• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.28-40
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• 2013

This study examined the geochemical characteristics, equilibrium temperature and pressure conditions, and oxygen isotopic ratios of mantle xenoliths from the various geological sites of the Korean peninsula. The results are as follows: (1) The ultramafic xenoliths from the Korean peninsula mainly consist of typical high magnesium olivine (MgO : 49.12-50.95 wt.%, Mg value: 90.1-92.2), corresponding to worldwide Cenozoic ultramafic xenoliths in chemical compositions. (2) The pressure-temperature conditions of ultramafic xenoliths in the Korean peninsula are from 854 to $1016^{\circ}C$ and 4.6 to 24.4 kbar. (3) The oxygen isotopic ratios (${\delta}^{18}O$) for olivines in ultramafic xenoliths range from 5.06‰ to 5.51‰, which are relatively uniform oxygen isotopic values and overlapped by the values of N-MORB and upper mantle peridotite (${\delta}^{18}O$: $5.2{\pm}0.2$‰). However, olivines of the ultramafic xenoliths from the Baegdusan and Chejudo have a relatively wide ${\delta}^{18}O$ values ranging from 5.07 to 5.51‰ and 5.07 to 5.45‰, respectively. Based on the results, this study suggests that the high ${\delta}^{18}O$ signature of the Baegdusan xenoliths give a hint that ~5% of the oxygen in typical EM2 sources originally derived from recycled sediments.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.523-532
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• 2002

The rare earth elements (REE) and Nd, Sr and noble gas isotopic compositions eHer'He, 4$^{\circ}$Arp6Ar) for the Quaternary alkali basaltic rocks and mantle xenoliths in the basaltic rocks from the Baegryongdo were investigated to decipher the origin of alkali basaltic magma and xenolith beneath the Sino-Korean craton. Analytical results are summarized as follows; (1) The alkali volcanic rocks with voluminous xenoliths which are represented by the Mg-olivine and clinopyroxene dominant spinel-lherzolite in the Baegryongdo consist mainly of the basalt-mugearite and basaltic andesite. (2) The REE pattern of alkali basaltic rocks characterized by high HREE is similar to that of oceanic island basalt (OlB). Relatively concordant REE patterns of the basaltic rocks suggest that the alkali basaltic magma be formed by the identical source materials. (3) The Nd-Sr isotopic data of the alkali basaltic rocks suggest that the alkali basaltic magma be originated from the depleted mantle source with a little contamination of the continental crustal materials. (4) The $^3$He/ $^4$He ratios in olivines of xenoliths ranging from 5.0${\pm}$1.lRa to 6.7${\pm}$1.3Ra are lower than that of MORB (ca. 8.0Ra). It suggest that the xenolith be derived from the subcontinental lithospheric mantle. However, the high $^3$Her'He value of 16.8${\pm}$3.IRa at 1800$^{\circ}$C fraction (sample no OL-7) might be resulted from the post-eruptive cosmogenic $^3$He. The 4OAr/ 36 Ar ratios in olivines of mantle xenoliths are comparable to that of atmospheric argon, and are much lower than that of the MORB type mantle. These facts can lead to conclusion that the olivine of the xenolith in the Baegryongdo is affected by the post-eruptive atmospheric contamination during the slow degassing process.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.227-244
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• 2010

Abundant spinel lherzolite xenoliths showing distinctively different textural types such as protogranular, porphyroclastic, and mylonitic texture are trapped in the basaltic rocks from southeastern part of Jeju Island. These xenoliths show the textural spectrum from coarse-grained protogranular through porphyroclastic with bimodal grain size to fine-grained and foliated mylonitic texture. They tend to decrease in grain sizes and show more linear grain boundaries and more frequent triple junctions from protogranular through porphyroclastic to mylonitic. Spinel has different occurrence mode according the textural type. Spinel is always associated with orthopyroxene in protogranular texture, whereas it is scattered and independent of orthopyroxene in mylonitic texture. Additionally, porphyroblast from porphyroclastic and mylonitic textures has internal deformation features such as kink band, undulatory extinction and curved lamella, whereas neoblast is strain-free. These textural features indicate increasing degree of static/dynamic recrystallization from protogranular through porphyroclastic to mylonitic texture. The mg#[$=100{\times}Mg/(Mg+Fe_t)$] of olivine, orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene is relatively constant (ol: 88-91; opx: 89-92; cpx: 89-92) regardless of textural differences. The mg# of constituent minerals, NiO content (0.3~0.4 wt%) and MnO content (0.1~0.2 wt%) of olivine are similar to those of mantle xenoliths worldwide, also indicating that studied spinel lherzolite xenoliths were mantle residues having experienced 20~25% partial melting. The geochemical and textural characteristics have close relations showing that LREE and incompatible trace elements content of orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene increases from protogranular through porphyroclastic to mylonitic. These observations suggest that the studied mantle xenoliths experienced metasomatism by LREE enriched melt or fluid after partial melting, indicating a close relation between deformation and metasomatism. The metasomatism was possibly confined to narrow shear zones from where porphyroclastic and mylonitic textured xenoliths originated. These shear zones might favorably drive the percolation of LREE-enriched melts/fluids responsible for the metasomatism in the lithospheric mantle below the Jeju Island.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.33-45
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• 2004

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.199-208
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• 2010

