Scaling model experiments on propagation of electromagnetic waves using salt solution to simulate the Earth's crust: Loma Prieta and Kobe earthquakes

Propagation of electromagnetic (EM) waves from an earthquake focus in the conductive Earth has been investigated using 1/1,000,000 scaling models taking earth-ionosphere and ocean-Moho plane parallel-plate waveguides into account. Microwaves at a frequency, ω_m, a million times higher than that of seismic EM signal (SEMS), ω, were generated at the model focus. They are propagated in a salt solution modeling the earth's crust and reflected by ocean, fault planes, ionosphere and Moho plane all made by aluminum. Distribution of EM power was mapped by scanning a detector antenna over the model Earth's surface. The skin depth, δ, calculated by the exact skin depth equation, 1/δ=ω(μ/2)^1/2 [(1+(1/ωρ)²)^1/2 −1]^1/2 where dielectric constant, and permeability, μ are the same but resistivity, ρ, 10⁻⁶ times smaller than that of Earth, gave 10⁻⁶ times small skin depth validating the model scaling index. Images for evanescent and wave-ripple standing waves disturbed by normal, strike-slip and dip-slip conductive fault planes have been obtained using an aluminum plate. The co-circular contour map above the epicenter due to evanescence was pushed to the north east direction from the epicenter by the presence of ocean for the Loma Prieta earthquake, while to north direction for the Kobe earthquake. The intensity of EM ULF emissions for the Loma Prieta earthquake is discussed quantitatively.     

Structural modifications of CaGeO3-wollastonite under room temperature pressurization

 In-situ X-ray diffraction measurements of CaGeO₃-wollastonite at high pressure at room temperature have been performed using a diamond anvil cell with an X-ray source. A new structural modification of CaGeO₃-wollastonite is observed at about 6GPa and the characteristic reflections of the high pressure form are preserved on decompression to an ambient pressure. A rhodonite-like structure is proposed as a high pressure form from the crystal chemical consideration. The rhodonite-like phase is further transformed into a perovskite-form at about 15 GPa. The rhodonite-like-form of CaGeO₃ seems not to be a stable phase from the heating experiments under high pressures. The metastable transition path from the wollastonite to the perovskite polymorph through the rhodonite-like structure is kinetically favored under room temperature pressurization. No pressure-induced amorphization is observed during the transition into the perovskite-form, although the transition is accompanied by the coordination change of Ge atoms from fourfold to sixfold. Received: July 19, 1995 / Revised, accepted: August 1996     

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.     

Roles of Biogeochemical Processes in the Oceanic Carbon Cycle Described with a Simple Coupled Physical-Biogeochemical Model

To evaluate the contribution of biogeochemical processes to the oceanic carbon cycle and to calculate the ratio of calcium carbonate to organic carbon downward export, we have incorporated biological and alkalinity pumps in the yoked high-latitude exchange/interior diffusion-advection (YOLDA) model. The biogeochemical processes are represented by four parameters. The values of the parameters are tuned so that the model can reproduce the observed phosphate and alkalinity distributions in each oceanic region. The sensitivity of the model to the biogeochemical parameters shows that biological production rates in the euphotic zone and decomposition depths of particulate matters significantly influence horizontal and vertical distributions of biogeochemical substances. The modeled vertical fluxes of particulate organic phosphorus and calcium carbonate are converted to vertical carbon fluxes by the biological pump and the alkalinity pump, respectively. The downward carbon flux from the surface layer to the deep layer in the entire region is estimated to be 3.36 PgC/yr, which consists of 2.93 PgC/yr from the biological pump and 0.43 PgC/yr from the alkalinity pump, which is consistent with previous studies. The modeled rain ratio is higher with depth and higher in the Pacific and Indian Oceans than in the Atlantic Ocean. The global rain ratio at the surface layer is calculated to be 0.14 to 0.15. This value lies between the lower and higher ends of the previous estimates, which range widely from 0.05 to 0.25. This study indicates that the rain ratio is unlikely to be higher than 0.15, at least in the surface waters.     

