• Title/Summary/Keyword: Geologic materials

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Infiltration characteristics and hydraulic conductivity of weathered unsaturated soils

  • Song, Young-Suk;Hong, Seongwon
    • Geomechanics and Engineering
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    • v.22 no.2
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    • pp.153-163
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    • 2020
  • Laboratory experiments were conducted with two different soil conditions to investigate rainfall infiltration characteristics. The soil layer materials that were tested were weathered granite soil and weathered gneiss soil. Artificial rainfall of 80 mm/hr was reproduced through the use of a rainfall device, and the volumetric water content and matric suction were measured. In the case of the granite soil, the saturation velocity and the moving direction of the wetting front were fast and upward, respectively, whereas in the case of the weathered gneiss soil, the velocity and direction were slow and downward, respectively. Rainfall penetrated and saturated from the bottom to the top as the hydraulic conductivity of the granite soil was higher than the infiltration capacity of the artificial rainfall. In contrast, as the hydraulic conductivity of the gneiss soil was lower than the infiltration capacity of the rainfall, ponding occurred on the surface: part of the rainfall first infiltrated, with the remaining rainfall subsequently flowing out. The unsaturated hydraulic conductivity function of weathered soils was determined and analyzed with matric suction and the effective degree of saturation.

Understanding Hydrogeologic Characteristics of a Well Field of Pyosun in Jeju Volcanic Island of Korea

  • Lee, Jin-Yong;Lee, Gyu-Sang;Song, Sung-Ho
    • Journal of the Korean earth science society
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    • v.29 no.5
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    • pp.396-407
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    • 2008
  • Hydrogeologic properties of a well field around middle mountainous areas in Pyosun, Jeju volcanic island were examined based on water level monitoring, geologic logging and pumping test data. Due to the alternating basaltic layers with varying permeability in the subsurface, it is difficult to analyze the hydraulic responses to artificial pumping and/or natural precipitation. The least permeable layer, detrital materials with clay, is found at a depth of 200 m below surface, but it is not an upper confining bed for lower main aquifer. Nevertheless, this layer may serve as a natural barrier to vertical percolation and to contaminant migration. Water levels of the production wells are dominantly affected by pumping frequently, while those of the remote observation wells are controlled by ambient precipitation. Results of pumping tests revealed a possible existence of horizontal anisotropy of transmissivity. However, some results of this study include inherent limitations enforced by field conditions such as the consistent of groundwater production and the set of time periods for the cessation of the pumping prior to pumping tests.

Conservation and Application Scheme of Hominid and Other Vertebrate Footprints from Jeju Island, Korea

  • Lee, Chang-Zin;Kim, Jeong-Yul;Kim, Kyung-Soo
    • Journal of the Korean earth science society
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    • v.30 no.5
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    • pp.581-587
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    • 2009
  • This study intended to the optimal conservation method and to make an application scheme for the fossil locality of the Quaternary Hamori Formation at the northeastern coast of Mt. Songak. Many kinds of innumerable fossils are found from the Hamori Formation in the study area: Footprints of hominid, trace fossils of invertebrates, bird, artiodactyla, proboscidea, carnivores, unclassified footprints, and body fossils (arthropoda, gastropoda, mollusca, and plants). The formation has been outcropped and eroded out with innumerous fossils by the strong wave action of storm and typhoon. Korean government recognized the dangerous situation of the important fossils and decided to conserve the formation for the national heritage. Method D1 (conservation hall or museum on the fossil locality) may be the best way to protect the fossil locality from all the natural activities and to do the research, exhibition, education, and sightseeing together. The application of the geologic materials from the fossil locality should preferentially focus on the collection and research which should be accompanied by exhibition, education, and sightseeing. The application scheme may be stepped into three stages during 10 years: (1) systematic conservation and publicity during 2005-2007, (2) establishment of wellorganized museum during 2008-2010, and (3) international museum with the optimized roles 2011-2014.

Paleohydrologic Activity and Environmental Change on Mars (화성에서의 고수문학적 활동과 환경변화)

  • Dohm, James M.;Kim, Kyeong-Ja
    • The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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    • v.23 no.1
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    • pp.38-41
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    • 2009
  • Results from the most recent decade of Mars' missions to Mars highlight a liquid water and water-ice sculpted landscape. Evidence includes layered sedimentary sequences with weathered outcrops, debris flows, fluvial valleys, alluvial fans, deltas, glacial and periglacial landscapes, and geochemical/mineralogical signatures of aqueous activity, including the formation of sulfates and clays, and the leaching and deposition of elements such as potassium, thorium,and iron. Such evidence indicates weathered zones and possible paleosols in stratigraphic sequences, transport of water and rock materials to sedimentary basins, and the possible formation of extensive transient lakes and possibly transient oceans on Mars. This new evidence is consistent with Viking-era geologic investigations that reported magmatic-driven flooding, ponding to form large water bodies in the northern plains, and transient (tens of thousand of years) hydrological cycles. It may even indicate aqueous activity at present. Both endogenic (magmatic driven) and exogenic (both impact cratering and changes in orbital parameters) have influenced paleohydrologic and environmental change on Mars. Abundance of water and dynamic activity would be decisively important for the possibility of past and present life on Mars.

