Field Trips

Permian to Jurassic deep-sea record in the Panthalassa Ocean (CANCELLED)

Thursday 23rd June 11:00 - Saturday 25th June 19:00
Location: Nagoya Station ticket office, Nagoya Station View on map

This trip will focus on global catastrophic events (such as bolide impact, large volcanism and ocean anoxia) recorded in the Permian to Jurassic bedded chert from the Mino Belt, central Japan. The bedded chert of the Mino Belt preserves the sedimentary secular change and geochemical information on an oceanic plate in the pelagic Panthalassa Ocean prior to accretion at the trench. The following topics will be presented and discussed in the field:

• Permian/Triassic boundary and the end-Permian mass extinction.
• Early Triassic ocean anoxia with the formation of black shale and its subsequent recovery in the Middle Triassic.
• Paleoenvironmental changes across the Early/Late Carnian boundary (Carnian pluvial event).
• Collapse of marine ecosystem triggered by a Norian impact event.
• Ocean acidification at the Triassic/Jurassic boundary.

In addition to these topics, this trip will include aspects of the accretionary processes of oceanic plate sediments during the Middle to Upper Jurassic. The excursion will start from the Nagoya Station and will end in Yokohama City near the conference center (PACIFICO Yokohama).

Demand Level: **

Fuji-Hakone: Spring, forest, cave, and volcanoes around the area - (BOOKING NOW CLOSED)

Friday 24th June 08:15 - Saturday 25th June 17:30
Location: Second Floor Lobby View on map

Booking for this trip is now closed. This pre-conference field trip will meet both tourist and scientific interests. During the two-day field trip, we will visit five major sightseeing spots and one scientific observation facility around Mt. Fuji, which is the highest mountain in Japan and was registered as a World Heritage site in 2013.

On day 1 we will visit the Oshino Hakkai springs, which are eight ponds fed by very clear natural spring from Mt. Fuji. Our second stop will be Fuji Hokuroku Flux Observation Site in a mature larch forest located at the foot of Mt. Fuji. At the observation site, biosphere-atmosphere exchanges of CO2/H2O/Energy have been studied since 2006. Then we will visit Narusawa-hyoketsu (ice cave), about 150 meter long vertical lava cave, in which we can see real ice even during mid-summer. On day 2, we will climb to the 5th Station of Mt. Fuji by bus. Then we will enjoy hiking around the Hoei Crater developed during the most recent eruption of Mt. Fuji about 300 years ago. Our fifth stop will be Lake Ashi in the Hakone area. We will enjoy a boat cruise on the lake. Finally we will visit Onshi Hakone Park and enjoy scenic views of Lake Ashi and Mt. Fuji. We will come back to the meeting point.

Demand Level: ***

Records of TSUNAMI hazard around Sendai area (CANCELLED)

Friday 24th June 11:00 - Saturday 25th June 16:30
Location: East Bus Terminal, JR Sendai Station View on map

The Tohoku great earthquake happened on March 11th, 2011. This earthquake caused tremendous damages in the Tohoku district, in particular the Sendai area. The tsunami destroyed many towns along the Pacific coast of Tohoku area. The purpose of the trip is to observe some Tsunami records and see how local people rebuild their towns.

We will visit the Sendai airport area and some seriously damaged town. We will also see ancient Tsunami sediments and volcanic ashes associated with the Jogan Earthquake (869 AD). We will also visit Ishinomaki to Minami Sanriku areas. The damage done by the tsunami was very serious in these towns. By looking ruined city halls and schools, you may understand the seriousness of the tsunami hazard.

In the last few years, local people have discussed how to re-build their towns. We will see local peoples’ efforts and strategies for making new towns. We will also see 3-dimension visual records of the tsunami hazard at Tohoku University. The visiting area is in general a place of scenic beauty. We will also visit old temple (Zuiganji) and Matsu-shima (Pine-tree-island complex), so that you can experience a part of Japanese culture. We will start from JR Sendai station on 24th. On 25th, we will finish at JR Sendai station at around 16:30 p.m. You need to arrange the round trip to Sendai by yourself. Lunch of the second day is not included in the cost because we plan to stop at local restaurant complex for the lunch and it may cost additional 1000 yen.

The price is ¥31,000. Transportation by coach has been arranged. Accommodation is included in tatami rooms. This is a traditional Japanese room share for 3-5 people. To book your place, please visit the JTB website.

