• Journal of the Korean Geophysical Society
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.9-26
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• 1999

The Ulleung Basin (Tsushima Basin) in the southwestern East Sea (Japan Sea) is floored by a crust whose affinity is not known whether oceanic or thinned continental. This ambiguity resulted in unconstrained mechanisms of basin evolution. The present work attempts to define the nature of the crust of the Ulleung Basin and its tectonic evolution using seismic wide-angle reflection and refraction data recorded on ocean bottom seismometers (OBSs). Although the thickness of (10 km) of the crust is greater than typical oceanic crust, tau-p analysis of OBS data and forward modeling by 2-D ray tracing suggest that it is oceanic in character: (1) the crust consists of laterally consistent upper and lower layers that are typical of oceanic layers 2 and 3 in seismic velocity and gradient distribution and (2) layer 2C, the transition between layer 2 and layer 3 in oceanic crust, is manifested by a continuous velocity increase from 5.7 to 6.3 km/s over the thickness interval of about 1 km between the upper and lower layers. Therefore it is not likely that the Ulleung Basin was formed by the crustal extension of the southwestern Japan Arc where crustal structure is typically continental. Instead, the thickness of the crust and its velocity structure suggest that the Ulleung Basin was formed by seafloor spreading in a region of hotter than normal mantle surrounding a distant mantle plume, not directly above the core of the plume. It seems that the mantle plume was located in northeast China. This suggestion is consistent with geochemical data that indicate the influence of a mantle plume on the production of volcanic rocks in and around the Ulleung Basin. Thus we propose that the opening models of the southwestern East Sea should incorporate seafloor spreading and the influence of a mantle plume rather than the extension of the crust of the Japan Arc.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.337-345
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• 2019

The hypothesis of ridge subduction which explains the Cretaceous igneous activities in East Asia including China, Korea and Japan, has been widely accepted in the society. Especially, the hypothesis explains the southwest-to-northeast migration of the Cretaceous adakite emergence in Southwest Japan. However, the hypothesis has several issues because the geochemical analyses and plate reconstruction model are not consistent with the consequences of the ridge subduction. To resolve the issues, a new hypothesis of the plume-continent and plume-slab interaction is suggested, which explains the igneous activities during the Cretaceous. In this review, I briefly introduce the two hypotheses and suggest an additional future study to prove the new hypothesis.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.1-15
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• 2024

The Melanesian region in the western Pacific is dominated by complex plate tectonics, with the largest oceanic plateau, the OntongJava plateau, and a hotspot, the Caroline Islands. To better understand the complex geodynamics of the region, we estimate P- and S-velocity models and 𝛿 (V_P/V_S) model by using relative teleseismic travel times measured at seismometers on land and the seafloor. Our results show high-velocity anomalies in the subduction zones of the Melanesian region to a depth of about 400 km, which is thought to be subducting Solomon Sea, Bismarck, and Australian plates along plate boundaries. Along subduction zones, positive 𝛿 (V_P/V_S) anomalies are found, which may be caused by partial melting due to dehydration. A broad high-velocity anomaly is observed at 600 km depth below the Ontong-Java plateau, with a negative 𝛿 (V_P/V_S) anomaly. This is thought to be a viscous and dry remnant of the Pacific plate that subducted at 45-25 Ma, with a low volume of fluids due to dehydration for a long period in the mantle transition zone. Beneath the Caroline Islands, a strong low-velocity anomaly is obseved to a depth of 800 km and appears to be connected to the underside of the remnant Pacific plate in the mantle transition zone. This suggests that the mantle plume originating in the lower mantle has been redirected due to the interaction with the remnant Pacific plate and has reached its current location. The mantle plume also has a positive 𝛿 (V_P/V_S) anomaly, which is thought to be due to the influence of embedded fluids or partial melting. A high-velocity anomaly, interpreted as an effect of the thick lithosphere beneath the Ontong-Java plateau, is observed down to 300 km depth with a negative 𝛿 (V_P/V_S) anomaly, which likely indicate that little fluid remains in the melt residue accumulated in the lithosphere.

• 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.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.25-31
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• 1995

In Dongnam area, Cretaceous igneous rocks, such as diorite, porphyritic granite, and quartz porphyry intruded Paleozoic sedimentary rocks, such as Myobong slate and Pungchon limestone. The Dongnam Fe-Mo skarn deposits were imposed on the diorite(endoskarn) and the Myobong slate(exoskarn). The ore deposits consist mainly of magnetite and molybdenite with small amounts of sulfides, such as galena, sphalerite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, and pyrrhotite. The igneous rocks show nearly constant $^{206}Pb/^{204}Pb(18.80{\sim}19.06)$ and $^{207}Pb/^{204}Pb(15.71{\sim}15.72)$ ratios. Their $^{207}Pb/^{204}Pb$ ratios higher than the typical ratios of orogene suggest that the igeneous rocks were formed from lower crust(or mantle) - derived magma excessively contaminated by upper crustal materials such as high radiogenic Precambrian basement rocks. The lead isotopic compositions of the igneous rocks, the Pungchon limestone, and the ore minerals show a well defined linear in $^{206}Pb/^{204}Pb$ - $^{207}Pb/^{204}Pb$ plot. The lead isotopic compositions of the igneous rocks are similar to those of magnetite and galena, which were formed at early skarn stage and significantly lower than those of altered quartz porphyry, molybdenites, and pyrite, which were formed at late epithermal alteration stage. Considering the systematic variation of the lead isotopic compositions in the ore minerals according to hydrothermal stages, the variation may be due to a relative variation in surrounding rock(Pungchon limestone) involvement in hydrothermal ore solution leaching the surrounding rock. Therefore, the variation of the lead isotopic compositions in ore minerals can be modeled in terms of the mixing of the leads derived from the igneous rocks as low radiogenic source and the surrounding rock(Pungchon limestone) as high radiogenic source.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.67-80
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• 2000

We studied petrological and geochemical characteristics of the Mesozoic volcanic rocks in the Da Hinggan Ling area northeast China, and discussed tectonic settings and origin of the Mesozoic volcanic rocks in northeast Asia. Volcanic rocks in Da Hinggan Ling area are composed of alkaline to subalkaline basalt-basaltic andesite-andesite-dacite-rhyolite, showing typical BAR(basalt-andesite-rhyolite) association. However, most of the volcanic rocks are basaltic and rhyolitic in composition, and andesitic rocks are relatively rare, which shows bimodal characteristics. Rb, Ba, Th and other incompatible element contents in the volcanic rocks are enriched, but the contents decrease with increasing the compatibility. REEs are fractionated and REE patterns of volcanic rocks are characterized by a high LILE/HFSE. On the tectonomagmatic discriminant diagram of Hf-Th-Nb, they fall into the fields for subduction-related destructive plate margin basalts and its differentiates. We suggest that the tectonomagmatic setting of Da Hinggan Ling area was located at the continental margin arc related with subduction environment during the Mesozoic time or may be derived from mantle plume contaminated geochemically from subducting slabs, although it is, at present within the Asia continent.