Chemical and Isotopic Characteristics of the Kuroko‐Forming Volcanism

The Miocene northeast Honshu magmatic arc, Japan, formed at a terrestrial continental margin via a stage of spreading in a back‐arc basin (23–17 Ma) followed by multiple stages of submarine rifting (19–13 Ma). The Kuroko deposits formed during this period, with most forming during the youngest rifting stage. The mode of magma eruption changed from submarine basalt lava flows during back‐arc basin spreading to submarine bimodal basalt lava flows and abundant rhyolitic effusive rocks during the rifting stage. The basalts produced during the stage of back‐arc basin spreading are geochemically similar to mid‐ocean ridge basalt, with a depleted Sr–Nd mantle source, whereas those produced during the rifting stage possess arc signatures with an enriched mantle source. The Nb/Zr ratios of the volcanic rocks show an increase over time, indicating a temporal increase in the fertility of the source. The Nb/Zr ratios are similar in basalts and rhyolites from a given rift zone, whereas the Nd isotopic compositions of the rhyolites are less radiogenic than those of the basalts. These data suggest that the rhyolites were derived from a basaltic magma via crystal fractionation and crustal assimilation. The rhyolites associated with the Kuroko deposits are aphyric and have higher concentrations of incompatible elements than do post‐Kuroko quartz‐phyric rhyolites. These observations suggest that the aphyric rhyolite magma was derived from a relatively deep magma chamber with strong fractional crystallization. Almost all of the Kuroko deposits formed in close temporal relation to the aphyric rhyolite indicating a genetic link between the Kuroko deposits and highly differentiated rhyolitic magma.     

Physical determinants of intertidal communities on dissipative beaches: Implications of sea-level rise

Sea-level rise is likely to cause significant changes in the morphodynamic state of beaches in the higher latitudes, resulting in steeper beaches with larger particle sizes. These physical changes have implications for beach invertebrate communities, which are determined largely by sediment particle size, and hence for ecosystem function. Previous studies have explored the relationships between invertebrate communities and environmental variables such as particle size, beach slope and exposure to wave action, and often these physical variables can be integrated in various indices of morphodynamic state. Most of these studies incorporated a full range of beach types that included wave-dominated surf beaches, where the wave action is harsh enough to enable reliable estimates of breaker height, a parameter included in several of the indices, and concluded that more dissipative beaches with gentler slopes and finer particle sizes often support a higher number of species and greater abundance than more reflective beaches. Whether these predictions remain valid for less wave-dominated beaches, where breaker height is more difficult to determine, is uncertain. In the present study, the abundance of meio- and macrofauna was quantified across a range of beaches in the UK, which are generally towards the lower energy end of the morphodynamic gradient, and their relationships with beach physical properties explored. No significant relationships were found between abundance and the standard morphodynamic indices, but significant relationships were found for both macro- and meiofaunal abundance when these indices were combined with an exposure index (derived from velocity, direction, duration and the effective fetch). All the relationships identified between abundance and combined morphodynamic indices indicated a higher abundance of both macro- and meiofauna on the more dissipative beaches. The reverse was however found for species richness. If predictions that accelerated sea-level rise will move beaches towards a more reflective morphodynamic state are correct, this could lead to declines in the abundance of meio- and macrofauna, with potential adverse consequences for ecosystem functioning.     

