• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.61-65
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• 1997

Cadmium occurs as a minor element in sphalerite ((Zn, Fe)S) from the Boseong-Jangheung gold-silver mine district. We analyzed the abundance of cadmium in sphalerite using an electron probe micro analyzer (EPMA) and discussed the natural sources of cadmium in terms of bedrock geochemistry, in order to preliminarily reconnoiter the potential cadmium contamination in mine districts. Cadmium contents of sphalerites from the Au-Ag mines (Bodeok, Mundeok, Jeonbo, Boknae, Keumsan) in the Boseong-Jangheung district are considerably high, compared with cadmium contents of sphalerites (average = 0.5 wt.% Cd, maximum = 4.4 wt.% Cd) in the world. Sphalerites from the Keumsan mine (average = 9.49 wt.% Cd, maximum=11.22 wt. Cd) are highly enriched in cadmium. Our data suggest that the Boseong-Jangheung area is an important potential site of cadmium contamination in Korea. Based on bedrock geochemistry, natural causes of cadmium enrichment in sphalerite from the mine district are thought to be the mixing of cadmium leached from organic-rich, metasedimentary rocks (including coal) and/or black shales. From this study, we propose that the pinpointing of potential sites of pollution by toxic heavy metals can be done effectively through detailed reconnaisance study on mineralogical compositions of ore minerals such as sphalerite from the mine area.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.279-292
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• 2015

New occurrences of large-scaled Zn-Pb deposits are recently found in the Danjang-myeon, Milyang. They are skarn-type deposits which replaced the intercalated limestone beds in the Jeonggaksan Formation. This study aims at characterizing occurrences, mineralogy, and chemistry of Zn-Pb ores and skarn minerals. Skarn orebodies are mainly found in 3 areas, named Gukjeon-ri, Gorye-ri, and Gucheon-ri orebodies, where sphalerite found as main ore mineral in 200-300 m in height and amount of galena increases as altitude does. Ores are dark grey to dark green in color and closely related with clinopyroxene zone. They occur with hedenbergite, grossular, actinolite, epidote, and small amounts of axinite, calcite, and quartz. Main ore mineral is sphalerite which includes tiny spotted grains of galena and chalcopyrite and becomes rich in grade in association with clinopyroxene and epidote. FeS contents in sphalerite show relatively wide range between 1.53 and 23.07 mole%, whose contents intend to increase towards biotite granite known as ore-related igneous rocks. CdS contents are in the range of 0.22-0.93 mole%, showing decrease tendency from southwest (Gukjeon-ri) to northeast (Gucheon-ri). Zn-Pb deposits developed in Danjang-myeon reveal decrease in temperature with increase of altitude, leading to gradual changes in compositions of ore and skarn minerals.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.501-524
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• 2002

Article 121 of the UNCLOS stipulates the regime of islands and grants different jurisdictions to islands and rocks. Especially, paragraph 3 gives different definitions and distinguishes the legal status of between islands and rocks. That is, rocks, which cannot sustain human habitation or economic life cannot have their own EEZ, continental shelf or the great-sphere maritime jurisdiction. In this paper various theories and state practicess on islands and rocks are examined with reference to Article 121 of UNCLOS. Also, the status of Dokdo as a rock or an island is examined in accordance with the interpretation of Article 121 of UNCLOS. National legislations, practices, and many scientific opinions are often contradictory and controversial with respect to the interpretation of Article 121 of the UNCLOS. However, it is believed that Article 121 of UNCLOS, particularly paragraph 3 has to be interpreted more strictly. That is because the highly developed modem scientific technology can be meaningless when the criteria of Article 121 of UNCLOS are to be inappropriately applied. Insular figures like ${\ulcorner}rocks{\lrcorner}$ could bring the inequitable effects disadvantageous toward the other party when the maritime delimitation is applied. Claiming and Intentionally extending maritime zone of a coastal states by assigning EEZ for small insular figures like ${\ulcorner}rocks{\lrcorner}$ is over-zealous nationalism which is illegal, and such practices must be recognized as actions bringing great harm to the neighboring nations and demise of the sprit of all mankind.

• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.215-232
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• 2020

The study area of Nokjeonri in Yeongwol belongs to the Taebaeksan Mineralized District. Ca and Mg skarn and related ore mineralization are developed in the Pungchon formation along the contact with the Imog granite. Ca skarn hosted in limestone mostly comprises garnet and pyroxene. Mg skarn developed in dolomite includes olivine and serpentine. Magnetite-hematite and pyrrhotite(±scheelite)-pyritegalena-sphalerite were mineralized during early and late stage, respectively. Garnet compositions are dominated by andradite series in proximal area and grossular series in distal area. Pyroxene compositions correspond to diopside series in majority. These compositional changes indicate that the fluids varied from oxidizing condition to reducing condition due to increased reaction with carbonated wall rocks as the fluids moved from the granite to a distal place. Fe₂O₃ and MgO concentrations of magnetite are higher in Mg skarn than those in Ca skarn, while FeO shows opposite trend. The Zn/Fe ratio of sphalerite increases with distance from the Imog granite. The δ³⁴S values of sulfide minerals are similar to those of the Imog granite, indicating magmatic origin in ore sulfur. Mineralization was established in the order of skarn, oxide and sulfide minerals with decreasing temperature and oxygen fugacity and increasing sulfur fugacity.

• 한국해양학회지
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.74-83
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• 1990

The similarity in Mesozoic geology between the Antarctic Peninsula and South America indicates the possibility that they had situated along the same tectonics line before the separation of southwestern Gondwanaland. The igneous activity around the Antarctic Peninsula, including the South Shetland islands, can be correlated with the South American Cordillera Orogeny due to the subduction of Farallon/Phoenix plate until late Mesozoic. However igneous activity in Tertiary correlates with the tectonics movement accompanying the formations of Drake passage and Scotian sea. The south Shetland islands form a Jurassic-Quaternary miasmatic island arc on the sialic basement of schist and deformed sedimentary rocks. Forming of the South Shetland Islands arc began during the latest Jurassic or earliest Cretaceous from the southwestern part of the archipelago. The igneous activity migrated northeasterly and continued in most areas until late Tertiary. The entire arc-forming period, between late Jurassic and late tertiary times, was characterized by emplacement and eruption of magmas of intermediate between island-arc tholeiite and calc-alkaline types. However, Quaternary volcanic rocks show strong alkaline affinities which corresponds to the switch from compressional to intra: plate tensional tectonics. The rocks of late Cretaceous to Tertiary, mainly found in King George Island, consist of lava of basalt to andesite and intercalated pyroclastic rocks. Some of the volcanic rocks, which ofter called quartz-pyrite lodes'are severely altered and include much content of calcite,silica and pyrite.The stratographic succession of King George Island can be divided into two formation:Fields formation and Hennequin formation.The Fildes formation crops out at the west side of Admiralty Bay n King George Island,while the Hennequin formation at the east side of the bay.These two formtions are thought to be formed contempiranceously.The Fildes formation consists of altered olivine-basalt and basaltic andestie, whereas the Hennequin formation consists of fine-grained hypersthene-augite-andesite.Both formations interclate pyroclastic rocks.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.765-779
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• 2023

The Daum Vent Field (DVF) was newly discovered in the Central Indian Ridge during the hydrothermal expedition by the Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology (KIOST) in 2021. In this paper, we describe the detailed mineralogy and geochemistry of hydrothermal chimney and mound to understand the nature of hydrothermal mineralization in the DVF. The mineral assemblages (pyrite±sphalerite±chalcopyrite) of dominant sulfides, FeS contents (mostly <20 mole %) of sphalerite, and (Cu+Zn)/Fe values (0.001-0.22) of bulk compositions indicate that the DVF has an strong affinity with basaltic-hosted seafloor massive sulfide (SMS) deposit along the oceanic ridge. Combined with the predominance of colloform and/or dendritic-textured pyrite and relatively Fe-poor sphalerite in chimneys, the fluid-temperature dependency of trace element systematics (Co, Mn, and Tl) between chimney and mound indicates that the formation of mound was controlled by relatively reducing and high-temperature fluids compared to chimney. The δ³⁴S values (+8.31 to +10.52‰) of pyrite reflect that sulfur and metals were mainly leached from the associated basement rocks (50.6-61.3%) with a contribution from reduced seawater sulfur (38.7-49.4%). This suggests that the fluid-rock interaction, with little effect of magmatic volatile influx, is an important metal source for the sulfide mineralization in the DVF.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.16 no.2 s.48
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• pp.59-72
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• 2007

