• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.27-35
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• 2015

This study aims to establish the age of the Cretaceous Togeum Formation in Gurye that reported the discovery of dinosaur eggshells and bones. This study also investigates to determine the period of the dinosaurs' dominance in the region. K-Ar ages are measured on the whole volcanic rocks in the lower - and upper parts of the formation. The six samples dated are volcanic pebbles deposited in the Geumjeongri Conglomerate that is distributed underneath the Togeum Formation, and the ages dated as Aptian ($118.3{\pm}2.3Ma$) or Albian ($103.6{\pm}2.0$, $102.5{\pm}2.0$, $99.9{\pm}1.9Ma$), which all correspond to the Early Cretaceous. In addition, the ages of andesites and porphyritic andesites overlying the Togeum Formation are dated in a similar way. The result is that the ages are apparently corresponding to the Campanian ($83.9{\pm}1.6$, $74.2{\pm}1.5$Ma) of the Late Cretaceous. Field evidence and the age results indicate that the formation of the Togeum and the activities of dinosaurs dated back between 84 and 100Ma. It suggests that the Togeum Formation be somewhat older than the Boseong Seonso Formation (81Ma) which contains egg shells, the Haenam Uhangni Formation (79-81 Ma) that has dinosaur, pterosaur and webbed bird footprints, and also older than the theropod egg nests (77-83Ma) found in the Aphaedo area.

• Proceedings of the Petrological Society of Korea Conference
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• 2003.05a
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• pp.45-47
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• 2003

• Proceedings of the Mineralogical Society of Korea Conference
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• 2002.05a
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• pp.29-30
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• 2002

• Proceedings of the Mineralogical Society of Korea Conference
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• 2003.05a
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• pp.45-47
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• 2003

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.329-336
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• 2012

In September 2009, a perfectly preserved fossil of a dinosaur egg nest was discovered in the Cretaceous formations of the Aphaedo area in Shinan, Jeollanam-do, South Korea. In order to estimate the age of dinosaur eggshells and the depositional age of the Cretaceous sediments in Aphaedo area, a whole-rock K-Ar dating was carried out on volcanic pebbles showing a sedimentary structure contemporaneous with the Aphaedo strata, acidic tuffs overlaying the strata conformably, and acidic dike rocks intrude to both of them. Volcanic rocks observed in the strata are 3-20 cm in diameter as pebbles found in lenticular conglomerate and pebble bearing mudstone strata. K-Ar whole-rock dating was performed on six different volcanic pebbles which show a sedimentary structure contemporaneous with the dinosaur egg nest contained in the strata, and all samples show Late Cretaceous ages: Cenomanian ($97.6{\pm}1.9$Ma), Coniacian ($87.6{\pm}1.7$ Ma), Santonian ($84.5{\pm}1.7$Ma) or Campanian ($82.5{\pm}1.6$, $77.3{\pm}1.5$, $75.7{\pm}1.5$ Ma). The K-Ar whole-rock age of acidic tuffs overlaying the Cretaceous formation conformably was estimated to be Campanian ($79.2{\pm}1.6$ or $77.3{\pm}1.5$Ma), when the dating was carried out under the same conditions. The acidic dike intruding both Cretaceous formation and acidic tuff showed a K-Ar whole-rock age of $70.9{\pm}1.4$Ma (Campanian). Therefore, the depositional age of the Cretaceous formation in the Aphaedo area and the time when dinosaurs lived in the study area are considered to be 77-83 Ma. Such results indicate that the ages of dinosaur eggshells from Aphaedo area can be correlated with the ages of the Seonso Formation (81Ma) with dinosaur egg nest fossils and the Uhangri Formation (79-81Ma) with dinosaur, pterosaur and web-footed bird tracks.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.53-66
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• 2010

We report petrologic characteristics including $^{40}Ar-^{39}Ar$ absolute ages of the subsurface lavas recovered from borehole cores in two islets, Marado and Gapado, off the southwestern coast of Jeju in southernmost Korea and discuss on the volcanism in the region. The lavas in Gapado are apparently divided into one unit with bright colored, aphanitic texture and sheet jointed, and another unit with dark colored and massive. The outcrops often show differentially weathered pattern due to textural difference. While, the lavas in Marado have vesicular and glomerporphyric texture, even though each lava flow unit in Marado has slight unique texture with variation of vesicularity and phenocrysts. The chemical composition of rock core samples from Gapa borehole and Mara borehole shows that the lavas from Gapado and Marado are classified into basaltic trachyandesite($SiO_2$ 52.6-53.6 wt%, $Na_2O+K_2O$ 7.3-7.5 wt%) and tholeiitic andesite($SiO_2$ 51.7-52.8 wt%, $Na_2O+K_2O$ 3.6-4.1 wt%), respectively. The measured $^{40}Ar-^{39}Ar$ plateau ages range from $824{\pm}32\;Ka$(MSL -69 m) to $758{\pm}\;Ka$(MSL 19 m) for core samples of Gapa borehole and $259{\pm}168\;Ka$(MSL -26 m) for a core sample of Mara borehole, respectively. The absolute age of Gapado basaltic trachyandesite is well correlated with that of Sanbangsan trachyte(Won et al., 1986). Meanwhile, the age of a sample in Marado has $259{\pm}168\;Ka$(MSL -26 m) with poor plateau age formation and high error range. We report the data in caution but the rock composition and absolute age of Marado tholeiitic andesite are relatively correlated with those of lava units from Duksu and Sangmo-2 boreholes, indicating the volcanism during 260-150 Ka. On the basis of interpretation of occurrences of exposed and subsurface volcanic rocks of the study area, stratigraphic relationship with adjacent borehole cores and the bathymetry chart of surrounding area, it indicates that the lavas in Gapado were formed around 800 Ka during relatively early stage of volcanic activity in Jeju Island. Meanwhile, Marado may have originated around 260-150 Ka during relatively young stage of volcanism in Jeju Island. It is inferred that the volcanisms have originated in land and these islets were individual ancient volcanoes. The apparent topography has been re-shaped by tidal erosion due to transgression.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.329-335
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• 2013

