Mean pole,z-term and Kuroshio

Secular variations of the mean pole and the z-term in the latitudinal vatiations are discussed geophysically in relation to oceanic motions on the large scale, particularly, to the variations of the Kuroshio system.It is shown that the large scale meanders of the Kuroshio occurred when the direction of displacement of the mean pole turned to the European continent from the North East Pacific and when the z-term changed from decrease to increase. The libration of the mean pole has connection with the zonal circulation of the oceanic mass and the secular variation of the z-term has connection with that of the meridional circulation. The large abrupt decrease in the z-term during 1955–1959 has close connection with the wellknown abnormal variation of sea surface temperature in the North Pacific during the same period.The structures of occurrence of the Kuroshio meanders in 1934 and 1969 may be different from those in 1953 and 1959, and the Kuroshio meander perhaps occurred after 1916 and existed during 2 or 3 years. Particularly the occurrence of the Kuroshio meander in 1959 may originate in the abrupt southward flow of oceanic mass in the Pacific.Except for some cases great earthquakes with magnitude of nearly 8 occurred near the Japan Trench and the Kurile-Kamchatka Trench about one year before the occurrences of the Kuroshio meander, and in the regions from the Alaska Peninsula to the Japan Islands great earthquakes occurred during the disappearance of the Kuroshio meander with a few exceptions.Existence of dynamical interactions between the ocean and the solid-earth may be suggested.     

Searches for very high energy gamma rays from blazars with CANGAROO-III telescope in 2005-2009

We have searched for very high energy (VHE) gamma rays from four blazars using the CANGAROO-III imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope. We report the results of the observations of H 2356-309, PKS 2155-304, PKS 0537-441, and 3C 279, performed from 2005 to 2009, applying a new analysis to suppress the effects of the position dependence of Cherenkov images in the field of view. No significant VHE gamma ray emission was detected from any of the four blazars. The GeV gamma-ray spectra of these objects were obtained by analyzing Fermi/LAT archival data. Wide range (radio to VHE gamma-ray bands) spectral energy distributions (SEDs) including CANGAROO-III upper limits, GeV gamma-ray spectra, and archival data, even though they are non-simultaneous, are discussed using a one-zone synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) model in combination with a external Compton (EC) radiation. The HBLs (H 2356-309 and PKS 2155-304) can be explained by a simple SSC model, and PKS 0537-441 and 3C 279 are well modeled by a combination of SSC and EC model. We find a consistency with the blazar sequence in terms of strength of magnetic field and component size.     

Adjustment of self-formed bankfull channel geometry of meandering rivers: modelling study

We consider the evolution of the hydraulic geometry of sand-bed meandering rivers. We study the difference between the timescale of longitudinal river profile adjustment and that of channel width and depth adjustment. We also study the effect of hydrological regime alteration on the evolution of bankfull channel geometry. To achieve this, a previously developed model for the spatiotemporal co-evolution of bankfull channel characteristics, including bankfull discharge, bankfull width, bankfull depth and down-channel bed slope, is used. In our modelling framework, flow variability is considered in terms of a specified flow duration curve. Taking advantage of this unique feature, we identify the flow range responsible for long-term bankfull channel change within the specified flow duration curve. That is, the relative importance of extremely high short-duration flows compared to moderately high longer duration flows is examined. The Minnesota River, MN, USA, an actively meandering sand-bed stream, is selected for a case study. The longitudinal profile of the study reach has been in adjustment toward equilibrium since the end of the last glaciation, while its bankfull cross-section is rapidly widening due to hydrological regime change in the last several decades. We use the model to demonstrate that the timescale for longitudinal channel profile adjustment is much greater than the timescale for cross-sectional profile adjustment due to a lateral channel shift. We also show that hydrological regime shift is responsible for the recent rapid widening of the Minnesota River. Our analysis suggests that increases in the 5–25% exceedance flows play a more significant role in recent bankfull channel enlargement of the Minnesota River than increase in either the 0.1% exceedance flow or the 90% exceedance flow. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Liquid Immiscibility of Boninite in Xiangcheng, Southwestern China, and Its implication to Genetic Relationship between Boninite and Komatiitic Basalt

