• The Korean Journal of Petroleum Geology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.20-26
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• 2006

Late Quaternary stratigraphy and sedimentary environmental changes were studied based on four core sediments and their pore water taken from the southwestern part of the East Sea. The results of tephrostratigraphy and radiocarbon dates indicate that the cores cover the time interval from the middle stage of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 to MIS 1 (Holocene). The average of sedimentation rate in core sediments varies from 10 cm/kyr to 20 cm/kyr, but it fluctuates generally in particular time intervals such as MIS 2, which would be related with the sea-level changes at that time. On the other hand, the relations between ${\delta}^{13}C_{org}$ and C/N ratios suggest that the organic matter in the cores was originated mainly from marine algae. In addition, the value of ${\delta}^{13}C_{CH4}$ indicates bacterial origin rather than thermogenic one.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.201-206
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• 2005

Interpretation of high-resolution seismic profiles from the southeastern continental shelf of Korea reveals that the sedimentary deposits consist of seven seismic units formed during the late Quaternary. These units comprise lowstand, transgressive, and highstand systems tracts. The lowstand systems tract consists of a lowstand prograding wedge (SU1) and a mass flow deposit (SU2) including slumps and slides. The transgressive systems tract contains four seismic units: an ancient beach/shoreface deposit (SU3), a channel-fill deposit (SU4), a transgressive sand layer (SU5), and a transgressive sand ridge (SU6). The highstand systems tract consists of an inner-shelf mud deposit (SU7) derived from the Nakdong and Seomjin rivers during the last 6 ka when sea level was close to the present level.

• Journal of Plant Biology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.37-53
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• 1982

Pollen analysis from lake districts, Youngnangho, Wolhamji and Bangeojin, revealed vegetational patterns in Korea. The pollen stratigraphy was divided into five zones, zone L, I, II, IIIa and IIIb for the past 15,000 years. During zone L (earlier than 10,500 yr BP), late-glacial period, Youngnangho was vegetated with a coniferous forest dominated by spruce, larch, haploxylon pine and fir with considerable amount of herbs. Zone I(10,500~7500 yr BP) was predominantly herbaceous vegetationj with significant amount of oak and diploxylon pine. It suggests that the overall environment became milder and drier than late-glacial period. Zone II(7,500~4,000 yr BP), hypsithermal period, showed significant warming condition, indicated by high pollen concentrations of oak, diploxylon pine and hornbeam, and by more diverse flora of deciduous broad-leaved trees than before. Herbs were not an important part of vegetation. Zone III$^a$(4,000~1,500 yr BP) had pine and oak as main elements. Birch increased slightly while hornbeam decreased in this time. It indicates cooling condition. Zone III$^b$(1,5000-present) which can be called pine period showed obvious human interference. Following forest clearance, agriculture was intensified. The beginning of logging and agriculture was discernible by a sudden decline of arboreal species and by considerable amount of rice, buckwheat, sorrel and plantain. Numerous charcoal fragments were observed in zone I and zone III$^b$.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.171-177
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• 2002

Two piston-core sediments, obtained from the southwestern margin of the Ulleung Basin in East Sea, are analyzed to investigate the stratigraphy and sedimentary environment of the Late Quaternary. The cores consist mainly of cuddy sediments with silty sands, lapilli tephra and ash layers. The chronostratigraphic correlation with known eruption ages reveals that the core sediments contain the stratigraphic document over the past 46.1 kyr and the sedimentation rates during the last glacial period were relatively higher (12.1-14.9 cm/kyr) than those in pelagic ocean. Several sedimentary facies, mainly affected by turbidity currents, are commonly present in the core interval accumulated during the oxygen-isotope stage 2. Many of horizontal voids, which are thought to have formed by gas expansion, are observed in fore 00GHP-07. The total organic carbon (TOC) contents of the core sediments are noticeably high (average 1 .8%). Particularly, these TOC valuers increased during Termination I, suggesting that dering this time interval the sedimentary environment of the study area was changed to more anoxic.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.33-42
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• 1995

