• Title/Summary/Keyword: Marine geology

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Geology of Athabasca Oil Sands in Canada (캐나다 아사바스카 오일샌드 지질특성)

  • Kwon, Yi-Kwon
    • The Korean Journal of Petroleum Geology
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    • v.14 no.1
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    • pp.1-11
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    • 2008
  • As conventional oil and gas reservoirs become depleted, interests for oil sands has rapidly increased in the last decade. Oil sands are mixture of bitumen, water, and host sediments of sand and clay. Most oil sand is unconsolidated sand that is held together by bitumen. Bitumen has hydrocarbon in situ viscosity of >10,000 centipoises (cP) at reservoir condition and has API gravity between $8-14^{\circ}$. The largest oil sand deposits are in Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada. The reverves are approximated at 1.7 trillion barrels of initial oil-in-place and 173 billion barrels of remaining established reserves. Alberta has a number of oil sands deposits which are grouped into three oil sand development areas - the Athabasca, Cold Lake, and Peace River, with the largest current bitumen production from Athabasca. Principal oil sands deposits consist of the McMurray Fm and Wabiskaw Mbr in Athabasca area, the Gething and Bluesky formations in Peace River area, and relatively thin multi-reservoir deposits of McMurray, Clearwater, and Grand Rapid formations in Cold Lake area. The reservoir sediments were deposited in the foreland basin (Western Canada Sedimentary Basin) formed by collision between the Pacific and North America plates and the subsequent thrusting movements in the Mesozoic. The deposits are underlain by basement rocks of Paleozoic carbonates with highly variable topography. The oil sands deposits were formed during the Early Cretaceous transgression which occurred along the Cretaceous Interior Seaway in North America. The oil-sands-hosting McMurray and Wabiskaw deposits in the Athabasca area consist of the lower fluvial and the upper estuarine-offshore sediments, reflecting the broad and overall transgression. The deposits are characterized by facies heterogeneity of channelized reservoir sands and non-reservoir muds. Main reservoir bodies of the McMurray Formation are fluvial and estuarine channel-point bar complexes which are interbedded with fine-grained deposits formed in floodplain, tidal flat, and estuarine bay. The Wabiskaw deposits (basal member of the Clearwater Formation) commonly comprise sheet-shaped offshore muds and sands, but occasionally show deep-incision into the McMurray deposits, forming channelized reservoir sand bodies of oil sands. In Canada, bitumen of oil sands deposits is produced by surface mining or in-situ thermal recovery processes. Bitumen sands recovered by surface mining are changed into synthetic crude oil through extraction and upgrading processes. On the other hand, bitumen produced by in-situ thermal recovery is transported to refinery only through bitumen blending process. The in-situ thermal recovery technology is represented by Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage and Cyclic Steam Stimulation. These technologies are based on steam injection into bitumen sand reservoirs for increase in reservoir in-situ temperature and in bitumen mobility. In oil sands reservoirs, efficiency for steam propagation is controlled mainly by reservoir geology. Accordingly, understanding of geological factors and characteristics of oil sands reservoir deposits is prerequisite for well-designed development planning and effective bitumen production. As significant geological factors and characteristics in oil sands reservoir deposits, this study suggests (1) pay of bitumen sands and connectivity, (2) bitumen content and saturation, (3) geologic structure, (4) distribution of mud baffles and plugs, (5) thickness and lateral continuity of mud interbeds, (6) distribution of water-saturated sands, (7) distribution of gas-saturated sands, (8) direction of lateral accretion of point bar, (9) distribution of diagenetic layers and nodules, and (10) texture and fabric change within reservoir sand body.

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A Feasibility Study of AMT Application to Tidal Flat Sedimentary Layer (갯벌 지역의 하부퇴적층에 대한 AMT 탐사의 적용 가능성 평가)

