• Journal of The Geomorphological Association of Korea
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.47-60
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• 2020

This study tried to produce an uplift rate map and reveal the spatial distribution of the rate with topographical characteristics and absolute ages on marine terrace in the East Coast of the Korean Peninsula. Based on a total of 57 ages at 26 sites from previous study and 13 ages at 13 sites from this study, the coast showed the rates ranging from 0.145 m/ka to 0.410m/ka with an average of 0.258 m/ka. The highest and lowest rates were found from the Jeongdongjin area in Gangneung and the Goraebul area in Yeongdeok, respectively. However, some areas in the coast showed large differences in the rate among the sites. In addition, areas with only 1 age were also found, indicative of low reliability. This study suggests that a more reliable and precise interpretation on the rate can be made with more ages identified, especially in Goseong to northern part of Gangneung, middle and southern parts of Samcheok and Yeongdeok, southern part of Pohang to northern part of Gyeongju, and Ulsan.

• Journal of The Geomorphological Association of Korea
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.1-12
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• 2017

This study tried to reconstruct paleovegetation environments during the late Holocene with pollen analysis from archeological trenches at the right bank of Geumgang in Sejong-si. The lower hills was dominantly covered with pine trees, while alder trees and hygrophytes extended on the floodplain since 2,000yr BP. The pollen composition of Alnus dominance in the floodplain during the times is different from the general charateristics of Korean peninsula. Such a phenomenon is thought to be influenced by the fluvial process on the floodplain in the middle reaches of Geumgang around Sejong-si. Mihocheon and some tributaries join to Geumgang around Sejong-si, and the channel of Geumgang becomes narrow around the boundary between Sejong-si and Gongju-si. This narrow channel could attribute to the formation of extensive floodplain around Sejong-si. Moreover, human impacts such as agriculture appear continuously since 1,800yr BP.

• Journal of The Geomorphological Association of Korea
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.53-64
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• 2011

Grus weathering mantles are widely distributed in Southern Korean Peninsula and are considered to be results of chemical weathering related to palaeoclimate milieu. This paper attempts to address this issue by CIA(chemical index of alteration). The climatic approach to the formation of grus mantles offers limited explanation of field occurrences, as these materials are widespread across climatic zones, from the humid tropics to cool temperate areas, although rates of grusification are likely to be influenced by climatic parameters. CIA values for granitoid weathering mantles in S. Korea are 50, which is the same of unweathered granitic rocks. Grus mantles in Korean peninsula show very low level in chemical alteration by CIA.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2024

Lagoon, attributed to the postglacial sea-level rise, has experienced rapid geomorphological changes due to increasing human impact. This study tried to infer how rapidly increasing human impact during the Holocene affects on geomorphological changes of lagoons and their surroundings, especially on Cheongchoho, Gyeongpoho and Pungho with significant changes in area and shapes. It was confirmed that the period of rapid artificial change commonly began in the 1960s to 1970s and geomorphological landscape rapidly changed since human impact intensified afterward. Intensive development not only affected on depth, area and shape changes, but also had significant impacts on water environment and biodiversity, attributed to disturbed flow between freshwater and seawater due to dredging and the installation of artificial structures. Lastly, various types of human impact were observed to be complexly interrelated, which seems to be associated with the geomorphologic process influenced by both terrestrial and marine environments. It is thought to be the result of complex interactions between humans who develop and utilize the terrain and changes in environmental conditions.

• Journal of The Geomorphological Association of Korea
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.63-83
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• 2021

In the southeastern part of the Korean Peninsula, the Yangsan Fault, an active fault zone, has developed. Many earthquakes occur around these faults, and the possibility of earthquakes occurring along the branch faults is being discussed. On the other hand, the Yeongdeok Fault is reported in Yeongdeok-gun, which is the northern part of the Yangsan fault. In this study, goemorphic characteristics of a set faults found on the outcrop of the gentle slope of the coast of Byeonggok-myeon were analyzed and granulometric and geochemical characteristics of sediments and other materials, including fault gouges were analyzed. The outcrop of Byeonggok-myeon is the part of the fault core and can be divided into two parts. Theses fault are formed on the upper part of the Mesozoic bedrock and the tertiary sedimentary layer of red sand-supported clasts are covered in several sedimentary units. The faults were normal fault sets, and a number of vertical cracks were developed, and glossy surfaces were observed in the fault area. It appears that these faults have occurred after alluvial deposition had been formed. In the case of samples from fault gouges, there were differences in particle size and geochemical characteristics from the surrounding area.

