Volcanism on Earth is known to occur in three tectonic settings: divergent plate boundaries (such as mid-ocean ridges), convergent plate boundaries (such as island arcs), and hot spots. We report volcanism on the 135 million-year-old Pacific Plate not belonging to any of these categories. Small alkalic volcanoes form from small percent melts and originate in the asthenosphere, as implied by their trace element geochemistry and noble gas isotopic compositions. We propose that these small volcanoes erupt along lithospheric fractures in response to plate flexure during subduction. Minor extents of asthenospheric melting and the volcanoes' tectonic alignment and age progression in the direction opposite to that of plate motion provide evidence for the presence of a small percent melt in the asthenosphere.

We investigated the applicability of Raman microprobe spectroscopy for determining the density of CO2 in fluid inclusions in minerals of mantle-derived xenolith samples. A separation (delta) between two Raman bands of CO2 due to Fermi resonance can be a reliable densimeter for CO2 fluid. The relationship between the density of CO2 (g/cm3) and delta (cm-1) can be expressed as: d = -0.03238697 delta 3 + 10.08428 delta 2 - 1046.189 delta + 36163.67. This equation was obtained from the Raman data on CO2 fluid with densities from 0.1 to 1.21 g/cm3, including super critical fluids at 58-59 degrees C. The delta value was constant with increasing temperature from room temperature to 200 degrees C. This indicates that the Raman densimeter is not affected by a possible rise in temperature, an artifact induced by the high flux of the incident laser. The minimum size of measurable inclusions is 1 micron, and the precision in the determination of delta is 0.1 cm-1, corresponding to 0.02 g/cm3 for inclusions of 1 micron in size. The precision can be better for larger inclusions. The micro-Raman densimeter can determine the density of CO2 fluid inclusions over a wide range. In particular, densities of gas and mixtures of gas and liquid phases, which cannot be measured by microthermometry, can be determined.

He ratio of HESJ was determined by obtaining the weighted average of repeated analyses from five machines in four laboratories in Japan. The recommended value of the 3 He/ 4He ratio of HESJ relative to the air value (R/Ra) is 20.63 ± 0.10. HESJ is available to all researchers.

Micro-Raman spectroscopy enables nondestructive analyses of CO2 fluid density in a very small volume. For application of the method to CO2 fluid inclusions in minerals originated from the deep Earth having widely various densities, we extended the relational expression between the density and Raman spectra of CO2 up to the density corresponding to the boundary between liquid and solid.

Tectonic plate motion is thought to cause solid-state plastic flow within the underlying upper mantle and accordingly lead to the development of a lattice preferred orientation of the constituent olivine crystals. The mechanical anisotropy that results from such preferred orientation typically produces a direction of maximum seismic wave velocity parallel to the plate motion direction. This has been explained by the existence of an olivine preferred orientation with an 'a-axis' maximum parallel to the induced mantle flow direction. In subduction zones, however, the olivine a axes have been inferred to be arranged roughly perpendicular to plate motion, which has usually been ascribed to localized complex mantle flow patterns. Recent experimental work suggests an alternative explanation: under conditions of high water activity, a 'B-type' olivine preferred orientation may form, with the a-axis maximum perpendicular to the flow direction. Natural examples of such B-type preferred orientation are, however, almost entirely unknown. Here we document widespread B-type olivine preferred orientation patterns from a subduction-type metamorphic belt in southwest Japan and show that these patterns developed in the presence of water. Our discovery implies that mantle flow above subduction zones may be much simpler than has generally been thought.

Ultrahigh‐pressure metamorphic (UHPM) rocks of the Kokchetav Massif of Kazakhstan contain metamorphic microdiamond and coesite inclusions inside rigid capsules such as garnet and zircon. Precambrian protoliths of the UHPM rocks were metamorphosed at around 530 Ma, at pressures of about 7 GPa, which suggests that crustal protoliths were subducted to depths of over 200 km. Primary UHPM minerals are poorly preserved due to partial obliteration by subsequent Barrovian overprint during exhumation and later collision events in Caledonian times. We report the results of detailed mapping of the Kokchetav Massif and use structural data to propose intrusion and exhumation mechanisms for the UHPM rocks. Detailed mapping revealed that many subvertical structures in the ultrahigh‐pressure–high‐pressure (UHP–HP) units were formed due to later folding. The primary structure appears to be subhorizontal and the total thickness of the UHP rocks is estimated at around 2 km. The first order structure is sandwich‐like; that is, the UHP–HP units are separated from underlying low‐P metamorphic rocks of the Daulet Series and from feebly metamorphosed to unmetamorphosed sedimentary strata on the top by subhorizontal faults. Kinematic indicators show top‐to‐the‐south sense of shear along the top, and top‐to‐the‐north displacement along the bottom boundaries. These shear senses, together with the observed metamorphic gradients, suggest that the thin UHPM sheet was extruded toward the north. We consider wedge extrusion to have been the most effective mechanism for the exhumation of the UHPM rocks.

By using the pink-color sign for endoscopic diagnosis, accurate diagnosis without endoscopic biopsy for iodine-unstained areas was possible.

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