The elongated spinifex native sulfur crystals presently consist of aggregated polygrains of orthorhombic sulfur crystals formed through crystallo-graphic transition from the single crystal of monoclinic sulfur initially crystallized. The spinifex texture exhibited by elongated skeletal native sulfur crystals is a product of rapid cooling of sulfur melt. Many lithic fragments of altered country rocks are present in the specimens exhibiting native sulfur spinifex texture. This suggests that segregation of the sulfur melt from the mixture of lithic fragments and sulfur melt was incomplete because the mixture was chilled before the melt segregation. Elongated skeletal native sulfur crystals may have nucleated and crystallized directly from the molten sulfur liquid. Lithic fragments mixed in the melt are supposed to have acted as nuclei for the nucleation of the native sulfur crystals. On the other hand, the most of native sulfur flows consist of monomineralic massive native sulfur with very scarce lithic fragments. Such massive monomineralic native sulfur crystallized from the supercooled, solidified amorphous sulfur. Such supercooled amorphous state may have been attained due to the lack of nuclei because of the scarcity of lithic fragments. The unique structures exhibited by native sulfur lava flow, including pahoehoe surface and spinifex texture, are due to the characteristic physical property of molten sulfur liquid, that is, low viscosity.     

Analysis and control of vibration of ropes in a high-rise elevator under earthquake excitation

In this research, the vibration of elevator ropes, including the main rope and compensation rope are investigated simultaneously in a high-rise elevator system under earthquake excitation. Moreover, the paper presents a new control method to restrain the sway of both ropes. This study considers varying rope lengths during elevator operation which cause other system parameters such as natural frequency, and damping ratio to be time-variant variables. The dynamics of the ropes are analyzed by solving the governing non-stationary, nonlinear equation numerically. In order to mitigate the vibration of ropes in several motion conditions, particularly upwards movement, downward movement, stopped at the lowest position, and stopped at the highest position, an active equipment is installed at the compensation sheave. The stability of the system using the controller is analyzed at four states: without disturbance and static car, without disturbance and mobile car, including disturbance and static car, and including disturbance and mobile car. The efficiency of the controller used for dampening the vibration of elevator ropes is validated by numerical simulation results.     

The basement geology of Japan from A to Z

The Precambrian and lower Paleozoic units of the Japanese basement such as the Hida Oki and South Kitakami terranes have geological affinities with the eastern Asia continent and particularly strong correlation with units of the South China block. There are also indications from units such as the Hitachi metamorphics of the Abukuma terrane and blocks in the Maizuru terrane that some material may have been derived from the North China block. In addition to magmatism, the Japanese region has seen substantial growth due to tectonic accretion. The accreted units dominantly consist of mudstone and sandstone derived from the continental margin with lesser amounts of basaltic rocks associated with siliceous deep ocean sediments and local limestone. Two main phases of accretionary activity and related metamorphism are recorded in the Jurassic Mino–Tanba–Ashio, Chichibu, and North Kitakami terranes and in the Cretaceous to Neogene Shimanto and Sanbagawa terranes. Other accreted material includes ophiolitic sequences, e.g. the Yakuno ophiolite of the Maizuru terrane, the Oeyama ophiolite of the Sangun terrane, and the Hayachine–Miyamori ophiolite of the South Kitakami terrane, and limestone‐capped ocean plateaus such as the Akiyoshi terrane. The ophiolitic units are likely derived from arc and back‐arc basin settings. There has been no continental collision in Japan, meaning the oceanic subduction record is more complete than in convergent orogens seen in intracontinental settings making this a good place to study the geological record of accretion. Hokkaido lacks most of the Paleozoic history recognized in Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and the Ryukyu Islands to the south and its geology reflects the Cenozoic development of two convergent domains with volcanic arcs, their approach, and eventual collision. The Hidaka terrane reveals a cross section through a volcanic arc and the main accretionary complex of the convergent system is represented by the Sorachi–Yezo terrane.     

The nature of the CM parent asteroid regolith based on cosmic ray exposure ages

Cosmic ray exposure (CRE) ages of CM chondrites have been found to have multiple peaks (as many as four), in stark contrast to other groups of chondrites (Nishiizumi and Caffee 2012; Herzog and Caffee 2014). In this study, we sought correlations between the CRE ages and petrography of CM chondrites, and we conclude that the degree of aqueous alteration does appear to vary with the CRE ages—the CMs displaying the most aqueous alteration all have relatively short exposure ages. However, some CMs with low degrees of alteration also have short exposure ages—thus, this apparent correlation is not exclusive. We also found a definite inverse relation between the number of distinctive lithologies in a CM and its exposure age, which could indicate different responses of homogeneous and heterogeneous meteoroids to the space environment between their onset of exposure (exhumation and ejection from the parent body) and arrival at Earth. Breccias have more internal surfaces of lithologic discontinuity, possibly resulting in weaker meteoroids that disintegrate more readily than their more homogeneous counterparts. Our results suggest that CM chondrite regoliths consist of numerous genomict lithologies in a breccia with millimeter‐ to decimeter‐scale clasts, with varying degree of heating/metamorphism.     

Magnetic detection of heated soils at paleolithic sites in Japan

We present a methodological approach to detect heated soil on ancient sites, using magnetic measurements. The method is based on changes in magnetic signals of soil by heating. The following three types of soil were used for testing the method: silty soil (SS), weathered volcanic ash (WVA, = loam) and fairly fresh volcanic ash (VA) called Odori tephra. On heating above 250–600°C, the magnetic susceptibility and remanent magnetization intensity increased for the SS and WVA samples, reflecting chemical alteration of magnetic minerals (from goethites to magnetites through hematites). The VA sample showed no susceptibility change suggesting the absence of goethites within it. On heating below 250°C, only the intensities of all the samples increased. This is possibly due to acquisition of thermal remanent magnetization. The largest change of the magnetic signals was identified for the SS sample and the smallest one was seen for the VA sample. Therefore, the in situ susceptibility measurement, which is the nondestructive and indirect method, seems to be effective to detect heated soil for sites of aqueous deposits as the SS. On the other hand, for sites of aeolian deposits as the WVA (loam) and VA, the intensity measurement of collected soils seems to be the most reliable method to detect evidence of heating. The degree of the magnetic stability (coercivity) against progressive alternating-field demagnetization was also an important parameter, indicating whether the investigated soils were heated or unheated. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.