• Journal of The Geomorphological Association of Korea
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.1-11
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• 2020

A CIA analysis (A-CN-K and A-CNK-FM ternary diagram) indicates that, unlike the general granitic hills of the Korean Peninsula, the chemical weathering of the granitic grus (sandy regolith) in the eastern Jincheon basin is variable in geomorphic site except the Chuncheon basin. In the study area, there are three types of hills, such as; inner hills, linear isolated hills, and outer hills. The weathered mantles of the outer hills and linear isolated hills are weakly altered, whereas the inner hill, the Bonghyeon profile, shows a stronger chemical loss of the compositions approximating saprolite. There are small differences between the outer hills and linear isolated hills. The Geumwang site is considered fresh rock due to a low lever of alteration, although its sampling profile shows sandy weathering mantles. In the profiles of the Masan and Mugeuks sites, the lower part of weathering mantles has not experienced a significant level of component loss, but the upper regoliths have substantially been modified. The alteration of the hills occurs by chemical loss of CaO and Na₂O. K₂O exhibited little variation at all sampling suites and it has not changed into saprolite.

• Journal of The Geomorphological Association of Korea
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.57-70
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• 2018

This study restores onshore paleo-shoreline records and establishes the nature and strain rate of neotectonism by investigating the existence and formative age of paleo-coastal sediments emerged around Sacheon-si in the Southern part of the Korean peninsula. As a result, paleo-sand bars representing 5m of the paleo-shoreline from high tide level are formed in Sacheon-si, and the formation age of these is confirmed as MIS 5c at approximately 100,000 year BP through rock surface luminescence dating to rounded gravels in paleo-sand bars. Although it is difficult to establish the uplift rate of crust precisely due to incomplete restoration of sea level records during the last interglacial stage, the uplift rate along the Southern coast of the peninsula was assumed approximately 0.72 lower than the Eastern coast during the late Quaternary in comparison to the 1st marine terrace along the Eastern coast.

• Journal of The Geomorphological Association of Korea
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.59-70
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• 2021

This study aims to determine the sunlight exposure according to depositional environment to improve the accuracy of optically simulated luminescence (OSL) dating. Sufficient sunlight exposure during transportation of sediment is a basic assumption of the OSL dating, and if the process does not occur enough, the results may be overestimated compared to the actual depositional age. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to establish a correction method by determining residual or unbleachable dose after sunlight exposure in the actual deposition process, not in the laboratory measurement. Four samples from two sites were collected according to the depositional environment from rivers and coasts, and various OSL signals, including the size of residual dose, degree of dispersion between grains, and OSL signal sensitivity, were measured. As a result, it was confirmed that sediments formed under temporarily high energy environments, such as floods and surges, had relatively high residual dose or large dispersion of residual dose between particles. In further studies, the OSL signal characteristics of river sediments by flow velocity will be identified and the relationship between energy and OSL signal characteristics will be identified in more detail. Moreover, a method of reconstructing the paleo-environment at the time of deposition for existing sediments will be devised. It is expected to provide important information for the frequency of disaster recurrence and prediction of future climate change.

• Journal of The Geomorphological Association of Korea
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.93-106
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• 2019

The Yangsan Fault is one of the main fault systems in the Korean peninsula. It can be divided into three segments (northern, central, and southern) by its paleoseismic and structural geologic properties. Based on the geomorphic features of the northern segment, which includes the Yugye Fault, we identified deflected streams as a geomorphic marker of strike-slip component of the fault, and knickpoints along the streams as evidence of dip-slip component of the fault. Geomorphic analyses showed that (1) the horizontal displacements of deflected streams decreased and (2) the retreat amounts of knickpoints tend to increased toward north along the lineament. We interpreted the variations caused by strain partitioning; that is, there might be some increases of the vertical component toward north, whereas the main strike-slip fault system dies out, splaying into horsetail structure toward north. Based on the response time of the landforms, these interpretations imply that (1) there were differences between horizontal slip rate and vertical slip rate along strike, and/or (2) there were different timings between horizontal and vertical deformations by fault.

• Journal of The Geomorphological Association of Korea
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.21-35
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• 2018

The distribution and size of sandy beaches along eastern Korea has a close relationship with the presence of granite rocks. In general, elongated and wide beaches with abundant sands are likely to develop along the coasts where granitic basic rocks comprise the dominant geology or where a large amount of sands are supplied by streams from inland granitic rocks. Small sandy beaches, in contrast, appear in non-granitic rocks (i.e., under sedimentary and/or metamorphic geology). Hence, large beaches are observed continuously along the shore of Gangwon-do, of which coasts consist predominantly of granitic geology. Such continuity declines from Samcheok city to Pohang city. The rock of Gyeonbuk-do is commonly known as sedimentary, deposited between the late Triassic and the early Tertiary Periods. Because few sands are supplied from the upstream areas, sandy beaches unlikely develop along the coasts of the province, only showing a sporadic, discontinuous distribution under Bulguksa granite, granitic gneiss, and some volcanic rocks. Erosion was rarely observed in the beaches where granitic rocks are distributed, whereas merely five beaches seemed to have undergone some level of erosion in non-granitic regions. This is presumably because a larger amount of sands than that which had been eroded away was replenished in areas under granitic geology, while under non-granitic geology having a deficit in sands, no large sandy beaches had formed at first.