• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.335-365
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• 2012

Fission-track (FT) thermochronological records from SE Korean Cretaceous-Paleogene granitic plutons in different fault-bounded blocks reveal contrasting cooling and later thermal histories. Overall cooling patterns are represented by a monotonous (J-shaped) curve in most plutons except some Cretaceous granites retaining a complicated (N-shaped) path due to post-reset re-cooling. Discriminative cooling rates over different temperature ranges can be explained for individual plutons with respect to relative pluton sizes, differences in initial heat loss depending on country rocks, and the presence and proximity of later igneous activity. Even within a single batholith, cooling times for different isotherms were roughly contemporaneous with respect to positions. Insignificant deviations in cooling ages from two different plutons in succession across the Yangsan fault may suggest their contemporaneity before major horizontal fault movement. The extent of later thermal rise recorded locally along the Yangsan and Dongnae fault zones were reached the Apatite Partial Stability Zone ($70-125^{\circ}C$), but did not exceed $200^{\circ}C$. Thermal alteration from fractured zones in the Yangsan-Ulsan fault junction may suggest a thermal reset above $290^{\circ}C$ resulting a complete reset in FT sphene age (31 Ma), caused by a tectonic subsidence in Early Oligocene. A consistency in FT zircon/apatite ages (24 Ma) may imply a sudden rapid cooling over $200-105^{\circ}C$, plausibly related to the abrupt tectonic uplift of the Pohang-Gampo Block including the fault junction in Late Oligocene. A remarkable trend of lower cooling ages for $300-200-100^{\circ}C$ isotherms (i.e., 19% for FT sphene and K-Ar biotite; 20% for FT zircon; 27% for FT apatite) from the east of the Ulsan fault (Pohang-Gampo Block) comparing to the west of the fault may be attributed to retarded cooling times from the Paleogene granites and also reflected by their partially-reduced apatite ages due to later thermal effects.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.451-465
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• 2015

The free-air anomalies are computed using a data set from various types of gravity measurements in the Korean Peninsula area. The gravity values extracted from the Earth Gravitational Model 2008 are used in the surrounding region. The upward continuation technique suggested by Dragomir is used in the computation of the external free-air anomalies at various altitudes. The integration radius 10 times the altitude is used in order to keep the accuracy of results and computational resources. The direct geodesic formula developed by Bowring is employed in integration. At the 1-km altitude, the free-air anomalies vary from -41.315 to 189.327 mgal with the standard deviation of 22.612 mgal. At the 3-km altitude, they vary from -36.478 to 156.209 mgal with the standard deviation of 20.641 mgal. At the 1,000-km altitude, they vary from 3.170 to 5.864 mgal with the standard deviation of 0.670 mgal. The predicted free-air anomalies at 3-km altitude are compared to the published free-air anomalies reduced from the airborne gravity measurements at the same altitude. The rms difference is 3.88 mgal. Considering the reported 2.21-mgal airborne gravity cross-over accuracy, this rms difference is not serious. Possible causes in the difference appear to be external free-air anomaly simulation errors in this work and/or the gravity reduction errors of the other. The external gravity field is predicted by adding the external free-air anomaly to the normal gravity computed using the closed form formula for the gravity above and below the surface of the ellipsoid. The predicted external gravity field in this work is expected to reasonably present the real external gravity field. This work seems to be the first structured research on the external free-air anomaly in the Korean Peninsula area, and the external gravity field can be used to improve the accuracy of the inertial navigation system.

• The Korean Journal of Petroleum Geology
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• v.5 no.1_2 s.6
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• pp.27-35
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• 1997

The Gorae II area is located in the southwestern margin of the Ulleung Basin, East Sea and corresponds to the Ulleung Trough. The survey of 3D seismic data in this area was performed to delineate the structural leads confirmed by the previous 2D seismic data. As a part of 3D interpretation, basement related structural movements and their relationship with the stratigraphy were studied. The study shows that eight sequences were identified which are genetically related to the tectonics and sediment supply in this area. The geologic structures characterizing the study area consist of : (1) block faults developed in the early stage of basin opening, (2) late Miocene thrusts, and (3) Pliocene wrench faults. The eight sequences consist of pre-rift (acoustic basement), syn-rift (Sequence $A_1, A_2$), post-rift (Sequence $B_1{\~}B_3$), syn-compressional sequence (Sequence C), and post-compressional sequence(Sequence D) from oldest to youngest. The time structure and isochron maps were constructed for each sequence and also used in seismic facies analysis and interpretation of sedimentary environment. The interpretation results reveal that the relative sea level changes caused by several stages of tectonic movements and sediment supply control the stratal and structural geometry of Ulleung basin.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.1-19
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• 2004

