Evolution of Mount Fuji, Japan: Inference from drilling into the
Transcription
Evolution of Mount Fuji, Japan: Inference from drilling into the
Island Arc (2010) 19, 470–488 Research Article Evolution of Mount Fuji, Japan: Inference from drilling into the subaerial oldest volcano, pre-Komitake iar_722 470..488 MITSUHIRO YOSHIMOTO,1* TOSHITSUGU FUJII,2 TAKAYUKI KANEKO,2 ATSUSHI YASUDA,2 SETSUYA NAKADA2 AND AKIKAZU MATSUMOTO3 1 Department of Natural History Sciences, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, N10 W8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-0810, Japan (email: m-yoshi@mail.sci.hokudai.ac.jp), 2Earthquake Research Institute, University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan, and 3Geological Survey of Japan, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba Central 7, 1-1, Higashi 1-Chome, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8567, Japan Abstract 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. Key words: basalt, drilling core, eruptive history, Fuji Volcano, hornblende dacite, Komitake Volcano, pre-Komitake Volcano. INTRODUCTION Mount Fuji is situated in a complex tectonic setting near the junction of three plates (North American Plate in the east, Eurasian (or Amur) Plate in the west, and Philippine Sea Plate in the south), under two of which the Pacific Plate subducts from east to west (Fig. 1a). It is one of the largest stratovolcanoes in the Japan arc with high, long-term eruption rates (5 km3/ka), as compared with typical subduction-related volcanoes (0.1–0.01 km3/ka; Tsukui et al. 1986). Fuji Volcano, the youngest part *Correspondence. Received 25 April 2009; accepted for publication 23 April 2010. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd of Mount Fuji, has grown since about 100 ka through dominant eruptions of basaltic lava flows and tephra. The geochemistry is characterized by a wide variation of incompatible elements with little change in SiO2. It differs from other volcanoes of the northern Izu-Bonin arc (Fig. 1), which show a coupled variation between incompatible elements and SiO2 (Tsuya 1971; Fujii 2001). The unique chemical characteristics of Fuji Volcano have been discussed in relation to its tectonic setting by several investigators (e.g. Arculus et al. 1991; Takahashi 2000; Fujii 2007). Fujii (2007) proposed that the chemical variations were formed by fractional crystallization of a hydrous magma in a deep magma chamber. That is, in hydrous basalt magma at high pressures, pyroxenes become the doi:10.1111/j.1440-1738.2010.00722.x Evolution of Mount Fuji 471 Fig. 1 Tectonic setting and location of Mount Fuji and drilling sites. (a) Tectonic setting of the study area. PHS, Philippine Sea Plate; EUR, Eurasian Plate; NAM, North American Plate; PAC, Pacific Plate. (b) Quaternary volcanoes around Mount Fuji. Solid circles are Higashi-Izu Monogenic volcanoes (c) Locations of drilling sites, ERI-FJ-1 to -5 of the Earthquake Research Institute (ERI), University of Tokyo. Maps, ‘Fujisan’ and ‘Subashiri’, published by the Geographical Survey Institute, Japan, were used. Dotted lines indicate a horseshoe-shaped crater. major phase to crystallize, instead of olivine and plagioclase. He proposed that the Fuji Volcano magma chamber is located at a depth of 15–25 km, based both on petrology and on seismological investigations (Lees & Ukawa 1992; Ukawa 2005; Nakamichi et al. 2007). On the other hand, Takahashi (2007) proposed an upwelling of mantle material through a split within the subducted Phil- ippine Sea Plate just beneath Mount Fuji, based on current GPS measurements and on the absence of earthquakes at the subducting slab surface under Mount Fuji (Yamaoka 1995). However, the geometry of the subducted slab and seismological evidence (Seno 2005) do not support this proposal. To explore the tectonic background controlling the high eruption rate and chemical evolution of this © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd 472 M. Yoshimoto et al. volcano, detailed temporal, geologic and chemical changes in this volcano, including older volcanic activity hidden by the younger edifice, need to be examined, along with the relationships of the surrounding volcanoes. Scientific drilling, a good way to investigate the temporal, geological and chemical development of Mount Fuji in detail, was sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan, and was carried out during 2001–2003, soon after the occurrence of a spate of deep-seated, low frequency earthquakes. In this paper, we describe lithological features, wholerock chemistry and K-Ar ages of the drilled core samples, aiming to provide new constraints on the volcanological and geochemical evolution of Mount Fuji. TECTONIC SETTING AND GEOLOGY OF THE FUJI VOLCANIC FIELD Collision of the Philippine Sea Plate and the North American Plate resulted in accretion of the upper crust onto the North American Plate and subduction of the lower crust beneath the North American Plate (e.g. Seno 2005). The boundary between the North American and Philippine Sea Plates jumped to the south periodically during repeated accretion episodes. The upper crust accreted from the Philippine Sea Plate forms the present Izu Peninsula. Mount Fuji is located just behind the present plate boundary, which runs from west of Ashitaka Volcano to the northeast of Hakone Volcano (Fig. 1b). Deep depressions suggesting possible remnants of an older plate