• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.107-114
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• 2014

In this study, we tried to determine the origin of fine-grained sediments in Southeastern Yellow Sea Mud patch (SEYSM) using principal component analysis coupled with semi-quantitative X-ray diffraction analysis for 4 major clay minerals. We used 51 marine surface sediments from SEYSM and 33 surface sediments of rivers flowing into the Yellow Sea. We made bioplot diagram using R program with principal component 1 and component 2 because the two components might contain about 98% of all data. The content of each clay mineral in the south and north regions of SEYSM are almost similar. In the biplot, SEYSM sediments distribute close to Korean rivers sediments than Huanghe and Changjiang sediments. Based on these results, we suggest that SEYSM is originated from the Korean rivers sediments. The higher accumulation rate in the SEYSM compared to the sediment discharge from neighboring Korean rivers can be explained by erosion and reworking of surface sediments in this area. The principal component analysis can be used for the provenance research of marine sediments around the Korean Peninsula.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.163-173
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• 2012

In this study, we determined the relative clay mineral composition of 51 surface sediments from SEYSM (Southeastern Yellow Sea Mud) (northern part 25, southern part 26) and 30 river sediments inflow to Yellow Sea using the semi-quantitative X-ray diffraction analyses. In addition to we analyzed illite characteristics of the same samples. The clay-mineral assemblage is composed of illite (61~75%), chlorite (14~24%), kaolinite (9~14%), and smectite (1~7%), in decreasing order. The average composition of each clay mineral is not different from northern part to southern part of SEYSM except a little higher kaolinite and lower smectite content in northern part. Smectite content generally has reverse relationship with illite content. Mineralogical characteristics of illite such as illite crystallinity index also is not different between two areas and show very narrow range (0.18~0.24 ${\Delta}^{\circ}2{\theta}$). Our results reveal that clay mineral composition and illite characteristics are nearly the same between northern and southern part of SEYSM. Characteristics of surface sediments in SEYSM is closer to Korean river sediments than Chinese Hanghe sediments, however it is necessary to investigate further study including Yangtze river sediments. This study conclude that most of surface sediments in SEYSM attribute to the supply of considerable amount of sediments from the nearby Korean rivers. The large sediment budget and high accumulation rate in the SEYSM can be explained by erosion and reworking of surface sediments in this area. Tidal and regional current system around SEYSM might contribute these erosional and depositional regimes.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2016

We studied the heavy minerals in 46 surface sediments collected from the Central Yellow Sea Mud (CYSM) to characterize the type, abundance, mineralogical properties and distribution pattern using the stereo-microscopy, field-Emission scanning electron microscopy (FE SEM) and chemical analysis through the energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). Heavy mineral assemblages are primarily composed of epidote group, amphibole group, garnet group, zircon, rutile and sphene in descending order. Epidote group and amphibole group minerals account for more than 50% of total heavy minerals. The minerals in epidote group, amphibole group and garnet group in studied area are epidote, edenite and almandine, respectively. When we divided the CYSM into two regions by $124^{\circ}E$, the eastern region contain higher contents of epidote and (zircon + rutile), which are more resistant to weathering but lower of amphibole, which is less resistant to weathering than the western region. Based on this results, it is possible to estimate that the eastern region sediments are transported for a long distance while western region sediments are transported for a short distance from the source area. In the future, the additional study on the heavy minerals in river sediments flowing into the Yellow Sea and much more samples for marine sediments must be carried out to interpret exactly the provenance and sedimentation process.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.189-196
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• 2013

In this study, we tried to define the origin of fine-grained sediments in Southwestern Cheju Island Mud (SWCIM) using principal component analysis. We used relative clay mineral compositions using 138 marine surface sediments, 4 Huanghe sediments and 3 Changjiang river sediments by the semi-quantitative X-ray diffraction analysis. We made bioplot diagram using R program with principal component 1 and component 2 because they might contain more than 90% of all data. Although the distribution pattern of each clay minerals in SWCIM is so intricate, smectite and kaolinite contents are high in the west region, but illite and chlorite contents are rich in the east region. In the biplot, the east region of SWCIM distribute around Changjiang river, whereas west region of SWCIM disperse around Huanghe. Our results might reveal that west region of SWCIM is mainly originated by Huanghe, but east region of SWCIM by Changjiang River.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.15-26
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• 1990

Narrow (10-20 km wide) and steep (0.3-$2.4^{\circ}$) continental shelf off the eastern coast of Korea is covered with terrigenous clastic sediments reflecting the Holocene fluctuation of sea level. Surface sediments on the inner shelf consist of muddy sand and sandy mud with some gravels near the coast. However, sand or muddy sand, shell fragments and well rounded gravels occur near the edge of continental shelf at the depth of about 130-l50m. The coarse sediments near the shelf edge seem to be the relict or palimpsest sediments deposited under the nearshore environment during the low-stand or sea level due to so-called the Wisconsinan glaciation. Distribution of recent sediments near the coast and the inner shelf may reflect the affect of waves and currents precluding the deposition of fine sediment near the coast and on the shallow portion of shelf. Eastern Korean Warm Current also nay have played an important role to the transport and distribution of fine sediments from the south.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.171-177
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• 2002

Two piston-core sediments, obtained from the southwestern margin of the Ulleung Basin in East Sea, are analyzed to investigate the stratigraphy and sedimentary environment of the Late Quaternary. The cores consist mainly of cuddy sediments with silty sands, lapilli tephra and ash layers. The chronostratigraphic correlation with known eruption ages reveals that the core sediments contain the stratigraphic document over the past 46.1 kyr and the sedimentation rates during the last glacial period were relatively higher (12.1-14.9 cm/kyr) than those in pelagic ocean. Several sedimentary facies, mainly affected by turbidity currents, are commonly present in the core interval accumulated during the oxygen-isotope stage 2. Many of horizontal voids, which are thought to have formed by gas expansion, are observed in fore 00GHP-07. The total organic carbon (TOC) contents of the core sediments are noticeably high (average 1 .8%). Particularly, these TOC valuers increased during Termination I, suggesting that dering this time interval the sedimentary environment of the study area was changed to more anoxic.

