Koshi Nishimura

Mg/Si ratios of aqueous fluids coexisting with forsterite and enstatite based on the phase relations in the Mg2SiO4-SiO2-H2O system

Abstract Direct observation of aqueous fluids coexisting with MgSiO3 (enstatite) and/or Mg2SiO4 (forsterite) was performed at 0.5-5.8 GPa and 800-1000 °C with an externally heated diamond-anvil cell and synchrotron X-rays. At 1000 °C in the MgSiO3 -H2O system, forsterite crystallizes below 3 GPa but not above that pressure. At 1000 °C in the Mg2SiO4 -H2O system, forsterite congruently dissolves into the aqueous fluids up to 5 GPa. These observations suggest that the aqueous fluids coexisting with enstatite and forsterite have Mg/Si < 1 below 3 GPa and 1 < Mg/Si < 2 above that pressure. Comparison with the previous studies reporting Mg/Si ratios of the aqueous fluid coexisting with enstatite and forsterite indicates that the Mg/Si ratios change rapidly from SiO2-rich to MgO-rich at around 3 GPa and 1000 °C. This change can be related to possible structural changes of liquid water under these conditions. The aqueous fluids coexisting with enstatite and forsterite do have Mg/Si ratios similar to those found in the partial melts of H2O-saturated peridotite. Somewhere within the upper mantle, these two fluids unite to form a single regime and cannot be distinguished from each other.

Raman spectroscopy of cubic boron nitride under high temperature and pressure conditions: A new optical pressure marker

The pressure dependence of Raman peaks of cubic boron nitride (cBN) is determined at 100, 200 and 300 °C using pressure scales of ruby and gold. At pressures lower than 6 GPa, the pressure dependences of cBN Raman determined with the ruby pressure scale for transverse-optical (TO) and longitudinal-optical modes are 3.45±0.02 and 3.36±0.02 cm−1/GPa at 100 °C and 3.43±0.02 and 3.44±0.07 cm−1/GPa at 300 °C, respectively. These values are consistent with those in a previous study conducted at room temperature using the ruby pressure scale. Synchrotron x-ray diffraction experiments using a gold pressure marker also yield 3.45±0.03 cm−1/GPa for TO mode at 200 °C in a range of pressure up to 32 GPa. Under the present pressure and temperature conditions, the pressure dependence of Raman peaks of cBN seems to be independent of the temperature conditions. cBN can be used as an optical pressure marker under high temperature conditions.

Origin of saline waters distributed along the Median Tectonic Line in southwest Japan: Hydrogeochemical investigation on possibility of derivation of metamorphic dehydrated fluid from subducting oceanic plate

To identify of metamorphic dehydrated fluid as source fluid of hot spring water, we conducted chemical and isotopic analyses of water and accompanied gas samples collected from hot-spring wells along the Median Tectonic Line (MTL) in the forearc region of the southwestern part of Japan. As a result, we found the hot spring waters having anomalous δD and δ18O compositions as compared with modern seawater and shallow groundwater in Wakayama and Shikoku regions. Judging from data in relative B–Li–Cl composition and He isotopic systematics, the source fluid of the hot springs in Shikoku could be identified to be one of diagenetic fluids. On the other hand, the source fluid of the hot springs of Wakayama had different B–Li–Cl composition and higher 3He/4He ratio in comparison with diagenetic dehydrated fluids and then the fluid was thought to be originated from metamorphic dehydrated fluid as well as Oita plain. There was another striking contrast between the source fluid of Wakayama and Oita and that of Shikoku and Miyazaki; accompanied gases by the former were rich in CO2, whereas those with the latter were rich in CH4, and CO2 in the accompanied gases of Wakayama and Oita is mostly derived from marine carbonate like volcanic gases in subduction zones. Moreover, the Li–B–Cl compositions of them showed transitive values between the relative composition of diagenetic fluids and those of volcanic thermal waters. Consequently, the source fluid of hot springs in Wakayama and Oita was likely to be dehydrated metamorphic fluids released from the subducting Philippine-Sea plate.