• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.581-588
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• 2023

This study reports depth-dependent elemental distribution and mineral abundance of the oceanic sediment sample (WP21GPC04) near the Mariana Trench collected during the WP21 expedition in 2021. The elemental distribution determined by μ-XRF shows no significant differences with varying depth, with an average SiO₂ 53.91 wt%, FeO 4.48 wt%, Al₂O₃ 16.56 wt%, MgO 2.56 wt%, CaO 4.79 wt%, Na₂O 3.52 wt%, K₂O 5.48 wt%, similar to the average chemical composition of global subducting sediments (GLOSS). The mineral abundances analyzed using synchrotron XRD, however, vary with depth. While quartz, mica, and plagioclase were identified at all depths, chlorite was found at shallow depths, and zeolite group minerals, phillipsite and heulandite, showed a gradual change in phase fraction with depth. This suggests a change in sedimentation and alteration environments in the region, or the potential for coexistence emerges due to similar sediment stability. Overall, this study will provide a basis for the future investigations on the evolution of sedimentary environment near the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific Ocean and the phase distribution and the behavior of subducting oceanic sediments, which will affect the lithological and geochemical characteristics of the Mariana susduction system.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.365-384
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• 2023

We applied the partitioned waveform inversion to 2,026 event data recorded at 173 seismic stations from the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology Data Managing Center and the Ocean Hemisphere network Project to estimate S-wave velocity and radial anisotropy models beneath the Western Pacific. In the Philippine Sea plate, high-Vs anomalies reach deeper in the West Philippine basin than in the Parece-Vela basin. Low-Vs anomalies found at 80 km below the Parece-Vela basin extend deeper into the West Philippine Basin. This velocity contrast between the basins may be caused by differences in lithospheric age. Low-Vs anomalies are observed beneath the Caroline seamount chain and the Caroline plate. Overall positive radial anisotropy anomalies are observed in the Western Pacific, but negative radial anisotropy is found at > 220 km depth on the subducting plate along the Mariana trench and at ~50 km in the Parece-Vela basin. Positive radial anisotropy is found at > 200 km depth beneath the Caroline seamount chain, which may indicate the 'drag' between the plume and the moving Pacific plate. High-Vs anomalies are found at 40 ~ 180 km depth beneath the Ontong-Java plateau, which may indicate the presence of unusually thick lithosphere due to underplating of dehydrated plume material.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.22-40
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• 2009

Detailed bathymetry and magnetic survey data for NW Rota-1 and Esmeralda Bank obtained by R/V Onnuri of Korea Ocean Research & Development Institute in September 2007 were analyzed to investigate bathymetry and magnetic characteristics of the study area and to estimate the locations of possible hydrothermal vents. The shape of NW Rota-1 is corn type, and the depth of the summit is about 500 meter b.s.l. NW Rota-1 shows irregular topographic expression in the southeastern part. The shape of Esmeralda Bank is caldera type opened in the western part. The summit is very shallow, about 50 meter b.s.l. The western part of Esmeralda Bank is more steeper and topographic irregular than the eastern part, and have the valley made by erosion or collapse. The magnetic anomaly patterns of NW Rota-1 and Esmeralda Bank show low anomalies over the north and high anomalies over the south. The magnetic anomalies are steep over the summits and gently smooth over the deep bottom. The low magnetization zone occurs over the summit of NW Rota-1 and is surrounded by the high zones correlated with its crater. Two low magnetization zones are located in the summit and westside of Esmeralda Bank. The low magnetization zones of the summits of NW Rota-1 and Esmeralda Bank suggest the possible existence of hydrothermal vent.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.36-43
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• 2016

Wild glass eels found in the Korean peninsula are thought to migrate along the North Equatorial Current and undergo the processes of spawning and incubation in the Mariana Trench. Juveniles of the wild glass eels are collected from the southern and western coasts of the Korean peninsula and used as seeds for aquaculture. To investigate the feeding behavior of wild glass eels, we collected glass eels from the Nakdong River estuary during March and April 2014 and analyzed the total length, wet weight, dry weight, carbon and nitrogen contents, and stable isotope ratio of eels as well as water temperature and salinity. Water temperature in the Nakdong River estuary was $13.2{\pm}1.0$ (mean ${\pm}$ 1SE; range, $10.1{\sim}15.7)^{\circ}C$ and salinity was $24.8{\pm}2.4$ (13.2~34.0), showed a lower range from 13.2 to 30.0 (a mean of 21.2) when the floodgates were opened. The total length of glass eels was $56.5{\pm}0.2$ (51.0~63.6) mm, wet weight was $70.9{\pm}1.4$ (33.6~133.2) mg, and dry weight was $16.5{\pm}0.3$ (10.1~29.1) mg. Carbon and nitrogen contents of glass eels were $51.0{\pm}0.8%$ and $13.9{\pm}0.1%$, respectively. Mean ${\delta}^{13}C$ and ${\delta}^{15}N$ values of glass eels collected from the Nakdong River estuary were -20.9±0.2‰ and 6.1±0.1‰, displaying similar values to those of leptocephalus, glass eel larvae collected from the North Equatorial Current. Therefore, this result suggest that the glass eels collected from the Nakdong River estuary do not feed on prey after metamorphosis from eel larvae to glass eels their migration.