• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.11-22
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• 2016

The black fault gouge having 5-10 cm width occurs at the center of the fault fracture zone developed at the early Miocene basaltic rocks that is located at the Geumkwang-ri area in Donghae-myeon, Pohang city. The fault gouge was analyzed with XRD, FTIR, DTA/TGA, SEM, TEM, XRF, EPMA. Analyses reveal that the fault gouge is Fe-rich sepiolite having high iron content. Alteration minerals observed in the fault fracture zone are mainly smectite. The significant amount of smectite also observed in the basaltic parent rocks. The occurrence of constituent minerals indicates that the Fe-rich sepiolite was crystallized by faulting and hydrothermal alteration after the consolidation of basaltic rock at the deep place.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.201-208
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• 2004

$CaSiO_3$-garnet phase was observed in the phase transformation sequences on a natural hedenbergite, (Ca, Fe)$ SiO_3$ between 14 and 24 GPa when quenched from $～1200^{\circ}C$. Bulk modulus K = 155 GPa, $V_{\Phi}$ = 6.58 km/sec and other elastic properties of the $CaSiO_3$-garnet were obtaiend on the basis of the systematics of structural analogs in varius garnet phases and relationship of $KV_{m}$ = constant and $V_{\Phi}$$M^{$\frac{1}{2}$}$ = constant. The quenchable garnet phase apears to be stabilized by the considerable amount of Mn and other cations, and shows a wide stability range. As one of the host minerals of Ca composition, $CaSiO_3$-garnet would be one of the important mineral phases in the mantle transition region.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.21 no.11
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• pp.11-20
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• 2020

For water barrier and reinforcing grout in soft ground, the verification of durability was conducted over the initial and long-term ages under various curing conditions. The grout was made of water glass system, fast-hardening mineral (FHM) system, and acrylic polymer system. There were three types of curing conditions that were tab water curing, artificial seawater curing, and atmospheric curing. And the various tests were performed for each sample by age, uniaxial compressive strength, length change, and weight change. As artificial seawater, MgCl₂ and MgSO₄ aqueous solutions were prepared and used, respectively. As the test results, the fast-hardening mineral system and acrylic polymer system were cured stably without significant change in durability in tap water and artificial sea water, whereas water glass system showed a very rapid drop in durability under artificial sea water conditions compared to tap water. In atmospheric curing conditions, durability is lowered compared to water curing in all cases, and in particular, the weight loss in the FHM system and water glass system is about 62% and 60%, respectively, resulting in a significant decrease in durability.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.263-270
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• 2012

Two kinds of uranium species, oxidized uranium(VI) and reduced uranium(IV), were prepared to be interacted with goethite and montmorillonite to identify sorption characteristic of uranium species, which are very sensitive to the redox-reaction. The reduced uranium was prepared by diluting a substantial uranium(IV) that was concomitantly produced during a sulfate reduction via a sulfate-reducing bacterium. The sorption amount of uranium(IV) by the minerals was relatively lower than that of uranium(VI) because the aqueous uranium(IV) had fine colloidal forms to cause its weak adsorption onto the mineral surfaces. We found that the uranium(IV) phase has a nano-colloid character by the transmission electron microscope, suggesting that the uranium species possibly migrating with the flow of groundwater in underground environments can be the colloidal uranium(IV) as well as the ionic uranium(VI).

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.313-322
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• 2012

