Major, trace and rare earth elements (REE) abundances are reported for in-situ basalts from the Mugi Formation, southeastern Shikoku, and the Ryujin Formation, western Kii Peninsula in the Upper Cretaceous Shimanto Belt. High field strength element (HFSE), REE, Th and Hf concentrations of the in-situ basalts are approximately the same as normal type mid-ocean ridge basalt (N-MORB). However, their large ion lithophile element (LILE) concentrations are much greater than those of N-MORB. The basalts are characterized by flat or light REE-depleted chondrite-normalized REE patterns, which are similar to those of typical tholeiitic basalt at MOR or at some island arc. A relationship between La/Yb ratios and LILE concentrations indicates that a LILE-enrichment of these basalts was caused by weathering and/or alteration processes. Based on the La/Yb ratios and HFSE concentrations, it is concluded that most of in-situ basalts are N-MORB in origin, although a depletion of Nb in the basalts from the Itogo area of the Ryujin Formation suggests that these basalts may be of partly island-arc tholeiite origin.

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More than 40 monogenetic volcanoes are distributed over an area of 400 km² in the Abu Monogenetic Volcanic Field, southwest Japan. The eruptive products consist of alkaline basalt and calc-alkaline andesite to dacite lavas and pyroclastics, which are collectively known as the Abu Monogenetic Volcano Group. We have examined the eruption history of the Abu Monogenetic Volcano Group based on 33 new K-Ar ages. Most samples were dated by normal K-Ar method, and yielded ages between 1.9 and 0.1 Ma. The ages of two very young samples were determined using an unspiked method incorporating a mass-fractionation correction procedure. This gave an averaged age of about 40 ka.
K-Ar ages from the Abu Monogenetic Volcano Group are concentrated at around 1.7 Ma and 0.2 Ma, and the activity is therefore classified into early and late periods, respectively. The early activity had a duration of about 0.4 mys, during which time 0.3 km³ of alkaline basalt alone was erupted. The late activity produced 0.8 km³ of alkaline basalt and 2.1 km³ calc-alkaline andesite to dacite, and lasted about 0.8 mys. Alkaline basalt was mostly produced in the first half of the late period, with maximum eruption rate at about 0.4 Ma. This activity was followed by more voluminous calc-alkaline andesite-dacite eruptions which climaxed at 0.2 Ma. Although associated alkaline basalt activity continued in this period, eruption volumes steadily decreased.
Periodic alkaline basalt activity in southwest Japan is thought to have originated from small mantle diapirs, with intermediate calc-alkaline magmas being produced by mixing between alkaline basalt and felsic crustal melts. Coincidence of alkalic and calc-alkaline magmas and the eruption history in the later period in the Abu Monogenetic Volcano Group suggest that heating induced by repeated intrusion of alkaline basalt resulted in partial melting of the lower crust, thus producing intermediate to felsic calc-alkaline magmas. These crustal melts may then have mixed with alkaline basalt and produced the relatively voluminous intermediate calc-alkaline magmas erupted in the latest stage.

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Historical review on abstracting activities in IMA is given. The significances of these activities and of publishing mineralogical abstracts published in Japan on JMPS are discussed to encourage cooperation of the members of two societies responsible for the publication of this journal.

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