Physical and thermal properties of mud-dominant sediment from the Joetsu Basin in the eastern margin of the Japan Sea

Marine Geophysical Research, May 2017

Physical properties (bulk density and porosity) and thermal properties (thermal conductivity, heat capacity, specific heat, and thermal diffusivity) of sediment are crucial parameters for basin modeling. We measured these physical and thermal properties for mud-dominant sediment recovered from the Joetsu Basin, in the eastern margin of the Japan Sea. To determine thermal conductivity, heat capacity, and thermal diffusivity, the dual-needle probe method was applied. Grain density and grain thermal properties for the mud-dominant sediment were estimated from the measured physical and thermal properties by applying existing models of physical and thermal properties of sediment. We suggest that the grain density, grain thermal conductivity, and grain thermal diffusivity depend on the sediment mineral composition. Conversely, the grain heat capacity and grain specific heat showed hardly any dependency on the mineral composition. We propose empirical formulae for the relationships between: thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity, and heat capacity and thermal conductivity for the sediment in the Joetsu Basin. These relationships are different from those for mud-dominant sediment in the eastern flank of the Juan de Fuca Ridge presented in previous work, suggesting a difference in mineral composition, probably mainly in the amount of quartz, between the sediments in that area and the Joetsu Basin. Similar studies in several areas of sediments with various mineral compositions would enhance knowledge of the influence of mineral composition.

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Physical and thermal properties of mud-dominant sediment from the Joetsu Basin in the eastern margin of the Japan Sea

Physical and thermal properties of mud-dominant sediment from the Joetsu Basin in the eastern margin of the Japan Sea Shusaku Goto 0 1 2 3 Makoto Yamano 0 1 2 3 Sumito Morita 0 1 2 3 Toshiya Kanamatsu 0 1 2 3 Akihiro Hachikubo 0 1 2 3 Satsuki Kataoka 0 1 2 3 Manabu Tanahashi 0 1 2 3 Ryo Matsumoto 0 1 2 3 0 Environmental and Energy Resources Research Center, Kitami Institute of Technology , 165 Koen-cho, Kitami, Hokkaido 090-8507 , Japan 1 Research and Development Center for Earthquake and Tsunami, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology , 2-15 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 237-0061 , Japan 2 Research Institute for Geo-Resources and Environment, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology , AIST Tsukuba Central 7, 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8567 , Japan 3 Gas Hydrate Research Laboratory, Organization for the Strategic Coordination of Research and Intellectual Properties, Meiji University , 1-1 Kanda-Surugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8301 , Japan Physical properties (bulk density and porosity) and thermal properties (thermal conductivity, heat capacity, specific heat, and thermal diffusivity) of sediment are crucial parameters for basin modeling. We measured these physical and thermal properties for mud-dominant sediment recovered from the Joetsu Basin, in the eastern margin of the Japan Sea. To determine thermal conductivity, heat capacity, and thermal diffusivity, the dual-needle probe method was applied. Grain density and grain thermal properties for the mud-dominant sediment were estimated from the measured physical and thermal properties by applying existing models of physical and thermal properties of sediment. We suggest that the grain density, grain thermal conductivity, and grain thermal diffusivity depend on the sediment mineral composition. Conversely, the grain heat capacity and grain specific heat showed hardly any dependency on the mineral composition. We propose empirical formulae for the relationships between: thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity, and heat capacity and thermal conductivity for the sediment in the Joetsu Basin. These relationships are different from those for mud-dominant sediment in the eastern flank of the Juan de Fuca Ridge presented in previous work, suggesting a difference in mineral composition, probably mainly in the amount of quartz, between the sediments in that area and the Joetsu Basin. Similar studies in several areas of sediments with various mineral compositions would enhance knowledge of the influence of mineral composition. Thermal conductivity; Thermal diffusivity; Heat capacity; Specific heat; Dual-needle probe method; Mineral composition - Thermal properties (thermal conductivity, heat capacity, specific heat, and thermal diffusivity) of marine sediment are important parameters for estimating the flow of fluid and heat in sediment and modeling thermal structure below the seafloor. The thermal conductivity of marine sediment in particular is crucial for calculating heat flow, which provides fundamental information on the thermal state below the seafloor. Simple methods have been developed for measuring the thermal conductivity of marine sediment, using a single-needle probe (Von Herzen and Maxwell 1959) and a half-space box-type probe (Sass et al. 1984). Using these methods, many thermal conductivity data on marine sediment have been accumulated. In addition, the thermal conductivity of marine sediment has been predicted from its mineral composition. This has been performed using the relationship between the thermal conductivity of marine sediment and the porosity and volume fraction of the constituent minerals of the sediment (Kinoshita 1994; Villinger et al. 1994; Goto and Matsubayashi 2009). Compared with the works on thermal conductivity, there are relatively few studies on heat capacity, specific heat, and thermal diffusivity of marine sediment. The relationship between thermal conductivity Ks, heat capacity ρscs (bulk density ρs and specific heat cs), and thermal diffusivity κs is given by s = Kinoshita et  al. (1996) and Hamamoto et  al. (2005) estimated the thermal diffusivity of marine sediment near the seafloor from the thermal response of the sediment to bottom-water temperature variation. Goto and Matsubayashi (2008) developed a method for measuring thermal conductivity and heat capacity of sediment using a single-needle probe. Using this method, they estimated the thermal conductivity and heat capacity (and hence thermal diffusivity) of marine sediment recovered at the eastern flank of the Juan de Fuca Ridge. Lin et al. (2014) determined thermal conductivity, heat capacity, and thermal diffusivity of core samples obtained from the Japan Trench by applying the hot-disk method (Gustafsson 1991). Applying the same method, Tanikawa et al. (2016) determined these three properties for core samples taken from the sedimentary basin off Shimokita, Japan. Empirical formulae connecting heat capaci (...truncated)


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Shusaku Goto, Makoto Yamano, Sumito Morita, Toshiya Kanamatsu, Akihiro Hachikubo, Satsuki Kataoka, Manabu Tanahashi, Ryo Matsumoto. Physical and thermal properties of mud-dominant sediment from the Joetsu Basin in the eastern margin of the Japan Sea, Marine Geophysical Research, 2017, pp. 1-15, DOI: 10.1007/s11001-017-9302-y