• 한국석유지질학회:학술대회논문집
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• autumn
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• pp.56-62
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• 2001

울릉분지 남서부 해역에서 채취한 두 개의 피스톤 코어 (piston core) 시료를 이용하여 퇴적학 및 지화학적 특성을 연구하였다. 코어는 제4기말의 이질 퇴적물로 대부분 구성되어 있고, 테프라 (tephra layer)와 사질 퇴적물이 일부 협재되어 나타난다. 기존 확인된 울릉분지의 테프라를 이용하여 층서 대비를 한 결과, 두 코어는 대양보다는 높은 퇴적률 (10-12cm/kyr)을 갖는다. 이는 코어가 약 4만 4천년 전의 기록부터 시작하고 있음을 의미한다. 동위원소 층서 2 (마지막 빙기) 중에 형성된 구간에서는 저탁류의 영향을 많이 받은 여러 종류의 퇴적상들이 교호하여 나타난다. 코어의 하부 구간에서는 가스의 방출에 의하여 형성된 것으로 사료되는 수평균열이 다수 관찰된다. 두 코어에서 측정된 유기탄소 (organic carbon) 함량은 평균 $1.8\% $(0.1-4.5\%)$으로 열린 바다 (open sea) 퇴적물의 유기탄소 함량보다 높다. 이는 Termination I 시기 때 해수면 상승으로 인해 산소가 다소 결핍된 환경으로 전이되면서 유기탄소의 양이 증가하였음을 보여주는 것으로 해석된다.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.233-247
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• 2012

We have researched the distribution and characteristics of seafloor hydrothermal deposits for the development of economic mineral deposits in the Lau Basin, Tonga since 2009. In this study, we interpreted hydrothermal alteration around TA 26 seamounts of the Tofua volcanic arc using X-ray diffraction analysis for bulk sample and preferred-oriented specimen of clay fraction. We used 2 core samples and several surface samples. Plagioclase and quartz are dominant mineral in the basement rock, whereas kaolin mineral and smectite are superior in marine surface sediments. Especially sulfate and sulfide minerals such as gypsum, barite, sphalerite, and pyrite are predominant in the vent sediments. When we compare the mineral composition between basement rock and sea surface sediments, argillic alteration zone composed of kaolin mineral and smectite could be produced by hydrothermal fluids. Based on the downcore variation of mineral assemblages, most portion of MC08H-06 core could be interpreted as argillic alteration zone composed of kaolin mineral and smectite except top 2 cm area. Various sulfate or sulfide minerals and argillic alteration zone suggest a high probability of massive sulfide deposits in the seafloor of the TA 26 seamount.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.225-232
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• 2003

Three piston cores. obtained from the northwestern Ulleung Basin of the East Sea, are analyzed to study the tephrostratigraphy of the late Quaternary core sediments and to reveal the comparative characteristics of the tephra layers. The cores consist mainly of the muddy sediments that are partly interbedded with lapilli tephra and ash layers. The muds are further divided into hemipelagic and turbiditic mud facies. The hemipelagic facies is dominated by bioturbated mud and crudely laminated mud, whereas the turbiditic facies includes mainly thinly laminated mud and homogeneous mud, and often alternates with non-turbiditic muds. According to microscopic observation and EDX analysis, three tephra layers of the Ulleung-Oki (U-Oki; ca. 9.3 ka), Aira-Tanzawa (AT: ca. 22~24.7 ka) and Ulleung-Yamato (U-Ym; ca. 25~33 ka) are identified in the study cores. Among these, the U-Oki and U-Ym layers, originating from the Ulleung Island, consist mainly of massive-type glass shards with alkali feldspar. Both of the tephra layers contain a lower content of SiO$_2$ (57~66.5 wt.%) and a higher content of Na$_2$O+K$_2$O (11~16 wt.%) than the AT layer (SiO$_2$=75~78.5 wt.%, Na$_2$O+K$_2$O=6.5~9 wt.%) that consists of typical plane-type and/or bubble-wall glass grains. Compared with that of the U-Ym layer, a sedimentary facies of the U-Oki layer is very thick and contains three stratigraphic units, probably due to relatively large and different supplies of pyroclastic sediments. Thus, the eruption of Ulleung Volcano (ca. 7,300 B.C.) is thought to have had a more powerful effect on depositional environment than the U-Ym eruption.

• Journal of the Korean Geophysical Society
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.343-349
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• 2006

In order to study unconsolidated sediments upstream of the Soyang Dam, seismic refraction data were recorded along five profiles of 94 m length. Receiver interval and record length were 2 m and 204 ms, respectively. Recorded data were analyzed using the traveltime tomography and delay-time methods in order to reveal sediment distribution in the investigation site. The acoustic basements are buried at approximately 14 m deep and their thickness shallows to southeast approaching to a hill. On the basement, pre-existing sediments deposited before construction of the Soyang dam lies. This sedimentary layer is composed of paleo-soil and sandy sediments. Above this layer, recent sediments comprise the top layer which is believed to have been deposited since the formation of the dam. Average thickness of this uppermost layer is approximately 1.6 m, which is much thicker than in the downstream.