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ROLE OF SOILS IN THE DISPOSAL OF NUCLEAR WASTE

  • Lee, S.Y.
    • Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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    • v.19 no.3
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    • pp.251-268
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    • 1986
  • Selecting a site for the safe disposal of radioactive waste requires the evaluation of a wide range of geologic, mineralogic, hydrologic, and physicochemical properties. Although highly diverse, these properties are in fact interrelated. Site requirements are also diverse because they are influenced by the nature of the radionuclides in the waste, for example, their half-lives, specific energy, and chemistry. A fundamental consideration in site selection is the mineralogy of the host rock, and one of the most ubiquitous mineral groups is clay minerals. Clays and clay minerals as in situ lithologic components and engineered barriers may playa significant role in retarding the migration of radionuclides. Their high sorptivity, longevity (stability), low permeability, and other physical factors should make them a very effective retainer of most radionuclides in nuclear wastes. There are, however, some unanswered questions. For example, how will their longevity and physicochemical properties be influenced by such factors as radionuclide concentration, radiation intensity, elevated temperatures, changes in redox condition, pH, and formation fluids for extended periods of time? Understanding of mechanisms affecting clay mineral-radionuclide interactions under prevailing geochemical conditions is important; however, the utilization of experimental geochemical information related to physicochemical properties of clays and clay-bearing materials with geohydrologic models presents a uniquely challenging problem in that many assessments have to be based on model predictions rather than on experiments. These are high-priority research investigations that need to be addressed before complete reliance for disposal area performance is made on clays and clay minerals.

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Investigation of Subsurface Structure of Cheju Island by Gravity and Magnetic Methods (중력 및 자력 탐사에 의한 제주도 지질구조 연구)

  • Kwon, Byung-Doo;Lee, Heui-Soon;Jung, Gwi-Geum;Chung, Seung-Whan
    • Economic and Environmental Geology
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    • v.28 no.4
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    • pp.395-404
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    • 1995
  • The geologic structure of the Cheju volcanic island has been investigated by analyzing the gravity and magnetic data. Bouguer gravity map shows apparent circular low anomalies at the central volacanic edifice, and the maximum difference of the anomaly values on the island appears to be 30 mgal. The subsurface structure of the island is modeled by three-dimensional depth inversion of gravity data by assuming the model consists of a stacked grid of rectangular prisms of volcanic rocks bounded below by basement rocks. The gravity modeling reveals that the interface between upper volvanic rocks and underlying basement warps downward under Mt. Halla with the maximum depth of 5 km. Magnetic data involve aeromagnetic and surface magnetic survey data. Both magnetic anomaly maps show characteristic features which resemble the typical pattern of total magnetic anomalies caused by a magnetic body magnetized in the direction of the geomagnetic field in the middle latitude region, though details of two maps are somewhat different. The reduced-to-pole magnetic anomaly maps reveal that main magnetic sources in the island are rift zones and the Halla volcanic edifice. The apparent magnetic boundaries inferred by the method of Cordell and Grauch (1985) are relatively well matched with known geologic boundaries such as that of Pyosunri basalt and Sihungri basalt which form the latest erupted masses. Inversion of aeromagnetic data was conducted with two variables: depth and susceptibility. The inversion results show high susceptibility bodies in rift zones along the long axis of the island, and at the central volcano. Depths to the basement are 1.5~3 km under the major axis, 1~1.5 km under the lava plateau and culminates at about 5 km under Mt. Halla. The prominent anomalies showing N-S trending appear in the eastern part of both gravity and magnetic maps. It is speculated that this trend may be associated with an undefined fault developed across the rift zones.

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Comparative Study of Tritium Analysis Method with High-Volume Counting Vial

  • Yoon, Yoon Yeol;Kim, Yongcheol
    • Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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    • v.45 no.3
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    • pp.142-146
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    • 2020
  • Background: Tritium (3H) analysis in groundwater was difficult because of its low activity. Therefore, the electrolytic enrichment method was used. To improve the detection limit and for performing simple analysis, a high-volume counting vial with the available liquid scintillation counter (LSC) was investigated. Further, it was compared with a conventional 20-mL counting vial. Materials and Methods: The LSC with the electrolytic enrichment method was used 3H analysis in groundwater. A high-volume 145-mL counting vial was compared with a conventional 20-mL counting vial to determine the counting characteristics of different LSCs. Results and Discussion: When a Quantulus LSC was used, the counting window between channels 35 and 250 was used. The background count was approximately 1.86 cpm, and the counting efficiency increased from 8% to 40% depending on the mixing ratio of the volume of sample and cocktail solution. For LSC-LB7, the optimum counting window was between 1 and 4.9 keV, which was selected by the factory (Hitachi Aloka Medical Ltd., Japan) by considering quenching using a standard external gamma source. The background count of LSC-LB7 was approximately 3.60 ± 0.29 cpm when the 145-mL vial was used and 2.22 ± 0.17 cpm when the 20-mL vial was used. The minimum detectable activity (MDA) of the 20-mL vial was greater for LSC-LB7 than for Quantulus. The MDA with the 145-mL vial was improved to 0.3 Bq/L when compared with the value of 1.6 Bq/L for the 20-mL vial. Conclusion: The counting efficiency when using the 145-mL vial was 27%, whereas it was 18% when using the 20-mL vial. This difference can be attributed to the vial volume. The figure of merit (FOM) of the 145-mL vial was four times greater than that of the 20-mL vial because the volume of the former vial is approximately seven times greater than that of the latter. Further, the MDA for 3H decreased from 1.6 to 0.3 Bq/L. The counting efficiency and FOM of LSC-LB7 was slightly less than those of Quantulus when the 20-mL vial was used. The background counting rate of the Quantulus was lower than that of the LSC-LB7.