boundary are found to the west and north of Mount Fuji (Amano 1991). Fuji Volcano has grown to cover a part of Ashitaka Volcano in the south and most of Komitake Volcano in the north (Tsuya 1971). Results from drilling on a saddle between Mount Fuji and Ashitaka indicate that olivine basalt of Fuji Volcano covers olivine-two-pyroxene andesite of Ashitaka Volcano at about 200 m above sea level (a.s.l.) (Tsuya 1962). At present, Komitake Volcano is exposed on the north flank of Mount Fuji (Fig. 1c). These volcanoes had been active before the initial eruptions from Fuji Volcano at about 100 ka. ASHITAKA VOLCANO Ashitaka Volcano, located on the southeastern foot of Mount Fuji, is a dissected stratovolcano. Its © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd activity initiated with eruption of basalt to basaltic andesite lava flows and pyroclastics at around 400 ka and ended with eruption of a hornblendebearing dacite lava dome around 100 ka (Yui & Fujii 1989). Its rocks are within the range of the high-alumina basalt and pigeonitic rock series of Kuno (1968). The andesite and dacite fall within the calc-alkaline hypersthenic rock series. KOMITAKE VOLCANO The edifice of Komitake Volcano is exposed only in a horseshoe-shaped crater that opens to the northeast on the northern middle slope (about 2300 m a.s.l.) of Mount Fuji (Fig. 1). Lava flows, each 0.3–1 m thick, are exposed inside the crater. The center of Komitake Volcano, estimated from dips of the lava flows, is 0.7 km east-northeast of the present peak of Komitake (Tsuya 1971). Its rocks are plagioclase-phyric, olivine-bearing, twopyroxene basalt and basaltic andesite with 51–53 wt% SiO2 (Tsuya 1968). Its activity is believed to have started at the same time as Ashitaka Volcano, in the middle-Pleistocene, based on the similar extent of erosion of the two volcanoes (Tsuya 1971). Tsuya (1971) also considered Komitake and Ashitaka volcanoes to be chemically similar. FUJI VOLCANO Fuji Volcano consists of Older-Fuji and YoungerFuji stages (Machida 1964; Tsuya 1971; Miyaji 1988). Older-Fuji Volcano began its activity at about 100 ka; a silicic tephra marker called ‘On Pm-I’ has been identified just below the lowest part of the Older-Fuji ejecta (Machida 1964). Eruptions of Older-Fuji are thought to have been explosive owing to wide-spread basaltic air-fall deposits with a volume up to 250 km3 that covered abroad area from the eastern flank of Mount Fuji to the south Kanto Plain, including Tokyo (Miyaji et al. 1992). Mudflow deposits are plentifully distributed on the eastern and western flanks of Mount Fuji (Machida 2007). These Older-Fuji ejecta and the mudflow deposits are covered by the Fuji black soil (FB), dated to 10-5 ka (Machida 1964). Younger-Fuji Volcano has been active since 20 ka with eruptions of basaltic lava flows (Miyaji 1988; Yamamoto et al. 2005). Its volcanism is subdivided into six stages with different eruption styles (Miyaji 1988). Dacite and andesite tephra was formed during recent explosive activities, as 997.2 1487 138°50′55″E 138°48′00″E 35°25′10″N 35°22′04″N ERI-FJ-4 ERI-FJ-5 C, using a core pack sampler with a thin plastic tube; W, using an HQ size (core diameter of 61 mm) triple tube wireline core barrel. 0–129 115–365 352–650 0–75 0–200 129 365 650 75 200 1406.7 138°46′38″E 35°24′36″N ERI-FJ-3 35°24′40″N ERI-FJ-2 FJ-3 FJ-3B FJ-3C FJ-4 FJ-5 0–100 75–414 100 414 FJ-2 FJ-2A 1441.8 35°23′42″N ERI-FJ-1 138°44′59″E 0–100 100 FJ-1 1722.7 Hole Elevation (m) Longtitude Latitude Site Table 1 Location, drilling depth and cored range of the boreholes in Mount Fuji Drilling was conducted on the northern and eastern flanks of Mount Fuji at five sites (ERIFJ-1 to -5) (Nakada et al. 2004) (Fig. 1, Table 1). To monitor the volcanic activity of Fuji Volcano, sensors were installed at the three sites (FJ-1 to -3) on the north to northeastern flank: seismometers (all three sites), strainmeter (FJ-2), and tiltmeter and thermometer (FJ-3). The other two sites, FJ-4 and -5, on the eastern flank, were drilled to further understand the eruptive history of Fuji Volcano. FJ-1 (1722.7 m a.s.l.) was drilled to a depth of 100 m. FJ-2 (1441.8 m a.s.l.) consists of two holes 100 m and 414 m in depth. Geophysical logging, consisting of normal resistivity, spontaneous potential, acoustic, density, neutron, seismic velocity, natural gamma ray, temperature, Fullbore Formation MicroImager (FMI, microresistivity formation images) and borehole caliper, was carried out in both holes for depth intervals of 1–100 m and 75–414 m, respectively. FJ-3 (1406.7 m a.s.l.) consists of three holes 129 m, 365 m and 650 m in depth. Geophysical logging was carried out for depth intervals 0–129 m, 115–365 m and 352–650 m, respectively. FJ-4 (997.2 m a.s.l.) and FJ-5 (1487 m a.s.l.) were drilled to 75 m and 200 m, respectively. Core samples from shallower depths were obtained using a core pack sampler with a thin plastic tube, and those from deeper depths were obtained using an HQ size (core diameter of 61 mm) core barrel (Nakada et al. 2004) (Table 1). Diameters of the recovered core samples range from 61 to 70 mm. Total core recovery was more than 94%. We describe herein characteristics of rocks and deposits observed in drillholes FJ-1 to FJ-3. FJ-4 and FJ-5 are not described since they are composed of only younger rocks (Fig. 2). Photographs of core samples with typical lithofacies are shown Drilling depth (m) CORE DESCRIPTION FROM DRILL HOLES IN MOUNT FUJI 138°45′58″E Cored range (m) Method (m) observed in the Hoei eruption (AD 1707) and the Zunasawa eruption (c. 3 ka). The dominant magma type for both Older- and Younger-Fuji volcanoes is high-alumina basalt (48– 52 wt% SiO2), in which phenocrysts are mainly plagioclase and olivine with a minor amount of clinopyroxene. Plagioclase-phyric basalt without olivine phenocrysts is rarely observed (Tsuya 1971). The dacites contain orthopyroxene phenocrysts without hornblende. 