우리나라의 서해(West Sea)는 일명 황해(Yellow Sea)라고 일컬어지는 약 40여 m의 평균 수심을 갖는 대륙붕 해저지형 분지에 의하여 지배되는 전형적 육연해이다, 그런데 이 바다는 중심부(황해의 중심부)를 기준으로 하여 중국 대륙의 산동반도에서 양가강 하구에 이르는 서부 해안을 가지며 북부에는 발해만의 해안이 있고 동부에는 서해(황해) 특유의 넓 은 조수환경(tidal environment)과 조수해안이 발달한다. 그러나 남쪽으로는 북서태평양과 연결된다. 한국 서해안이 평균 4m 이상의 조차(tidal range)를 나타내는 조간대 조수환경이 며 조간대 해저지형(intertidal morphology)이 전형적인 퇴적층(체)에 의하여 지배되는 여러 가지 특징을 나타낸다. 서해안 조수환경은 네델란드, 독일 또는 지배되는 여러 가지 특징을 나타낸다. 서해안 조수환경은 네델란드 독일 또는 미국의 경우와 같이 연구가 잘되어 세계 적으로 널리 알려진 소위 barrier island system and tidal depositional environments와는 크 게 다른 퇴적과정과 환경이다. 경기도 남양만의 조수 환경의 경우, 조간대 해저지형 요소인 조류로(tidal channel)와 조간대 정규해저(intertidal zone proper)에 관한 동력적 퇴적과정 연 구결과 조간대 특유의 lateral sedimentation 과 vertical sedimentation 2가지 퇴적과정중 후 자의 퇴적과정이 우세한 것으로 밝혀졌고 이러한 퇴적과정의 진행이 매우 안정한 지속성을 가지는 것이 특징이다, 이러한 퇴적과정의 조간대 퇴적물의 쇄설 입자는 약 20% 미만의 모 래(sand) 입자 50~70%의 실트(silt) 와 점토(clay) 입자가 20~30%에 달하는 입자조직 (grain texture)의 퇴적상을 나타낸다. 결과적으로 조간대의 동력적인 조수수괴의 수위(level of tidal water)는 평균 만조선과 평균 저조선으로 한정되며 이것은 퇴적과정과 퇴적작용의 조정(control) 요인으로 조간대 퇴적상의 발달과 분포에 큰 영향을 미친다, 예를들면 남양만 등의 대부분의 서해안 조간대 표층 퇴적상(녁\ulcorner미 sedimentary faci-es)은 만조선에서 간조 선에 가까울수록 조립화현상(coarsening trend)을 나타낸다. 이러한 퇴적상 변화는 저조선에 서 만조선으로의 조간대 지형과 주조수로의 지형.수력학적 특성이 다음과 같기 때문이다. a) a general decrease in width b) a general decrease in depth c) a general decrease in maximum and average current velocities d) a general increase in contents of suspended mud e) a general decrease in grain size of the bottom sand and an increasing abundance of muddy deposits. 우리나라 서해안 조간대 퇴적층(체)의 수직 층서(vertical stratigraphy)는 지난 3여년동안의 수십개의 vibracoring(주상시추)에 의하여 매우 흥미롭고 중요하게 밝혀지고 있는바 이것은 현세(Holocene)와 선현세(preHolocene: 11000 years BP)의 오랜시간 경과에 따른 조수환경 변화의 수직퇴적 과정과 기후 해수면 변화의 현상에 원인이 있다고 해석된다.(박용안 외, 1992-1995)결과적으로 서해안 조수퇴적체(층)의 분지주변(basim margin)진화과정이 밝혀지 고 있다.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.225-232
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• 2003

Three piston cores. obtained from the northwestern Ulleung Basin of the East Sea, are analyzed to study the tephrostratigraphy of the late Quaternary core sediments and to reveal the comparative characteristics of the tephra layers. The cores consist mainly of the muddy sediments that are partly interbedded with lapilli tephra and ash layers. The muds are further divided into hemipelagic and turbiditic mud facies. The hemipelagic facies is dominated by bioturbated mud and crudely laminated mud, whereas the turbiditic facies includes mainly thinly laminated mud and homogeneous mud, and often alternates with non-turbiditic muds. According to microscopic observation and EDX analysis, three tephra layers of the Ulleung-Oki (U-Oki; ca. 9.3 ka), Aira-Tanzawa (AT: ca. 22~24.7 ka) and Ulleung-Yamato (U-Ym; ca. 25~33 ka) are identified in the study cores. Among these, the U-Oki and U-Ym layers, originating from the Ulleung Island, consist mainly of massive-type glass shards with alkali feldspar. Both of the tephra layers contain a lower content of SiO$_2$ (57~66.5 wt.%) and a higher content of Na$_2$O+K$_2$O (11~16 wt.%) than the AT layer (SiO$_2$=75~78.5 wt.%, Na$_2$O+K$_2$O=6.5~9 wt.%) that consists of typical plane-type and/or bubble-wall glass grains. Compared with that of the U-Ym layer, a sedimentary facies of the U-Oki layer is very thick and contains three stratigraphic units, probably due to relatively large and different supplies of pyroclastic sediments. Thus, the eruption of Ulleung Volcano (ca. 7,300 B.C.) is thought to have had a more powerful effect on depositional environment than the U-Ym eruption.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.443-458
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• 2005

