• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.113-121
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• 2012

The mechanical characteristics of a fault gouge from near Mt. Kumjung in Kumjung-Gu, Busan, were estimated from laboratory tests on different joint models. Fault gouge samples and joint samples in biotite granite were obtained from boreholes in the study area that had penetrated small faults associated with the Dongnae and Yangsan faults. XRD and SEM analyses revealed that for the fault gouge consists of several clay minerals with tabular structure (kaolinite, montmorillonite, illite, sericite), which could cause the considerable reduction of shear strength when wet. The shear strength of the fault gouge was obtained from direct shear tests of the fault gouge itself and from direct shear tests of several natural/artificial joint surfaces coated with fault gouge. The results indicate that the reduction of shear strength is more abrupt for the joint surfaces coated with fault gouge compared with uncoated joint surfaces, and that the friction angle of the fault gouge between joint surfaces is much lower than the internal friction angle of the fault gouge itself. Fault gouges in contact with rock, therefore, could have a stronger negative effect on the stability of structures in rock masses than the fault gouge itself.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.449-457
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• 2019

We present the K-Ar age-dating results of the bulk and the less than $0.1{\mu}m$ fraction of the fault gouges collected from some major faults in the Gyeongsang basin. We try to determine the timings of fault activation based on the mineralogical characteristics, and to interpret the spatio-temporal variability of the major fault events during the Cenozoic Era by considering together with the previous results. We propose at least the 3-times of major fault events at about 50 Ma, and just after 30 Ma and 20 Ma in the Gyeongsang basin, which were inferred from the combined approach of the K-Ar ages and the clay mineralogy of the bulk fault gouges and the <$0.1{\mu}m$ fractions. The fault activation timings of the Yangsan fault tend to be younger in the northern part than in the southern part. In particular, the inferred fault events just after 30 Ma and 20 Ma are mainly detected in the Ocheon fault and the related faults, and the fault in the Gyeongju area. The fault activation timings of the major faults can be revised accurately by using illite-age-analysis(IAA) method. These geochronological determinations of the multiple events of the major faults in the Gyeongsang basin are crucial to establish the tectonic evolution in the southeastern part of the Korean Peninsula during the Cenozoic Era.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.85-94
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• 2002

XRF, XRD, EPMA have been used to investigate microstructures and mineralogical changes caused by the faulting and fluids associated with faulting in the Quaternary fault gouge zones at the Sangchon, Ipsil and Wangsan faults located at the southeastern part of the Korean Peninsula. The chemical compositions of faulted rocks and protoliths analyzed by XRF show that the fault gouges are relatively enriched in TiO$_2$, P$_2$O$_{5}$, MgO, and Fe$_2$O$_3$) compared with protoliths, indicating that the fluids associated with faulting were highly activated. XRD results show that the fault gouges predominantly consist of quartz, feldspar, calcite and clay minerals. Clay minerals formed in the gouge zones are mainly composed of smectite characterized by a dioctahedral sheet. Based on EPMA analyses various kinds of sulfide, carbonate, phosphate minerals were identified in the gouge zones and protoliths. Xenotime of grey fault gouge of the Sangchon fault and sulfide minerals of contact andesitic rock of Ipsil fault and contact grey andesitic rock of Wangsan fault were probably formed by inflow of hydrothermal solution associated with faulting prior to the Quaternary. Carbonate minerals of contact andesitic rock and gouge zone of the Ipsil fault were formed by inflow of fluid associated with faulting prior to the Quaternary. They are heavily fractured and have reaction rim on their edge, indicating that faultings and inflow of fluids were highly activated after carbonate minerals were formed. Calcites of Wangsan fault seemed to be formed in syntectonic or posttectonic Quaternary faulting.g.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.197-213
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• 2019