473 W: 0–27 C: 27–100 C C: 89–200 W: 75–89, 200–414 C C W C C Evolution of Mount Fuji © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd 474 M. Yoshimoto et al. Fig. 2 Lithostratigraphy of the boreholes (ERI-FJ-1 to -5). The locations of the drilling sites are indicated in Figure 1. in Figure 3. Core depths (m) for lavas given in the text indicate those at the top of flows. ERI-FJ-1 (FJ-1) FJ-1 is composed of lava flows, mudflow deposits and unspecified deposits, lacking both soil layers and layers of well sorted and monolithologic © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd angular scoria, classified as air-fall deposit (Fig. 2). Five lavas are observed, each with a massive center and fractured upper and lower margins, sometimes reddish in color due to oxidation. Rocks are basalt with about 15 vol.% plagioclase, olivine, clinopyroxene and rare orthopyroxene phenocrysts. Mudflow deposits are subdivided into two types: a moderately sorted Evolution of Mount Fuji 475 Fig. 3 Photographs of recovered drilling cores from ERI-FJ-2 and -3, showing typical occurrences for ERI-FJ-1 to -3. (a) Scoriaceous mudflow (slush flow) deposit from 25 to 30 m depth of the FJ-3. (b) Basaltic lava flow, orthopyroxene-bearing olivine basalt with 15 vol.% phenocrysts and an underlying burned red scoria fall deposit from 90 to 95 m in FJ-2. (c) Plagioclase-phyric (35 vol.%) basaltic andesite lava flows and alternation of scoria fall deposits and weathered ashy soils from 170 to 175 m in FJ-2. (d) Hornblende dacite lava clasts, which are bluish-gray in color and less than 12 cm long, and two-pyroxene andesite and basaltic andesite in the mudflow deposit from 185 to 190 m in FJ-2. (e) Andesitic pyroclastic flow deposit from 190 to 195 m in FJ-2. (f) Massive basaltic andesite lava flow with about 30 vol.% phenocrysts consisting mainly of plagioclase and a small amount of clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene and olivine from 215 to 220 m in FJ-2. (g) Typical polymict mudflow deposit from cores at 405 to 410 m in FJ-2. The mudflow is composed of large blocks of lava in a fine-grained matrix of volcanic material. scoriaceous one and a poorly sorted polymictic one. The former consists of rounded scoria without fine ash, and resembles a deposit from a mixture of snow and scoria commonly observed during seasons of snow melting at Mount Fuji (Anma 2007). The latter contains abundant lava clasts up to 10 cm across and fine ash particles in the matrix. The unspecified deposits consisting of well-sorted clasts of lava and scoria are either fragmented clinker from lava flows or coarse clasts of mudflows, in which fine particles were washed out during the drilling operation. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd 476 M. Yoshimoto et al. Fig. 4 Photomicrographs showing typical rocks in the recovered cores: (a) Olivine basalt from 64 m in FJ-2; (b) Plagioclase-phyric basaltic andesite from 131 m in FJ-2; (c) Hornblende dacite from 177 m in FJ-2; (d) Clinopyroxene-hornblende andesite from 447 m in FJ-3; (e) Two-pyroxene basaltic andesite from 355 m in FJ-3; and (f) Two-pyroxene olivine basaltic andesite from 376 m in FJ-2. ol, olivine; cpx, clinopyroxene; opx, orthopyroxene; hbl, hornblende; pl, plagioclase. ERI-FJ-2 (FJ-2) Three units are defined in FJ-2, whose depth intervals are 0–95 m, 95–174 m, and 174–414 m, based on the petrographical and lithological signatures of the core (Fig. 2). FJ-2 unit-1 (0–95 m) consists of seven lavas. Lavas at depths of 5, 61.9 and 90.4 m are olivine basalt containing 15–25 vol.% phenocrystals, with or without clinopyroxene (Figs 3b,4a). Lavas at depths of 21, 25 and 26.8 m are basalt containing less than 10 vol.% phenocrysts, rarely with olivine. The lava at a depth of 15.5 m is plagioclase-phyric (30 vol.% phenocrysts) basalt with a small amount of olivine. The lava at a depth of 61.9 m is 13 m thick, while the other six are less than 3 m thick. Fuji black soil (FB) (Machida 1964) of 10 to 5 ka is observed at a depth of 9.2 to 9.3 m. Tephra ‘On Pm-I’, characterizing the base of the Older-Fuji volcano, was not found. More than ten layers of well sorted scoria fall deposits were found. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd The middle FJ-2 unit-2, at a depth interval of 95–174 m, is composed of plagioclase-phyric basalt (30–35 vol.