• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.25-50
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• 1988

The survival of rich evidence of palaeolithic occupation found in the Imjin-Hant'an River basin was possible due to many fortuitous geological conditions provided there. Formation of the basalt plain in a narrow valley system which developed during the late Mesozoic insured the appearance of a basin of sedimentation in which archaeological sites would be preserved with relatively minor post-depositional disturbance. Geomagnetic and K-Ar dating indicates that lava flows occurred during the Brunes Normal Epoch. During and after the process of basin sedimentation, erosion of the plain was confined to the major channel of the present river system which developed along the structural joints formed by the lava flow. Due to characteristic columnar structure and platy cleavage of the basalt bedrock, erosion of the basalt bedrock occurred mainly in vertical direction, developing deep but narrow entrenched valleys cut into the bedrock. Consequently, the large portion of the site area remained intact. Cultural deposits formed on top of the basalt plain were left unmodified by later fluvial disturbances due to changes in the Hant'an River base-level, since they were formed about 20 to 40m above the modern floodplain. Sedimentological evidence of cultural deposits and palynological analysis of lacustrine bed formed in the tributary basin of the Hant'an River indicate that hominid occupation occurred in this basin under rapidly deteriorating climatic conditions. From three thermoluminescence dates, the timing of hominid occupation as represented by 'Acheulian-like' bifaces apparently occur sometime during 45,000 BP. Thus, deposition of cultural layers in this basin approximately coincides with the beginning of the second stadial of the final glacial, during which the Korean Peninsula must have had provided a sanctuary for prolonged human occupation.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.235-254
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• 2017

We investigate the geological history that formed geology and landscapes of the Juwangsan National Park and its surrounding areas. The Juwangsan area is composed of Precambrian gneisses, Paleozoic metasedimentary rocks, Permian to Triassic plutonic rocks, Early Mesozoic sedimentary rocks, Late Mesozoic plutonic and volcanic rocks, Cenozoic Tertiary rhyolites and Quaternary taluses. The Precambrian gneisses and Paleozoic metasedimentary rocks of the Ryeongnam massif occurs as xenolithes and roof-pendents in the Permian to Triassic Yeongdeok and Cheongsong plutonic rocks, which were formed as the Songrim orogeny by magmatic intrusions occurring in a subduction environment under the northeastern and western parts of the area before a continental collision between Sino-Korean and South China lands. The Cheongsong plutonic rocks were intruded by the Late Triassic granodiorite, which include to be metamorphosed as an orthogneiss. The granodiorite includes geosites of orbicular structure and mineral spring. During the Cretaceous, the Gyeongsang Basin and Gyeongsang arc were formed by a subduction of the Izanagi plate below East Asia continent in the southeastern Korean Peninsula. The Gyeongsang Basin was developed to separate into Yeongyang and Cheongsong subbasins, in which deposited Dongwach/Hupyeongdong Formation, Gasongdong/Jeomgok Formation, and Dogyedong/Sagok Formation in turn. There was intercalated by the Daejeonsa Basalt in the upper part of Dogyedong Formation in Juwangsan entrance. During the Late Cretaceous 75~77 Ma, the Bunam granitoid stock, which consists of various lithofacies in southwestern part, was made by a plutonism that was mixing to have an injection of mafic magma into felsic magma. During the latest Cretaceous, the volcanic rocks were made by several volcanisms from ubiquitous andesitic and rhyolitic magmas, and stratigraphically consist of Ipbong Andesite derived from Dalsan, Jipum Volcanics from Jipum, Naeyeonsan Tuff from Cheongha, Juwangsan Tuff from Dalsan, Neogudong Formation and Muposan Tuff. Especially the Juwangsan Tuff includes many beautiful cliffs, cayon, caves and falls because of vertical columnar joints by cooling in the dense welding zone. During the Cenozoic Tertiary, rhyolite intrusions formed lacolith, stocks and dykes in many sites. Especially many rhyolite dykes make a radial Cheongsong dyke swarm, of which spherulitic rhyolite dykes have various floral patterns. During the Quaternary, some taluses have been developed down the cliffs of Jungtaesan lacolith and Muposan Tuff.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.39
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• pp.219-242
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• 2006