The Cenozoic alkali basalts are distributed over Korea, both on central part as Bangnyeongdo, Ganseong, Pyeongtaek-Asan and Jogongni and also on southernmost part Jejudo. The ultramafic mantle xenoliths carried by Korean alkali basalts are spinel lherzolites. Garnet lherzolite that is more stable at the deeper level has not been reported so far, indicating that the lithospheric thickness under Korea does not reach deep enough to the stable zone of garnet lherzolite. The crustal evolution history of the Korean peninsula, at least some part of it, seemingly started since the Archean, it normally should have lithospheric thickness greater than 150 km. However, the mantle xenoliths carried by the Cenozoic alkali basalts indicate the maximum depth of origination in the much shallower range of 60-90 km. Such significantly thinner lithospheric thickness of the Korean peninsula than expected is quite similar to the case of North China Craton having lithospheric thickness of ca. 80 km in average, suggesting thinning of the lithospheric mantle in a depth scale of a few tens of kilometers during the past geologic time. The main causal events for such significant thinning of the lithospheric mantle can be continental collisional events of Paleoproterozoic and early Mesozoic similar to the case of North China Craton, which are also supported by Paleoproterozoic igneous and metamorphic events during the 1.9-2.0 Ga occurring all over the Korean peninsula and also early Mesozoic continental collisional event which has been discussed on lively arguments.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.13-30
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• 2012

Phlogopite and kaersutite, showing distinctively different textural characteristics compared to the common phenocrysts, are observed in alkali basalt from Jeju Island. They occur as large crystals (2-10 mm) in host basalts, whereas fine-grained phlogopite and kaersutite occur in ultramafic mantle xenoliths and mafic gabbroic xenoliths, respectively, as an interstitial and microvein phases, or in corona textures (<1 mm). This textural characteristics of fine-grained grains clearly indicates secondary in origin. Phlogopite contains high $TiO_2$(4.1-6.9 wt%) and F(2.8-4.6 wt%) and relatively high mg#[=100Mg/(Mg+$Fe^t$) in mols, where $Fe^t$ is total iron](88-80), whereas kaersutite has high $TiO_2$(5.6-6.11 wt%) and much lower mg#s(68-64). Our textural observations and the geochemical character of these hydrous minerals suggest that they were unrelated to each other and mica formation happened early in the upper mantle before the mantle xenoliths had been trapped. In contrast, kaersutite formation has happened later, probably during the late stage of crystallization as intracrustal processes. The presence of phlogopite and kaersutitic amphibole is a direct evidence for K-, Ti-, F- and $H_2O$-bearing fluid/melt percolation in the lithosphere beneath Jeju Island, indicating that they are product of interaction between host rock/peridotite/fluid-melt. Thus, the upper mantle/lower crust beneath Jeju Island are metasomatized to various extents, characterized by a change in major metasomatic hydrous minerals from phlogopite to amphibole with decreasing depth.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.196-207
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• 2007

Miocene basalt plugs in Goseong contain a large variety of crustal and mantle xenoliths and xenocrysts. One of basalt plugs, Unbongsan, are derived from 160 km depth. Whole-rock geochemistry and pressure and temperature conditions of mineral phases indicate that Unbongsan volcanic rocks are alkali basalts and the source magma of the alkali basalts was generated from about $0.2{\sim}2%$ partial melting of depleted garnet peridotite. Crystallization pressures and temperatures of mineral phases within ascending magma of Unbongsan alkali basalt indicate that olivines, clinopyroxenes, and plagioclases were crystallized at $75{\sim}110km,\;40{\sim}52km,\;37{\sim}54km$ depth, respectively. The ascending magma of Unbongsan alkali basalts enclosed mantle xenoliths at about $57{\sim}67km$ depth.

• Proceedings of the Petrological Society of Korea Conference
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• 2001.06a
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• pp.75-75
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• 2001

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.223-236
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• 2009

Ultramafic xenoliths from southeastern part of Jeju Island can be grouped into two types: Type I and Type II. Type I xenoliths are magnesian and olivine-rich peridotite (mg#=89-91), which are commonly found at the outcrop. Most previous works have been focused on Type I xenoliths. Type II xenoliths, consisting of olivine, orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene with higher Fe and Ti components (mg#=77-83) and lower Mg, Ni, Cr, are reported in this study. They are less common with a more extensive compositional range. The studied Type II xenoliths are wehrlite, olivine-clinopyroxenite, olivine websterite, and websterite. They sometimes show ophitic textures in outcrops indicating cumulate natures. The textural characteristics, such as kink banding and more straight grain boundaries with triple junctions, are interpreted as the result of recrystallization and annealing. Large pyroxene grains have exsolution textures and show almost the same major compositions as small exsolution-free pyroxenes. Although the exsolution texture indicates a previous high-temperature history, all mineral phases are completely reequilibrated to some lower temperature. Orthopyroxenes replacing clinopyroxene margin or olivine indicate an orthopyroxene enrichment event. Mineral phases of Type II are compared with Type I xenoliths, gabbroic xenoliths, and the host basalts. Those from Type II xenoliths show a distinct discontinuity with those from Type I mantle xenoliths, whereas they show a continuous or overlapping relation with those from gabbroic xenoliths and the host basalts. Our petrographic and geochemical results suggest that the studied type II xenoliths appear to be cumulates derived from the host magma-related system, being formed by early fractional crystallization, although these xenoliths may not be directly linked to the host basalt.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.15 no.2 s.44
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• pp.106-117
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• 2006

Re-Os isotopic system, based on the long-lived $\beta^-$ transition of $^{187}Os(\lambda=1.67\times10^{-11}year^{-1})$ is being widely used in cosmochemistry and geochemistry. Along with the development of elemental separation and mass-spectrometric technique, the Re-Os isotopic system, like Sm-Nd, Rb-Sr, U-Th-Pb isotopic system, is now conventionally applied as a useful tool for absolute dating and isotoptc tracers. This paper introduces brief principles of Re-Os isotopic system and presents the general methodology fur dating the formation age of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle, based on the Re-Os isotopic data of the mantle xeonliths from South Korea.