  • Kwon, Byung-Doo;Lee, Choon-Ki;Park, Gye-Soon;Choi, Su-Young;Yoo, Hee-Young;Choi, Jong-Keun;Eom, Joo-Young
    • Journal of the Korean earth science society
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    • v.28 no.1
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    • pp.64-74
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    • 2007
  • The marine seismic prospecting using a research vessel in the shallow sea near the coastal area has certain limits according to the water depth and survey environment. Also, for the electrical resistivity survey at seashore area, one may need a specially designed high-voltage source to penetrate the very conductive surface layer. Therefore, we have conducted a feasibility study on the application of magnetotelluric method (MT), a passive geophysical method, on investigating of shallow marine environment geology. Our study involves both theoretical modeling and field survey at the tidal flat area which represent the very shallow marine environment. We have applied the audio-frequency magnetotelluric (AMT) method to the intertidal deposits of Gunhung Bay, west coast of Korea, and analysed the field data both qualitatively and quantitatively to investigate the morphology and sedimentary stratigraphy of the tidal flat. The inversion of AMT data well reveals the upper sedimentary layer of Holocene intertidal sediments having a range of 13-20 m thickness and the erosional patterns at the unconformable contact boundary. However, the AMT inversion results tend to overestimate the depth of basement (30-50 m) when compared with the seismic section (27-33 m). Since MT responses are not significantly sensitive to the resistivity of middle layer or the depth of basement, the AMT inversion result for basement may have to be adjusted using the comparison with other geophysical information like seismic section or logging data if possible. But, the AMT method can be an effective alternative choice for investigating the seashore area to get important basic informations such as the depositional environment of the tidal flat, sea-water intrusion and the basement structure near the sea shore.

Natural Heritage Values and Diversity of Geoheritages on Udo Island, Jeju Province (제주도 우도 지역 내 지질유산의 다양성과 가치)

  • Woo, Kyung Sik;Yoon, Seok Hoon;Sohn, Young Kwan;Kim, Ryeon;Lee, Kwang Choon;Lim, Jong Deock
    • Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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    • v.46 no.1
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    • pp.290-317
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    • 2013
  • The objectives of this study are to investigate the natural heritage and scientific value of various geosites on Udo Island, and to evaluate the sites as natural monuments and as world natural heritage properties. Udo Island includes a variety of geoheritage sites. Various land forms formed during the formation of the Someori Oreum formed by phreatomagmatic eruptions. The essential elements for the formation of Udo Island are the tuff cone, overflowing lava and overlying redeposited tuff sediments. Various coastal land forms are also present. About 6,000 years B.C., when sea-level rose close to its present level due to deglaciation since the Last Glacial Maximum, carbonate sediments have been formed and deposited in shallow marine environment surrounding Udo Island. In particular, the very shallow broad shelf between Udo Island and Jeju Island, less than 20 m in water depth, has provided perfect conditions for the formation of rhodoids. Significant amounts of rhodoids are now forming in this area. Occasional transport of these rhodoids by typhoons has produced unique beach deposits which are entirely composed of rhodoids. Additional features are the Hagosudong Beach with its white carbonate sands, the Geommeole Beach with its black tuffaceous sands and Tolkani Beach with its basalt cobbles and boulders. Near Hagosudong Beach, wind-blown sands in the past produced carbonate sand dunes. On the northern part of the island, special carbonate sediments are present, due to their formation by composite processes such as beach-forming process and transportation by typhoons. The development of several sea caves is another feature of Udo Island, formed by waves and typhoon erosion within tuffaceous sedimentary rocks. In particular, one sea cave found at a depth of 10 m is very special because it indicates past sea-level fluctuations. Shell mounds in Udo Island may well represent the mixed heritage feature on this island. The most valuable geoheritage sites investigated around Udo Isalnd are rhodoid depostis on beaches and in shallow seas, and Someori Oreum composed of volcanoclastic deposits and basalt lava. Beach and shallow marine sediments, composed only of rhodoids, appear to be very rare in the world. Also, the natural heritage value of the Someori Oreum is outstanding, together with other phreatomagmatic tuff cones such as Suwolbong, Songaksan and Yongmeori. Consequently, the rhodoid deposits and the Someori Oreum are worth being nominated for UNESCO World Natural Heritage status. The designation of Someori Oreum as a Natural Monument should be a prerequisite for this procedure.