Metallic deposits in Korea have a variety of genetic types such as hydrothermal veins, skarns, hydrothermal replacement and alaskite deposits and so on. Geological, mineralogical and geochemical features including host rock, wall-rock alteration, ore and gangue mineralogy, mineral texture and secondary mineralogy related to weathering process control the environmental signatures of mining areas. The environmental signatures of metallic deposits closed from early 1970s to late 1990s in Korea show complicate geochemistry and mineralogy due to step weathering of primary and secondary minerals such as oxidation-precipitation-remobilization. The potentiality of low pH and high heavy metal Concentration s from acid mine drainage is great in base-metal deposits associated with polymetallic mineralization, breccia-pipe type and Cretaceous hydrothermal Au veins with the amount of pyrite whereas skam, hydrothermal replacement, hydrothermal Cu and Au-Ag vein deposits are in low contamination possibility. The geoenvironmental models reflecting the various geologic features closely relate to disuibution of sulfides and carbonates and their ratios and finally effect on characteristics of environmental signatures such as heavy metal species and their concentrations in acid mine drainage.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.585-596
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• 2020

The 2017 Pohang Earthquakes occurred near a drill site in the Pohang Enhanced Geothermal System. Water injected for well stimulation was believed to have reactivated the buried near-critically stressed Miocene faults by the accumulation of the Quaternary tectonic strain. However, surface expressions of the Quaternary tectonic activity had not been reported near the epicenter of the earthquakes before the site construction. Unusual, large-scale water-escaped structures were identified 4 km away from the epicenter during a post-seismic investigation. The water-escaped structures comprise Miocene mudstones injected into overlying Pleistocene coastal sediments that formed during Marine Isotope Stage 5. This indicates the vulnerable state of the mudstones long after deposition, resulted from the combined effects of rapid tectonic uplift (before significant diagenesis) and the development of an aquifer at their unconformable interface of the mudstone. Based on the detailed field analysis and consideration of all possible endogenic triggers, we interpreted the structures to have been formed by elevated pore pressures in the mudstones (thixotropy), triggered by cyclic ground motion during the earthquakes. This interpretation is strengthened by the presence of faults 400 m from the study area, which cut unconsolidated coastal sediment deposited after Marine Isotope Stage 5. Geological context, including high rates of tectonic uplift in SE Korea, paleo-seismological research on Quaternary faults near the study area, and historical records of paleoearthquakes in SE Korea, also support the interpretation. Thus, epicenter and surrounding areas of the 2017 Pohang Earthquake are considered as a paleoseismologically active area, and the causative fault of the 2017 Pohang Earthquakes was expected to be nearly critical state.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.551-559
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• 2016

The chemical composition and noble gas isotopes of 10 deep groundwater samples were analyzed to know the circulation of groundwaters in the Yangsan fault and the Gampo fault. The chemical types of groundwaters show the $Ca-HCO_3$ type and $Ca-SO_4(Cl)$ type, and show indistinct relationship with geology. Noble gas isotopic data of most groundwaters were plotted along the air-crust mixing line on $^3He/^4He$ vs. $4^He/^{20}Ne$ diagram, and show dominant $^3He$ of air origin except one sample that shows helium mixing of crust origin. This indicates that groundwater actively circulates along fault, and fault could not play an role of upward pathway of a deep-seated helium gas. A comparatively high $^4He$ indicates that groundwater flows in an aquifer assuring relatively enough water-rock interaction.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.40 no.1 s.182
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• pp.129-140
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• 2007

CFC(CFC-12, CFC-11 and CFC-113) analytical system for air and water was constructed using a customized purge and trap extraction device and a gas chromatograph with an electron capture detector. Sampling methods of air and water for CFCs were also established. The analytical system was experimentally optimized to result in reproducibilities of triplicates less than 2% for current air samples and less than 5% for groundwater samples with CFC-12 concentration of 160 to 180 pg/kg, and verified with respect to the CFC system in USGS, which showed analytical results were in agreement within 10%. CFCs in air were monitored at three sites over 19-month period in the central part of South Korea, and the result indicates no significant local sources of CFCs in those areas. For groundwater in Jeju Island, CFCs were measured over a year with a two-month interval. The time-series data showed seasonal fluctuations which could be interpreted by the effect of recharge pulse derived from large amount of rainfall during monsoon period with a few month delay, which indicates high permeability of basaltic rocks in Jeju Island.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.323-336
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• 2019

