• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.307-321
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• 2015

The study area, Bophi Vum, Myanmar, is composed of the harzburgite, serpentinite and dunite, those are covered by Quaternary alluvium. The chromite ore bodies are developed within dunite and harzburgite bodies, mainly within dunite bodies. To identify the extension of the chromite ore bodies, we carried out trench surveys in the 5 different sites. The chromite ore bodies have 0.3-1.5 m wide, and several meters of extension, and deformed strongly as a sigmoid and a boudin shapes with dunite and harzburgite bodies by ductile deformation. The ductile deformation have a top-to-the-west shear sense, indicating the existence of a westward thrusting. The NW-SE trending distribution of ore bodies is related to the dextral ductile shearing and/or to the block rotation as a book-shelf structure by dextral strike-slip movement.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.423-433
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• 2017

Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources and Department of Geological Survey and Mineral Exploration in Myanmar have explored the Kalaymyo chromitite deposit, Myanmar since 2013. It is now necessary to find a geochemical indicator for efficient mineral exploration in the future and building a 3D geological model for this ore deposit. Mantle podiform chromitite is a major type of Cr ore in this region, which is considered to be formed by mantle-melt interaction beneath the mantle-crust boundary of oceanic lithosphere. In this study we measured major element composition of spinels in harzburgite, dunite and chromitite, and examined the hypothesis that spinel Cr#(molar Cr/(Cr+Al)${\times}$100) can be used as a geochemical indicator in exploration for the Kalaymyo chromitite. The results show that there is a clear correlation between spinel Cr# and distribution of chromitite. The spinel Cr# of harzburgite increases with decreasing the distance from the chromitite bodies. The spinel composition is also closely associated with texture and occurrence of spinels. The high Cr# spinels (30-48) are subhedral to euhedral and enclosed by olivine whereas the low Cr# spinels (16-27) are anhedral and commonly associated with pyroxenes. Often the low Cr# spinels show symplectite intergrowths with pyroxenes, indicating their residual nature. These petrological and geochemical results suggest that the high Cr# spinels have resulted from mantle-melt interaction. We suggest that spinel Cr# can be used as a geochemical indicator for Cr ore exploration and as one of critical factors in 3D geological model in the Kalaymyo chromitite deposit.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.351-362
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• 2014

In order to grasp the geological characteristics, the occurrence mode of ore body and development potential of Bophi Vum chromite mineralized zone in northwestern Myanmar, Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources(KIGAM) and Department of Geological Survey and Mineral Exploration(DGSE) carried out joint exploration targeting on the $6km^2$ areas within the mineralized zone. Chromitites occur as a major Cr-ore body in the Bophi Vum area, and are enveloped by dunitic peridotites. As a result of geological survey, the geological map of Bophi Vum was drawn in the scale of 1:1,000, and we discovered that the chromitite ores are mainly distributed at the elevation range between 200 and 400 m. The soil geochemistry was conducted by collecting total 114 soil samples in the interval of 50 m after pitting ground surface under 0.7-1 m. Geochemical anomaly maps of Cr, Ni, Fe, and Mn were prepared by ICP-AES.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.147-154
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• 2014

For analyzing the distribution of chromite, magnetic survey was carried out on the chromium mineralized belt in Bophi Vum area, northwestern Myanmar. As a result, the magnetic susceptibility of chromite is lower than those of dunite and harzburgite, which are background rocks of chromite. Also, the locations of low magnetic anomaly zone and low magnetic susceptibility models of 3D magnetic inversion result are spatially well matched with those of chromite occurrences confirmed by the surface geological survey and trench survey. Some of low magnetic effects are expanded to the periphery area of chromite occurrences. Considering the magnetic susceptibility characteristics of various rocks in this area, the expanded low magnetic anomaly zones are estimated as the high potential areas bearing chromite. For confirming the potential area of chromite pointed by coarse magnetic survey, the additional detail exploration need to be carried out in future.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.91-107
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• 1995

