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

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.