• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.381-393
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• 2019

Carbonate breccias occur sporadically in the Middle Cambrian Daegi Formation on the southern limb of the Baegunsan Syncline, Taebaeksan Basin. These carbonate breccias have been largely interpreted either as sedimentary breccias or as tectonic, fault-related breccias. Recent study, however, indicates that the majority of these breccias are a solution-collapse breccia which is causally linked to the paleokarstification. Extensive karstification is attributed to prolonged subaerial exposure of the carbonate platform. The exposed surface is a record of interruption in sedimentation on the carbonate platform. In the stratigraphic record, such karst-related post-depositional features are recognized as meteoric diagenetic features, paleosols, and solution-collapse breccias. Solution-collapse breccias are particularly well preserved and most profound in the carbonate rocks below the major unconformities, which also are evidence of prolonged subaerial exposure. The Middle Cambrian Daegi Formation provides an example of solution-collapse breccias. The formation and preservation of the solution-collapse breccias imply that a stratigraphic discontinuity surface (unconformity) can be designated within the Daegi Formation.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.287-302
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• 2017

The carbonate rocks of the Daegi Formation are composed of the limestone at the upper and lower zones, and the dolomite at the middle zone, in which the upper zone has higher CaO content than others. The colors of carbonate rock in the Daegi Formation can be divided into five types; white, light brown, light gray, gray, and dark gray. The white to light gray colored rocks correspond to the high purity limestone with 53.15 ~ 55.64 wt. % CaO, and the light brown colored rocks contain 20.71 ~ 21.67 wt. % MgO. The bleaching of carbonate rocks are not related to CaO composition of the rocks, as light gray rocks tend to be higher in CaO content than those of the white rocks at the lower zone. The pelitic components are also occasionally increased in white limestone than light grey one. $Al_2O_3$ is one of the most difficult content to remove during hydrothermal processes, so the interpretation that the limestone is purified together with hydrothemral bleaching, has little merit. The wide range (over 16 ‰) of ${\delta}^{18}O_{SMOW}$, smaller variation (within 2 ‰) of ${\delta}^{13}C_{PDB}$ are apparent in both the upper and lower zones, which indicate the Daegi Formation had been affected overall by hydrothermal fluids. The K-Ar isotopic age of hydrothermal alteration in the GMI limestone mine is $85.1{\pm}1.7Ma$. Gradual change from grey through light grey to white limestone is accompaned by lower oxygen stable isotope values, which is major evidence that the hydrothermal effect is the main process of the bleaching. Although the Daegi Formation has suffered from hydrothermal activity and increase in whiteness, there is no clear evidence demonstrating the relationship between bleaching and high purity of limestone. The purification of limestone has nothing to do with the hydrothermal activity in this area. Instead, it should be considered that the change of sedimentary environment related to see-level fluctuation which can prevent deposition of pelitic components especially $Al_2O_3$ contrbuted to the formation of the high purity limestone in the upper zone of the Daegi Formation. Considering the evidences such as increase in CaO content of limestone by depth, gradual change from calcite to dolomite at the lower zones, and occurring the high purity limestone at the upper zone, the interpretation of sequence stratigraphic aspect to the formation of the high purity Daegi limestone appears to be more suitable than that of hydrothermal alteration origin.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.49 no.5
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• pp.349-360
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• 2016

This study determined mineralogical characteristics and discussed the meaning of mineralogical changes of the lower Choseon Supergrouop in the Weondong area based on the field geological investigation and the drilling core description using X-ray diffraction (XRD) mineral quantification and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) observation. 100 samples with depth were collected from the core (250 m long) at a site in the study area. Especially, to investigate the changes from the upper Daegi Formation to the lower Hwajeol Formation, the samples were collected closely with the interval of about 0.3 m at this section. All samples were made into power using mortar for XRD. Mineral quantitative analysis was executed using Relative Intensity Ratio (RIR) method with corundum as an internal standard phase. Calcite, $2M_1$ illite and quartz are main constituents in most of samples. Dolomite and siderite are significantly observed in the Sesong Formation. As the results of quantitative analysis for the major minerals, the upper Daegi Formation is dominated by calcite with over 80%. The Sesong Formation includes high percentage of dolomite and siderite with the intercalation of thin layers containing high calcite and $2M_1$ illite contents. Hwajeol Formation is characterized by the alternation between thin layers of $2M_1$ illite and quartz-dominated layer (IQDL) and calcite-dominated layer (CDL). IQDL is more frequent in the lower part, whereas CDL is more common in the upper part. The boundary between Daegi Formation and the Sesong Formation is distinct, whereas the boundary between the Sesong Formation and the Hwajeol Formation tends to be changed gradually in mineralogy. The result of SEM observation shows that quartz and $2M_1$ illite are detrital, and a significant amount of calcite also shows detrital form with some recrystallized one, indicating that the repeated influx of terrestrial materials had changed the mineralogy of the shallow sea depositional environment in the early Paleozoic era.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.107-118
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• 2019

