• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.397-413
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• 2008

In Gaya area, the Boseong kaolin deposits exhibit locally unusual occurrences such as downward enrichment of kaoin minerals, characteristic hydrothermal alterations (illite and stilbite), and phase relations among kaolin minerals in addition to the extensive weathering of anorthositic country rocks. This indicates that the kaolin deposits seem to be genetically formed as a mixed hydrothermal and residual model. The kaolin ores can be divided into five types on the basis of differences in occurrence, mineral composition and characters. These consist of two types of high-grade ores ranging above 80% in grade and low-grade ores as low as less than 80% including feldspar residuals or the peculiar impurity phase of illite-vermiculite-stilbite. Halloysite and kaolinite are mostly coexisted in the Boseong kaolin, and these kaolin minerals exhibit diverse appearances in crystallinity and morphology. Such a diversity in mineral phase and crystallinity seems to be originated from the complexity in genesis. In addition to these diverse characters of the kaolin, its applied-mineralogical characteristics such as chemical composition, thermal properties, whiteness, viscosity, and etc. made it disadvantageous in terms of ore quality.

• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.289-302
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• 2023

The study area was Gangnim-myeon, Hoengseong-gun, Gangwon-do, composed of the Chiaksan gneiss complex, and it was revealed that the concentrations of uranium (U) and thorium (Th) within the groundwater of the study area exceeded their water quality standards. Hence, artificial weathering experiments were conducted to elucidate mineralogically the mechanisms of their leaching using drilling cores obtained from the corresponding groundwater aquifers. First of all, the mineralogical compositions of core samples were observed, and the results indicated that the content of clinochlore, a member of the chlorite group of minerals that can form through low- and intermediate-temperature metamorphisms, was relatively higher. In addition, the Th concentration was measured ten times higher than that of U. The results of artificial weathering experiments suggested that the Th concentrations gradually increased through the dissolution of radioactive-element-bearing minerals up to the first day, and then they tended to decrease. It could be attributed to the fact that Th was leached with the dissolution of thorite, which might be a secondary mineral, and then dissolved Th was re-precipitated as the various forms of salt, such as sulfate. Even though the U content was lower than that of Th in the core samples, the U concentration was one hundred times higher than that of Th after the weathering experiments. It is likely caused by the gradual dissolution and desorption of U included in intensively weathered thorite or adsorbed as a form of UO₂²⁺ on the mineral surface. In addition, the leaching tendency of U and Th was positively correlated with the bicarbonate concentration. However, the concentrations between U and Th in groundwater exhibited a relatively lower correlation, which might result from the fact that they occurred from different sources, as aforementioned. Among various kinetic models, the parabolic diffusion and pseudo-second-order kinetic models were confirmed to best fit the dissolution kinetics of both elements. The period that would be taken for the U concentration to exceed its drinking-water standard was inferred using the regressed parameters of the best-fitted models, and the duration of 29.4 years was predicted in the neutral-pH aquifers with relatively higher concentrations of HCO₃, indicating that U could be relatively quickly leached out into groundwater.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.53-59
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• 2005

Rb-Sr isotopic ages of oxidized biotite in the weathering profile of granodiorite, Yecheon area, were measured by thermal ionization mass spectrometry, and compared with their K-Ar ages. A decrease of Rb-Sr isotopic age is well correlated with iron oxidation, and consistent with K-Ar age. Octahedral and interlayer cations including Rb and Sr were partly released from the oxidizing biotite by excess positive charge from iron oxidation. Divalent /sup 87/Sr decayed from monovalent /sup 87/Rb was more easily released from biotite, resulting in the reduction of Rb-Sr isotopic age. Weathered biotite is not suitable for the age dating of parent rocks, but behaviour of radiogenic isotopes provides useful information on the geochemical and structural changes of biotite during weathering.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.147-159
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• 2002

