• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.15 no.2 s.44
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• pp.90-105
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• 2006

The Cretaceous volcanic rocks in the study area represented by andesitic rocks occupy eastern part of the Kyeongsan Caldera. The volcanic rocks comprise andesite I, andesitic tuff, andesite II, and andesitic tuff breccia in their stratigraphic succession, and andesitic porphyry. Andesite I is distinguished from andesite II in their color, texture, phenocryst mineralogy and petrochemisty. In outcrops, andesite I is compact and dark-green, and andesite II is brick red in color and porphyritic in texture. In their phenocryst mineralogy, andesite I contains olivine phenocryst in addition to plagioclase and pyroxene which occur in both of andesites. Compared to andesite II, andesite I is higher in $SiO_2$ and $K_2O$ contents and lower in CaO, MgO, MnO, $TiO_2,\;Fe_2O_3$, and $P_2O_5$. Major elements petrochemistry shows that magma series of the volcanic rocks spread widely from calc-alkaline to alkaline series. On the other hand, immobile trace elements petrochemistry shows that the magma series is calc-alkaline without exception, suggesting that the volcanics has experienced more or less alkali enrichment after their eruption. Trace element diagrams for discrimination of tectonic setting show that the volcanics of the study area might be originated from calc-alkaline continental volcanic arc.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.67-87
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• 2010

This article deal with petrotectonic setting and petrogenesis from petrography and chemical analyses of the Cretaceous volcanic and intrusive rocks in the Cheolwon basin. The volcanic rocks are composed of basalts in Gungpyeong Formation, Geumhaksan Andesite, and rhyolitic rocks (Dongmakgol Tuff, Rhyolite and Jijangbong Tuff), and intrusive rocks, Bojangsan Andesite, granite porphyry and dikes. According to petrochemistry, these rocks represent medium-K to high-K basalt, andesite and rhyolite series that belong to calc-alkaline series, and generally show linear compositional variations of major and trace elements with increase in $SiO_2$ contents, on many Harker diagrams. The incompatible and rare earth elements are characterized by high enrichments than MORB, and gradually high LREE/HREE fractionation and sharp Eu negative anomaly with late strata, on spider diagram and REE pattern. Some trace elements exhibit a continental arc of various volcanic arcs or orogenic suites among destructive plate margins on tectonic discriminant diagrams. These petrochemical data suggest that the basalts may have originated from basaltic calc-alkaline magma of continental arc that produced from a partial melt of upper mantle by supplying some aqueous fluids from a oceanic crust slab under the subduction environment. The andesites and rhyolites may have been evolved from the basaltic magma with fractional crystallization with contamination of some crustal materials. Each volcanic rock may have been respectively erupted from the chamber that differentiated magmas rose sequentially into shallower levels equivalenced at their densities.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.325-337
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• 2002

We examined the contamination of stream water and stream sediments by heavy metal elements with respect to distance from the abandoned Backun Au-Ag-Cu mine. High contents of heavy metals (Pb, Zn, Cu, Cd, Mn, and Fe) and aluminum in the waters connected with mining and associated deposits (dumps, tailings) reduce water quality. In the mining area, Ca and SO$_4$ are predominant cation and anion. The mining water is Ca-SO$_4$ type and is enriched in heavy metals resulted from the weathering of sulfide minerals. This mine drainage water is weakly acid or neutral (pH; 6.5-7.1) because of neutralizing effect by other alkali and alkaline earth elements. The effluent from the mine adit is also weakly acid or neutral, and contains elevated concentrations of most elements due to reactions with ore and gangue minerals in the deposit. The concentration of ions in the Backun mining water is high in the mine adit drainage water and steeply decreased award to down stream. Buffering process can be reasonably considered as a partial natural control of pollution, since the ion concentration becomes lower and the pH value becomes neutralized. In order to evaluate mobility and bioavailability of metals, sequential extraction was used for stream sediments into five operationally defined groups: exchangeable, bound to carbonates, bound to FeMn oxide, bound to organic matter, and residual. The residual fraction was the most abundant pool for Cu(2l-92%), Zn(28-89%) and Pb(23-94%). Almost sediments are low concentrated with Cd(2.7-52.8 mg/kg) than any other elements. But Cd dominate with non stable fraction (68-97%). Upper stream sediments are contaminated with Pb, and down area sediments are enriched with Zn. It is indicate high mobility of Zn and Cd.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.241-259
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• 2022