The Mesozoic activity on the Korean Peninsula is mainly represented by the Triassic post-collisional, Jurassic orogenic, and Cretaceous post-orogenic igneous activities. The diversity of mineralization by each geological period came from various geothermal systems derived from the geochemical characteristics of magma with different emplacement depth. The Cretaceous metallic mineralization has been carried out over a wide range of time periods from ca. 115 to 45 Ma (main stage; ca. 100 to 60 Ma) related to post-orogenic igneous activity, and spatial distribution patterns of most metal deposits are concentrated along small granitic stocks. The late Cretaceous metal deposits in the Gyeonggi and Yeongnam massifs are generally distributed along the boundary among the Gongju-Eumseong fault system and the Yeongdong-Gwangju fault system and the Gyeongsang Basin, most of them are in the form of a distal epithermal~mesothermal Au-Ag vein or a transitional mesothermal Zn-Pb-Cu vein. On the other hand, diverse metal commodities in the Taebaeg Basin, the Okcheon metamorphic belt and the Gyeongsang Basin are produced from various deposit types such as skarn, carbonate-replacement, vein, porphyry, breccia pipe, and Carlin type. In the late Cretaceous metallic mineralization, various mineral deposits and commodities were induced not only by the pathway of the hydrothermal solution, but also by the diversity of precipitation environment in the proximity difference of the granitic rocks. The diversity of these types of Cretaceous deposits is fundamentally dependent on the geochemical characteristics such as degree of differentiation and oxidation state of related igneous rocks, and ore-forming fluids generally exhibit the evolutionary characteristics of intermediate- to low-sulfur hydrothermal fluids.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.53-69
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• 2019

In the Jirisan area of the Yeongnam Massif, Korea, several ductile shear zones are developed within Precambrian gneiss complex (Jirisan metamorphic rock complex). The ductile shear zones have a general NS- and NNE-striking foliation with westward dipping directions. The foliation developed in the shear zones cut the foliation in gneiss complex. The stretching lineations are well developed in the foliated plane of the shear zone, showing ENE-trend with gentle plunging angle to the ESE direction. Within shear zone, several millimetric to centimetric size of porphyroclasts are deformed strongly as a sigmoid form by ductile shearing. The sigmoid patterns of porphyroclasts in the shear zones indicate the dextral shearing. The spatial distribution of ductile shear zone is characterized by the dominant NS- and NNE-striking dextral sense in the central and eastern regions respectively. In the western part, it develops in NE-striking dextral sense which is the general direction of the Honam shear zone. The U-Pb concordant ages obtained from the two samples, the strongly sheared leucocratic gneiss, are $1,868{\pm}3.8Ma$ and $1,867{\pm}4.0Ma$, respectively, which are consistent with the U-Pb ages reported around the study area. We supposed that the ductile shearing in the study area is occurred about 230~220 Ma during late stage of the continental collision around Korea and is preceded by granitic intrusion related to subduction during 260~230 Ma, which are supported by compiling the age data from sheared gneiss, deformed mafic dyke intruded gneiss complex, and non-deformed igneous rocks.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.117-126
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• 2021

Satellite magnetic observations reflect the magnetic properties of deep crust about the depth of Curie isotherm that is a boundary where the magnetic nature of the rocks is disappeared, showing long wavelength anomalies that are not easily detected in near-surface data from airborne and shipborne surveys. For this reason, they are important not only in the analyses on such as plate reconstruction of tectonic boundaries and deep crustal structures, but in the studies of geothermal distribution in Antarctic and Greenland crust, related to global warming issue. It is a conventional method to compute the spherical harmonic coefficients from global coverage of satellite magnetic observations but it should be noted that inclusion of erroneous data from the equator and the poles where magnetic observations are highly disturbed might mislead the global model of the coefficients. Otherwise, the reduced anomaly model can be obtained with less corruption by choosing the area of interest with proper data processing to the area. In this study, I produced a satellite crustal magnetic anomaly map over East Asia (20° ~ 55°N, 108° ~ 150°E) centered on Korean Peninsula, from CHAMP satellite magnetic measurements about mean altitude of 280 km during the last year of the mission, and compared with the one from global crustal magnetic model (MF7). Also, a comparison was made with long wavelength anomalies from EMAG2 model compiled from all near-surface data over the globe.