• Proceedings of the KSEEG Conference
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• 2002.04a
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• pp.8-10
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• 2002

POPs in sediments and soil in the PRD are comparable to or much higher than those reported in other regions. Some sites may be classified as POPs- polluted with high ecological risks. Large-scale land transform in the process of regional urbanization may facilitate the transfer of POPs in the soil to the sedimentary system by enhancing the soil run-off. Urban atmospheric PCBs in PRD are found to be less than some of the North American or European urbans, but PAHs are significantly higher. The center of the PRD has been the major source area of PAHs and organochlorine pesticides in the PRD. The northern part of the PRD serves as a regional sink for the air particulates and affiliated POPs.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.163-173
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• 2012

In this study, we determined the relative clay mineral composition of 51 surface sediments from SEYSM (Southeastern Yellow Sea Mud) (northern part 25, southern part 26) and 30 river sediments inflow to Yellow Sea using the semi-quantitative X-ray diffraction analyses. In addition to we analyzed illite characteristics of the same samples. The clay-mineral assemblage is composed of illite (61~75%), chlorite (14~24%), kaolinite (9~14%), and smectite (1~7%), in decreasing order. The average composition of each clay mineral is not different from northern part to southern part of SEYSM except a little higher kaolinite and lower smectite content in northern part. Smectite content generally has reverse relationship with illite content. Mineralogical characteristics of illite such as illite crystallinity index also is not different between two areas and show very narrow range (0.18~0.24 ${\Delta}^{\circ}2{\theta}$). Our results reveal that clay mineral composition and illite characteristics are nearly the same between northern and southern part of SEYSM. Characteristics of surface sediments in SEYSM is closer to Korean river sediments than Chinese Hanghe sediments, however it is necessary to investigate further study including Yangtze river sediments. This study conclude that most of surface sediments in SEYSM attribute to the supply of considerable amount of sediments from the nearby Korean rivers. The large sediment budget and high accumulation rate in the SEYSM can be explained by erosion and reworking of surface sediments in this area. Tidal and regional current system around SEYSM might contribute these erosional and depositional regimes.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.289-302
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• 2013

In order to determine the provenance of the Huksan Mud Belt sediments in the southeastern Yellow Sea, the major and rare earth elements of the same sediments were analyzed. The surface sediments were sampled from top of piston-cores and box-cores taken at 51 sites within the Huksan Mud Belt. With the mean grain size of $5-6{\phi}$, the sediments of the study area are mud-dominated. The spatial distribution patterns show that silt content is high in the northern Mud Belt, whereas clay content increases as it moves toward the southern Mud Belt. Interestingly, the geochemical compositions both of major and rare earth elements have resulted in differences of sediment provenance. Among the major elements, plots of Fe/Al vs. Mg/Al ratios, $Al_2O_3$ vs. MgO ratios, and $Al_2O_3$ vs. $K_2O$ reveal that the Huksan Mud Belt sediments are dominated by the Korean river-derived sediments. However, the characteristics of rare earth elements infer sediments originating from the Chinese rivers. This discrepancy between the above provenances is attributed to the different contributory factors in the content of chemical elements. Considering strong correlation between major elements with grain sizes, the contents of the major elements are thought to be influenced by the grain size. However, there is a weak correlation between rare earth elements and grain sizes. The behaviour of rare earth elements may be controlled by heavy minerals, rather than grain sizes. Further study requires to solve the discrepancy arose from the difference in applied chemical tracers.

• Journal of the Korean Geophysical Society
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.191-200
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• 1999

Analysis of chirp high-resolution seismic profiles from the central Yellow Sea reveals that depositional environments in this area can be divided into three distinctive zones from west to east: (1) subaqueous delta system near the Shandong Peninsula, (2) erosional zone in the central Yellow Sea, and (3) tidal sand ridges and sand waves near the Korean Peninsula. The Shandong subaqueous delta, extending southward from the Shandong Peninsula, changes gradually into prodelta southeastward. The sediments originated from the Yellow River are transported southward along the Chinese coastal area. The erosional zone in the central Yellow Sea contains numerous paleochannels and shows linear erosional features trending northwest-southeast. The erosional zone would be dominated by non-depositional or erosional processes during the Holocene. Tidal sand ridges and sand waves are well developed along the western coast of Korea. The residual sands, which were originally fluvial sediments at the sea-level lowstand, are interpreted as the result of winnowing process during the sea-level rise. Modern sand ridges generally migrates in a northeast-southwestern direction, which coincide with dominant tidal current direction.