In general, the REE were produced by mining conventional deposits, such as the carbonatite or the clay-hosted REE deposits. However, because of the recent demand increase for REE in modern industries, unconventional REE deposits emerged as a necessary research topic. Among the unconventional REE recovery methods, the REE-bearing coal deposits are recently receiving attentions. R-types generally have detrital originations from the bauxite deposits, and show LREE enriched REE patterns. Tuffaceous-types are formed by syngenetic volcanic activities and following input of volcanic ash into the basin. This type shows specific occurrence of the detrital volcanic ash-driven minerals and the authigenic phosphorous minerals focused at narrow horizon between coal seams and tonstein layers. REE patterns of tuffaceous-types show flat shape in general. Hydrothermal-types can be formed by epigenetic inflow of REE originated from granitic intrusions. Occurrence of the authigenic halogen-bearing phosphorous minerals and the water-bearing minerals are the specific characteristics of this type. They generally show HREE enriched REE patterns. Each type of REE-bearing coal deposits may occur by independent genesis, but most of REE-bearing coal deposits with high REE concentrations have multiple genesis. For the case of the US, the rare earth oxides (REO) with high purity has been produced from REE-bearing coals and their byproducts in pilot plants from 2018. Their goal is to supply about 7% of national REE demand. For the coal deposits in Korea, lignite layers found in Gyungju-Yeongil coal fields shows coexistence of tuff layers and coal seams. They are also based in Tertiary basins, and low affection from compaction and coalification might resulted into high-REE tuffaceous-type coal deposits. Thus, detailed geologic researches and explorations for domestic coal deposits are required.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.38 no.2 s.171
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• pp.113-127
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• 2005

Cretaceous intrusive and extrusive rocks are widely distributed in the southwestern part of the Korean peninsula, possibly the result of intensive magmatism which occurred in response to subduction of the western proto-Pacific plate beneath the north-eastern part of the Eurasian plate. Geochemical and petrological study on the Cretaceous granitic rocks were carried out in order to constrain the petrogenesis of the granitic magma and to establish the paleotectonic environment of the area. Whole rock chemical data of the granitic rocks from the study area indicate that the all the rocks have characteristics of calc-alkaline series in the subalkaline field. The overall geochemical features show systematic variations in each granitic body, but the source materials of each granitic body are thought to have been different in their chemical composition. Higher values of $Fe_2O_3/FeO$ of the granitic rocks in the western area suggest that the granitoids had been solidified under highly oxidizing environment. The granitic bodies in the eastern area also show higher contents of Li, Ni, Co, Sr, Cr, Sc and lower Rb and Nb compared to the those of the western area. Chondrite normalized REE patterns show generally enriched LREE and strong negative Eu anomalies in the western wet while slight to flat Eu anomalies in the east-ern area. The REE and $(La/Lu)_{CN}$ of the granites are $60{\~}499ppm$ and $8.9{\~}66$ correspond to the range of the continental margin granite. On the ANK vs. ACNK and tectonic discrimination diagrams, parental magma type of the granites corresponds to I-type, VAG and syn-collision granite. Interpretations of the chemical characteristics of the granitic rocks favor their emplacement in a compressional tectonic regime at continental margin during the subduction of proto-Pacific plate.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.491-503
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• 2010