Magnetic Characterization of the Cretaceous Rocks from the Buyeo and Hampyeong Basins (부여분지와 함평분지에 분포하는 백악기 암석에 대한 자기특성 연구)

  • Hong, Jun-Pyo;Suk, Dong-Woo;Doh, Seong-Jae
    • Economic and Environmental Geology
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    • v.40 no.2 s.183
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    • pp.191-207
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    • 2007
  • A paleomagnetic investigation for the Cretaceous rocks in the Buyeo and Hampyeong Basins, located out of the Gyeongsang Basin, was carried out in order to elucidate the paleomagnetic directions in conjunction with the formation of the basins. Typical stepwise thermal demagnetization and measurement methods were used to determine the directions of characteristic remanent magnetizations (ChRMs). The mean direction of the sedimentary rocks from the Buyeo Basin after bedding correction $(D/I=356.5^{\circ}/61.5^{\circ},\;k=39.3\;\alpha_{95}=7.4^{\circ})$, is more dispersed than that before bedding correction $(D/I=356.5^{\circ}/61.5^{\circ},\;k=39.3\;\alpha_{95}=7.4^{\circ})$, which suggests that the rocks in the Buyeo Basin were remagnetized. However, the statistics and dispersion of the ChRM directions after bedding correction are still acceptable and the paleomagnetic pole position after tilt correction $(Lat./Long.=69.3^{\circ}N/186.7^{\circ}E,\;K=11.6\;A_{95}=14.0^{\circ})$ is closer to that of the Late Cretaceous pole of the Korean Peninsula. More detailed study is needed to confirm the nature of the remagnetization in the Buyeo Basin. On the other hand, the paleomagnetic pole before bedding correction $(Lat./Long.=81.6^{\circ}N/106.9^{\circ}E,\;K=25.1\;A_{95}=9.3^{\circ})$ is positioned near the paleogene pole of the Eurasian APWP. The mean ChRM direction of the sedimentary rocks from the Hampyeong Basin after bedding correction is $D/I=32.5^{\circ}/55.4^{\circ},\;(k=35.6,\;\alpha_{95}=8.7^{\circ})$. It is more clustered than that before bedding correction $D/I=18.3^{\circ}/62.5^{\circ},\;k=14.1,\;\alpha_{95}=14.2^{\circ})$, indicating that the ChRM was acquired before tilting of the strata. The paleomagnetic pole position of the Cretaceous sedimentary rocks in the Hampyeong Basin, averaged out of site pole positions calculated from the tilt-corrected ChRMs, is $Lat./Long.=63.9^{\circ}N/202.7^{\circ}E,\;(K=21.3,\;A_{95}=7.6^{\circ})$, similar to the Late Cretaceous paleomagnetic pole of the Korean Peninsula $(Lat./Long.=70.9^{\circ}N/215.4^{\circ}E,\;A_{95}=5.3^{\circ})$, suggesting that the Hampyeong Basin has been stable since the Late Cretaceous period. One normal and two reversed ChRM directions are revealed through the measurements of the volcanic rocks from the Hampyeong Basin. Although these normal and reversed directions are not exactly antipodal, it is interpreted that the normal direction is the representative primary direction of the volcanic rocks of the Hampyeong Basin and the mixed polarity is the records of geomagnetic field at the time of the formation of the volcanic rocks. Paleomagnetic poles are at $Lat./Long.=70.2^{\circ}N/199.5^{\circ}E,\;(K=18.1,\;A_{95}=9.6^{\circ})$ for the normal direction, and $Lat./Long.=65.5^{\circ}S/251.3^{\circ}E,\;(K=7.1,\;A_{95}=20.7^{\circ})$ for the reversed direction. Compared with the representative pole positions of the Cretaceous period of the Korean Peninsula, it is concluded that the age of the volcanic rocks in the Hampyeong Basin is of the Late Cretaceous.

Diagenetic History of the Ordovician Chongson Limestone in the Chongson Area, Kangwon Province, Korea (강원도 정선 지역 오르도비스기 정선석회암의 속성 역사)