Demand Level: *

Izu-Oshima Island Volcano and a short visit to Kamakura (BOOKING NOW CLOSED)

Saturday 25th June 08:15 - Sunday 26th June 17:00
Location: Second Floor Lobby View on map

Deep beneath Yokohama, the Philippine Sea Plate is subducting northward. The Izu-Oshima Island lying about 80 km south-southwest of Yokohama, is an active basaltic volcano on the Philippine Sea Plate. At the recent eruption in 1986, all residents were evacuated from the island for one month.

We will enjoy a one-hour ship journey to the island from the mouth of Tokyo Bay. We will visit the summit area with a central cone and also observe the craters of the fissure eruption in 1986. The return from the island is towards Mt. Fuji by ship and we will arrive at the port of Atami hot spa town in the evening of day 1.

Our hotel with “Onsen (hot spa)” facilities is located on the shoreline. On day 2, after observing the historic issuing point of the hot spa of Atami, we will visit the Tanna Fault located 5km west of Atami. The fault is famous because it appeared at the time of the 1930 north Izu earthquake and a 2.5-m displacement at that time is observed now at the ground surface. We will have lunch at Kamakura, our last stop before coming back to Pacifico Yokohama. In Kamakura the spots we visit include: the Great Buddha, and Japanese Garden in Hase Temple, Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine, and the pathway Komachi-dori.

Transportation will be by coach and hydrofoil passenger ship. Meals and accommodation are included. We will be staying in a traditional tatami room: a room shared with 4 to 5 people.

Demand Level: **

Liquefaction and chaotic deposits in the Izu-arc collision zone: Miura Peninsula and a short visit to Kamakura (CANCELLED)

Saturday 25th June 08:30 - 18:00
Location: Second Floor Lobby View on map

We will have a one-day bus trip to the Miura Peninsula, south of Yokohama, where we can observe magnificent structures formed due to collision of the Izu-Bonin arc against the Honshu arc in volcaniclastic sediments derived from the Izu-Bonin arc interfingered by siliciclastic sediments of the Honshu-origin. You will have opportunities to take textbook-class photographs of a duplex structure (photo), flame structures, ball and pillow structures, graded bedding and many kind of slump and liquefaction-related structures as well as faults developed in soft sediments.

On the way back to Yokohama, we shall stop by the Tsurugaoka Hachiman shrine in the historical city of Kamakura, where the first Shogun, Minamoto Yoritomo, set his capital in 1192.

Demand Level: **

Jadeitites and high-pressure metamorphic rocks in the Itoigawa area, Niigata Prefecture (CANCELLED)

Saturday 2nd July 07:20 - Sunday 3rd July 18:15
Location: Tokyo Station, Tokyo Station View on map

Jadeitite is a plate tectonic gemstone that records the interaction of high-pressure and low-temperature (HP-LT) fluids with forearc mantle wedge at relatively shallow depths (<100 km). Since Kawano (1939) first identified jadeitite as boulders in the Kotaki-gawa River, numerous jadeitite boulders have been found from the Itoigawa area. The jadeitite localities are characterized by serpentinite mélange associated with Late Paleozoic HP-LT metamorphic rocks. Most of the metamorphism recorded by the HP-LT rocks took place in the blueschist facies and/or epidote-amphibolite facies and glaucophane-bearing eclogite locally occurs. Our fieldtrip will visit outcrops of HP-LT rocks, serpentinites, etc. including a few geosites of the Itoigawa UNESCO Global Geopark; we will also visit the Fossa Magna Museum to see spectacular jadeitite collections. We hope participants enjoy our fieldtrip and the opportunity to learn about the paleo subduction zone records in older accretionary complexes of the Japanese islands.

Demand Level: **

Hakone Volcano and Hoei Crater trekking in Mt Fuji (BOOKING NOW CLOSED)

Saturday 2nd July 08:30 - Monday 4th July 19:00
Location: Second Floor Lobby View on map

Mt. Fuji, the symbol of Japan, is the highest volcano in Japan (3,776 m) and one of the most beautiful stratovolcanoes in the world. The last eruption occurred in 1707-8 to form Hoei Craters but the volcano is currently dormant. Hakone volcano, having a 11 x 8 km caldera, is famous as a hot spring resort. Owakudani is the Hakone’s largest fumarolic areas formed in the central cones and had been a popular tourist destination of the volcano.