Geochemical characteristics of the Moisan epithermal gold-silver deposit with total 140 samples in Haenam area, Jeollanamdo were studied by using multivariate statistical analysis (correlation analysis, factor analysis and cluster analysis). The correlation analysis reveals that Ag, Cu, Bi, Te are highly correlated with Au in the both non-mineralized and mineralized zone. It is resulted from the presence of Au-Ag bearing minerals (electrum, sylvanite, calaverite and stuezite) and non Au-Ag containing minerals (chalcopyrite, tellurobismuthite and bismuthinite). Mo shows relatively much higher correlation at the mineralized zone (0.615) than non-mineralized zone (0.269) which implies Mo content is strongly affected by Au-mineralization. While Mn, Cs, Fe, Se correlated with Au at the nonmineralized zone, they have negative correlation at the mineralized zone. Therefore, they seem to be eluviated elements from the host rock during gold mineralization. Sb is enriched during the gold mineralization showing high correlation at the mineralized zone and negative correlation at the non-mineralized zone. According to the factor analysis, Se, Ag, Cs, Te are the indicators of gold mineralization presence due to the strong affection of gold content in the non-mineralized zone. In the mineralized zone, on the other hand, Mo, Te and Sb, Cu are the indicators of gold and silver mineralization, respectively. While the cluster analysis reveals that Cd-Zn-Pb-S, Bi-Fe-Cu-Mn, Se-Te-Au-Cs-Ag, As-Sb-Ba are the similar behavior elements groups in the non-mineralized zone, Cd-Zn-Mn-Pb, Fe-S-Se, As-Bi-Cs, Ag-Sb-Cu, Au-Te-Mo are the similar behavior elements groups in the mineralized zone. Using multivariate statistical analysis as mentioned above makes it possible to compare the behavior of presented minerals and difference of geochemical characteristics between mineralized and non-mineralized zone. Therefore, it will be expected a useful tool on the similar type of mining exploration.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.39 no.5 s.180
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• pp.555-566
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• 2006

Major, trace and rare earth elements data of the Cretaceous Jindong granitic rocks were investigated in order to constrain the magma source characteristics and to establish the paleotectonic environment of the southwestern part of the Gyeongsang Basin. Geochemical signatures of the granitic rocks from the study area indicate that all of the rocks have characteristics of calc-alkaline series in the subalkaline field, and progressively shift from metaluminous to peraluminous with differentiation. In the variation diagrams, the overall geochemical features of the granites show systematic variations in major and trace elements. Chondrite normalized REE patterns show generally enriched LREE((La/Yb)c=4.2-12.8) and slight negative to flat Eu anomalies. Rb-Sr isotope data of the Jindong granites show that the whole rock age and Sr initial ratio are $114.6{\pm}9.1Ma$ and 0.70457, respectively. The Sr initial ratio of the Jindong granites is very similar to those of the Creataceous granites from Masan, Kimhae and Busan area($^{87}Sr/^{86}Sr=0.7049-0.707$). These results suggest that the magma have the mantle signature and intruded into the area during the early Cretaceous age. The Jindong granites have higher $Al_{2}O_{3},\;Na_{2}O$, Sr and lower $K_{2}O$, Y concentrations compared with typical calc-alkaline granitic rocks. These adakitic signatures are similar to those of adakitic pluton on Kyushu Island, southwest Japan arc. On the ANK vs. ACNK and tectonic discrimination diagrams, parental magma type of the granites corresponds to I-type, VAG granite. Interpretations of the geochemical characteristics of the granitic rocks favor their emplacement at continental margin during the subduction of Izanagi plate.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.259-272
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• 1984