  • Bong, Lyon-Sik;Chung, Gong-Soo
    • Journal of the Korean earth science society
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    • v.21 no.4
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    • pp.449-468
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    • 2000
  • The Ordovician Chongson Limestone deposited in the carbonate ramp to the rimmed shelf shows diverse diagenetic features. The marine diagenetic feature appears as isopachous cements surrounding ooids and peloids. Meteoric diagenetic features are recrystallized finely and coarsely crystalline calcite, evaporite casts filled with calcite, and isopachous sparry calcite surrounding ooid grains. Shallow burial diagenetic features include wispy seam, microstylolite, and dissolution seam whereas deep burial features include stylolite, burial cements. blocky calcite with twin lamellae, and poikilotopic calcite. Dolomites consist of very finely to finely crystalline mosaic dolomite formed as supratidal dolomite, disseminated dolomite of diverse origin, patchy dolomite formed from bioturbated mottles, and saddle dolomite of burial origin. Silicified features include calcite-replacing quartz and fracture-filling megaquartz. Burial cements characterized by poikilotopic texture show ${\delta}^{18}$O value of -10.4 %$_o$ PDB, ${\delta}^{13}$C value of -1.0%$_o$ PDB and 504ppm Sr, 3643ppm Fe, and 152ppm Mn concentrations. Finely and coarsely crystalline limestones show similar ${\delta}^{18}$O and ${\delta}^{13}$C value to those of burial cements; however, they show lower Sr and higher Fe and Mn concentrations than burial cements. This suggests that very finely and coarsely crystalline limestones were recrystallized in freshwater and then they were readjusted geochemically in the burial setting whereas the burial cements were formed in relatively high temperature and low water/rock ratio conditions. Very finely and finely crystalline mosaic dolomites with ${\delta}^{18}$O value of -8.2%$_o$ PDB, ${\delta}^{13}$C value of -1.9 %$_o$ PDB, and 213ppm Sr, 3654ppm Fe, and 114ppm Mn concentrations, respectively are interpreted to have been formed penecontemporaneously in supratidal flat and then recrystallized in the low water/rock ratio burial environment. Geochemical data suggest that the low water/rock ratio burial environment was the dominant diagenetic setting in the Chongson Limestone. The Chongson Limestone has experienced marine and meteoric diagenesis during early diagenesis. With deposition of Haengmae and Hoedongri formations part of the Chongson Limestone was buried beneath these formations and it experienced shallow burial diagenesis. During the Devonian the Chongson Limestone was tectonically deformed and subaerially exposed. During the Carboniferous to the Permian about 3.3km thick Pyongan Supergroup was deposited on the Chongson Limestone and the Chongson Limestone was in deep burial depths and stylolite, burial cements, blocky calcite and saddle dolomite were formed. After this burial event the Chongson Limestone was subaerially exposed during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic by three periods of tectonic disturbance including Songnim, Daebo and Bulguksa disturbance. Since the Bulguksa disturbance during Cretaceous and early Tertiary the Chongson Limestone has been subaerially exposed.

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An Iterative, Interactive and Unified Seismic Velocity Analysis (반복적 대화식 통합 탄성파 속도분석)

  • Suh Sayng-Yong;Chung Bu-Heung;Jang Seong-Hyung
    • Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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    • v.2 no.1
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    • pp.26-32
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    • 1999
  • Among the various seismic data processing sequences, the velocity analysis is the most time consuming and man-hour intensive processing steps. For the production seismic data processing, a good velocity analysis tool as well as the high performance computer is required. The tool must give fast and accurate velocity analysis. There are two different approches in the velocity analysis, batch and interactive. In the batch processing, a velocity plot is made at every analysis point. Generally, the plot consisted of a semblance contour, super gather, and a stack pannel. The interpreter chooses the velocity function by analyzing the velocity plot. The technique is highly dependent on the interpreters skill and requires human efforts. As the high speed graphic workstations are becoming more popular, various interactive velocity analysis programs are developed. Although, the programs enabled faster picking of the velocity nodes using mouse, the main improvement of these programs is simply the replacement of the paper plot by the graphic screen. The velocity spectrum is highly sensitive to the presence of the noise, especially the coherent noise often found in the shallow region of the marine seismic data. For the accurate velocity analysis, these noise must be removed before the spectrum is computed. Also, the velocity analysis must be carried out by carefully choosing the location of the analysis point and accuarate computation of the spectrum. The analyzed velocity function must be verified by the mute and stack, and the sequence must be repeated most time. Therefore an iterative, interactive, and unified velocity analysis tool is highly required. An interactive velocity analysis program, xva(X-Window based Velocity Analysis) was invented. The program handles all processes required in the velocity analysis such as composing the super gather, computing the velocity spectrum, NMO correction, mute, and stack. Most of the parameter changes give the final stack via a few mouse clicks thereby enabling the iterative and interactive processing. A simple trace indexing scheme is introduced and a program to nike the index of the Geobit seismic disk file was invented. The index is used to reference the original input, i.e., CDP sort, directly A transformation techinique of the mute function between the T-X domain and NMOC domain is introduced and adopted to the program. The result of the transform is simliar to the remove-NMO technique in suppressing the shallow noise such as direct wave and refracted wave. However, it has two improvements, i.e., no interpolation error and very high speed computing time. By the introduction of the technique, the mute times can be easily designed from the NMOC domain and applied to the super gather in the T-X domain, thereby producing more accurate velocity spectrum interactively. The xva program consists of 28 files, 12,029 lines, 34,990 words and 304,073 characters. The program references Geobit utility libraries and can be installed under Geobit preinstalled environment. The program runs on X-Window/Motif environment. The program menu is designed according to the Motif style guide. A brief usage of the program has been discussed. The program allows fast and accurate seismic velocity analysis, which is necessary computing the AVO (Amplitude Versus Offset) based DHI (Direct Hydrocarn Indicator), and making the high quality seismic sections.

