• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.38 no.6 s.175
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• pp.633-642
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• 2005

We present the sedimentary sequence and distribution pattern of the late Holocene muddy deposits in the northern East China Sea shelf using the high-resolution 'Chirp' profiles. The seismic sedimentary sequence overlying acoustic basement (basal reflector-B) can be divided into two depositional units (Unit 1 and 2) bounded by erosional bounding surface (mid reflector-M). The lower Unit 1 above basal reflector-H is characterized by the acoustically parallel to subparallel reflections and channel-fill facies. The upper Unit 2, up to 7 m in thickness, shows seismically semi-transparent seismic facies and lenticular body form. On the base of sequence stratigraphic concept, these two sediment units have developed during transgression and highstand period, respectively, since the last sea-level lowstand. The transgressive systems tract (Unit 1) lie directly on the sequence boundary (reflector B) that have farmed during the last glacial maximum. The transgressive systems tract in this study consists mostly of complex of delta, fluvial, and tidal deposits within the incised valley estuary system. The maximum flooding surface (reflector M) corresponding to the top surface of transgressive systems tract is obviously characterized by erosional depression. The highstand systems tract (Unit 2) above maximum flooding surface is made up of the mud patch filled with the erosional depression. The high-stand mud deposits showing a circle shape just like a typhoon symbol locates about 140 km off the south of Cheju Island with water depth of $60\~90m$. Coverage area and total sediment volume of the mud deposits are about $3,200km^2$ and $10.7\times10^9\;m^3$, respectively. The origin of the mud patch is interpreted as a result of accumulating suspended sediments derived from the paleo-Yellow and/or Yangtze Rivers. The circular distribution pattern of the mud patch appears to be largely controlled by the presence of cyclonic eddy in the northern East China Sea.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.39 no.12
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• pp.1783-1789
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• 2010

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of 10 week onion extract supplementation on blood lipid profiles in borderline hypercholesterolemic participants. The study consisted of 10 males and 17 females aged $45.9{\pm}10.0$ years. At baseline, serum total cholesterol level was $228.6{\pm}4.1$ mg/dL (201~239 mg/dL). This study was designed as randomized single blind placebo controlled cross-over study. After 1 week wash-out period, subjects were randomized into two groups; they took onion extract (150 mL/1 pack, containing 30 mg quercetin) or placebo for 10 weeks. After 1 week wash-out period again, subjects took exchanged samples for another 10 weeks. The total-cholesterol ($226.7{\pm}4.6{\rightarrow}206.8{\pm}3.6$ mg/dL; p<0.01), LDL-cholesterol ($151.6{\pm}5.0{\rightarrow}127.1{\pm}4.1$ mg/dL; p<0.01) and atherogenic index (AI: $4.0{\pm}0.3{\rightarrow}3.4{\pm}0.2$; p<0.05) decreased significantly after 10 weeks of onion extracts supplementation, while there were no significant changes during placebo periods. The levels of HDL-cholesterol (onion extract: $46.5{\pm}2.0{\rightarrow}50.2{\pm}2.1$ mg/dL, placebo: $47.8{\pm}2.1{\rightarrow}50.1{\pm}2.4$ mg/dL), GOT (onion extract: $36.8{\pm}1.8{\rightarrow}32.3{\pm}1.8$ IU/L, placebo: $35.1{\pm}2.1{\rightarrow}32.8{\pm}2.0$ IU/L), and GPT (onion extract: $36.5{\pm}3.2{\rightarrow}32.9{\pm}1.8$ IU/L, placebo: $36.6{\pm}3.8{\rightarrow}33.8{\pm}2.8$ IU/L) showed no significant changes in both periods. These results indicate that the consumption of onion concentrated extracts exerts beneficial effects on dyslipidemia through the decrease of serum total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels in borderline hypercholestrolemic subjects. In conclusion, onion was useful as dietary therapy for hypercholestrolemia and adequate onion intake may help to prevent cardiovascular disease.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.233-245
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• 2021