Weathered bentonites occcur as surficial alterations of some domestic bentonite deposits in the Tertiary formations, with the thickness of less than about 50 cm, along naturally-formed weathering surface with slopping in gentle. 7 $\AA$-halloysite was found together with montmorillonite in the weathered bentonite. Compared to normal bentonite, the weathered one is generally more clay-rich and contains little amounts of original rock-forming minerals and residues. In the electron microscopy, fine-scale occurrence of the clay minerals tends to be somewhat discrete and segregated rather than closely associated. h curled margin of montmorillonite lamella is deformed to become obtuse in the weathered bentonite. Halloysite occurs as acicular to tubular crystals with the length of less than 2 $\mu$m and the width of about 0.3 $\mu$m, which commonly forms bundle-shaped aggregates. Electron microscopic observations on the fine-scale occurrence and texture of the wtathered bentonites indicate that the clay mineral transition from montmorillonite to halloysite has undergone without accompanying any intermediate phases of both clay minerals such as a mixed-layered type (M/H). The alteration reaction between these two clay minerals probably took place in the form of dissolution and precipitation mechanism in oxidation condition. An intense chemical leaching of SiO$_2$, Na, K and Ca might occur during the alteration reaction, forming a lot of dissolution cavity and residual concentration of A1$_2$O$_3$ and Fe, relatively. As the result of the chemical change, a fsvorable condition for halloysite formation seemed to be provided.

• The Science & Technology
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• v.33 no.3 s.370
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• pp.21-21
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• 2000

바위는 겉과 속의 색깔이 다르다. 바위의 겉은 광물의 풍화로 색깔이 변하므로 그 속색깔을 알아보려면 망치로 풍화된 겉을 떼어내야 한다. 그래서 지질학자들은 이를 '백견이 불여일타'라고 한다. 그런데 요즘 지질학계에는 야외 지질조사를 기피하고 실내에서 시료를 분석하는 경향이 만연되고 있어 안타깝다. 지질학의 진리를 캐러 야외로 나가자.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2004.04a
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• pp.272-276
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• 2004

화강암에 대한 화학적 풍화특성과 풍화 정도의 정량적으로 표현하기 위한 방법으로 조사지역의 지형자료에 기초한 습윤지수(wetness indes)를 산정하였으며, 중화속도 및 등급을 산정하였다. 습윤지수는 지형 고도를 이용하여 2-5m 크기의 격자로 구성 된 수치고도모형을 작성하여 계산하였으며 풍화속도와 등급은 Profile model을 이용하였다. 연구대상지역은 마산지역과 서부산지역으로 집수지형을 지시하는 습윤지수의 분포는 마산지역에서 다소 높은 지수 값을 보인다. 임계부하량(critical loads)에 의한 풍화등급은 마산 가포동 지역과 서부산 견마도 지역은 각각 3등급과 4등급에 해당하여 견마도 일원에서 높은 풍화 정도를 지시한다. 이와 같은 결과는 동일한 화강암 분포지의 경우에도 구성 광물의 비율과 기온과 강수량과 같은 지역적인 특성에 따라 상이한 풍화 경향이 나타남을 지시한다.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.87-96
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• 2014

The objectives of this study were to characterize the physicochemical properties and mineralogy of Hwangto (yellow residual soils) from the southwestern part of Korea and to understand the soil-forming processes of the residual soils from their parent rocks. Both the yellowish residual soils as well as the unweathered and weathered parent rocks were obtained from Jangdong-ri, Donggang-myun, Naju, Jeollanam-do, Korea. The soil samples were examined to analyze the said soil's physicochemical properties such as color, pH, and particle size distribution. A scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis were performed in order to understand the mineralogy, chemical composition, and morphology of the soils. Two thin sections of a parent rock were analyzed to study its mineral composition. A particle size analysis of the soils indicates that the residual soil consists of mainly silt and clay (approximately 95%) and that soil textures are silty clay or silt clay loam. The soil colors of the residual soil are dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) through yellowish red (5YR 4/6). The pH of the residual soil ranges from 4.3 to 5.1. The major minerals of the parent rocks were quartz, biotite, chlorite, and plagioclase. The mineralogy of the sand fraction of the residual soil was quartz, biotite, muscovite and sanidine. The mineralogy of the silt fraction of the residual soil was quartz, biotite, muscovite, Na-feldspar, K-feldspar, and sanidine. The clay mineralogy of the soil was goethite, kaolinite, ilite, hydroxy-interlayed vermiculite(HIV), vermiculite, mica, K-feldspar and quartz. The mineral composition of the residual soil and the parent rock indicates that feldspar and mica in the parent rock weathered into illite, vermiculite and hydroxy-interlayed vermiculite(HIV), and finally changed into kaolinite and halloysite in the yellowish residual soils.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.255-263
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• 2015