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Lithologic and Structural Controls and Geochemistry of Uranium Deposition in the Ogcheon Black-Slate Formation (옥천대(沃川帶) 우라늄광층(鑛層)의 구조규제(構造規制) 및 지구화학적(地球化學的) 특성연구(特性硏究))

  • Lee, Dai Sung;Yun, Suckew;Lee, Jong Hyeog;Kim, Jeong Taeg
    • Economic and Environmental Geology
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    • v.19 no.spc
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    • pp.19-41
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    • 1986
  • Structural, radioactive, petrological, petrochemical, mineralogical and stable isotopic study as well as the review of previous studies of the uranium-bearing slates in the Ogcheon sequence were carried out to examine the lithological and structural controls, and geochemical environment in the uranium deposition in the sequence. And the study was extended to the coal-bearing formation (Jangseong Series-Permian) to compare the geochemical and sedimentologic aspects of uranium chemistry between Ogcheon and Hambaegsan areas. The results obtained are as follows: 1. The uranium mineralization occurs in the carbonaceous black slates of the middle to lower Guryongsan formation and its equivalents in the Ogcheon sequence. In general, two or three uranium-bearing carbonaceous beds are found with about 1 to 1.5km stratigraphic interval and they extend from Chungju to Jinsan for 90km in distance, with intermittent igneous intrusions and structural Jisturbances. Average thickness of the beds ranges from 20 to 1,500m. 2. These carbonaceous slate beds were folded by a strong $F_1$-fold and were refolded by subsequent $F_1$-fold, nearly co-axial with the $F_1$, resulting in a repeated occurrence of similar slate. The carbonaceous beds were swelled in hing zones and were shrinked or thined out in limb by the these foldings. Minor faulting and brecciation of the carbonaceous beds were followed causing metamorphism of these beds and secondary migration and alteration of uranium minerals and their close associations. 3. Uranium-rich zones with high radioactive anomalies are found in Chungju, Deogpyong-Yongyuri, MiwonBoun, Daejeon-Geumsan areas in the range of 500~3,700 cps (corresponds to 0.017~0.087%U). These zones continue along strike of the beds for several tens to a few hundred meters but also discontinue with swelling and pinches at places that should be analogously developed toward underground in their vertical extentions. The drilling surveyings in those area, more than 120 holes, indicate that the depth-frequency to uranium rich bed ranging 40~160 meter is greater. 4. The features that higher radioactive anomalies occur particularly from the carbonaceous beds among the argillaceous lithologic units, are well demonstrated on the cross sections of the lithology and radioactive values of the major uranium deposits in the Ogcheon zone. However, one anomalous radioactive zone is found in a l:ornfels bed in Samgoe, near Daejeon city. This is interpreted as a thermal metamorphic effect by which original uranium contents in the underlying black slate were migrated into the hornfels bed. 5. Principal minerals of the uranium-bearing black slates are quartz, sericite, biotite and chlorite, and as to chemical composition of the black slates, $Al_2O_3$ contents appear to be much lower than the average values by its clarke suggesting that the Changri basin has rather proximal to its source area. 6. The uranium-bearing carbonaceous beds contain minor amounts of phosphorite minerals, pyrite, pyrrhotite and other sulfides but not contain iron oxides. Vanadium. Molybdenum, Barium, Nickel, Zirconium, Lead, Cromium and fixed Carbon, and some other heavy metals appear to be positive by correlative with uranium in their concentrations, suggesting a possibility of their genetic relationships. The estimated pH and Eh of the slate suggests an euxenic marine to organic-rich saline water environment during uranium was deposited in the middle part of Ogcheon zone. 7. The Carboniferous shale of Jangseong Series(Sadong Series) of Permian in Hambaegsan area having low radioactivity and in fluvial to beach deposits is entirely different in geochemical property and depositional environment from the middle part of Ogcheon zone, so-called "Pibanryong-Type Ogcheon Zone". 8. Synthesizing various data obtained by several aspects of research on uranium mineralization in the studied sequence, it is concluded that the processes of uranium deposition were incorporated with rich organic precipitation by which soluble uranyl ions, $U{_2}^{+{+}}$ were organochemically complexed and carried down to the pre-Ogcheon sea bottoms formed in transitional environment, from Red Sea type basin to Black Sea type basin. Decomposition of the organic matter under reducing conditions to hydrogen sulfide, which reduced the $UO{_2}^{+2}$ ions to the insoluble uranium dioxide($UO_2$), on the other side the heavy metals are precipitated as sulfides. 9. The EPMA study on the identification of uraninite and others and the genetic interpretation of uranium bearing slates by isotopic values of this work are given separately by Yun, S. in 1984.

