• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.337-345
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• 2019

The hypothesis of ridge subduction which explains the Cretaceous igneous activities in East Asia including China, Korea and Japan, has been widely accepted in the society. Especially, the hypothesis explains the southwest-to-northeast migration of the Cretaceous adakite emergence in Southwest Japan. However, the hypothesis has several issues because the geochemical analyses and plate reconstruction model are not consistent with the consequences of the ridge subduction. To resolve the issues, a new hypothesis of the plume-continent and plume-slab interaction is suggested, which explains the igneous activities during the Cretaceous. In this review, I briefly introduce the two hypotheses and suggest an additional future study to prove the new hypothesis.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.203-216
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• 2012

Based on the petrologic and age data of the Cretaceous to early Tertiary granites in south Korea, we propose a new tectonic model reflecting their temporal and spatial variations. A number of petrographic and geochemical studies on the granites suggest that they originated from the magma formed by subduction of oceanic crust in continental margin and were emplaced in epizone. The MMEs with various shapes and sizes, which were produced due to the magma mixing caused by the injection of mafic magma from mantle during the crystallization of the granitic magma, are observed in the granites. The distributions of the MMEs and ages of the granites show a distinctive spatio-temporal distribution pattern. The distribution pattern can be explained by a multiple slab window model related to the ridge subduction of Izanagi-Pacific plates during the Late Cretaceous.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.427-443
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• 2009

Cretaceous intrusive and extrusive rocks in the southwestern part of the Yeongnam Massif are possibly the result of intensive magmatism which occurred in response to subduction of the Pacific plate beneath the northeast portion of the Eurasian plate. Geochemical and petrological study on the granitic rocks were carried out in order to constrain the petrogenesis of the granitic magma and to establish the paleotectonic environment of the area. Whole rock chemical data of the granitic rocks from the study area indicate that all the rocks have characteristics of calc-alkaline series in the subalkaline field. The overall geochemical features show systematic variations in each granitic body, but the source materials of each granitic body are thought to have been different in their chemical composition. The granodiorites distributed around Donggyori in the Bognae area (DGd) are different from other granitic rocks within the study area in the contents and differentiation trends of $Al_2O_3$ and MgO as well as in the contents of the trace elements such as Ba, Sr, Pb, Ni, Cr and Y DGd have geochemical features similar to slab-derived adakites such as high $Al_2O_3$, Sr contents and high Sr/Y, La/Yb ratios, but low Y and Yb contents. The major and trace element contents of the DGd fall well within the adakitic field, whereas other Cretaceous granites in the study area are plotted in the island arc ADR area in Sr/Y vs. Y diagram. On the ANK vs. A/CNK and tectonic discrimination diagrams, parental magma type of the granites corresponds to I-type and volcanic arc granite (VAG). Interpretations of the chemical characteristics of the granitic rocks favor their emplacement in a compressional tectonic regime at continental margin during the subduction of Pacific plate. The geochemical and tectonic features reveal that adakite-like signatures of the DGd were generated by the interaction of mantle peridotite and subducted slab-derived adakitic melts (caused by the thermal effect of ridge subduction), and which slightly modified by crustal contamination during emplacement.

• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.183-197
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• 2022

Geochemical data, including Sr-Nd-Pb-Mg-Zn isotopes, reported on the late Cenozoic intraplate basaltic rocks in the Korean Peninsula (Mt. Baekdu, Jeongok, Baengnyeong Island, Pyeongtaek, Asan, Ganseong, Ulleung Island, Dok Island, and Jeju Island) are summarized to constrain their mantle source lithologies, and the nature of mantle end-members required. In the Sr-Nd isotope correlation diagram, Jeju basalts plot in the field of EM2-type oceanic island basalts (OIB), while the other basalts fall in the EM1-type OIB field. In Pb-Pb isotope space, Jeju basalts show a mixing array between Indian MORB and EM2 component, whereas the other basalts display an array with EM1 component. The Korean basalts were derived from a hybrid source of garnet lherzolite and recycled stagnant slab materials (eclogite/pyroxenite, pelagic sediments, carbonates) in the mantle transition zone. The EM1 component could be ancient (~2.0 Ga) K-hollandite-bearing pelagic sediments that were isolated for a long period in the mantle transition zone due to their neutral buoyancy. The EM2 component might have been relatively young (probably Pacific slab) and recently recycled clay-rich pelagic sediments. Eclogite and carbonates are unlikely to account for the EM components, but they are common in the mantle source of the Korean basalts.