충남 예산-공주-청양지역의 대흥, 평안, 신양(청당)광산에서 산출되는 녹니석에 관하여 화학적 및 성인적 연구를 하였다. 이들 광상은 초염기성암기원의 사문암이 열수변질작용을 받아 생성되었다. 활석 광석의 주 구성 광물은 활석, 녹니석, 금운모, 각섬석류, 사문석, 탄산염광물 등이고 이밖에 감람석, 휘석류, 크롬철석, 스멕타이트, 녹니석/스멕타이트의 혼합층상광물들과 같은 팽윤성 광물들이 소량 산출된다. 이 중 감람석과 크롬철석은 광상의 초염기성암 기원을 지시하는 중요한 광물이다.녹니석은 활석 광석의 불순 광물 중 가장 많은 양을 차지하는 광물이다. 이들 녹니석은 성인적으로 활석과 밀접하게 연관된 녹니석과 그렇지 않은 녹니석의 두 가지 뚜렷한 타입으로 나뉘어지며 이들은 화학적으로 명확한 차이를 보인다. 전자의 녹니석은 Mg/(Mg+Fe)비가 높으며 매우 일정한 범위의 Mg/(Mg+Fe)qkl (0.784∼0.951/산소수 14 기준)를 보여주고, 높은 8면체 치환양 (0.892 (-0.200∼0.692)/산소수 14, 이상적인 클리노클로어/차모사이트 성분 기준)과 넓은 범위의 Al 함량 변화 (2.975 (1.085∼3.160)/산소수 14 기준), 높은 Cr, Ni 함량을 갖는다. 이들은 매우 제한되고 높은 Mg/(Mg+Fe)비를 갖는 환경에서 생성되었으며 따라서,활석과 밀접하게 연관된 녹니석은 생성시, 주변암에 둘러싸여 있는, 초염기성암 기원의 사문암에 의해 주로영향을 받았다. 후자의 녹니석은 전자의 녹니석에 비하여 Fe 함량이 더 놓으며 광범한 범위의 Mg/(Mg+Fe)비 (0.378∼0.852/산소수 14 기준)를 보여주고, 더 적은 범위의 8면체 치환양 (0.560 (-0.035∼0.525)/산소수 14, 이상적인 클리오클로어/차모사이트 성분 기준)과, 전반적으로는 더 높은 값을 가지면서 더 좁은 범위의 Al 함량 변화 (1.491 (1.468∼2.959)/산소수 14 기준)를 보여주며, 낮은 Cr, Ni 함량을 갖는다. 이들은 낮은 Mg/(Mg+Fe)비를 갖고 전자에 비해 Al이 풍부한 환경에서 생성되었으며, 따라서 활석과 연관되지 않은 녹니석은 생성시 광체와 인접한 화강아질 편마암에 의해 주로영향을 받았을 것으로 생각된다. 녹니석의 이러한 2가지 화학조성상의 경향은 녹니석과 공존하는 운모류나 각섬석류들의 화학분석결과와도 잘 일치한다. 이러한 결과는 이 지역의 활석 광상이 초염기성암 기원의 사문암이 열수변질작용을 받아 생성되었음을 명확하게 지시하며, 따라서 활석 광석내에 존재하는 녹니석은 활석의 근원 광물로서 녹니석편암 및 녹니석 편마암 매의 녹니석이 활석화되고 남은 잔존광물이 아니라, 주변암에 의해 성분상의 영향을 받은 열수와 사문암과의 변질교대작용에 의한 활석화과정 중에 주로 생성된 것으로 추정된다. 이러한 결과는 연구지역의 활석광상이 초염기성암의 사문암화 작용과 활석화 작용의 두 가지 변질작용에 의해 형성되어졌음을 알려준다.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.499-508
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• 2019

Based on the preliminary surveys for the occurrences of the Muwellut chrome-nickel mineralized zone ($800km^2$) in northwestern Myanmar, Bophivum area was selected as the detailed exploration area after considering data source, geological potential, metallogenic province, necessity of resource development on target mineral, exploration activity, grade, ore deposit type, nearby operating mine, infrastructure and exploration prediction effect. From 2013 to 2016, KIGAM and DGSE carried out geological and geochemical survey with 1:1,000 scale, magnetic survey(areal extent, $1.672km^2$), trench survey(19 trench, total length 392 m), pitting survey(18 pit, total depth 42.6m), exploration drilling(6holes 600m, 2015; 13holes 617.4m). We analyzed Cr and Ni contents of 77 drill cores with specific gravity in Yangon DGSE analytical center. Considering surface geological survey, geochemical exploration, magnetic survey, trench survey and drilling data, we divided Bophivum area into 8 blocks. Resource estimation are divided into measured and indicated resources. Measured resource is about 9,790t and indicated resource is about 12,080t with the average grade of Cr 11.8% and Ni 0.34%. In case of Bophivum area, if we develop by tying up Webula chrome mineralized zone in the south, it will be possible to upgrade the medium-scale mine. Geologically, the ophiolite belt are distributed in the western and eastern part in Myanmar. So, the exploration technology obtained from exploation in Bophivum area will be helpful to discover the hidden chromitite ore body in Myanmar ophiolite belt in the future.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.323-336
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• 2000

Ultramafic rocks in Choongnam area are mainly serpenitinites which are parent rock of talc and asbestos ore deposits. About 10 $^{\circ}$ NNE-trending parallel serpentinites masses occur as discontineous isolated lenticular intrusive bodies in Precambrian gneiss complex between Hongseong-Kwangcheon line and Onyang-Cheongyang line. The sizes of serpentinites vary from several centimeters to 1 kilometer in width and from several meters to 5 kilometers in length. The serpentinites show high SiO$_2$(39.99wt.% in average), MgO(38.46wt % in average), Cr(>1011ppm), Ni(>1660ppm), and Co(>80ppm). Most serpentinites contain serpentine more than 50%. Some serpentines contain original minerals such as olivine, pyroxene and chromite. Also, serpentinites body may contain a little serpentinized peridotite, and some talc and asbestos ore deposits. The original rocks of the serpentinites interpreted as Alpine type ultramafic rocks, and dunite and/or harzburgite which were originated from slightly depleted upper mantle(30${\sim}$40km deep), and emplaced in the crust through the large fault zones. It seems that main serpentinization from the original rocks was occurred during greenschist and/or amphibolite facies regional metamorphism in Choongnam area.