We simulated the fault reactivation experiment conducted at 'Main Fault' intersecting the low permeability clay formations of Mont Terri Underground Research Laboratory in Switzerland using TOUGH-FLAC simulator. The fluid flow along a fault was modelled with solid elements and governed by Darcy's law with the cubic law in TOUGH2, whereas the mechanical behavior of a single fault was represented by creating interface elements between two separating rock blocks in FLAC3D. We formulate the hydro-mechanical coupling relation of hydraulic aperture to consider the elastic fracture opening and failure-induced dilation for reproducing the abrupt changes in injection flow rate and monitoring pressure at fracture opening pressure. A parametric study was conducted to examine the effects of in-situ stress condition and fault deformation and strength parameters and to find the optimal parameter set to reproduce the field observations. In the best matching simulation, the fracture opening pressure and variations of injection flow rate and monitoring pressure showed good agreement with field experiment results, which suggests the capability of the numerical model to reasonably capture the fracture opening and propagation process. The model overestimated the fault displacement in shear direction and the range of reactivated zone, which was attributed to the progressive shear failures along the fault at high injection pressure. In the field experiment results, however, fracture tensile opening seems the dominant mechanism affecting the hydraulic aperture increase.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.124-132
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• 2001

Electrical resistivity survey has been conducted for delineating geological fault structure in Kaekok-ri near Kyungju. In general, electrical resistivity survey has an advantage of searching buried faults and its traces compared with other geophysical survey methods. Distribution of electrical conductivity in the ground is influenced by the ratio of pores, groundwater and clay minerals. These properties are evidenced indirectly to explain for weathering condition, faults and fracture Bones. Thus the electrical resistivity survey can be an effective method to find buried faults. We have carried out two dimensional (2-D) interpretation by means of smoothness-constrained least-squares and finite element method. Field data used in this paper was acquired at Kaekok-ri, Wuedong-eup, Kyungju-si, where is Ulsan Fault and is close to the region in which debatable quaternary fault traces were found recently. The dipole-dipole array resistivity survey which could show the 2-D subsurface electrical resistivity structure, was carried out in the area with three lines. The results showed good property of fault, fracture zone and fault traces which we estimated were congruous with the results. Through this study, 2-D electrical resistivity survey interpretation for fault is useful to apply.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.127-140
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• 2015

A fault is one of the critical factors that may lead to a possible ground collapse occurring in construction site. A fault core, however, possibly acting as a failure plane in whole fault zone, is composed of fractured rock and gouge nonuniformly distributed and thus can be characterized by its wide range of shear strength which is generally acquired by experimental method for stability analysis. In this study, we performed direct shear test and grain size distribution analysis for 62 fault core samples cropped from 12 different spots located in the vicinity of Kyongju and Ulsan, Korea. As a result, the range of shear strength representing the characteristics of fault cores in the study regions is determined with regard to vertical stress using a regression analysis for experiment data. The weight ratio of gravels in the samples is proportional to the shear strength and that of silt and clay is in inverse proportion to the shear strength. For most samples, the coefficient of determination is over 0.7 despite of inhomogeneity of them and consequently we determined the lower limit and upper limit of the shear strength with regard to the weight ratio by setting the confidence interval of 95%.

• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.83-95
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• 1996

The normal cement concrete is widely used material to build the construction recently, but it has a fault to increase the dead load on account of its unit weight is large compared with strength. So, main purpose of this study was to establish the physical and mechanical properties of lightweight concrete using expanded polystyrene bead on fine aggregate and natural gravel, expanded clay and pumice stone on coarse aggregate. The test rusults of this study are summarized as follows; 1. The water-cement ratio of concrete using pumice stone was larger than that of the concrete using natural gravel and expanded clay. 2. The unit weights of concrete using pumice stone and expanded caly were shown less than 1,000g/$m^3$. 3. The compressive strengths of all types were shown less than 60kg/$cm^2$, tensile and bending strengths were shown less than l3kg/$cm^2$ and 3lkg/$cm^2$$^2$, respectively. 4. The pulse velocity of concrete was shown similar with using natural gravel and pumice stone, and shown the lowest using pumice stone. 5. The dynamic modulus of elasticity of concrete was shown considerably smaller, and shown the lowest using pumice stone. 6. The static modulus of elasticity of concrete using expanded clay and pumice stone were shown considerably smaller, and shown 22% ~29% as compared with the dynamic modulus of elasticity. 7. The stress-strain curves of concrete were shown similar, generally. And the curves were repeated at short intervals increase and decreased irregularly.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.487-502
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• 2012