Many studies on the microstructures in rocks have been conducted using experimental methods with various equipment as well as natural rock studies to see the development of microstructures and understand their mechanisms. Grain boundary migration of mineral aggregates in rocks could cause grain growth or grain size changes during metamorphism or deformation as one of the main recrystallization mechanisms. This study suggests improved ways regarding the analog material experiments with reformed equipment to see sequential observations of these grain boundary migration. It can be more efficient than the existing techniques and carry out an appropriate microstructure analysis. This reformed equipment was implemented to enable optical manipulation by mounting polarizing plates capable of rotating operation on a stereoscopic microscope and a deformation rig capable of experimenting with analog materials. The equipment can automatically control the temperature and strain rate of the deformation rig by microcontrollers and programming and can take digital photomicrographs with constant time intervals during the experiment to observe any microstructure changes. The composite images synthesized using images by rotated polarizing plates enable us to see more accurate grain boundaries. As a rock analog material, norcamphor(C7H10O) was used, which has similar birefringence to quartz. Static grain growth and simple shear deformation experiments were performed using the norcamphor to verify the effectiveness of the equipment. The static grain growth experiments showed the characteristics of typical grain growth behavior. The number of grains decreases and the average grain size increases over time. These case experiments also showed a clear difference between the growth curves with three temperature conditions. The result of the simple shear deformation experiment under the medium temperature-low strain rate showed no significant change in the average grain size but presented the increased elongation of grain shapes in the direction of about 53° regarding the direction perpendicular to the shearing direction as the shear strain increases over time. These microstructures are interpreted as both the plastic deformation and the internal recovery process in grains are balanced by the deformation under the given experimental conditions. These experiments using the reformed equipment represent the ability to sequentially observe changing the microstructure during experiments as desired in the tests with the analog material during the entire process.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.643-654
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• 2023

The West Philippine Basin, an oceanic basin half the size of the Philippine Sea Plate, lies in the western part of the plate and south of the Korean Peninsula on the Eurasian Plate. It subducts beneath the Eurasian Plate and the Philippine Islands bordering the Ryukyu Trench and the Philippine Trench with 25-50% of this basin already consumed. However, the history of the opening of the basin's southern region has been a topic of debate. The non-transform discontinuity formed during the seafloor spreading is similar to the transform fault boundaries normally perpendicular to mid-ocean ridge axes; however, it was created irregularly due to ridge propagations caused by variations of mantle convection attributable to magma supply changes. By analyzing high-resolution multi-beam echo-sounding data, we confirmed that the non-transform discontinuity due to the propagating rift evolved in the entire basin and that the abyssal hill strike direction changed from E-W to NNW-SSE from the fossil spreading center. In the early stage of basin extension, the Amami-Sankaku Basin was rotated 90 degrees clockwise from its current orientation, and it bordered the Palau Basin along the Mindanao Fracture Zone. The Amami-Sankaku Basin separated from the Palau Basin while the spreading of the West Philippine Basin began with a counter-clockwise rotation. This indicates that the non-transform discontinuities formed by a sudden change in magma supply due to the drift of the Philippine Sea Plate and simultaneously with the rapid changes in the spreading direction from ENE-WSW to N-S. The Palau Basin was considered to be the sub-south of the West Philippine Basin, but recent studies have shown that it extends into an independent system. Evidence from sediment layers and crustal thickness hints at the possibility of its existence before the West Philippine Basin opened, although its evolution continues to be debated. We performed a combined analysis using high-resolution multi-beam bathymetry and satellite gravity data to uncover new insights into the evolution of the West Philippine Basin. This information illuminates the complex plate interactions and provides a crucial contribution toward understanding the opening history of the basin and the Philippine Sea Plate.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.399-412
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• 2011

A DEM (digital elevation model) is produced using a digital topographic map and is now a commonly used tool in geologic surveys. This study aimed to clarify the relationship between knickpoints and faults in the Namdae stream by analyzing a DEM of the area. The Namdae drainage basin was divided into three subbasins (S1, S2 and S3) and their knickpoints developed for the middle to mid-upper regions were extracted from the DEM. The relative steepness Ks and concavity depending on the incision rate was higher in S1 than in S2 and S3 regions. We assumed that the incision rate caused by active erosion resulted from several faults crossing the basins rather than differences in rock types. There are 77 knickpoints in the Namdae drainage area, including the low-ranking branch, and 24 of thses are on the main river system (S1, S2, S3). Of these 77 knickpoints, 27 (38%) are matched by faults, and from the three basins, 13 (54%) correspond with faults, indicating that the knickpoints are connected closely with the faults. For example the average Ks (relative steepness), was 38.8, but in the overlapping area of the Samdang and Doocheon faults the Ks value was 42.99~43.39. We suggest that the faults resulted in geomorphic deformation such as the high-Ksn knickpoints. There was little evdence of relationship between the knickpoints and rock boundaries, with 54% of the knickpoints distributed on the S1, S2, and S3 subbasins. We concluded that the drainage basin knickpoints are the result of fault movement and are a type of geomorphologic deformation that could be useful for surveying Quaternary faults or fault extension.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.157-169
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• 2019