%) containing small amounts of clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene and olivine phenocrysts (Figs 3c,4b). The maximum length of plagioclase phenocryst reaches 3 mm. Lavas with thickness of 1 to 4 m are found at depths of 98.5, 103.8, 122, 125.9, 129.8, 134.8, 139.1, 155, 165.4 and 170.5 m (Fig. 2). These are intercalated with poorly sorted lava clast-rich mudflow deposits, scoriaceous mudflow deposits and unspecified deposits. The unspecified deposits are composed of lapilli of lava fragments without fine particles. The lowest FJ-2 unit-3, from a depth of 174 m to the bottom of the hole at a depth of 410 m, is characterized by the occurrence of two-pyroxene andesite and hornblende dacite. Lavas and lava clasts of basalt and basaltic andesite are intercalated with small amounts of two-pyroxene andesite and hornblende dacite (Figs 3,4). At the top of this unit (174–176.6 m), there are three layers of scoria Evolution of Mount Fuji fall deposits separated by soil layers (Fig. 3c). At depths of 176.6–190 m, a poorly sorted mudflow deposit includes clasts of hornblende dacite, and two-pyroxene andesite and basaltic andesite (Fig. 3d). Some of the basaltic andesite here is characterized by large phenocrysts of pyroxene. At depths of 190–201 m, two layers of very poorly sorted and monolithologic pyroclastic flow deposits of two-pyroxenes andesite are found, the bottoms of which are oxidized (Fig. 3e). The lowest section (at a depth interval of 201 m to 414 m) consists of nine lavas and several polymict mudflow deposits. The latter contain large, massive blocks up to 100 cm across (Fig. 3g). Lavas and most clasts in the mudflow deposits are plagioclase-phyric olivine basalt and basaltic andesite, with or without clinopyroxene, and orthopyroxene basaltic andesite, with or without olivine and/or clinopyroxene, both of which contain 25–40 vol.% phenocrysts. Lavas at depths of 210 m, composed of olivine-twopyroxene basaltic andesite, and 350 m, composed of clinopyroxene-bearing olivine basalt, are 17 m and 10 m thick, respectively. Oxidized, reddish scoria fall deposits more than 1 m thick lie beneath these lavas (Fig. 3f). The other lavas at depths of 202.5, 338, 365.7, 375, 378, 388.8 and 393.6 m are less than 2 m thick. ERI-FJ-3 (FJ-3) FJ-3 is composed mainly of mudflow deposits intercalated with six lavas and scoria fall layers. Three different units are also recognized in FJ-3 at depths of 0–75 m, 75–315 m, and 315–650 m, based on the occurrence of mudflow deposits and the petrographical features of rocks (Fig. 2). Although deposits at depths of 315–328 m were grouped into the upper unit of FJ-3 by Nakada et al. (2007), they are regrouped petrographically into FJ-3 unit-3. FJ-3 unit-1 (at depth interval of 0–75 m) and unit-3 (at depth interval of 315–650 m) are similar in lithofacies to those of FJ-2 units-1 and -3, respectively; however, FJ-3 unit-2 (at depth interval of 75–315 m) differs from FJ-2 unit-2 both petrographically and lithologically. FJ-3 unit-1 is composed of two lavas, twenty scoria-fall deposits and a pyroclastic flow deposit, separated by weathered soil layers and moderately sorted scoriaceous mudflow deposits. The pyroclastic flow deposit found at depths of 8–9 m consists of poorly sorted basaltic scoria and fine ash, and contains charcoals. Fuji black soil (FB) is observed at depths of 14.2–14.7 m. Lavas at depths 477 of 31.8 and 56 m are olivine basalt with 15–25 vol.% phenocrysts. FJ-3 unit-2, at a depth interval of 75–315 m, is almost entirely composed of moderately to poorly sorted scoriaceous mudflow deposits, which differ from FJ-2 unit-2 petrographically and lithologically. The mudflow deposits occasionally contain lava clasts up to 10 cm across, which are similar to rocks of FJ-2 units-1 and -3 without hornblende. Plagioclase-phyric basaltic andesite, characterizing FJ-2 unit-2, was merely found as a clast in a mudflow deposit at a depth of 225.5 m. Lavas of olivine basalt, containing 10–12 vol.% phenocrysts with a small amount of pyroxenes, are observed at depths of 209.8 and 213 m. At depths of 243–245 m, thin well-sorted scoria-fall deposits with brown-colored weathered layers are observed. FJ-3 unit-3 at a depth interval of 315–650 m is mainly composed of poorly sorted polymic mudflow deposits and two massive lavas. The top of this unit, at depths of 315–328.5 m, consists of alternating layers of well-sorted scoria and brown-colored, weathered soil with a thickness of about 4 m. More than ten scoria fall deposits are present at this depth interval. One of them, at a depth of 327 m, contains hornblende-bearing scoria. Massive lava flow (25 m thick) of hornblende-two-pyroxene basaltic andesite with more than 40 vol.% phenocrysts is found at a depth of 390 m. Olivine-bearing two-pyroxene basaltic andesite (4 m thick) with more than 40 vol.% phenocrysts is found at a depth of 584.4 m. Most clasts in a mudflow deposit below the depth of 328.5 m are two-pyroxene basaltic andesite and andesite with or without olivine phenocrysts. Many of them are characterized by large (2 to 4 mm long) clinopyroxene phenocrysts (Fig. 4e), similar to the two-pyroxene basaltic andesite and andesite from FJ-2 unit-3. Some andesitic clasts also contain hornblende phenocrysts (Figs 2,4d). Thus, FJ-3 unit-3 has common signatures with FJ-2 unit-3. Two types of mudflow deposits are recognized in both FJ-2 and -3 (Fig. 3a,g): scoriaceous mudflows and polymict mudflows containing abundant large lava clasts. A scoriaceous mudflow deposit is moderately sorted and is mainly composed of lapilli and coarse ash particles of basaltic scoria. It commonly lacks fine-ash particles, although it occasionally contains lava clasts up to 10 cm in length. On the other hand, a polymict mudflow deposit is very poorly sorted, and contains abundant fine ash © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd 478 M. Yoshimoto et al. particles in the matrix. It also contains about 20% block-sized clasts of basalt, andesite and dacite. The two types of mudflow