• 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.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.367-383
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• 2012

The Gyeongsang Arc is the most notable of the Korea Arc that is composed of several volcanic arcs trending to NE-SW direction in the Korean peninsula. The Hayang Group has many volcanogenic interbeds of lava flows by alkaline or calc-alkaline basaltic volcanisms during early Cretaceous. Late Cretaceous calc-alkaline andesitic and rhyolitic volcanisms reconstructed the Gyeongsang Arc that consist of thick volcanic strata on the Hayang Group in The Gyeongsang Basin. The volcanisms characterize first eruptions of basaltic and andesitic lavas with small pyroclastics, and continue later eruptions of dacitic and rhyolitic ash-fall and voluminous ash-flow with some calderas and then domes and dykes. During the Early Cretaceous (about 120 Ma), oblique subduction of the Izanagi plate to NNW from N direction results in sinistral strike-slip faults to open a pull-apart basin in back-arc area of the Gyeongsang Arc, in which erupted lava flows from generation of magma by a decrease in lithostatic pressure. Therefore the Gyeongsang Basin is interpreted into back-arc basin reconstructed by a continental rifting. Arc volcanism began in about 100 Ma with exaggeration of the back-arc basin in the Gyeongsang, and then changed violently to construct volcanic arcs. During the Late Cretaceous (about 90 Ma), orthogonal subduction of the Izanagi plate to NW from NNW direction ceased development of the basin to prolong violent volcanisms.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.121-145
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• 2008

The purposes of this study were to identify the misconceptions that students have on the magma and plate tectonics and to present the implications in developing textbooks as well as related curriculum of high school textbooks. Data were collected through questionnaire, consisting of some questions, short essays, and descriptive drawings, developed by the research team. A total of 140 high school students(9th graders) responded to those questionnaires and were interviewed for further information. It was reported that participants displayed various misconceptions related to magma and plate tectonics. The identified misconceptions are as follows: For the definition of magma, the 31% of participants misunderstood magma as lava. In respect to the generative mechanism of magma at subduction zone, over 90% of students responded that it is generated by frictional heat. The source of misconceptions were identified as a result from textbooks and related reference-books. For the concept of plates, 87% of students conceived 'crust or a lower part of the plates' as 'plates'. Most participants hold the right concept of oceanic ridge, whereas, 66% of them considered 'rift valley' as either 'divergence of continental plates' or 'converging boundary'. 63% of them defined 'collision boundary of continental plate' as either 'subduction zone' or 'diverging boundary'. For the definitions of the trench and Benioff zone, 86% of students responded them as the place of subduction or differing density between two converging plates. The students' misconceptions were resulted from the errors and insufficient explanation, inappropriate figures, and data presented in textbooks, reference-books, lecture, and web sites. The results of this study are implied to contribute the improvement of students' misconceptions.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.145-156
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• 2012

Seafloor hydrothermal system occurs along the volcanic mid-ocean ridge, back-arc spreading center, and other submarine volcanic regions. The hydrothermal system is one of the fundamental processes controlling the transfer of energy and matter between crust/mantle and ocean; it forms hydrothermal vents where various deepsea biological communities are inhabited and precipitates metal sulfide deposits. Hydrothermal systems at convergence plate boundaries show diverse geochemical properties due to recycle of subducted material compared to simple systems at mid-ocean ridges. Sulfur isotopes can be used to evaluate such diversity in generation and evolution of hydrothermal system. In this paper, we review the sulfur isotope composition and geochemistry of hydrothermal precipitates sampled from several hydrothermal vents in the divergent plate boundaries in the western Pacific region. Both sulfide and sulfate minerals of the hydrothermal vents in the arc and backarc tectonic settings commonly show low sulfur isotope compositions, which can be attributed to input of magmatic $SO_2$ gas. Diversity in geochemistry of hydrothermal system suggests an active role of magma in the formation of seafloor hydrothermal system.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.167-176
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• 2008

Lau basin of the south Pacific, as an active back arc basin, is promising area bearing seafloor massive hydrothermal deposit that is located in a subduction zone between the Pacific ocean plate and Indo-Australian continental plate. We performed multi-beam bathymetry survey in the Lau basin using EM120, to find out high hydrothermal activity Bone. Fonualei Rift and Spreading Center (FRSC) and Mangatolou Triple Junction (MTJ) area were selected for precise site survey through seafloor morphology investigation. The result of surface and deep-tow magnetometer survey showed that Central Anomaly Magnetization High (CAMH) recorded which is associated with active ridge in FRSC-2 and revealed very low magnetic anomalies that can be connected to past or present high hydrothermal activity in MTJ-1 seamount area. Moreover, the physical and chemical tracers of hydrothermal vent flume, i.e., transmission, hydrogen ion concentration (pH), adenosine triphosphate (ATP), methane (CH4) by use of CTD system, showed significant anomalies in those areas. From positive vent flume results, we could conclude that these areas were or are experiencing very active volcanic activities. The acquired chimney and hydrothermal altered bed rock samples gave us confidence of the existence of massive hydrothermal deposit. Even though not to use visual exploration equipment such as ROV, DTSSS, etc., traditional marine geophysical investigation approach might be a truly cost-effective tool for exploring seafloor hydrothermal massive deposit.