In summer of 2015, relatively large phreatic eruption occurred near the summit area. This three-day bus field trip will provide an opportunity to observe main geological and volcanological features of the Fuji and Hakone volcanoes, having very different landform and evolution histories. On day 1, we will visit Hakone volcano and stay in the hot spring resort area. On day 2 and 3, we will enjoy a three-hour trekking to the Hoei Craters and views Mt. Fuji and its surrounding area. On day 3, a short visit to the brewery of Fujiyama Beer is also planned. Let’s enjoy drinking beer while watching Mt. Fuji!

We will come back to Yokohama at 19:00, but the arrival time may vary depending on the traffic conditions.

Demand Level: ***

Sanriku-Geopark and Matsukawa geothermal power plant in Iwate-Tohoku (CANCELLED)

Saturday 2nd July 08:40 - Monday 4th July 18:05
Location: Tokyo Station, Tokyo Station View on map

Sanriku facing the Japan Trench, where the Pacific tectonic plate subducts, is an origin point of Japanese archipelago.

On the first day, this trip visits Ryusendo Cave, one of the three major limestone caves in Japan, having more than 3100 m in length and clearest ground water.

The second day is a drive along the Sanriku coast, which has experienced repeated earthquakes and tsunamis including Tohoku Earthquake on March 11th, 2011. We will visit two tsunami monumental areas of Nakanohama and Taro. A 10-m high seawall of 1,350 m in length was constructed after 1958 Tsunami in Taro, but was severely destroyed by the 2011 Tsunami, because of the double height of the tsunami over the seawall. Kitayamazaki coast consists of steep cliff range of 8 km length and you can watch it from a tourist boat. Kuji is famous for the amber mine and accepts tourists at the Amber museum. National Fishery Agency has a maritime facility, which has a modern seawater CO2 manipulation system for ocean acidification research.

On the third day, we will enter into the NE-Japan volcanic arc area. We will visit the power facility of Matsukawa Plant, which is the oldest commercial geothermal power (photo) built in 1966. Mt. Hachimantai is thought to be a shield volcano, or a stratovolcano with flat crest. There are numbers of hot springs, craters and highland bogs. We can walk around a maar lake, Hachiman-numa.

On the way and back, you can enjoy the Tohoku Shinkansen train with the highest velocity of 320 km/h in commercial service in Japan. The price includes train travel, coach, boat cruise at Kitayamazaki, admission fee for cave and museum, accommodation, all meals from lunch on July 2nd to lunch on July 4th.

Demand Level: **

"Chikyu" ship tour (CANCELLED)

Saturday 2nd July 09:00 - 18:00
Location: Second Floor Lobby View on map

D/V Chikyu is the world’s only ultra-deepsea/riser-equipped scientific drilling vessel, which supports the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP). This complex vessel has investigated some of the world’s most interesting and perplexing scientific questions, and has made some major scientific contributions to our understanding of Deep Life, Earthquake Mechanisms, and drilling in harsh and unforgiving environments. This amazing ship serving the international ocean drilling community, Chikyu provides state-of-the-art laboratory equal to the best shore-based institutes. Chikyu has also brought industry standard drilling systems and techniques, some new to scientific drilling, in support of the geochemical exploration of the sub-surface Earth.

You now have an opportunity to board and tour Chikyu’s facilities while conducting port call in the port city of Shimizu, Shizuoka Prefecture. The tour fees include round-trip transportation by bus from Yokohama to Shimizu and lunch. JAMSTEC staff will lead the tour.

Demand Level: **

From the sea to the mountain, and wine: the Izu collision zone (BOOKING NOW CLOSED)

Saturday 2nd July 09:00 - Monday 4th July 18:00
Location: Second Floor Lobby View on map

We will observe the remarkable geologic features of the Izu collision zone, where the intra-oceanic Izu-Bonin Arc is currently colliding and accreting with the Honshu Arc.

On day 1, we will enjoy a boat cruise to see magnificent exposures of subaqueous volcanic deposits exposed along the western coast of Izu Peninsula (Dogashima), formed as a result of vigorous Pliocene Izu-Bonin submarine volcanism.

On day 2, we head north to observe the large thrust fault (Kannawa Fault) and trough deposits which is a current tectonic boundary between the Izu-Bonin and Honshu Arcs. We then visit the Tanzawa Mountains, where young, 4 to 5 Ma, syncollisional tonalite complex and associated metamorphic rocks are well exposed. We also expect to see good views of Mt. Fuji and Mt. Hakone along the way, which are two active volcanoes at the northern extent of the Izu-Bonin Arc.