To investigate the effect of the weathering process of biotite on Cs sorption, sorption experiment of Cs with $10^{-3}M$ solution was carried out on the biotite reacted at different reaction times at pH 2 and 4, and 1 M solutions of Na, K, Ca, Mg, Rb, and Cs. Peak changes were observed for some samples by XRD, indicating that new mineral phase formed by biotite weathering. Among several factors, cations in solutions have the most significant influence on the mineralogical changes. The samples reacted with Na showed the most outstanding change with increasing peak width and appearance of $12{\AA}$ peak and $14{\AA}$ peak. This new peaks indicate the formation of hydrobiotite and vermiculite. The new peaks had stronger peak intensity for the sample reacted at pH 4 than that at pH 2, probably due to the fast dissolution of small particles and edges and resultant decrease in the formation of expandable layers. The biotite reacted at Mg solution showed small intensity at $14{\AA}$. Based on XRD results, the degree of biotite weathering was in the order of Na, Mg, and Ca. The samples reacted with K, Rb, Cs solutions did not show noticeable mineralogical changes caused by weathering. The amount of sorbed Cs on weathered biotite showed close relationship with the degree of weathering indicated by XRD. At both pH 2 and 4, the biotite reacted with Na solution showed the highest Cs sorption, and those with Mg and Ca solutions showed the next highest ones. The sorbed amounts of Cs on the bitote reacted with K, Rb, Cs solutions were relatively low. This indicates that at the Cs concentration ($10^{-3}M$) which we used for this experiment and which was much higher than the maximum Cs concentration sorbed on the frayed edge site, expandable layer plays more important role than frayed edge. In the cases of K, Rb, and Cs solutions, Cs sorption was decreased because K is the same cations as the one in the interlayer or the sorption of Rb and Cs on the frayed edge prevents the formation of expandable layers.

• 한국해양학회지
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.271-278
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• 1995

A study of heavy mineral sands in terms of heavy mineral group and concentration has been carried out by analyzing 88 grab samples from the continental shelf off the southeast coast of Korea. Heavy mineral groups seem to be outlined and classified into four regions in the study area: 1) the western region; high concentrations of stable minerals, such as opaque mineral, magnetite, garnet and ZTR, 2) Korean Trough region; moderate concentrations of stable minerals, 3) the eastern region; abundant altered mineral and amphibole with minor of pyroxene concentration, and 4) the northeastern shelf-break region; low concentration of stable minerals with abundant altered minerals. The sedimentologic natures of four major heavy mineral regions (groupings) seem to be influenced by physical, dynamic and hydraulic milieu and also aerial and/or subaqueous weathering processes. It seems to be, further, plausible that shallow marine waves and currents associated with neritic dynamic condition of transgressive sea might be very effective on the concentration and groupings (sorting) of heavy min-erals in the surficial sediments of the continental shelf. The pyroxene-abundant heavy mineral suite (group), in fact, seems to suggest a sediment source from Japanese Islands.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.629-646
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• 2023

Host rock of Cheonjeon-ri petroglyph is shale belonging to the Daegu Formation of Cretaceous Gyeongsang Supergroup. The rocks were hornfelsified by thermal alteration, and shows high density and hardness. The petroglyph forms weathered zone with certain depth, and has difference in mineral and chemical composition from the unweathered zone. As the physical deterioration evaluations, most of cracks on the surface appear parallel to the bedding, and are concentrated in the upper part with relatively low density. Breakout parts are occurred in the upper and lower parts of the petroglyph, accounting for 6.0% of the total area and occurs to have been created by the wedging action of cracks crossing. The first exfoliation parts occupying the surface were 23.8% of the total area, the second exfoliations covered with 9.3%, and the exfoliation parts with three or more times were calculated as 3.4%. It is interpreted that this is not due to natural weathering, and the thermal shock caused by the cremation custom here in the past. As the ultrasonic properties, the petroglyph indicates highly strength in the horizontal direction parallel to bedding, and the area with little physical damage recorded mean of 4,684 m/s, but the area with severe cracks and exfoliations showed difference from 2,597 to 3,382 m/s on average. Physical deterioration to the Cheonjeon-ri petroglyph occurred to influence by repeated weathering, which caused the rock surface to become more severe than the inside and the binding force of minerals to weaken. Therefore, it can be understood that when greater stress occurs in the weathered zone than in the unweathered zone, the relatively weathered surface loses its support and exfoliation occurs.