This paper is focused on mineral compositions, microstructures and distributional characters of remained grains in the fault rocks collected from a fault developed in Yongdang-ri, Yangbuk-myeon, Gyeongju City, Korea, using X-ray diffraction (XRD), optical microscope, laser grain size analysis and fractal dimension analysis methods. The exposed fault core zone is about 1.5 meter thick. On the average, the breccia zone is 1.2 meter and the gouge zone is 20cm thick, respectively. XRD results show that the breccia zone consists predominantly of rock-forming minerals including quartz and feldspar, but the gouge zone consists of abundant clay minerals such as chlorite, illite and kaolinite. Mineral vein, pyrite and altered minerals commonly observed in the fault rock support evidence of fault activity associated with hydrothermal alteration. Fractal dimensions based on box counting, image analysis and laser particle analysis suggest that mineral grains in the fault rock underwent fracturing process as well as abrasion that gave rise to diminution of grains during the fault activity. Fractal dimensions(D-values) calculated by three methods gradually increase from the breccia zone to the gouge zone which has commonly high D-values. There are no noticeable changes in D-values in the gouge zone with trend being constant. It means that the bulk-crushing process of mineral grains in the breccia zone was predominant, whereas abrasion of mineral grains in the gouge zone took place by continuous fault activity. It means that the bulk-crushing process of mineral grains in the breccia zone was predominant, whereas abrasion of mineral grains in the gouge zone took place by continuous fault activity. Mineral compositions in the fault zone and peculiar trends in grain distribution indicate that multiple fault activity had a considerable influence on the evolution of fault zones, together with hydrothermal alteration. Meanwhile, fractal dimension values(D) in the fault rock should be used with caution because there is possibility that different values are unexpectedly obtained depending on the measurement methods available even in the same sample.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.497-510
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• 2022

Monthly monitoring, 3D scan survey, and electrical resistivity survey were conducted from January 2018 to August 2022 to identify the cause of rockfall occurring in Daljeon-ri Columnar Joint (Natural Monument No. 415), Pohang. A total of 3,231 rocks fell from the columnar joint over the past 5 years, and 1,521 (47%) of the falling rocks were below 20 cm in length, 978 (30.3%) of 20-30 cm, and 732 (22.7%) of rocks over 30 cm. While the number of rockfalls by year has decreased since 2018, the frequency of rockfalls bigger than 30 cm tends to increase. Large-scale rockfalls occurred mainly during the thawing season (March-April) and the rainy season (June-July), and the analysis of the relationship between cumulative rainfall and rockfall occurrence showed that cumulative rainfall for 3 to 4 days is also closely related to the occurrence of rockfall. Smectite and illite, which are expansible clay minerals, were observed in XRD analysis of the slope material (filling minerals) in the columnar joint, and the presence of a fault fracture zone was confirmed in the electrical resistivity survey. In addition, the confirmed fault fracture zone and the maximum erosion point analyzed through 3D precision measurement coincided with the main rockfall occurrence point observed by the BTC-6PXD camera. Therefore, the main cause of rockfall at Daljeon-ri columnar joint in Pohang is a combination of internal factors (development of fault fracture zones and joints, weathering of rocks, presence of expansive clay minerals) and external factors (precipitation, rapid thawing phenomenon), resulting in large-scale rockfall. Meanwhile, it was also confirmed that the Pohang-Gyeongju earthquake, which was continuously raised, was not the main cause.

• Explosives and Blasting
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.99-106
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• 2000

The geology of Nogsan industrial estate area, Pusan, Korea consists mainly of andesitic rocks, rhyolitic rocks and hornblende granite. They are then intruded by basic and acidic dikes. All of the igneous activities in this area are in Cretaceous time, that is the lower part of Silla group in Gyoungsang basin. Andesitic volcanic rocks are distributed in two separate basines: Saengok basin and Doodong basin. Although both basines contain andesite and andesitic breccia(Kab), younger andesitic activity was more active to the western Doodong basin giving very little influence on the eastern Saengok basin. Sediments in the area are quarternaly alluvium and colluvium. Alluvium is very thick and consists mainly of silt and clay deposited as delta deposits at the mouth of Nakdong river. Colluvium in the area is short distributary channel deposits. The area is largely filled with socks and sediments to build industrial estates especially on the delta deposits at Shinhodong area and on the shoreline mud bed between Yongwondong and Shinhodong. A careful investigation to avoid the possibility of a large scale mud flow is suggested because it could be trigered by many reason such as an earthquake or a flood on the land where a heavily loaded salt-water may soaked into the muddy bed lying on the granitic basement gently dipping toward the ocean. Althouth the area is in the Yangsan fault zone no ground evidence of fault can be seen despite the RESTEC sattlite image gives excelent traces of linearments in the area.