On day 3, we will visit beautiful granitic gorge (Shosenkyo Gorge), north of Kofu Basin, observing the across-arc variation of the syncollisional granitic magmatism. We plan to finish our excursion at a winery in Kofu Basin, where internationally praised Koshu wine is being produced.

We will come back to the Japan Railway Yokohama station at 18:00, but the arrival time may vary depending on the traffic conditions.

The price includes travel and accommodation: coach, boat cruise at Izu Peninsula on July 2, hotel accommodation for July 2 and 3 which includes breakfasts and dinners (2 people/room and Japanese style hot springs), lunch and wine tasting at a winery on July 4, but lunch on the July 2 and 3 are on your own, but we will take you to inexpensive restaurant or super-market.

Demand Level: **

Mt. Usu volcanic area, Horoman peridotite, and CO2 injection site in Tomakomai (CANCELLED)

Saturday 2nd July 11:30 - Monday 4th July 16:30
Location: JTB Welcome Point, New Chitose Airport, Hokkaido View on map

We will visit two global Geoparks, “Toya Caldera and Usu Volcano” and “Mt. Apoi”, as well as a carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) test site in Tomakomai area in Hokkaido, northern Japan. Because the location is in Hokkaido, farther north of Yokohama, participants are required to arrange their flights to and from Sapporo (New Chitose) Airport by themselves.

On day 1, we will visit the Toya Caldera and Usu Volcano Global Geopark to observe impacts of the eruption in 2000 such as craters, faults, ash deposits, hot mud flows, and the resulted hazard materials. The accommodation is equipped with hot spring bathing for fun and traditional refreshment. On day 2, after a long journey along the Pacific side of Hokkaido to the east, we will visit the Horomankyo Gorge in the Mt. Apoi Global Geopark. Observation of the Horoman peridotite complex must provide you insights into the world of the earth's deep mantle. On day 3, before coming back to New Chitose Airport, the CO2 injection site maintained by Japan CCS Co. Ltd in Tomakomai is the last stop. In the spring of 2016, the captured CO2 from the oil refinery is being injected into the offshore underground geological formations form the shoreline.

Demand Level: **

The Hishikari and Akeshi gold mines and Sakurajima volcano in Kagoshima, Japan (BOOKING NOW CLOSED)

Sunday 3rd July 08:30 - Tuesday 5th July 18:00
Location: Second Floor Lobby View on map

The Hishikari and Akeshi epithermal gold deposits are located in Kagoshima Prefecture of Kyushu Island and the gold mineralization is closely associated with the Cenozoic island-arc volcanism. In the Hishikari low-sulfidation epithermal deposit, high-grade gold-bearing adularia-quartz veins are hosted by andesite and underlying sedimentary rocks.

The Akeshi high-sulfidation epithermal deposit is characterized by silicified ore bodies. A spectacular active stratovolcano, Sakurajima, and andesite-dacite lavas can be seen. Geothermal energy is efficiently used in the Yamagawa Geothermal Power Plant. Participants have an experience of Onsen (natural hot spa) and sand bath in accommodations. The fee includes transportations from Yokohama to Kagoshima, coach, ferry, accommodations, meals and Onsen during this trip. Note that each room is basically shared by two persons.

The trip will break up on Tuesday 5th July, 18:00 at Kagoshima Airport.

Please contact Kenzo Sanematsu for any questions or requests.

Demand Level: *

Mount Bandai and a cluster of lakes in western Fukushima Prefecture (CANCELLED)

Sunday 3rd July 09:00 - Monday 4th July 17:00
Location: Fukushima, Fukushima Station View on map

Mount Bandai is an 1816 metre high volcano in western Fukushima Prefecture. It was originally a conical-shape mountain that earned it the nickname Aizu-Fuji because of its resemblance to Mount Fuji. However, in 1888, Mount Bandai underwent the most devastating volcanic eruption in recent Japanese history, which drastically changed the mountain shape and formed the Bandai Highlands (also known as “Urabandai” area) behind the volcano.

The debris from the eruption of Mt. Bandai in 1888 flowed into the Nagase River upstream and created many different sized ponds and lakes. The stops of the trip include:

• Institute of Environmental Radioactivity
• Fukushima University
• Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle (also known as Tsuruga Castle)
• Mount Bandai Eruption Memorial Museum
• Mount Bandai 3D World
• Goshiki-numa (A cluster of five volcanic lakes situated at the foot of Mount Bandai)
• Daishichi Sake Brewery Co., Ltd

Demand Level: **