The effects of the spinel—garnet phase transition on the formation of rifted sedimentary basins

We have examined the effects of the spinel-garnet phase transition on subsidence of extensional sedimentary basins. For a constant positive Clapeyron slope ( dP/dT ), the phase boundary moves downwards in the syn-rift and upwards in the post-rift phase. For a non-linear Clapeyron curve ( dP/dT > 0 above 900°C and dP/dT < 0 below 900°C), theory predicts for the reaction of the spinel-garnet phase transition, the direction of phase boundary movement is dependent on the stretching factor, the position of the Clapeyron curve and the lithospheric thickness. A smaller syn-rift and larger post-rift subsidence are predicted for a deeper phase boundary and a thicker lithosphere. The model with a non-linear Clapeyron curve is applied to the subsidence histories of a young extensional basin (Gulf of Lion) and an old continental margin (eastern Canada). The observed syn-rift uplift and the larger post-rift subsidence can be reasonably explained by this model, where the optimum depth of the phase boundary for eastern Canada (˜90 km) is consistent with the estimate from seismic observations and is larger than that for the Gulf of Lion (˜ 50 km). The depth of the spinel-garnet phase boundary is sensitive to the composition of mantle rocks and increases with the extraction of basaltic components from the lithosphere, compatible with our result that the phase boundary is deeper for an older and thicker lithosphere. Thus the surface movement associated with the rifting for these areas may reflect the chemical evolution of the continental lithosphere.     

The chemical composition and nickel,cobalt, copper,zinc and lead contents of Nanao Bay sediments

The contents of major and some of the minor elements, nickel, cobalt, copper, zinc and lead were studied on sediments collected from three inlets of Nanao Bay located at eastern side of Noto Peninsula. Little variation was found on the average contents of silicon, iron, titanium, aluminum, manganese, magnesium and potassium among the sediments of West, South and North Bays in Nanao Bay. Whereas significant difference was found on the contents of calcium, chlorine, sulfur and nitrogen among sediments of three bays.As to the minor elements, the average contents of nickel (20±5 ppm), cobalt (5±1 ppm), copper (18±5 ppm) and lead (17±8 ppm) are relatively low but zinc content is high in these sediments comparing with those of coastal deposit around Japan Island. From the results obtained here, it became clear that no environmental contamination of nickel, cobalt, copper and lead, and a little organic pollution were found in Nanao Bay sediments.     

Comparison of observed and theoretically calculated seiches of Heda Bay,Japan

We carried out observations of sea-level fluctuations simultaneously at three stations on the coast of Heda Bay, Honshu, Japan, using supersonic-type water level gauges controlled by a personal computer. Analyses of the obtained data showed predominant spectral peaks at periods of 7.6, 2.0 and 1.3 minutes for all three stations. Comparison of the observed data with numerically calculated normal oscillation modes of the bay indicates that these three spectral peaks correspond to the theoretical first, third and seventh normal modes of the basin respectively, judging from the results of cross-spectral analyses. The reason for the absence of the remaining normal modes, especially of the second or the lateral first mode of the basin, is briefly considered.     

Evolution of Mount Fuji,Japan: Inference from drilling into the subaerial oldest volcano,pre‐Komitake

A buried, old volcanic body (pre‐Komitake Volcano) was discovered during drilling into the northeastern flank of Mount Fuji. The pre‐Komitake Volcano is characterized by hornblende‐bearing andesite and dacite, in contrast to the porphyritic basaltic rocks of Komitake Volcano and to the olivine‐bearing basaltic rocks of Fuji Volcano. K‐Ar age determinations and geological analysis of drilling cores suggest that the pre‐Komitake Volcano began with effusion of basaltic lava flows around 260 ka and ended with explosive eruptions of basaltic andesite and dacite magma around 160 ka. After deposition of a thin soil layer on the pre‐Komitake volcanic rocks, successive effusions of lava flows occurred at Komitake Volcano until 100 ka. Explosive eruptions of Fuji Volcano followed shortly after the activity of Komitake. The long‐term eruption rate of about 3 km³/ka or more for Fuji Volcano is much higher than that estimated for pre‐Komitake and Komitake. The chemical variation within Fuji Volcano, represented by an increase in incompatible elements at nearly constant SiO₂, differs from that within pre‐Komitake and other volcanoes in the northern Izu‐Bonin arc, where incompatible elements increase with increasing SiO₂. These changes in the volcanism in Mount Fuji may have occurred due to a change in regional tectonics around 150 ka, although this remains unproven.     

