• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.199-208
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• 2010

The Cenozoic alkali basalts are distributed over Korea, both on central part as Bangnyeongdo, Ganseong, Pyeongtaek-Asan and Jogongni and also on southernmost part Jejudo. The ultramafic mantle xenoliths carried by Korean alkali basalts are spinel lherzolites. Garnet lherzolite that is more stable at the deeper level has not been reported so far, indicating that the lithospheric thickness under Korea does not reach deep enough to the stable zone of garnet lherzolite. The crustal evolution history of the Korean peninsula, at least some part of it, seemingly started since the Archean, it normally should have lithospheric thickness greater than 150 km. However, the mantle xenoliths carried by the Cenozoic alkali basalts indicate the maximum depth of origination in the much shallower range of 60-90 km. Such significantly thinner lithospheric thickness of the Korean peninsula than expected is quite similar to the case of North China Craton having lithospheric thickness of ca. 80 km in average, suggesting thinning of the lithospheric mantle in a depth scale of a few tens of kilometers during the past geologic time. The main causal events for such significant thinning of the lithospheric mantle can be continental collisional events of Paleoproterozoic and early Mesozoic similar to the case of North China Craton, which are also supported by Paleoproterozoic igneous and metamorphic events during the 1.9-2.0 Ga occurring all over the Korean peninsula and also early Mesozoic continental collisional event which has been discussed on lively arguments.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.144-153
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• 2008

Sr, Nd, Pb isotopic compositions of the Cenozoic basaltic rocks distributed in Pyeongtaek-Asan area display significantly enriched values compared with mid-ocean ridge basalts just like other Cenozoic basalts of Korea. The isotopic compositions of most of the Cenozoic basaltic rocks of Korea including those from Pyeongtaek-Asan area can be explained as mixing between enriched mantle component with relatively low $^{206}Pb/^{204}Pb$ ratios and depleted mantle component. In contrast, Jejudo basalts can be explained as mixing between enriched mantle component with realtively higher $^{206}Pb/^{204}Pb$ ratios and depleted mantle componsnt. Combined with that very similar division of enriched mantle components is applied to the Cenozoic basalts of northeast China and southeast China, it is suggested that subcontinental lithospheric mantle of central and southern parts of Korea represents eastern extension of North China Block and South China Block respectively. The indentation model for the late Paleozoic to early Mesozoic continental collision of China contradicts to such an interpretation, because it cannot explain occurrence of subcontinental lithospheric mantle component of South China Block-affinity under the Jejudo area. Instead, it is more probable that suture zone of the two continental blocks crosses between central and southern Korea and its location is further south from the Pyeongtaek-Asan area. Such distinct location compared with Imjingal belt, supposedly collisional boundary suggested before, suggests that mantle boundary may not be coincide with crustal boundary for the continental collision.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.89-107
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• 1996

Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic characteristics of alkaline lavas and tholeiites in Cheju Island show that the isotopic compositions of the former slightly overlap, but have relatively more depleted than the latter. However, in viewpoint of the two eruptional stratigraphies of tholeiites, the isotopic compositon of the older one is similar to those of alkaline rocks in Lava Plateau Stage after Lee (1982). These suggest that the parental magmas of alkaline lavas and tholeiites might have originated from the homogenous mantle sourve and that the characteristics of the mantle source to be partially melted might be different between the eruption stages. The isotopic signatures of the bolcanic rocks in Cheju Island overlap with those in Samoa Islands and South China Basin, indicating the DMM-EM IImixing trend. This is distingushed from the DMM-EM I trend of the Cenozoic volcanic rocks in Korea except for cheju Island and Northeastern China. The modelled binary mixing calculation between MM and EM IImaterials indicates that the mantle source of the volcanic rocks in Cheju Island has been mixed about less than 10% of enriched mantle material (EM II) with depleted mantle material (DMM). Concerned with the indentation model between North China Block (NCB) and South China Block (SCB) after Yin an Nie (1993), we suggest that the distinct isotopic features of DMM-EM I and DMM-EM IIof the Cenozoic volcanic rock in Korea as well as China can be explained by the difference of the nature of subcontinental lithospheric mantle as enriched mantle materials, i.e. EM I of NCB, while EM II of SCB.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.293-309
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• 2014

The Qinling-Dabie-Sulu-Hongseong-Odesan collision belt was formed by the collision between the North China and South China Cratons during late Permian to Triassic. During the collision, Triassic post-collision igneous rocks regionally intruded in the Qinling and the Hongseong-Odesan collision belts which represent the western and eastern ends of the collision belt, respectively. However, no and minor Triassic post-collision igneous activities occur in the Dabie and Sulu belts respectively. The peak metamorphic pressure conditions along the Qinling-Dabie-Sulu-Hongseong-Odesan belt indicate that the slab break-off occurred at the depth of ultra-high pressure (UHP) metamorphic condition in the Dabie and Sulu belts and at the depths of high pressure (HP) or high pressure granulite (HPG) metamorphic condition in the Qinling and Hongseong-Odesan belts. In the Dabie and Sulu belts the heat supply from the asthenospheric mantle through the gab formed by slab break-off could not cause an extensive melting in the lower continental crust and lithospheric mantle directly below it due to the very deep depth of slab break-off. On the other hand, in the Qinling and Hongseong-Odesan belts, shallower slab break-off caused the emplacement of regional post collision igneous rocks. The post-collision igneous rocks occur in the area to the north of the Mianlu Suture zone in the western Qinling belt and crop out continuously eastwards into the areas to the north of the Shangdan Suture zone in the eastern Qinling belt through the areas within the South Qinling block. This distribution pattern of post collision igneous rocks suggests that the Triassic collision belt in the Mianleu Suture zone may be extended into the Shangdan Suture zone after passing through the South Qinling block instead into the boundary between the South Qinling block and the South China Craton.