deposits are separated by layers of scoria fall and brown weathered soil at the depths of 174–176.7 m in FJ-2 and 315–328.5 m in FJ-3 (Fig. 2). The lithological difference between the two types of mudflow deposits reflects a difference in source materials; one is dominantly scoria-rich tephra, while the other is rich in basalt, andesite and dacite lava flows with subordinate pyroclastic materials. WHOLE ROCK CHEMISTRY Major and trace elements of lavas and the lava clasts in mudflow deposits from the drill cores were measured using an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, Philips PW 2400 (Philips, Almelo, the Netherlands) of Earthquake Research Institute, University of Tokyo. Fifty-two samples from 37 lavas and 190 lava clasts from mudflow deposits were selected. The lava clasts were collected throughout mudflow deposits as evenly as possible and represent about 20–30% of all clasts larger than 10 cm in length. Representative analyses of core samples are listed in Table 2. Variation diagrams of the analyzed samples are shown in Figures 5 and 6. Whole rock chemistry of the core samples falls into three groups, corresponding to the stratigraphically defined units of FJ-2 units-1 to -3 (Table 3). These groups are clearly distinguished on variation diagrams of MgO vs. SiO2, and TiO2 vs. MgO (Figs 5,6) and in the stratigraphic plot (Fig. 7). Rocks of Group 1 found in FJ-2 unit-1 and Group 2 found in FJ-2 unit-2 show a remarkably narrow range in SiO2 (49 to 53 wt%). In contrast, rocks of Group 3, found in FJ-2 unit-3 range from 50 to 70 wt% in SiO2. Although rocks from the FJ-2 units-1 and -2 are similar in SiO2, they are distinct in other elements. For example, FJ-2 unit-2 rocks are higher in Al2O3 and lower in TiO2, FeO, MgO, K2O, P2O5, Ba, Co, Cr, Ni, Zn, Y, and Rb than FJ-2 unit-1. Rocks of FJ-2 unit-3 show chemical trends that differ from those of FJ-2 units-1 and -2; that is, Na2O, K2O, Ba, Zr, and Rb increase with increasing SiO2, whereas TiO2, Al2O3, FeO, MnO, MgO, CaO, Co, V, Sc, and Y decrease. Basalt and basaltic andesite from FJ-2 unit-3 have lower TiO2, K2O and P2O5 and higher Al2O3 than those from FJ-2 unit-1. Rocks in FJ-2 units-2 and -3 can be discriminated in the variation diagrams of MgO vs. SiO2 and TiO2 vs. MgO. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd Rocks of FJ-1 and two lavas from FJ-3 unit-1 are similar in chemistry to those from Group 1. Samples from FJ-3 unit-3 range from 50 to 63 wt% SiO2 and show the same compositional variation as Group 3. On the other hand, samples from lavas and lava clasts in mudflow deposits from FJ-3 unit-2 do not show chemical characteristics similar to Group 2, though they have compositions that fall into Groups 1 and 3; they are low in K2O and have a narrow range of TiO2. Only one sample from FJ-3 unit-2 with plagioclase-phyric texture at 225.5 m plots near the compositional range of Group 2. Samples below 285 m in depth of FJ-2 are basalt and basaltic andesite, having narrow ranges in SiO2 and the other major elements. In contrast, samples from the upper part of FJ-2 unit-3, 174–285 m deep, show a wide range in SiO2; SiO2 increases with decreasing depth from basalt to dacite. At depths from 95 to 174 m in FJ-2, major elements, including SiO2, remain nearly constant. Finally, above 95 m in FJ-2 unit-1, SiO2 remains in a narrow range, though the other elements vary widely and unsystematically. On the other hand, almost all major elements in the FJ-3 samples below 75 m gradually increase or decrease with depth except K2O, which shows an abrupt jump across the boundary between units-2 and -3. K-Ar AGE DETERMINATIONS K-Ar age determinations were carried out at Geological Survey of Japan, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST). Six rock samples were collected from lava flows and mudflow deposits in the deeper part of FJ-3. The samples were crushed using an iron pestle and sieved to 0.25–0.50 mm in diameter. Phenocrysts were removed as much as possible using an isodynamic separator. The groundmassrich fractions were prepared for argon isotope analyses, and the rest of samples were further pulverized for potassium analyses using an agate mortar. The concentrations of potassium were determined by flame emission spectrometry, in which peak integration and lithium internal standard methods were adopted (Matsumoto 1989). The concentrations of radiogenic 40Ar were determined on a VG Isotopes 1200C mass spectrometer by the conventional isotope dilution method using a 38Ar 51.43 1.14 16.63 10.46 0.18 6.87 10.20 2.48 0.60 0.19 100.18 188 41 175 160 36 335 75 93 13 66 331 22 + tr tr + 51.73 1.29 16.80 10.54 0.18 6.06 10.06 2.70 0.67 0.23 100.26 198 38 111 203 36 374 55 97 13 77 391 23 + + SiO2 (wt%) TiO2 Al2O3 FeO† MnO MgO CaO Na2O K2O P2O5 Total Ba (ppm) Co Cr Cu Sc V Ni Zn Rb Zr Sr Y Phenocryst Olivine Clinopyroxene Orthopyroxene Hornblende Plagioclase FJ-1 75.6 FJ1 U1 Lava FJ-1 45.0 FJ1 U1 Lava Drilling site Depth (m) Stratigraphic unit Occurrence + + ++ 51.46 1.24 17.30 10.42 0.18 5.90 10.05 2.55 0.71 0.25 100.06 207 36 72 167 37 349 40 95 15 81 388 25 FJ-2 5.5 FJ2 U1 Lava tr ++ 51.48 1.43 19.16 9.62 0.16 3.87 10.17 3.03 0.82 0.32 100.06 267 30 39 204 29 323 32 95 17 100 437 27 FJ-2 17.1 FJ2 U1 Lava tr + 51.48 1.81 16.40 12.07 0.20 4.50 9.05 3.03 0.98 0.37 99.89 294 35 26 274 36 430 31 120 21 109 404 33 FJ-2 25.6 FJ2 U1 Lava + 50.76 1.93 15.85 13.14 0.21 4.87 8.91 2.93 1.00 0.38 