JAPAN CONTRIBUTION TO THE IGCP 2010 (International Geoscience Programme) ACTIVITY REPORT in 2010 January 2011 Japan National Committee for IGCP 1. Japan National Committee for IGCP Dr. Shigeki Hada, Chairman Prof., Kobe Women’s University, Higashi Suma Aoyama 2-1, Suma-ku, Kobe 654-8535, Japan Phone: (81)-78-737-2330, Fax: (81)-78-731-0240, E-mail: [email protected] Dr. Yoshiki Saito, Secretary Geological Survey of Japan, AIST, Central 7, Higashi 1-1-1, Tsukuba 305-8567, Japan Phone: (81)-29-861-3772, Fax: (81)-29-861-3533, E-mail: [email protected] Prof. Hiromichi Hirano (434) Prof. Masatoshi Goto (491) Dr. Takashi Sakai (507) Dr. Ken-ichiro Hisada (516) Dr. Kanao Masaki (559 & National Institute of Polar Resaerch) Dr. Takashi Azuma (567) Prof. Ryuji Tada (581) The committee consists of Chairman, Secretary, national representatives of participating IGCP projects, and guest members of related organizations. Activities in 2010 The business meetings of the national committee in 2010 were held at the Science Council of Japan, Tokyo on February 25. The meetings reviewed activities of the year and discussed future plans. These activities were reported from a newsletter of the Geological Society of Japan. All our activities and reports will be appear in our home page: http://www.yg.kobe-wu.ac.jp/wu/igcp/ 2. National Participation in IGCP Projects IGCP-507: Paleoclimates of the Cretaceous in Asia (2006–2010) Project Leader: Yong Il Lee (Seoul National University) Co-Leader: Takashi Sakai (Kyushu University) Japanese Regional coordinator: Takashi Hasegawa (Kanazawa University) Summary Active international communications seeded by IGCP507 are reflected in two international projects that are in active between Japan and East Asian countries as well as other international projects. They are substantial research activities directly related to IGCP507. Both projects have a bilateral exchanging system between two countries. A symposium related to IGCP507 topic was hosted and held by the Palaeontological Society of Japan, and very active discussion was made by our IGCP507 contributors. Many Cretaceous-related titles were presented during other domestic meetings, too and some of them seem to lead forthcoming earth sciences. Fifth International meeting of IGCP507 was held at Yogyakarta in Indonesia, October. Six Japanese members attended the meeting and the excursion. One of two separated issues of IGCP507 proceedings has been published on volume 19-4 of Island Arc, an official international journal of Japanese Geological Society, and the other issue is now in the process of publishing on volume 20-1 of same journal. T. Hasegawa helped editorial processes of these publications. In addition to the proceedings, IGCP507 members published 11 publications as attached at the end of this report. Japan and Mongolia joint-research Following international joint research took a step forward: Title: Reconstruction of terrestrial paleoenvironment changes during the intervals of Oceanic Anoxic Events (OAEs) from the Cretaceous Lacustrine deposits in Southeast Mongolia Organization: H. Ando (Ibaraki Univ.), H. Hasegawa (Hokkaido Univ.), T. Hasegawa (Kanazawa Univ.), T. Ohta (Waseda Univ.), M. Yamamoto (Hokkaido Univ.), N. Hasebe (Kanazawa Univ.), G. Li (Inst. Geol. & Paleont. Nanging), N. Ichinnorov and Y. Khand (Paleont. Cen., Mongolian Acad. Sci.) Subjects of investigation: Shinekhudag Formation (Aptian) in Shine Khudag area and Khootin Khotgor Formation (mid-Jurassic) in Eedemt area in Southeast Mongolia Aims: To establish detail chronostratigraphy and reconstruct terrestrial paleoclimatic (paleoweathering and paleotemperature) change by following approaches ・ Carbon-isotopic stratigraphy ・ Conchostracans biostratigrapy ・ Fission-track age dating of intercalated tuff ・ Cyclostratigraphy of rhythmically alternated paper shale ・ Major element ratios & weathering index ・ Paleotemperature reconstruction (e.g., TEX86) Field Survey in 2010 summer: The project leader (Prof. H. Ando) invited Dr. G. Li to be a member of this project for studying the conchostracan assemblages of Shinekhudag and Khootin Khotgor Formations that help correlating them with Chinese assemblages. During the field survey carried out through 18-27 August, 2010, they investigated three localities (Shine Khudag section in Shaazangiin Gobi, Eedemt section in Khootiin Khotogor area, and Khamar Khoovor section in Unegt area) for collecting additional rock samples and conchostracan fossils. Based on the study on conchostracan assemblages of Shine Khudag and Eedemt sections (collected during the tour in 2009), Dr. G. Li suggested that Eedemt section were possibly correlated to the mid-Jurassic sequence in northern China (Li et al., in prep.). Thus, the project members investigated