• 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.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.559-564
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• 1997

The New Hebrides Basin is an inactive non back-arc basin located at the convergent boundary of the Pacific and Info-Australian plates. This basin was formed from 46 Ma to 60 Ma. The basin has two spreading episodes with rates of 34 mm/a for 42 to 47 Ma and 17 mm/a for 47 to 60 Ma. The sediments covered in the basin has uniform thickness of 0.65 sec. The age-depth correlation curve of the New Hebrides Basin can be represented by the following equation: $Depth(m)=2689+312\sqrt{Age}(Ma)$ The coefficient of 312 in this equation is close to that for major oceans, 350. This suggests that the cooling processes of the lithospheres in the New Hebrides Basin and major oceans are similar to each other. Free-air gravity anomalies of the basin varying from -22.3 mgal to +59.0 mgal. The mean value is +30.2 mgal higher than those of the normal oceans. Moderately large free-air gravity anomalies in the New Hebrides Basin are presumably owing to its location on a marginal swell along the New Hebrides Trench. It is generally observed that the ocean floor is very gently uplifted in a zone about 200 km oceanward of the trench axis. Positive free-air gravity anomalies amounting to $50{\sim}60$ mgal are usually observed on the crest of the swell. This topography is presumably by bending of the oceanic lithosphere so as to dynamically maintain nonisostatic states for some duration.

• 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.