99.98 296 40 19 273 36 490 32 129 21 112 385 35 FJ-2 27.5 FJ2 U1 Lava + + + 51.84 1.25 16.95 10.34 0.17 6.03 10.14 2.71 0.66 0.23 100.32 216 38 110 168 33 365 53 96 14 76 399 22 FJ-2 64.1 FJ2 U1 Lava + tr ++ 50.85 1.02 20.23 9.40 0.16 3.90 10.44 2.66 0.35 0.13 99.14 155 30 12 134 32 336 10 82 5 50 423 17 FJ-2 99.9 FJ2 U2 Lava Table 2 Representative major and trace element compositions and mineral assemblages for core samples + tr ++ 50.70 1.07 19.06 9.87 0.18 4.04 10.01 2.73 0.42 0.14 98.22 131 29 6 90 30 326 9 84 7 53 399 19 FJ-2 156.4 FJ2 U2 Lava + + 69.50 0.31 16.30 2.60 0.18 0.78 3.79 4.85 1.06 0.13 99.50 312 3 3 4 7 82 17 110 406 18 FJ-2 177.5 FJ2 U3 md + + ++ 61.44 0.65 17.20 5.40 0.11 3.08 6.48 3.91 0.89 0.15 99.31 253 20 46 35 15 149 34 65 15 80 467 13 FJ-2 200.2 FJ2 U3 md + + + ++ 54.19 0.96 18.83 8.87 0.18 3.81 8.83 3.24 0.49 0.17 99.57 186 24 4 28 22 208 6 82 8 58 491 18 FJ-2 214.9 FJ2 U3 Lava + tr ++ 50.98 0.96 18.04 10.29 0.18 6.35 9.76 2.63 0.45 0.14 99.78 136 41 48 75 32 318 39 85 7 47 376 17 FJ-2 338.1 FJ2 U3 Lava + + ++ 52.88 0.96 19.16 8.77 0.15 4.47 9.12 3.13 0.59 0.16 99.39 170 31 21 106 25 260 23 80 10 60 466 18 FJ-2 393.0 FJ2 U3 Lava Evolution of Mount Fuji 479 © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd + ++ + ++ + tr + 49.99 1.25 16.93 10.96 0.19 6.94 10.46 2.53 0.66 0.23 100.14 203 40 126 189 35 390 62 95 14 66 403 23 FJ-3 60.0 FJ3 U1 Lava tr tr tr ++ 50.61 1.07 18.30 10.44 0.19 5.77 10.23 2.59 0.48 0.16 99.84 132 38 48 114 31 329 32 86 8 55 362 21 FJ-3 211.3 FJ3 U2 Lava tr tr tr ++ 53.00 0.90 21.47 7.65 0.15 2.77 10.33 3.10 0.47 0.14 99.98 167 23 6 77 27 229 6 77 7 55 447 18 FJ-3 225.5 FJ3 U2 md + + + ++ 59.98 0.63 18.06 6.03 0.11 2.89 6.55 3.70 0.91 0.11 98.97 236 20 31 64 16 144 32 97 16 82 401 20 FJ-3 342.2 FJ3 U3 md + + + ++ 51.61 0.98 18.10 9.01 0.16 5.97 10.00 2.90 0.60 0.19 99.52 185 35 69 65 26 298 40 86 11 53 545 15 FJ-3 349.3 FJ3 U3 md tr + + + ++ 54.95 0.75 18.62 6.49 0.12 4.31 8.79 3.35 0.55 0.16 98.09 149 24 65 74 21 181 43 68 8 65 493 14 FJ-3 399.9‡ FJ3 U3 Lava tr + + ++ 59.39 0.67 17.99 6.05 0.13 2.86 7.01 3.66 0.84 0.17 98.77 188 17 9 33 14 161 12 74 14 79 550 15 FJ-3 425.9‡ FJ3 U3 md + + ++ 54.50 0.94 17.18 8.03 0.14 5.70 9.02 3.27 0.68 0.15 99.61 219 30 103 110 25 267 56 78 11 60 516 17 FJ-3 428.9‡ FJ3 U3 md + + + ++ 63.78 0.50 15.64 4.62 0.09 3.33 5.74 3.80 0.98 0.12 98.60 265 20 90 52 19 121 40 60 18 76 392 12 FJ-3 447.0 FJ3 U3 md + + + ++ 55.53 0.82 17.36 7.50 0.14 5.89 8.53 3.26 0.61 0.16 99.80 186 30 176 38 21 203 76 77 10 69 457 16 FJ-3 586.3‡ FJ3 U3 Lava + + tr ++ 57.84 0.74 18.10 7.02 0.13 3.38 7.55 3.53 0.75 0.17 99.21 241 23 8 42 18 185 11 80 13 74 531 15 FJ-3 611.3‡ FJ3 U3 md + + + ++ 60.10 0.66 17.76 6.20 0.13 2.95 6.96 3.72 0.86 0.16 99.50 279 20 7 31 15 168 10 73 15 81 515 14 FJ-3 619.0‡ FJ3 U3 md FJ1 U1, FJ-1 unit-1; FJ2 U1, FJ-2 unit-1; FJ2 U2, FJ-2 unit-2; FJ2 U3, FJ-2 unit-3; FJ3 U1, FJ-3 unit-1; FJ3 U2, FJ-3 unit-2; FJ3 U3, FJ-3 unit-3; md, lava clast in mud flow deposit; ++, more than 10%; +, 1 to 10%; tr, trace; -, absent. † Total iron as FeO; ‡ Sample for K-Ar dating. 50.45 1.15 17.42 10.39 0.19 6.66 10.86 2.42 0.51 0.19 100.24 158 38 111 162 39 335 49 89 11 61 373 23 52.54 0.98 18.66 8.67 0.15 5.30 9.20 3.13 0.60 0.16 99.39 174 36 41 117 28 283 37 80 10 58 469 14.7 SiO2 (wt%) TiO2 Al2O3 FeO† MnO MgO CaO Na2O K2O P2O5 Total Ba (ppm) Co Cr Cu Sc V Ni Zn Rb Zr Sr Y Phenocryst Olivine Clinopyroxene Orthopyroxene Hornblende Plagioclase FJ-3 34.3 FJ3 U1 Lava FJ-2 412.6 FJ2 U3 md Drilling site Depth (m) Stratigraphic unit Occurrence Table 2 Continued 480 M. Yoshimoto et al. Evolution of Mount Fuji 481 Fig. 5 Harker variation diagrams for drill core samples from FJ-1 and -2 (left diagrams) and FJ-3 (right diagrams). © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd 482 M. Yoshimoto et al. Fig. 6 MgO-TiO2 of drill core samples from FJ-1 and -2 (left) and FJ-3 (right). Fig. 7 Stratigraphic variations of major elements in the FJ-2 and -3 boreholes. Filled diamonds are lava flows; open diamonds are lava clasts from mudflow deposits; filled squares are juvenile clasts from pyroclastic flow deposits. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd Group 3 Phenocryst content; ‡ Rocks of FJ-3 unit-2 contains those within the compositional range of Groups 2 and 3. † FJ-2 unit-3 174–414 – FJ-3 unit-3 315–615 FJ-2 unit-2 95–174 – 483 spike. The analytical procedures and the estimation of errors were based on the procedures described by Matsumoto and Kobayashi (1995) and Uto et al. (1995). The decay constants used in this study are lb = 4.96 ¥ 10-10/y, le = 0.581 ¥ 10-10/y and 40 K/K = 0.01167% (Steiger & Jäger 1977). The results of K-Ar dating analyses are shown in Table 4. The oldest age of 267 ⫾ 16 ka for ERIFJ3-04 is from the deepest lava in FJ-3 (586.9 m). Two rocks from mudflow deposits at depths of 611.3 and 618.8 m in FJ-3 unit-3 show ages of 200 ⫾ 50 ka and 240 ⫾ 50 ka, respectively. These three samples correspond to lavas whose chemistry falls into Group 3. The youngest age is 160 ⫾ 40 ka for a lava clast (ERI-FJ3-02) in a mudflow deposit from FJ-3 unit-3 (425.9 m) that also belongs to Group 3. Analyses of ERI-FJ3-01 and -03 resulted in no significant ages, as the proportions of non radiogenic 40Ar were more than 99% and errors for ages were estimated to be more than 80%. Positively correlated with SiO2 50–70 Polymictic Very poorly sorted Lava block rich Fine-graind matrix Group 2 Invariant 51–53 Olivine-bearing plagioclasetwo-pyroxene basaltic andesite (30–35 vol.