the Khamar Khoovor section in Unegt area in order to elucidate the litho- and biostratigraphic correlations of the Khootin Khotgor Formation and Khamarkhoovor Formation. In addition, the project leader (Prof. H. Ando) contacted to the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) in Japan and Mineral Resources Authority of Mongolia (MARM) to ask for permission to study the sediment cores from Eedemt taken by East Gobi Project (Japan-Mongolian Joint Research) during 2009. Prof. H. Ando successfully got the permission from NEDO and MARM and/so the project members could take sediment samples from the Eedemt core during the tour in 2010. Study sites: Shine Khudag section in Shaazangiin Gobi, Eedemt section in Khootiin Khotogor area, and Khamar Khoovor section in Unegt area Tour member: H. Ando, T. Ohta, H. Hasegawa, G. Li and N. Ichinnorov with a Mongolian assistant. Project Meetings in Japan Two meetings were held for this project this year. (1) First meeting: Place: Ibaraki University (Mito); Date: April 24, 25 Participants: H. Ando, T. Hasegawa, H. Hasegawa, T. Ota, M. Yamamoto, N. Hasebe, G. Lee Discussions: Presentations that summarize the results of 2009 tour including geologic columns of studied sections and properties of samples were made by the participants. New results of carbon isotopes from samples taken during 2009 tour were also presented by T. Hasegawa. Strategies for further researches on the samples and for the sampling tour of 2010 were also discussed. (2) Second meeting Place: Ibaraki University (Mito), Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum (FPDM at Katsuyama), Shiramine Institute for Fossil Research and Outcrop in Hakusan-city, Kanazawa University (Kanazawa). Date: October 30-November 2 Participants: H. Ando, T. Hasegawa, H. Hasegawa, T. Ota, M. Yamamoto, N. Hasebe, N. Ichinorov (invited from Mongolia for this meeting) Activity: *Oct. 30, 31 at Ibaraki University: H. Hasegawa, T. Ota and H. Ando reported details of sampling tour in August. Results of inorganic geochemistry and weathering index (T. Ota), carbon and nitrogen ratio (T. Hasegawa), TEX86 proxy (M. Yamamoto) on the previous samples were presented and discussed. Samples taken during 2010 tour was separated and distributed to each participant. *Nov. 1: The participants move to FPDM and discussed about Cretaceous environments with researchers of that museum. Participants also looked over the museum with great interest. *Nov. 2: The participants visited Shiramine Institute of Fossil Research and observed precious Cretaceous vertebrate and plant fossils that reserved at the institute. Then they moved to the outcrop called “Kaseki-Kabe (Fossil Bluff)”. The outcrop exposes Lower Cretaceous terrestrial sequence. Active discussion about paleoenvironment of the outcrop and its age were made in front of the outcrop. At Kanazawa University, discussion on samples concerning quality for radiometric and fission-track age determination was made, then they visited and looked over Hasegawa Laboratory in which the Mongolian samples were processed and analyzed. Japan and China joint-research Following international joint research took a step forward: Title: Study on carbon isotope stratigraphy and sequence stratigraphy of Early Cretaceous Yezo and Jehol Groups. Organization: H. Hirano, T. Ohta, S. Tanaka (Waseda Univ.), T. Sakai (Kyushu Univ.), T. Kozai (Naruto Educ. Univ.), and G. Li (Inst. Geol. & Paleont. Nanging) Subjects of investigation: ・ Dabeigou and Dadianji Formations in Launping area, Hebei Province, China ・ Yezo Group in Hokkaido, Japan Aims: ・ Age determination by δ13 C fluctuation patterns ・ Basin analyses and sequence stratigraphy (paleoenvironment, depositional systems, and environmental change) ・ Correlation of non-marine and marine sequences in NE Asia ・ Examination of tectonics and eustasy ・ Geochemical analysis and paleoclimate Activity: The former international joint-research project by the Japanese and Chinese joint group initially started its activity during the IGCP434. The succeeding but renewed program was planned after discussions during activity of IGCP507. The research program aims to determine the age of the Jehol Group and related formations based on carbon isotope stratigraphy and sequence stratigraphy. Another aim is to elucidate the paleoenvironment and land-ocean depositional system of the whole eastern Asian continental margin by integrating the data from China and Japan. The investigation started this year and some results were presented in international and domestic meetings. The project leader (Dr. Hirano) succeeded to invite Dr. Li to Waseda University as a JSPS fellow during October 2009 to August 2010 for having a deep discussion about the project. During his stay in Japan, he and the