Characterization of organic matter and depositional environment of Tertiary mudstones from the Sylhet Basin,Bangladesh

The Sylhet Basin of Bangladesh is a sub-basin of the Bengal Basin. It contains a very thick (up to 22 km) Tertiary stratigraphic succession consisting mainly of sandstones and mudstones. The Sylhet succession is divided into the Jaintia (Paleocene–late Eocene), Barail (late Eocene–early Miocene), Surma (middle–late Miocene), Tipam (late Miocene–Pliocene) and Dupitila Groups (Pliocene–Pleistocene), in ascending order. The origin of the organic matter (OM) and paleoenvironment of deposition have been evaluated on the basis of C, N, S elemental analysis, Rock-Eval pyrolysis and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis of 60 mudstone samples collected from drill core and surface outcrops. Total organic carbon (TOC) content ranges from 0.11% to 1.56%. Sulfur content is low in most samples. TOC content in the Sylhet succession varies systematically with sedimentation rate, with low TOC caused by clastic dilution produced by high sedimentation rates arising from rapid uplift and erosion of the Himalaya.The OM in the succession is characterized by systematic variations in pristane/phytane (Pr/Ph), oleanane/C₃₀ hopane, n-C₂₉/n-C₁₉ alkane, Tm/Ts [17α(H)-22,29,30-trisnorhopane/18α(H)-22,29,30-trisnorhopane] and sterane C₂₉/(C₂₇ + C₂₈ + C₂₉) ratios during the middle Eocene to Pleistocene. Based on biomarker proxies, the depositional environment of the Sylhet succession can be divided into three phases. In the first (middle Eocene to early Miocene), deposition occurred completely in seawater-dominated oxic conditions, with abundant input of terrestrial higher plants, including angiosperms. The second phase (middle to late Miocene) consisted of mainly freshwater anoxic conditions along with a small seawater influence according to eustasic sea level change, with diluted OM derived from phytoplankton and a lesser influence from terrestrial higher plants. Oxygen-poor freshwater conditions prevailed in the third phase (post-late Miocene). Planktonic OM was relatively abundant in this stage, while a high angiosperm influx prevailed at times. T_max values of ca. 450 °C, vitrinite reflectance (R_o) of ca. 0.66% and methylphenanthrene index (MPI 3) of ca. 1 indicate the OM to be mature. The lower part (middle Eocene to early Miocene) of the succession with moderate TOC content and predominantly terrestrial OM could have generated some condensates and oils in and around the study area.     

Dynamic loading tests and seismic response analysis of a stud-type damper composed of multiple friction units with disc springs

This paper presents an experimental study on the performance of a shear-sliding stud-type damper composed of multiple friction units with high-tension bolts and disc springs. A numerical evaluation of the response reduction effects achieved by the stud-type damper is also presented. In dynamic loading tests, the behavior of stud-type multiunit friction damper specimens was investigated. Three different full-scale damper specimens, which were composed of five, six, or seven friction units with two or four sliding surfaces, were incorporated into loading devices for testing. The stud-type friction dampers demonstrated stable rigid-plastic hysteresis loops without any remarkable decrease in the sliding force even when subjected to repetitive loading, in addition to showing no unstable behavior such as lateral buckling. The damper produced a total sliding force approximately proportional to the number of sliding surfaces and friction units. The total sliding force of the stud-type damper can thus be estimated by summing the contributions of each friction unit. In an earthquake response simulation, the control effects achieved by stud-type dampers incorporated into an analytical high-rise building model under various input waves, including long-period, long-duration and pulse-like ground motions, were evaluated. A satisfactory response reduction was obtained by installing the developed stud-type dampers into the main frame without negatively impacting usability and convenience in terms of building planning.     