Based on mineral assemblages, field occurrences, the volcanic rocks distributed in the Geumdang Island area are divided into three types: rhyolite, porphyritic rhyolite and intermediated dyke rock. In a diagram of [TAS (total alkali-silica)], rhyolites and porphyritic rhyolites belong to the rhyolite-dacite field and rhyolite field, respectively. As to the times when the rhyolite and porphyritic rhyolite rocks were formed a whole rock K-Ar age was obtained. These absolute age determinations have revealed that the former (rhyolite) has an age of 76-78 Ma and belongs to the Late Cretaceous (Campanian) and the latter (porphyritic rhyolite) is 71-72 Ma in age and thus belongs to the boundary between the Campanian and Maastrichtian. These geological ages are associated with the igneous activity of the Yuchon Group which occurred vigorously in the southern part of the Korean peninsula during the Late Cretaceous. The various geological ages of volcanic rocks distributed in the southwestern part of the peninsula and of igneous rocks found in the Cretaceous formation which contain a wide variety of minerals indicate that in this area, volcanic activities continued vigorously as a result of the collision of the Eurasian and Pacific Plates between 108-71 Ma.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.41-49
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• 2015

Recently developed illite-age-analysis(IAA) approach was applied to determine the fault-reactivated events for the Inje fault that cut through Precambrian biotite granitic gneiss with NNE-SSW trend in the middle of Korean peninsula. Three distinct fault-reactivated events of shallow crustal regime were recognized using the combined approach of optimized illite-polytype quantification and K-Ar age-dating of clay fractions separated from 4 fault clay samples: $87.0{\pm}0.12Ma$, $65.5{\pm}0.05$ and $66.6{\pm}1.38Ma$, $45.6{\pm}0.15Ma$, respectively. As well, $2M_1$ illite ages of 193~196 Ma and $254.3{\pm}6.96Ma$ were discernible, which may be related to the fault-activated time in the relatively deep crust. The study results suggest that the Inje fault would be firstly formed at $254.3^{\circ}$ ${\ae}6.96Ma$ and sporadically reactivated in shallow regime since about 87 Ma. These reactivation events in shallow regime might be due to the Bulguksa orogeny that would be strongly influenced in Korean peninsula at that time.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.11-21
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• 2001

K-Ar ages of the altered rocks from the Barton Peninsula are belows; altered tuffaceous andesite from southwestern part is 42 Ma, altered rocks contacted with quartz vein from southern part are 28 and 33 Ma, and advanced argillic altered andesite from northeastern part are 33 and 35 Ma. Those K-Ar ages are 10 My younger than granitic rocks of the Barton Peninsula. Hydothermal alteration of the Barton Peninsula was originated from mixing of magmatic water from parent magma of granitic rocks with meteoric water. The Al content in the hostrock is relatively constant during hydrothermal alteration, on the contrary the Mg content is in proportion to total alkali. The variation of total alkali and Mg contents in hydrothermal alteration indicates that those elements was washed out during hydrothermal alteration. The sequences of hydrothermal alteration of the Barton Peninsula is chloritization of amphiboles, sericitization of feldspars and kaolitization of sericite.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.23-34
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• 2001

Geochemical and Sr-Nd isotopic compositions and K-Ar ages are analyzed in volcanic rocks from Weno Island, Caroline Islands. Seven Weno lava samples of alkali basalt and basaltic trachyandesite are aphyric or sparsely phyric comprising olivine, plagioclase, and clinopyroxene phenocrysts. Whole-rock geochemical variation of Weno lavas reflects main fractional crystallization of olivine and Cr-spinel phenocrysts. Newly determined K-Ar ages of Weno lavas range from 6.7 to 11.3 Ma (late Miocene), indicating their formation during primary volcanic stage of Chuuk Islands. Trace element compositions of Weno lavas are very similar to those of typical ocean island basalts (OIBs), suggesting their formation during intra-plate mantle plume activity. The plume composition is isotopically very similar to that of Hawaiian hot spot. However, the age span of Chuuk volcanism is longer than that of the other individual volcanoes in the Pacific.