Pseudotachylytes, produced by frictional heating during seismic slip, provide information that is critical to understanding the physics of earthquakes. We report the results of occurrence, structural characteristics, scanning electron microscopic observation and geochemical analysis of pseudotachylytes, which is presumed to have formed after the Late Cretaceous in outcrops of the Paleoproterozoic granitic gneiss on the Bulil waterfall of the Jirisan area, Yeongnam massif, Korea. Fault rocks, which are the products of brittle deformation under the same shear stress regime in the study area, are classified as pseudotachylyte and foliated cataclasite. The occurrences of pseudotachylyte identified on the basis of thickness and morphology are fault vein-type and injection vein-type pseudotachylyte. A number of fault vein-type pseudotachylytes occur as thin (as thick as 2 cm) layers generated on the fault plane, and are cutting general foliation and sheared foliation developed in granitic gneiss. Smaller injection vein-type pseudotachylytes are found along the fault vein-type pseudotachylytes, and appear in a variety of shapes based on field occurrence and vein geometry. At a first glance fault vein-type seudotachylyte looks like a mafic vein, but it has a chemical composition almost identical to the wall rock of granitic gneiss. Also, it has many subrounded clasts which consist predominantly of quartz, feldspar, biotite and secondary minerals including clay minerals, calcite and glassy materials. Embayed clasts, phenocryst with reaction rim, oxide droplets, amygdules, and flow structures are also observed. All of these evidences indicate the pseudotachylyte formed due to frictional melting of the wall rock minerals during fault slip related to strong seismic faulting events in the shallow depth of low temperature-low pressure. Further studies will be conducted to determine the age and mechanical aspect of the pseudotachylyte formation.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.565-582
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• 2018

We investigated the hydrochemical properties of ChusanYongchulso Spring located in Buk-myeon, Ulleung Island, focusing on the formation and characteristics of aquifers in and around the Nari caldera. Abundant pumice with high permeability and numerous fractures (including faults and joints) that formed as a result of caldera subsidence are widely distributed in the subsurface, favoring the formation of aquifers. Because of the presence of porous pyroclastic rocks with a high internal surface area, the water type of the springs is characterized by $NaHCO_3$, with upper stream waters and the upper spring being characterized by $NaHCO_3$ and NaCl, respectively. Components with a high coefficient of determination with EC are $HCO_3$, Na, F, Ca, Mg, Cl, $SiO_2$, and $SO_4$. The high concentrations of Na and Cl might be attributable to the main lithologies in the area, given that alkaline volcanic rocks are distributed extensively across Ulleung Island. Eh and pH, which are considered to be important indicators of water-rock interaction, are unrelated to most components. According to the results obtained from factor analysis, the variance explained by factor 1 is 54% and by factor 2 is 25.8%. Components with a high loading on factor 1 are F, Na, EC, Cl, $HCO_3$, $SO_4$, $SiO_2$, Ca, $NO_3$, and Mg, whereas components with a high loading on factor 2 are Mg and Ca, along with K, $NO_3$, and DO with negative loadings. It is suggested that the high concentrations of Na, Cl, F, and $SO_4$ are closely related to the presence of fine-grained alkaline pyroclastic rocks with high permeability and porosity, which favorintensewater-rock interaction. However, a wide-ranging investigation that encompasses methods such as geophysical prospecting and geochemical analysis (including isotope, trace-element, and tracer techniques) will be necessary to gain a better understanding of the groundwater chemistry, aquifer distribution, and water cycling of Ulleung Island.

• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.55-72
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• 2023

This study aims to identify the fault zone architecture and geometric and kinematic characteristics of the Yeongdeok Fault, based on the geometry and kinematic data of various structural elements obtained by detailed field survey and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) of the fault rocks. The Yeongdeok Fault extends from Opo-ri, Ganggu-myeon, Yeongdeok-gun to Gilgok-ri, Maehwa-myeon and Bangyul-ri, Giseong-myeon, Uljin-gun, and cuts various rock types from the Paleo-proterozoic to the Mesozoic with a range of 4.6-5.0 km (4.77 km in average) of right-lateral offset or forms the rock boundaries. The fault is divided into four segments based on its geometric features and shows N-S to NNW strikes and dips of an angle of ≥ 54° to the east at most outcrops, even though the outcrops showing the westward dipping (a range of 54°-82°) of fault surface increase as it goes north. The Yeongdeok Fault shows the difference in the fault zone architecture and in the fault core width ranging from 0.3 to 15 m depending on the bedrock type, which is interpreted as due to differences in the physical properties of bedrock such as ductility, mineral composition, particle size, and anisotropy. Combining the results of paleostress reconstruction and AMS in this and previous studies, the Yeongdeok Fault experienced (1) sinistral strike-slip under NW-SE maximum horizontal principle stress (σ_Hmax) and NE-SW minimum horizontal principle stress (σ_Hmin) in the late Cretaceous to early Cenozoic, and then (2) dextral strike-slip under NE-SW maximum horizontal principle stress (σ_Hmax) and NW-SE minimum horizontal principle stress (σ_Hmin) in the Paleogene. It is interpreted that the deformation caused by the Paleogene dextral strike-slip movement was the most dominant, and the crustal deformation was insignificant thereafter.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.143-159
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• 2024

Natural aggregate is an essential resource for human activities, closely related to construction. The aggregate demand has been increasing annually, and due to the nature of the resource, it is difficult to procure from distant locations. This study identifies the distribution and characteristics of aggregate-bearing areas as part of a municipal-level aggregate resource survey conducted in Nonsan City, Korea, in 2023. Nonsan City is located approximately 35 km straight distance from the Geum River estuary and lies at the passageway of the main stream of the Geum River. The topography of Nonsan City features eastern mountainous areas and western plains, creating an east-high-west-low geomorphic setting, with 33 streams distributed across the city, including tributaries of the Geum River like Nonsan Stream, Noseong Stream, and Ganggyeong Stream. All streams originate from the highlands in the north and east, converge with Nonsan Stream, and then join the west bank of the main stream of the Geum River at the western boundary of Nonsan City. Drilling core results show shallow depths in the highlands to the north and east, deepening towards the west, reaching a maximum depth of 25 m near the main stream of the Geum River. The total reserve of land aggregates is calculated to be 246,789,000 m³, with a developable amount of 172,750,000 m³. The total reserve of river aggregates is 5,236,000 m³, with a developable amount of 3,765,000 m³. The distribution of aggregates varies according to the geomorphic, geologic, and development pattern of the river system. Reserves are scarce in mountainous areas but are abundant in regions with rivers and wide alluvial plains, although reserves appear at depths greater than 4m. The distribution of aggregate resources in Nonsan City is influenced by stream activities and sea level changes, with the tidal range of the Yellow Sea acting as an unfavorable condition for the preservation of aggregate resources.

• Journal of Korea Spatial Information System Society
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.55-66
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• 2007

There has been increasing concerns regarding marine mineral resources as the land energy resources has been depleting from worldwide energy crisis. Also, all the coastal countries around the world are getting into the high competition as EEZ implemented to widen each country's marine autonomy. Especially, the adoption of EEZ in UN's marine regulation agreement at the January of 1996 has aggravated conflicts among coastal countries and eventually resulted in critical agenda to determine the boundaries of EEZ among such countries. It is imperative for us to have negotiation with neighboring countries to determine the boundaries of EEZ. For the preparation of such negotiation, it is essential to have data such as mineral distribution, deep-sea geology, related agreement and marine laws, etc. Therefore, this study mainly concentrates on analyzing existing data of resources exploration and establishing standards for each type of data and manipulating data based on such standards, thereby building a database for more efficient management of EEZ data from marine resources survey. MRIS has also been developed to diversely analyze and visualize graphic and attribute data considering data usage and inter-relationship in the database. This system can provide various spatial analysis and spatial searching techniques to enable easier comparison of cost-benefit analysis and data provision of any area in EEZ thereby facilitating major policy making. In addition, the system can support sustainable management of marine resources of EEZ regions and data supply for systematic management of national marine resources. Furthermore, this will be very useful for negotiating with neighboring countries to determine EEZ boundaries to lead more favorable results.