Synthesizing and Assessing Fire-Resistant Geopolymer from Rejected Fly Ash

  • An, Eung-Mo;Cho, Young-Hoon;Chon, Chul-Min;Lee, Dong-Gyu;Lee, Sujeong
    • Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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    • v.52 no.4
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    • pp.253-263
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    • 2015
  • Ordinary Portland cement is a widely favored construction material because of its good strength and durability and its reasonable price; however, spalling behaviour during fire exposure can be a serious risk that can lead to strength degradation or collapse of a building. Geopolymers, which can be synthesized by mixing aluminosilicate source materials such as metakaolin and fly ash, and alkali activators, are resistant to fire. Because the chemical composition of geopolymers controls the properties of the geopolyers, geopolymers with various Si:Al ratios were synthesized and evaluated as fire resistant construction materials. Rejected fly ash generated from a power plant was quantitatively analyzed and mixed with alkali activators to produce geopolymers having Si:Al ratios of 1.5, 2.0, and 3.5. Compressive strength of the geopolymers was measured at 28 days before and after heating at $900^{\circ}C$. Geopolymers having an Si:Al ratio of 1.5 presented the best fire resistance, with a 44% increase of strength from 29 MPa to 41 MPa after heating. This material also showed the least expansion-shrinkage characteristics. Geopolymer mortar developed no spalling and presented more than a 2 h fire resistance rating at $1,050^{\circ}C$ during the fire testing, with a cold side temperature of $74^{\circ}C$. Geopolymers have high potential as a fire resistant construction material in terms of their increased strength after exposure to fire.

A Study on the Shelf Sediments from Korea Strait through Decomposition of Size Curves into Normal Components (입도곡선의 정규성분 분해에 의한 대한해협의 대륙붕 퇴적물 연구)

  • KONG Young Sae;KIM Hee Joon;MIN Geon Hong;LEE Chi Won
    • Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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    • v.29 no.3
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    • pp.386-392
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    • 1996
  • A numerical method based on genetic algorithms was introduced to characterize the grain-size distribution more effectively. This technique was proved significant particularly for multimodal size distributions, as was verified for samples from Korea Strait continental shelf. Sediment samples collected from the Korea Strait continental shelf revealed that $96\%$ of the grain-size distributions were multimodal. Therefore, the use of grain-size parameters was not the ideal method. As an alternative method, the decomposition of sue curves into elementary normal component curves was used. Means and standard deviations of 593 decomposed normal components were calculated by a numerical method from 268 size curves of Korea Strait sediments. The mean values of decomposed normal components showed peaks at $1\~3\phi\;and\;7\~9\phi$ size classes. The plot of mean and standard deviation values of the coarse fraction normal components on the map showed a characteristic areal distribution. The characteristic distribution was found to derive from underlying Pleistocene sediment on the basis of sea bottom geologic distribution of the area. The method of decomposition into normal components was found to be more effective than the analysis using traditional grain-size parameters in investigation of multimodal size distribution of Korea Strait shelf sediment.

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An Analysis of Behavior and Strength of Cement using Improved Materials by Laboratory Model Test (실내 모형실험에 의한 지반보강 개량체 특성 분석)

  • Oh, Philjin;Park, Minchul;Lee, Song
    • Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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    • v.13 no.7
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    • pp.19-29
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    • 2012
  • For foundation of Port structure, it is essential geotechnical understanding about feature of ground and the geologic formation which is different to terrestrial ground. What is most important is the understanding of soft ground clay, which is much softer than terrestrial ground. To build foundation of a port structure which is mainly gravity based on the special geographical circumstance that is on the sea, the improvement method of foundation should be applied according to soft clay ground features. Therefore, in this study, the behaviors of improved materials with strength were analyzed on the soft clay foundation where suppose to be located the foundation of port structure. The laboratory model test has been conducted in 2 cases with unconfined compression strength of improved materials, 25kPa and 125kPa. Cement, water, and in-situ soft clay were combined at a fixed rate and made a shape of 5cm diameter ${\times}$ 70cm height column. Improved materials were located with replacement ratio(11%, 35% and 61%) in 38cm diameter ${\times}$ 80cm height cylinder. Finally, the stress distribution ratio on the improved materials and clay, settlement was analyzed by applying a load of 10kPa, 30kPa, and 50kPa.