Hourly-resolution Analysis of a Mussel Shell: Influence of Normal Tide and the Great Tsunami

Abstract We report here hourly variations of Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios in a Mediterranean mussel shell (Mytilus galloprovincialis) collected at the Otsuchi bay, on the Pacific coast of northeastern Japan. This bivalve was living in the intertidal zone, where such organisms are known to form a daily or bidaily growth line comprised of abundant organic matter. Mg/Ca ratios of the inner surface of the outer shell layer, corresponding to the most recent date, show cyclic changes at 25-90 mm intervals, while no valuable variations are observed in Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios. High Mg/Ca ratios were probably established when the bivalve was located at low tide with a reduced supply of Ca from seawater. Immediately following the great tsunami induced by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, Mg/Ca enrichment occurred, up to 10 times that of normal low tide, while apparent Ba/Ca enrichment was observed for only a few days following the event, implementing a proxy of the past tsunami. Following the tsunami, periodic peaks and troughs in Mg/Ca continued, perhaps due to a biological memory effect as an endogenous clock.