Two assertions about the process the formation of the high-purity limestone in the Taebaeksan Basin, categorized into syngenetic and epigenetic origin, are verified on the basis of its oxygen-carbon stable isotopic characteristics. The carbonate rocks sampled from the selective six high-purity limestone mines and several outcrops in the Daegi formation are featured by various colors such as the gray, light gray and dark gray. They show a wide range of oxygen stable isotope ratios (4.5 ~ 21.6 ‰), but a narrow range of carbon stable isotope ratios (-1.1 ~ 0.8 ‰, except for vein calcite), which means that they had not experienced strong hydrothermal alteration. In addition, there is no difference in the range of the oxygen stable isotope ratios by mine and color, and it is similar to the range from surrounding outcrop samples. These results indicate that the effect of the hydrothermal alteration were negligible in the generation of high-purity limestone in deposit scale. Whereas, the carbonate rocks can be divided texturally into two groups on the basis of an oxygen isotope ratio; the massive-textured or well-layered samples (>15 ‰), and the layer-disturbed (or layer-destructed) and showing over two colors in one sample (<15 ‰). In the multi-colored samples, the bright parts are characterized by the very low oxygen stable isotope ratios, compared to the dark parts, implying the increase in brightness of the carbonate rocks could be induced by the interaction between hydrothermal fluid and rock. However, these can be applied in a small scale such as one sample and are not suitable for interpretation of the generation of high-purity limestone as a deposit scale. In particular, the high oxygen isotope ratios from the recrystallized white limestone suggest that hydrothermal fluids are also rarely involved during recrystallization process. In addition, the occurrences of the high-purity limestone orebody strongly support the high-purity limestone in the area are syngenetic rather than epigenetic; the high-purity limestone layers in the area show continuous and almost horizontal shapes, and is intercalated between dolomite layers. Consequently, the overall reinterpretation based on the sequential stratigraphy over the Taebaeksan basin would play an important role to find additional reserves of the high-purity limestone.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.27-34
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• 2023

In this study, spent mushroom substrate (SMS), which consits of lignocellulosic material, was pretreated by hydrothermal method; the changes of biodegradability and methane production yield of pretreated SMS were determined according to formation of lignocellulosic biomass degrading byproducts formation during thermal pretreatment. Based on the results, all hydrothermal pretreatment temperatures showed improved solubilization performance for biomass, and the optimum pretreatment effect was observed at an pretreatment temperature of 150℃ with the highest methane production yield. However, the induced formation of furan derivatives (i.e., 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and furfural) as byproducts during hydrolysis of hemicellulose and cellulose at severe condition lowered biodegradability and methane yield when the hydrothermal pretreatment temperature was higher than 180℃. Thus, this study revealed that hydrothermal pretreatment could promote anaerobic digestion efficiency of lignocellulosic biomass and is of great importance for preventing byproducts formation through pretreatment condition control.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.236-259
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• 2010

The examination of sediment distribution in Seongryu Cave shows existence of rocks contrasting with Joseon Supergroup contrary to existing knowledge. Contrasting especially with the Taeback Group, Daegi Formation, Hwajeol Formation, and Dongjeom Formation has been observed. Unlike Taeback area where Dumugol Formation and Makgol Formation are observed on top of Dongjeom Formation, the rocks of this area are not clear in its separation between the two, so that it was named Geunnam Formation. Seongryu Cave has been developed in this Ordovician Geunnam Formation of the Joseon Supergroup. The cave, mostly horizontal, runs in the NE-SW direction, and contains three lakes. The main passage and branches are about 330 m and 540 m, respectively, making the total length of the cave about 870 m (show cave area = 270 m). Through underwater examination, about 85 m-long underwater passage was newly discovered. Various speleothem such as soda straw, stalactite, stalagmite, column, flowstone, rimston, cave shield, cave coral, curtain, bacon sheet, cave pearl, cave flower, helictite and calcite raft can be found in the cave. There are sections with constant flow of cavern water, but the majority of cavern water in the cave come from the ceiling. The most important discovery in this study is the presence of various speleothem in the submerged part of cave passages. Traces of corrosion and/or erosion can be observed in the speleothem in the submerge passage.