몽골 우기누르 지역 철-망간 광상과 타미르골 지역 철 광상의 광체는 먼곤체지 층 내에 렌즈상으로 협재되는 특성을 갖는다. 이러한 광상은 캠브리아 기에서 실루리아기에 이르는 화산 기원의 퇴적형 광상인 타미르골-요루골 광상구에 해당된다. 우기누르 지역의 철-망간 광체와 타미르골 지역의 철광체는 주로 규암과 편암을 모암으로 하여 먼곤체지 층 내에 렌즈상으로 협재되어 있다. 우기누르지역의 편암이 주로 세리사이트 편암인 데 비해 타미르골 지역은 주로 백운모 편암이 나타나는 차이를 갖는다. 또한 우기누르 지역의 광석은 망간이10에서 12% 함유되나 타미르골 지역의 광석은 망간이 1% 이하로 함량이 낮은 특성을 갖는다. 우기누르 철 망간 광상의 철 광물은 주로 자철석, 적철석이 우세하게 나타나고 기타 철 산화물과 황철석이 미량으로 수반되어 나타나며, 망간 광물은 주로스페사틴, 버네사이트가 우세하게 나타나고 기타망간 산화물이 수반되어 나타난다. 타미르골 지역의 철 광석은 자철석이 우세하게 나타나고 적철석이 수반되며 황철석, 철 산화물, 탄산질 철 등이 미량으로 수반되어 나타난다. 우기누르 철-망간 광상에 대한 육상 자력탐사 결과 높은 자기 이상값을보이는 영역이 지표에서 확인된 광체의 방향과 같은 약 $N30^{\circ}W$ 방향으로 나타나며 지표에서 확인된 광체 이외에 지표에 드러나지 않은 부분에서도 연장되는 것이 확인되었다.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.345-375
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• 2009

In this paper we examined the impact of mineral resources industry on the national economy and necessity of a mineral resources cycle technology development. For this purpose, the case study on Gagok polymetallic (zinc-lead-copper) mine, which is being re-developed, was carried out to study an anticipated effects of application of the full cycle technology. As a consequences of the study, if we apply the technology to a polymetallic (zinc-lead-cooper) mine, we can expect 55 billion won worth of import-substitution effect. Moreover, if applied to 10 similar mines, we can expect the 10.4% of import-substitution effect of the total imports annually. Also, national competitiveness in value chain of mineral industry will be promoted through the technological advancement in upper stream and the full cycle technology will render a service to the mineral industry to be the country's new growth engine.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.471-477
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• 2009

An experimental removal of dissolved uranium (U) exsiting as uranyl ion (${UO_2}^{2+}$) was carried out using Shewanella p., iron-reducing bacterium. By the microbial reductive reaction, initial U concentration ($50{\mu}M$) was constantly decreased, and most U were removed from solution after 2 weeks. Major mechanism that U was removed from the solution was adsorption, precipitation and mineralization on the microbe surface. Under the transmission electron microscopy, the U adsorbed on the microbe was observed as being crystallized and eventually enlarged to several ${\mu}m$ sizes of minerals by combining with individual microbes and organic exudates. It seems that such U growth and mineralization on the microbial surface could affect the U behavior in a radioactive waste disposal site. Thus, the biogechemical reaction of metal-reducing bacteria observed in this experiment could give an affirmative measure that the microbial activity may retard U movement in subsurface environment.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.781-797
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• 2023

Recently, there has been a rapid response from mineral-demanding countries for securing critical minerals in a high tech industries. Graphite, while overwhelmingly dominated by China in production, is changing in global supply due to the exponential growth in EV battery sector, with active exploration in East Africa. Rare earth elements are essential raw materials widely used in advanced industries. Globally, there are ongoing developments in the production of REEs from three main deposit types: carbonatite, laterite, and ion-adsorption clay types. While China's production has decreased somewhat, it still maintains overwhelming dominance in this sector. Recent changes over the past few years include the rapid emergence of Myanmar and increased production in Vietnam. Nickel has been used in various chemical and metal industries for a long time, but recently, its significance in the market has been increasing, particularly in the battery sector. Worldwide, nickel deposits can be broadly classified into two types: laterite-type, which are derived from ultramafic rocks, and ultramafic hosted sulfide-type. It is predicted that the development of sulfide-type, primarily in Australia, will continue to grow, while the development of laterite-type is expected to be promoted in Indonesia. This is largely driven by the growing demand for nickel in response to the demand for lithium-ion batteries. The global lithium ores are produced in three main types: brine lake (78%), rock/mineral (19%), and clay types (3%). Rock/mineral type has a slightly higher grade compared to brine lake type, but they are less abundant. Chile, Argentina, and the United States primarily produce lithium from brine lake deposits, while Australia and China extract lithium from both brine lake and rock/mineral sources. Canada, on the other hand, exclusively produces lithium from rock/mineral type. Vanadium has traditionally been used in steel alloys, accounting for approximately 90% of its usage. However, there is a growing trend in the use for vanadium redox flow batteries, particularly for large-scale energy storage applications. The global sources of vanadium can be broadly categorized into two main types: vanadium contained in iron ore (81%) produced from mines and vanadium recovered from by-products (secondary sources, 18%). The primary source, accounting for 81%, is vanadium-iron ores, with 70% derived from vanadium slag in the steel making process and 30% from ore mined in primary sources. Intermediate vanadium oxides are manufactured from these sources. Vanadium deposits are classified into four types: vanadiferous titanomagnetite (VTM), sandstone-hosted, shale-hosted, and vanadate types. Currently, only the VTM-type ore is being produced.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.77-88
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• 2016