Exploration Indices and Mineral Potential Map of the Kuroko Deposits in Northeast Japan

Abstract. Recent discoveries of seafloor hydrothermal mineralization in submarine volcanic centers of felsic magma in western Pacific island arcs are regarded as modern analogues of Kuroko type deposits. Studies of these deposits and their surrounding geology raised question whether the exploration activity for the Kuroko deposits on land which peaked in the 1960's was adequate or not. However, such an evaluation is not easy because the exploration data are about to be lost as a result of the closure of all the Kuroko mines in the area since 1994.
The Metal Mining Agency of Japan (MMAJ), therefore, decided to compile existing data on about 180 Kuroko deposits and related mineral occurrences in northeast Japan as a new Kuroko database.
This study extends a concept called "exploration indices" which was developed based on a case study of the thoroughly surveyed Hokuroku district to draw a potential map of the Kuroko occurrences for the entire northeast Japan quantitatively with a Geographical Information System (GIS). Effective exploration indices include: 1) distribution of dacitic-rhy-olitic submarine volcanic rocks of the Nishikurosawa and Onnagawa stages, 2) distribution of intrusive rocks of pre- and post-Kuroko horizon, 3) low aeromagnetic anomaly caused by hydrothermal alteration of magnetite, 4) low gravity anomaly which suggests depressions in the basement rocks such as a tectonic basin and/or caldera, and 5) nearby existence of vein type deposits. It is concluded that about 33 % of known Kuroko deposits fall within the high potential zone (score=4 and 5) that occupies only 4 % of the entire northeast Japan arc. The Kuroko potential map is, therefore, useful for limiting the target area for Kuroko type deposits in an island arc setting.     

A Comparison of Simulated Particle Fluxes Using NEMURO and Other Ecosystem Models in the Western North Pacific

JGOFS has revealed the importance of marine biological activity to the global carbon cycle. Ecological models are valuable tools for improving our understanding of biogeochemical cycles. Through a series of workshops, the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES) developed NEMURO (North Pacific Ecosystem Model Understanding Regional Oceanography) a model, specifically designed to simulate the lower trophic ecosystem in the North Pacific Ocean. Its ability to simulate vertical fluxes generated by biological activities has not yet been validated. Here compare NEMURO with several other lower trophic level models of the northern North Pacific. The different ecosystem models are each embedded in a common three-dimensional physical model, and the simulated vertical flux of POM and the biomass of phytoplankton are compared. The models compared are: (1) NEMURO, (2) the Kishi and Nakata Model (Kishi et al., 1981), (3) KKYS (Kawamiya et al., 1995, 2000a, 2000b), and (4) the Denman model (Denman and Peña, 2002). With simple NPZD models, it is difficult to describe the production of POM (Particulate Organic Matter) and hence the simulations of vertical flux are poor. However, if the parameters are properly defined, the primary production can be well reproduced, even though none of models we used here includes iron limitation effects. On the whole, NEMURO gave a satisfactory simulation of the vertical flux of POM in the northern North Pacific.     

An improved SPH method for saturated soils and its application to investigate the mechanisms of embankment failure: Case of hydrostatic pore‐water pressure

The method of smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) has recently been applied to computational geomechanics and has been shown to be a powerful alternative to the standard numerical method, that is, the finite element method, for handling large deformation and post‐failure of geomaterials. However, very few studies apply the SPH method to model saturated or submerged soil problems. Our recent studies of this matter revealed that significant errors may be made if the gradient of the pore‐water pressure is handled using the standard SPH formulation. To overcome this problem and to enhance the SPH applications to computational geomechanics, this article proposes a general SPH formulation, which can be applied straightforwardly to dry and saturated soils. For simplicity, the current work assumes hydrostatic pore‐water pressure. It is shown that the proposed formulation can remove the numerical error mentioned earlier. Moreover, this formulation automatically satisfies the dynamic boundary conditions at a submerged ground surface, thereby saving computational cost. Discussions on the applications of the standard and new SPH formulations are also given through some numerical tests. Furthermore, techniques to obtain the correct SPH solution are also proposed and discussed throughout. As an application of the proposed method, the effect of the dilatancy angle on the failure mechanism of a two‐sided embankment subjected to a high groundwater table is presented and compared with that of other solutions. Finally, the proposed formulation can be considered a basic formulation for further developments of SPH for saturated soils. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.