Fluid inclusion and stable isotope studies on the Sangdong tungsten skarn have led to a conclusion that the mineralizing fluids might be derived from a magma, which was inferred within 1km below the present Sangdong ore deposit. Mineral assemblages of the skarns appear to have formed under the equilibrium conditions as the fluids flow outward from a central fluid column, in which the quatz-mica occurs dominantly. A characteristic skarn showing mineralogical zonation by repeated over-prints. The quartz-mica zone at the central part of the Sangdong skarns shows the final stage of protracted fluid evolution. Thermodynamic conclusion based on simplified chemical compositions of major components may express quantitatively the conditions of the skarn formation by using diagrams.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.537-549
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• 2007

The characteristics of the mineralization and geology in the northern Mt. Taebaek mining district are found to be similar with those reported from Nevada district where the Carlin-type gold deposit occurs characteristically as repeated metallic ore deposits in space and time. Though two spots of hs and several spots of Sb anomalies were recognized in the Yeongweol area, they have no relationship with any metalliferous mineralization. On the other hand, two spots of As anomaly in the Jeongseon area have shown to be related with metalliferous ore deposits (mainly Ag-Au), and they are closely associated with Sb anomaly. Some elements of altered limestones in the study such as Au, Ag, As, Sb, Cu, Pb, Zn, and Mo area are closely associated together, and are more enriched in the Jeongseon area than in the Yeongweol area. In particular, Sb and As which may reflect the occurrence of the Carlin-type gold deposit are highly enriched. However, the base metals such af Zn and Pb are highly variable according to samples. The patterns of the enrichment factor for Sb and As, as well as those for Ag and Au, are very similar with those reported from the Carlin-type gold deposits in Nevada. These similarities in elemental distribution may imply that hydrothermal ore mineralization in the study areas was possibly originated from a fluid with the characteristics of the Carlin-type gold mineralization found in Nevada, China, and Indonesia. However, the pattern of base metals and Mo are different. This may result from different chemistry and/or mineralogy of host rock in the study areas.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.375-390
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• 2013

The Kenticha rare-element (Ta-Li-Nb-Be) mineralized zone is located in ophiolitic fold and thrust complex of southern Ethiopia and was firstly discovered by joint exploration program of Ethiopia-Soviet in 1980s. It includes Dermidama, Kilkele, Shuni Hill, Kenticha, and Bupo pegmatites from south to north. The Kenticha pegmatite intruded parallel to NS-striking serpentinite and talc-chlorite schist, and is exposed approximately 2 km length and 400-700 m width. The Kenticha pegmatite is internally zoned and subdivided into lower quartz-muscovite-albite granite, intermediate muscovite-quartz-albite-microcline pegmatite, and upper spodumene-quartz-albite pegmatite, based on their mineral assemblage. The major, trace elements (e.g., Rb, Li, Nb, Ta, and Ga), and element ratios (e.g., K/Rb, Nb/Ta, Mg/Li, and Al/Ga) suggest that the fractionation and solidification of pegmatite have progressed from the lower towards upper pegmatite. In contrast, unlike general magmatic fractionation, Mg/Li ratios of the Kenticha pegmatite tend to be increased towards the upper pegmatite. It may result from post-magmatic hydrothermal alteration and/or interaction with upper ultramafic rock. Rare-element mineralization in Kenticha pegmatite concentrates on the upper pegmatite, which contains up to 3.0 wt % $Li_2O$, 3,780 ppm Rb, 111 ppm Cs, 1,320 ppm Ta, and 332 ppm Nb. Ore minerals in Kenticha pegmatite mostly include tantalite, spodumene, and lepidolite, and tantalite has an association with coarser quartz-spodumene and relatively fine sacchroidal albite. The tantalite is classified into Mn-tantalite as a function of $Mn^*[Mn/(Mn+Fe)]$ and $Ta^*[Ta/(Ta+Nb)]$ values. Its compositions ($Mn^*$, $Ta^*$, and Nb/Ta) between coarse and fine tantalites are different and the former is strongly enriched in Ta and depleted in Nb compared to latter one. In conclusion, rare-element mineralization in the Kenticha pegmatite may has occurred in the latest stage of magmatic fractionation.