Kilauea volcano located in the southern part of Hawaii island chains has been formed by continuous and sporadic eruption activities from 16 century to September of 1982. Kilauea volcano was investigated from collecting the samples of basalt to identify the geochemical characteristics of the lavas. Olivine, clinopyroxene, plagioclase, and opaque minerals with glass groundmass are observed. Clinopyroxene formed glomerophopyritic texture with plagioclase and zoning texture was observed in some of plagioclase phenocrysts. Major elements such as $K_2O$, $P_2O_5$, $TiO_2$ increased with respect to MgO. $Al_2O_3$ and CaO show the kink on Marker diagram due to the crystal fractionation of plagioclase and clinopyroxene with plagioclase respectively. Olivine has a wide range of Fo% ranging from 60 to 90, and MnO and FeO in the olivine are decreased with increasing Fo% oppositely increased $SiO_2$, MgO, and NiO. Ni in the whole rock is controlled not only by the mode of olivine but also by the Ni abondance in the olivine.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.465-475
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• 2022

The seafloor massive sulfide deposits are important mineral resources for base and precious metals, and their ore genesis and metal contents are mainly controlled by wall-rock leaching process and/or magmatic volatile input from the underlying magma chamber. However, the contribution of two different metal sources to the seafloor hydrothermal mineralization significantly varies in diverse geological settings and thus still remains controversial. In this review, mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of SMS deposits from mid-ocean ridges (MORs) and volcanic arcs were investigated to understand the contribution from different metal sources and to suggest future challenges that need to be addressed. As a result, the genetic occurrences of enargite and cubanite, galena and barite indicate the effects of magmatic input and water-rock interaction, respectively. Also, the distributional behaviors of Co, As, and Hg in pyrite and FeS content of sphalerite could be useful empirical indicators to discriminate the significant roles of different metal sources between MOR and Arc settings. To date, as most studies have focused on sulfide samples recovered from the seabed, further studies on magmatic sulfides and sulfate minerals are required to fully understand the genetic history of SMS deposits.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.417-427
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• 2010

The Lankawi archipelago is located in 30 km western offshore near the Thailand-Malaysia border in west coast of the Malay Peninsula and consists of 99 (+5) tropical islands, covering an area of about $479km^2$. Together with biodiversity in flora and fauna, the Lankawi archipelago displays also geodiversity that includes rock diversity, landform diversity, and fossil diversity. These biodiversity and geodiversity have led to the Lankawi islands as a newly emerging hub for ecotourism in Southeast Asia. As a result, the Lankawi islands have been designated the first Global Geopark in Southeast Asia by UNESCO since July 1st, 2007. The geodiversity of Lankawi Geopark today is a result of a very long depositional history under the various sedimentological regimes and paleoenvironments during the Paleozoic, followed by tectonic and magmatic activities until the early Mesozoic, and finally by surface processes that etched to the present beautiful landscape. Paleozoic strata exposed in the Lankawi Geopark are subdivided into four formations that include the Machinchang (Cambrian), Setul (Ordovician to Early Devonian), Singa (Late Devonian to Carboniferous), and Chuping (Permian) formations in ascending order. These strata are younging to the east, but they are truncated by the Kisap Thrust in the eastern part of the islands. Top-to-the-westward transportation of the Kisap Thrust has brought the older Setul Formation (and possibly Machinchang Formation) from the east to overlay the younger Chuping and Singa formations in the central axis of the Lankawi islands. Triassic Gunung Raya Granite intruded into these sedimentary strata, and turned them partially into various types of contact metamorphic rocks that locally contain tin mineral deposits. Since Triassic, not much geologic records are known for the Lankawi islands. Tropical weathering upon rocks of the Lankawi islands might have taken place since the Early Jurassic and continues until the present. This weathering process played a very important role in producing beautiful landscapes of the Lankawi islands today.

• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.293-305
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• 2020

An eruption of Taal Volcano in the Philippines began on January 12, 2020. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) subsequently issued an Alert Level 4, indicating that "a hazardous explosive eruption is possible within hours to days." It was a phreatic eruption and phreatomagmatic eruption from the main crater that spewed ashes to Calabarzon, Metro Manila, some parts of Central Luzon, and Pangasinan in Ilocos Region, resulting in the suspension of classes, work schedules, and flights. By January 26, 2020, PHIVOLCS observed inconsistent, but decreasing volcanic activity in Taal, prompting the agency to downgrade its warning to Alert Level 3. After February 14, Alert status was set to Level 2 because of overall decreasing trend of volcanic activities, but it does not mean that the threat of an eruption has disappeared. In addition, the Alert Level can be raised to Alert Level 3 if there is a symptom of increasing unrest at any time.