Boninitic rocks and associated high-magnesian basalt and high-iron tholeiite in the Xiangcheng area constitute the basal horizon of the arc volcanic sequence in the Triassic Yidun Island-Arc, southwestern China. The boninite occurs as pillow, massive and ocellar lavas; the last one possesses well-developed globular structure and alternates with the former two. The boninite is characterized by the absence of phenocrysts of olivine and low-Ca pyroxenes and by low CaO/Al2O3 ratios (<0.67) and high Cr (>1000 ppm) and Ni (>250 ppm). The normalized abundance patterns (NAP) of trace elements to primitive mantle are similar to the NAP of low-Ca modern boninites and SHMB in the Archaean and Proterozoic.As a mechanism of ocellar texture, liquid immiscibility in boninite is supported by the following lines of evidence: (a) sharp contact between ocelli and matrix, (b) constant volumetric ratios of ocelli/matrix and common coalescence of ocelli in ocellar rocks, (c) identical micro-spinifex textures and mineral asse     

Petrology of a mantle-derived rhyolite, Hokkaido, Japan

The Miocene Kitami rhyolite, consisting of orthopyroxene and plagioclase-phyric lavas and dikes, occurs on the back-arc side of the Kuril arc with coeval basalts and Fe-rich andesites. Temperatures estimated from orthopyroxene–ilmenite pairs exceed 900°C. Although the whole rock compositions of the Kitami rhyolite correspond to S-type granites (i.e., high K, Al, large ion lithophile elements, and low Ca and Sr), Sr–Nd isotope compositions are remarkably primitive, and similar to those of the coeval basalts and andesites. They are distinct from those of lower crustal metamorphic rocks exposed in the area. Comparison of chondrite-normalized rare earth element (REE) patterns between the rhyolite and the basalts and andesites show that the rhyolite is more light REE enriched, but has similar heavy REE contents than the basalts. All rhyolites show negative Eu anomalies. The geochemical data suggest that did not formed by simple dehydration melting of basaltic rocks or fractional crystallization of basaltic magmas. The features of slab-derived fluids expected from recent high pressure experimental studies indicates that mantle wedge is partly metasomatized with “rhyolitic” materials from subducted slabs; it is more likely that very low degree partial melting of the metasomatized mantle wedge formed the rhyolite magma.     

Time profile of type III bursts

On the hypothesis that the time profile of a type III burst corresponds directly to the flux of electron beam, the similarity of time profile is shown to be maintained even if the electron velocity decreases with distance provided that the time is normalized to unity at the time of maximum flux. The observed time profiles of type III bursts with simple shape seem to follow the similarity law in almost all frequency range. This evidence may indicate that the time profile, both the rising and decaying phases, of a type III burst should be attributed to a common origin, e.g., the time variation of exciter determined by the initial velocity distribution in the electron beam, instead of attributing the rising time to the beam length and the decay time to the damping of plasma waves after the passage of the electron beam.     

A 100 m laser strainmeter system installed in a 1 km deep tunnel at Kamioka, Gifu, Japan

We have installed a laser strainmeter system in a deep tunnel about 1,000 m below the ground surface at Kamioka, Gifu, Japan. The system consists of three types of independent interferometers: (1) an EW linear strainmeter of the Michelson type with unequal arms, (2) an NS-EW differential strainmeter of the Michelson type with equal arms and (3) a NS absolute strainmeter of the Fabry–Perot type. These are configured in L-shaped vacuum pipes, each of which has a length of 100 m. (1) and (2) are highly sensitive (order of 10⁻¹³ strain) and have wide dynamical range (10⁻¹³–10⁻⁶). Observations with strainmeters (1) and (2) started on June 11, 2003. (3) is a new device for absolute-length measurements of the order of 10⁻⁹ of a long-baseline (100 m) Fabry–Perot cavity by the use of phase-modulated light. This third strainmeter will be ready for operation before the end of 2004. The laser source of strainmeters (1) and (2) is a frequency-doubled YAG laser with a wavelength of 532 nm. The laser frequency is locked onto an iodine absorption line and a stability of 2 × 10⁻¹³ is attained. The light paths of the laser strainmeter system are enclosed in SUS304 stainless steel pipes. The inside pressure is kept to be 10⁻⁴ Pa. Consequently, quantitative measurement of crustal strains of the order of 10⁻¹³ can be attained by employing the laser strainmeter system of (1) and (2) at Kamioka. This resolving power corresponds to that of a superconducting gravimeter. Using the laser strainmeter system, we expect to determine parameters related to fluid core resonance, core modes and core undertone as well as other geodynamic signals such as slow strain changes caused by silent earthquakes or slow earthquakes.