%†) Upper part: hornblendebearing andesite and dacite lower part: plagioclaseolivine basaltic andesite or basalt with or without pyroxene (25–40 vol.%†) Poorly sorted Lava block rich Group 1 Wide variation with little change in SiO2 49–52 Scoriaceous moderately sorted Olivine basalt with or without pyroxene (15–25 vol.%†) aphyric basalt FJ-3 unit-1 0–75 FJ-3 unit-2 75–315‡ – FJ-2 unit-1 0–95 FJ-1 unit-1 0–100 Core description Dominant occurrence of mudflow Lithology FJ-3 Hole depth (m) FJ-2 FJ-1 Table 3 Summary of core descriptions and whole rock chemistry for drill cores SiO2 (wt%) Whole rock chemistry Incompatible elements Group Evolution of Mount Fuji DISCUSSION DEFINITION OF PRE-KOMITAKE VOLCANO Figure 8 shows chemical compositions of the Fuji and Komitake volcanic rocks (Kaneko et al. 2004; Fujii 2007; Nakada et al. 2007). The Fuji volcanic rocks show wide variations in K2O and Ba with a small range of SiO2 (49 to 52 wt%). The Komitake volcanic rocks also have a narrow range in SiO2, from 51 to 53 wt%. In spite of the similarity in SiO2, the Komitake and Fuji volcanic rocks are clearly distinguished from each other; Komitake is richer in Al2O3, and poorer in TiO2, FeO, MgO, K2O and P2O5 than Fuji. It is evident that Group 1 of the core samples has chemical ranges identical to those of the Fuji volcanic rocks (Fig. 8). Group 2 has chemical compositions similar to those of Komitake volcanic rocks. Group 3 differs from both the Komitake and Fuji volcanic groups (Fig. 8). The wide variation in SiO2 coupled with incompatible elements found in Group 3 has not been observed in the Fuji and Komitake volcanic rocks. However, it is common to the chemical trends in volcanic rocks from the Izu-Bonin arc, including those from Ashitaka and Hakone volcanoes (Yui & Fujii 1989; Takahashi et al. 2006; Fujii 2007; Fig. 9). Hornblende dacite, characterizing Group 3, is also found in products from a late stage of Ashitaka Volcano (exposed on c. 1507 m a.s.l.). The existence of a ridge of basement rocks (c. 900 m a.s.l.) © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd 484 M. Yoshimoto et al. Table 4 K-Ar ages of core samples from deeper part of FJ-3 Sample I.D. Drilling site Depth (m) Occurrence Sample wt. (g) K2O (%) ERI-FJ3-01 ERI-FJ3-02 ERI-FJ3-03 ERI-FJ3-04 ERI-FJ3-05 ERI-FJ3-06 FJ-3 FJ-3 FJ-3 FJ-3 FJ-3 FJ-3 401.85 425.90 428.90 586.30 611.30 618.80 Lava flow lava clast in mudflow lava clast in mudflow Lava flow lava clast in mudflow lava clast in mudflow 1.001 1.011 1.003 1.001 1.005 1.008 0.881 0.677 0.921 0.742 0.846 1.00 Total 40Ar Rad. 40Ar (10-9STP ml/g) 370 135 480 69 258 305 1⫾2 3.5 ⫾ 0.8 4⫾3 6.2 ⫾ 0.4 5.5 ⫾ 1.5 7.8 ⫾ 1.7 Non rad. 40 Ar (%) K-Ar age (ka) 99.7 97.4 99.3 91.0 97.9 97.4 30 ⫾ 80 160 ⫾ 40 120 ⫾ 90 267 ⫾ 16 200 ⫾ 50 240 ⫾ 50 Fig. 8 Major element variation diagrams for the products issued from Fuji and Komitake volcanoes, plotted with compositional ranges of the core samples except those of FJ-3 unit-2. Open circles represent both the Younger and Older Fuji volcanic rocks. Data sources for the Fuji products are Fujii (2007), Nakada et al. (2007) and Kaneko et al. (2004). separating Ashitaka and Komitake volcanoes indicates that the Group 3 dacite (174 m in FJ-2 unit-3; c. 1250 m a.s.l.) drilled in this study was not derived from Ashitaka. As mentioned previously, there is no Group 2 sequence in FJ-3. We observe that the site of FJ-3 is located at the northeast of the northeast-facing amphitheater of Komitake (Fig. 1C) and suggest that the absence of this sequence results from a sector collapse. FJ-3 unit-2 contains rocks of Groups 1, 2 and 3 as clasts in the mudflow deposits (Figs 5–7) suggesting that those of Groups 2 and 3 were captured by scoriaceous mudflow deposits. We judge FJ-3 unit-2 to be correlated with the Group 1 sequence. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd We infer that the rocks of Group 3 are derived from an unknown volcanic body that was buried by Komitake Volcano, which has not been reported. We name the Group 3 sequence ‘pre-Komitake’ Volcano. The drilled sequences show that earlier activities of pre-Komitake Volcano were effusive eruptions of basalt and basaltic andesite and that the activities ended with explosive eruption of pyroclastic falls and flows of basaltic andesite to dacite. GROWTH HISTORY OF MOUNT FUJI K-Ar age determination in this study suggests that the activity of pre-Komitake Volcano began, Evolution of Mount Fuji Fig. 9 SiO2-K2O and SiO2-Ba variation diagrams for ejecta from Mount Fuji, Ashitaka and Hakone volcanoes. Data sources for Hakone Volcano are from Arculus et al. (1991) and Takahashi et al. (2006). at least, about 270 ka and continued to about 160 ka, a period of activity similar to that of Ashitaka Volcano (Tsuya 1971; Yui & Fujii 1989). In drill cores, the boundary between pre-Komitake and Komitake is characterized by an alternation of a scoria fall layer and thin brown-weathered soil layer at a depth of 174–176.6 m in FJ-2 (Fig. 3c). No soil layer is found within FJ-2 unit-2 or within the sequence of Komitake lava flows and pyroclastic layers exposed in the northern middle slope of Mount Fuji. The thin basal soil layer suggests that the activity of Komitake began shortly after that of pre-Komitake. The activity of Komitake continued without any hiatus long enough for soil deposition, and the absence of thick