Intermittent generation of mafic enclaves in the 1991–1995 dacite of Unzen Volcano recorded in mineral chemistry

Mafic enclaves in the 1991–1995 dacite of Unzen volcano show chemical and textural variability, such as bulk SiO₂ contents ranging from 52 to 62 wt% and fine- to coarse-grained microlite textures. In this paper, we investigated the mineral chemistry of plagioclase and hornblende microlites and distinguished three enclave types. Type-I mafic enclaves contain high-Mg plagioclase and low-Cl hornblende as microlites, whereas type-III enclaves include low-Mg plagioclase and high-Cl hornblende. Type-II enclaves have an intermediate mineral chemistry. Type-I mafic enclaves tend to show a finer-grained matrix, have slightly higher bulk rock SiO₂ contents (56–60 wt%) when compared with the type-III mafic enclaves (SiO₂?=?53–59 wt%), but the overall bulk enclave compositions are within the trend of the basalt–dacite eruptive products of Quaternary monogenetic volcanoes around Unzen volcano. The origin of the variation of mineral chemistry in mafic enclaves is interpreted to reflect different degree of diffusion-controlled re-equilibration of minerals in a low-temperature mushy dacitic magma reservoir. Mafic enclaves with a long residence time in the dacitic magma reservoir, whose constituent minerals were annealed at low-temperature to be in equililbrium with the rhyolitic melt, represent type-III enclaves. In contrast, type-I mafic enclaves result from recent mafic injections with a mineral assemblage that still retains the high-temperature mineral chemistry. Taking temperature, Ca/(Ca?+?Na) ratio of plagioclase, and water activity of the hydrous Unzen magma into account, the Mg contents of plagioclase indicate that plagioclase microlites in type-III enclaves initially crystallized at high temperature and were subsequently re-equilibrated at low-temperature conditions. Compositional profiles of Mg in plagioclase suggest that older mafic enclaves (Type-III) had a residence time of ~100 years at 800 °C in a stagnant magma reservoir before their incorporation into the mixed dacite of the 1991–1995 Unzen eruption. Presence of different types of mafic enclaves suggests that the 1991–1995 dacite of Unzen volcano tapped mushy magma reservoir intermittently replenished by high-temperature mafic magmas.     

Abundance of Fe relative to H at 1.5 solar radii

The abundance of Fe relative to H is obtained by using resonantly scattered intensities of λ 284 of Fe XV that were measured with OSO-7 and resonantly scattered intensities of Lα of H I that were obtained by Gabriel (1971). Because of possible differences in electron densities along lines of sight for these non-simultaneous measurements and in relative calibrations, results are rather uncertain but still indicate that the average Fe abundance relative to H in the corona appears to be at least as large as a recent photospheric abundance. Some limitations in using this method for obtaining abundances are examined for future experiments with simultaneous measurements and well calibrated detectors.     

Polysynthetically-twinned structures of enstatite and wollastonite

Crystal structures of clinoenstatite, orthoenstatite, wollastonite-1T and wollastonite-2M (parawollastonite) were refined to an R factor 3–4 percent level. Molar volumes at room temperature are 31.270(15), 31.315(8), 39.842(5) and 39.901(10) cm³/MSiO₃, in the above-mentioned order, indicating that one-layer polytypes (clinoenstatite and wollastonite-1T) are stable at higher pressures than two-layer polytypes (orthoenstatite and wollastonite-2M). The polytypic relation of the enstatite polytypes can be described by four twinning operations — b glide ∥ to (110), a glide ∥ to (001), twofold screw axis ∥ to a (of orthoenstatite) and a twofold screw axis ∥ to c. For the wollastonite polytypes, twinning operations are twofold screw axis ∥ to b and a glide ∥ to (010). Structural adjustments after twinning are not necessarily the largest at the twin boundary (true in enstatite but not so in wollastonite). In both cases octahedral sites that involve bridging oxygens tend to show relatively large changes. Lattice strain ellipsoids associated with twinning are also different for enstatite and wollastonite, which implies that wollastonite may react differently from enstatite to non-hydrostatic pressure.