Quantitative analysis and provenance interpretation of the raw materials for the jade (amazonite) excavated from the Asan Sijeonri site were studied. Geology of the Sijeonri site composed mainly of Precambrian metasedimentary rocks and the alluvium ranges extensively. In the site, amazonite jade was excavated in the Bronze Age No. 4 circular-shaped resident site. The jade has a comma-shaped and shows light green color with so much cracks. The jade is silicate mineral of columnar habits that is shown white streak, and has fine cleavages with vitreous luster. As the analytical results, this jade was identified as a feldspar-group mineral gemologically called amazonite that is mineralogically microcline formed to intergrowth of albite and orthoclase. Internal textures of the amazonite present Na-end member of albite coexisting with K-end member of orthoclase that are replaced each other along the cleavages and twin planes with several ${\mu}m$ scales. Therefore, the amazonite is one mineral phase combined with albite and orthoclase by substitution of $Na_2O$ and $K_2O$, respectively. The Danyang are is an unique producing site of amazonite in South Korea, and Gongju Janggimyeon was known as microcline provenance to the utmost area from the Sijeonri site. In the marginal area of southern coast in Korean Peninsula, Bronze Age amazonite has been excavated in several sites, where original provenance of the raw amazonite is not identified. The Sijeonri site does not show any facilities of producing and processing traces for amazonite jade. Also, only one jade was collected in the Sijeonri site. Therefore, there is not possibility that the provenance of raw jade is the Sijeonri area. To explain original provenance of the amazonite jade, migration path, manufacturing process and archaeological interpretation are required.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.46-67
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• 2014

The Dinosaur track-bearing deposits recently found at Bangudae Petroglyph site in Ulju (National Treasure No. 285) have been studied in the aspects of sedimentology, paleoenvironments, and significance in natural history. The dinosaur tracks occur in the Daegu Formation (late Early Cretaceous), and over 80 footprints including 43 ornithopod footprints, 36 sauropod footprints, and 2 theropod footprints are preserved in this tracksite. The track-bearing deposits consist of irregularly interlaminated siltstone and mudstone, calcareous sandy to silty mudstone, thin-bedded tuffaceous sandstone, planar- to cross-laminated sandstone, and thin- to medium-bedded graded sandstone, and they are interpreted to be sheetflood deposits on an alluvial plain. Diverse types of ripples and mudcracks, rainprints, and invertebrate trace fossils are observed in these deposits, and the crest-lines of wave ripples do not show preferred orientation. Dinosaur footprints occur as true prints, underprints, overtracks, and casts on the bedding surfaces, and the orientation of trackways are scattered. It is interpreted that paleoclimatic condition of the track-bearing deposits were semiarid with alternation of wetting and drying periods, and that dinosaurs frequented small and shallow ponds during wetting periods and recorded their tracks on an alluvial plain. The frequent occurrence of dinosaur tracks in study area indicates that the Cretaceous deposits around Daegokcheon Stream are very useful sedimentological and paleontological records to understand the paleoecology and paleoenvironments during the dinosaur age in Korean Peninsula. Consequently the dinosaur track-bearing deposits around Daegokcheon Stream should be further studied in sedimentary geology and paleontology in order to enhance cultural heritage value of the Petroglyphs of Bangudae Terrace as the World Heritage.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.25-39
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• 1994

The Deogbong napseok clay deposit which is composed mainly of dickite and pyrophyllite has been formed by hydrothermal alteration of the Late Cretaceous volcanic rocks consisting of andesitic tuff and andesite. The mineralogy of the napseok ores and the hydrothermal alteration processes have been studied in order to know the nature of the interaction between minerals and fluids for the formation of the deposit. Chemical distribution shows that alkali elements and silica were mobile but alumina was relatively immobile during the hydrothermal processes. It is evident that enrichment of alumina and leaching of silica from the host rock led to the formation of the napseok ore, whereas the enrichment of silica in the outer zone of the deposit gave rise to the silica zone. A large amount of microcrystalline quartz closely associated with dickite and pyrophyllite suggests the increasing activity of silica. Thus Si which was released away from the argillic zone by the increasing activity of silica. Thus Si which was released away from the argillic zone by the increasing activity of silica solubility moved out precipitating in the margin of the deposit to form the silica zone. Variation in dickite crystallinity implies the local change in the stability of the system. Thermodynamic calculation shows that the invariant point of pyrophyllite-dickite (kaolinite)-diaspore-quartz assemblages at 500 bars in the system $Al_{2}O_{3}-SiO_{2}-H_{2}O$ is about 300 $^{\circ}C$. Based on the mineral assemblages and the experimental data reported, it is estimated that the main episode of hydrothermal alteration occurred at least above 270 to 300 $^{\circ}C$ and $X_{CO_2}$ <0.025. Mineral occurrence and chemical variation indicate that the activity of Al is high in the upper part of the deposit, whereas the activity of Si is high in the lower part and the margin of the deposit. The nonequilibrium phase relations observed in the Deogbong deposit might be due to local change in intensive thermodynamic variables and fluid transport properties that resulted in the formation of nonequilibrium phases b of several stages.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.153-171
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• 2018