soil layers or reworked deposits between the FJ-2 units-1 and -2 indicates successive activ- 485 ity, even through a change in chemistry (OlderFuji Volcano) around 100 ka. A schematic vertical section through Mount Fuji is shown in Figure 10. The peak of preKomitake is considered to have been located south to southeast of FJ-3, as inferred from the dips and strikes of planar structures in the mudflows showing paleo-flow direction, which were measured by FMI Fullbore Formation MicroImager (microresistivity formation images) as part of the logging data (Nakada et al. 2004). The summit of Komitake is considered to have been northeast of the present summit of Mount Fuji (Tsuya 1971). We can roughly estimate the total volume of the pre-Komitake and Komitake volcanoes by assuming the total volume of Mount Fuji as 400 km3 (Tsukui et al. 1986), the analogous conical bodies for pre-Komitake/Komitake (peaked at 2300 m a.s.l.) and Mount Fuji (3776 m a.s.l.), and the basement level of the both volcanic bodies at 300 m a.s.l. The volumes of pre-Komitake/ Komitake and Fuji volcanoes can be calculated as approximately 76 and 324 km3, respectively. Long-term eruption rates of pre-Komitake/ Komitake and Fuji volcanoes are 0.45 and 3.3 km3/ka. The former value is within the range of normal subduction-related volcanoes (Tsukui et al. 1986). Uesugi (2003) suggested that the total volume of eruption products from Mount Fuji exceeds 700 km3, considering the volume of tephra layers in the Kanto Plain. If we accept this value, the long-term eruption rate of Fuji Volcano is roughly doubled. Although uncertainty remains for the volume of pre-Komitake/Komitake, we believe that the eruption rate of Mount Fuji has greatly increased since 100 ka. Although some episodic high eruption rates for a period of 1 to 10 kyr are known even in normal subduction-related volcanoes (Table 6 of Hildreth 2007), a high eruption rate for periods on the order of 100 kyr is rare. Over 300 km3 of the magma volume corresponds to those of large-scale, caldera-forming eruptions, though the latter is intermediate to felsic in composition. For example, the volume of pyroclastic flow deposit, Aso-4 in central Kyushu (erupted 90 ka), is more than 600 km3 (Machida & Arai 2003), which is >360 km3 as DRE (dense-rock-equivalent). This volume of magma had been stored in a magma chamber beneath Aso Volcano for only 35 kyr after the eruption of Aso-3 (120 ka). After the eruption, a large caldera formed in this volcano; however, no caldera has formed in the Fuji Volcano. This simply © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd 486 M. Yoshimoto et al. Fig. 10 Schematic north-south cross-section through Mount Fuji, showing the relation of volcanic piles (Younger- and Older-Fuji, Komitake, preKomitake and Ashitaka volcanoes) with age (ka) and SiO2 (wt%). means that mafic magma had oozed nearly continuously from Mount Fuji. The period between 160 ka, when pre-Komitake Volcano ceased its activity, and 100 ka, when Fuji Volcano became active, is characterized by changes in the mode of eruptions in other volcanoes near Mount Fuji. Hakone Volcano changed from caldera-forming eruptions to central cone development around 150 ka (Takahashi et al. 2006). In the Izu Peninsula, volcanic activity changed from polygenetic to monogenetic around 150 ka, reflecting a change in tectonic stress field (Koyama & Umino 1991; Hasebe et al. 2001). The drastic change in the volcanic system of Mount Fuji, from normal subduction-related volcanism to basalt-dominant Fuji volcanism, may have been caused by a change in tectonic framework. CONCLUDING REMARKS In scientific drilling on the northeastern flank of Mount Fuji, a new volcanic series (‘preKomitake’ Volcano) was found beneath rocks of the Komitake Volcano, previously considered to be the oldest volcano within the Mount Fuji edifice. An updated history of Mount Fuji starts with eruptions of pre-Komitake volcano from >about 270 to 160 ka, followed by eruptions of Komitake Volcano from about 160 to 100 ka, Older-Fuji from 100 to 20 ka and Younger Fuji < 20 ka. Pre-Komitake, Komitake and Fuji Volcanoes are easily distinguished in variation diagrams of MgO vs. SiO2, and TiO2 vs. MgO. The pre-Komitake volcanic rocks are characterized by hornblende-bearing andesite and dacite together with low-K2O basalt and basaltic andesite. Incompatible element abundances increase with increasing SiO2 in the pre-Komitake rocks, which © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd is commonly found in volcanoes in the northern Izu-Bonin arc, in contrast to decoupling of incompatible elements with SiO2 in Fuji Volcano. The long-term eruption rate at Mount Fuji drastically increased around 100 ka, when Fuji Volcano became active. The change in volcanism of Mount Fuji may have been induced by a change in the tectonic framework related to the subduction of the Philippine Sea Plate. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors thank Drs S. Aramaki, T. Shimano, S. Nakano, Y. Ishizuka, N. Miyaji and D. Miura for discussions about Mount Fuji. Thanks also to the Geothermal Engineering Co., Ltd, particularly chief engineer Mr S. Sakuma, Kawasaki Geological Engineering Co. Ltd, and drilling operators. XRF analysis was supported by K. Komori and S. Kitazawa. An early version of the manuscript was improved by Dr T. Wright. We also thank Drs A. Takada, S. 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