Late Quaternary deposits of the core in the western area of the Nakdong River delta consist of four sedimentary units: Unit I, II, III and IV, in ascending order, controlled by the sea-level change since the last interglacial period. Unit I unconformable overlying Cretaceous basement rocks is composed of sandy gravel and sand deposited in a fluvial channel before the first marine transgression. Unit II composed of stiff massive mud is interpreted as a shallow marine deposits formed during the last interglacial period (probably MIS 5). The development of the fissures coated with oxidized materials in the upper part of Unit II is a feature of subaerial exposure, which indicates erosional contact with the upper Unit III. Unit III is made up of soft massive mud and soft shelly massive mud deposited in a tidal flat and a inner shelf, respectively, since the Holocene transgression (about 9,000 yr BP). Unit Ⅳ consisted of soft shell bedded mud and yellowish sandy mud was deposited in the delta environments during the regression (after about 5,000 yr BP). The lower shell bedded mud was deposited in a tidal flat and the upper sandy mud was deposited in the floodplain corresponding to present site of the Nakdong River delta.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.349-356
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• 2010

Analysis of high-resolution seismic profiles acquired from the southeastern continental shelf of Korea reveals that the late Quaternary transgressive deposits consist of six seismic units created in response to sea-level rise. These units with different seismic facies and geometry can be grouped into two distinct depositional wedges (paralic and marine) bounded by a ravinement surface. The paralic component underlying the ravinement surface consists of the sediment preserved from shoreface erosion and contains incised-channel fill, ancient beach-shoreface deposit and estuarine deposit. The top of paralic unit is truncated by a ravinement surface and overlain by marine component. The marine component consists of the sediment produced through shoreface erosion during landward transgression and contains mid-shelf sand sheet, mid-shelf sand ridge and inner shelf sand sheet. Such transgressive stratigraphic architecture of six sedimentary units is controlled by a function of lateral changes in the balance among rates of relative sea-level rise, sediment input and marine processes at any given time.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.447-454
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• 1998

As a widespread tephra erupted 24 to 25 KA, Aira-Tn Ash, or AT, provides an invaluable datum for stratigraphic study of late Pleistocene in Northeast Asia. AT can be identified from their tonal characteristic and morphology (the so­called bubble-wail feature), as well as typical refractive index. First reported in 1983, its presence was confirmed from many palaeolithic deposits distributed throughout Korea. It forces us to reconsider the age of prominent Pleistocene deposits. At the famous archaeological site of Chon-gok-ni, presence of AT lends a firm support that sedimentation and deposition of lithic assemblage were in fact a late Upper Pleistocene event, thus, throwing a new question at archaeologists to explain why such archaic-looking tools were continued to be made. Discovery of AT at Chongdongjin is more surprising, since the coastal terrace has been regarded by many as an early Lower Pleistocene eustatic feature. It implies strongly that we need to devise a new scheme for Quaternary stratigraphy. In the absence of reliable datum and marker for Quaternary research, efforts must be given to search for and identify AT and other widespread tephras.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.545-556
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• 2003

Detailed interdisciplinary investigations demonstrate that the Yeongsan River estuarine-filled sediments clearly record important paleoenvironmental changes during the Last Glacial and Holocene. The sediments from 18.9 m(20.5∼l.6m in depth) long core MW-1 are differentiated by changes in sedimentary textures and palynomorph assemblages. Chronology was provided by AMS$^{14}$C dating and regional pollen correlation. Three paleoenvironrnental phases are recognized: (1) The Last Glacial deposits consist mainly of fluvial sediments and paleosols, experienced deposition alternating with pedogenesis. The appearance of the paleosols suggests that the paleoclimate might be cold and humid. (2) The early and middle Holocene phase started abruptly in response to the rapid global climatic warming. and is characterized by abundant marine palynomorphs. (3) The late Holocene is marked by more cool conditions. The paleoenvironmental changes recorded in the sediments coincide not only with local but also with broad-scale, probably global climate changes.