This study focuses on the investigation of geologic distribution and stratigraphy in the eastern part of Yeongdeok-gun, based on Lidar imaging, detailed field survey, microscopic observations, SHRIMP and LA-MC-ICPMS U-Pb age dating, and a new geological map has been created. The stratigraphy of the study area is composed of the Paleoproterozoic metamorphic rocks consisting of banded gneisses of sedimentary origin and schists ($1841.5{\pm}9.6Ma$) of volcanic origin, Triassic Yeongdeok plutonic rocks ($249.1{\pm}2.3Ma$) and Pinkish granites ($242.4{\pm}2.4Ma$), Jurassic Changpo plutonic rocks ($193.2{\pm}1.9Ma{\sim}188.8{\pm}2.0Ma$) and Fine-grained granites ($192.9{\pm}1.7Ma$), Formations [Gyeongjeongdong Fm, Ullyeonsan Fm. (~108 Ma), Donghwachi Fm.] of the Early Cretaceous Gyeongsang Supergroup and acidic volcanic rocks and dykes erupted and intruded in the Late Cretaceous, Miocene intrusive rhyolitic tuffs ($23.1{\pm}0.2Ma{\sim}22.97{\pm}0.13Ma$) and sedimentary rocks of the Yeonghae basin, and the Quaternary sediments. The Triassic Pinkish granites, Jurassic Changpo plutonic rocks and Fine-grained granites are newly defined plutonic rocks in this study. Miocene intrusive rhyolitic tuffs bounded by the Yangsan Fault, which was first discovered in the north of Pohang city, are believed to play an important role in the understanding of the Miocene volcanic activity and the crustal deformation history on the Korean Peninsula. It is confirmed that The NNE-SSW-striking Yangsan Fault penetrating the central part of the study area and branch faults are predominant in the dextral movement and cutting all strata except the Quaternary sediments.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.122-144
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• 1993

The Kimhae napseok clay deposit was studied to characterize its mineralogy and genesis. Geology of the deposit is composed of Tertiary volcanic rocks and granodiorite. Tertiary volcanic rocks consist of andesitic tuff with minor interstratified tuffaceous shale, and rhyodacitic tuff. The main ore body of 2.4 to 4 m in thickness developed parallel to the bedding of andesitic tuff bed. Its strike and dip are $N70^{\circ}E-N85^{\circ}E$ and $16^{\circ}NW-32^{\circ}NW$, respectively. Two alteration zones; the propylitic zone of albite-epidote-chlorite-quartz assemblage and advanced argillic zone of pyrophyllite-dickite-alunite-diaspore assemblage are developed. Correlation of $SiO_2$ to $Al_2O_3$ shows no relation in propylitic zone, while a negative linear relation in advanced argillic zone. Chemical variation shows that $SiO_2$, $Al_2O_3$, MgO, CaO, $Na_2O$ and $K_2O$ were leached out during hydrothermal alteration. Pyrophyllite, the most abundant mineral in advanced argillic zone, occurs as low temperature 2M polytype. It is closely associated with dickite, diaspore and alunite. The Hinckley index of dickite is 0.83 showing moderate crystallinity. Na content is increasing in the M site with the increasing content of cations in the R-site. the mole percent of Na replacing K in alunite ranges from 53.2 to 71.6. It is also found that pyrophyllite grows in the dissolution site of diaspore. Plagioclase was albitized. Lowering of pH caused mainly by sulfide and sulfate decomposition resulted in preferential leaching of Si. It is inferred that aluminum released from plagioclase in the volcanic rocks as well as from the tuffaceous shale intercalated in andesitic tuff were the main sources of aluminum required for the formation of clay deposit. pH in hydrothermal fluid decreased from propylitic zone to advanced argillic zone with increasing degree of alteration. Based on experimental data reported in the literature and mineral assemblages, the formation temperature of the deposit ranges 270 to $320^{\circ}C$.