Chrysotile is a 1:1 sheet silicate mineral belonging to serpentine group. It has been highlighted studies because of uses, shapes and structural characteristics of the fibrous chrysotile. However, it was designated as Class 1 carcinogen, so high attentions were being placed on detoxification studies of chrysotile. The objectives of this study were to investigate changes of mineralogical characteristics of chrysotile and to suggest detoxification mechanism of chrysotile by thermal decomposition. Samples for this study were obtained from LAB Chrysotile mine in Canada. The samples were heated in air in the range of 600 to $1,300^{\circ}C$. Changes of mineralogical characteristics such as crystal structure, shape, and chemical composition of the chrysotile fibers were examined by TG-DTA, XRD, FT-IR, TEM-EDS and SEM-EDS analyses. As a result of thermal decomposition, the fibrous chrysotile having hollow tube structure was dehydroxylated at $600-650^{\circ}C$ and transformed to disordered chrysotile by removal of OH at the octahedral sheet (MgOH) (Dehydroxylation 1). Upon increasing temperature, it was transformed to forsterite ($Mg_2SiO_4$) at $820^{\circ}C$ by rearrangement of Mg, Si and O (Dehydroxylation 2). In addition, crystal structure of forsterite had begun to transform at $800^{\circ}C$, and gradually grown 3-dimensionally to enstatite ($MgSiO_3$) by recrystallization after the heating above $1,100^{\circ}C$. And then finally transformed to spherical minerals. This study showed chrysotile structure was collapsed about $600-700^{\circ}C$ by dehydroxylation. And then the fibrous chrysotile was transformed to forsterite and enstatite, as non-hazardous minerals. Therefore, this study indicates heat treatment can be used to detoxification of chrysotile.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.916-921
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• 2011

This study was carry out on a Jang-Won series (fine loamy, mixed, mesic family of typic fragipan) that were established and classified as a fragipan soil in Korea. The morphological, physical, chemical and minerals characteristics of Jang-Won series were studied to determine the genesis of fragipan soils in natural environment. Each sample was analyzed for its physical, chemical and mineralogical characteristics. The particle size distribution of samples was measured using pipette method. Clay minerals were investigated on parallel-oriented specimens of the clay fraction ($<2{\mu}m$) from each horizon, separated by sieving and centrifugation, using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Micromorphological observations were made on thin sections prepared from soil blocks impregnated with Crystic Resin, cut and ground to less than $30{\mu}m$ in thickness, and finally polished with diamond paste. Most horizons have pH values in the range of fewer than 5.0 and have very low base-saturation values. Their textural classification ranges from silt loam to loam, the lower horizons being the finer. The clay fraction revealed the occurrence of illite, kaolinite, chlorite and vermiculite. The micro-morphological analysis carries out thin sections from each soil profile. The silt concentrations occur as extremely dense and homogenous bands or zones of silt-sized materials, brownish in colour in plane-polarized light and anisotropic in cross-polarized light, surrounding or adhering to skeleton grains. The genesis of fragipan in the Jangweon series assumed composition of clay fraction rather than silt concentration. Therefore, this results suggested an authentic interpretation which Jangweon series is classification as Typic Fragiochrepts.