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Marine Geophysical Constraints on the Origin and Evolution of Ulleung Basin and the Seamounts in the East Sea (울릉분지와 동해 해산의 기원과 발달과정에 대한 해양지구물리학적 연구)

  • Kim Jinho;Park Soo-chul;Kang Moo-hee;Kim Kyong-O;Han Hyun-chul
    • Economic and Environmental Geology
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    • v.38 no.6 s.175
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    • pp.643-656
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    • 2005
  • The East Sea, a marginal sea or back-arc basin, consists of Japan Basin, Yamato Basin, and Ulleung Basin and is surrounded by the Pacific Plate and Philippine Sea Plate. Ulleung Basin locates in the southwestern part of the East Sea and shows the depth of 1,500 m in average and 2,500 m in maximum, connecting to the Japan Basin along 2,000 m contour. The slope of the seafloor is greater in the western side of the basin than in the southern and the eastern side. The crustal thickness of the Ulleung Basin from the OBS tends to get thicker toward the north and the west side and the sediment thickness of the Ulleung Basin is getting thicker toward the southeast side and reaches up to 12 km. The crustal type of the Ulleung Basin was variously suggested as like as a rifted continental crust, an extended continental crust, and an incipient oceanic trust. The origin of the crustal formation and the Ulleung Basin, however, is still controversial. Based on the bathymetry and gravtiy anomaly data for this study, the axis of the Ulleung Basin shows that the basin develops along the axis trending NW-SE direction and reveals a general symmetry of the bathymetry. And also the free-air gravity anomalies show a very similar pattern to the bathymetry of the basin. The sediment thickness is relatively thicker in the southeastern side of the basin than in the northwestern side. Although the crustal age of the Ulleung Basin is supposed to be younger than them of the Japan Basin and the Yamato Basin, the free-air gravity anomalies of the Ulleung Basin ranging -40 to 50 mGals are lower than the other basins, which suggests that the densities of crust and sediment of the Ulleng Basin are lower than the Japan Basin and the Yamato Basin.

Structural Evolution of the Eastern Margin of Korea: Implications for the Opening of the East Sea (Japan Sea) (한국 동쪽 대륙주변부의 구조적 진화와 동해의 형성)

  • Kim Han-Joon;Jou Hyeong-Tae;Lee Gwang-Hoon;Yoo Hai-Soo;Park Gun-Tae
    • Economic and Environmental Geology
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    • v.39 no.3 s.178
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    • pp.235-253
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    • 2006
  • We interpreted marine seismic profiles in conjunction with swath bathymetric and magnetic data to investigate rifting to breakup processes at the Korean margin leading to the separation of the Japan Arc. The Korean margin is rimmed by fundamental elements of rift architecture comprizing a seaward succession of a rift basin and an uplifted rift flank passing into the slope, typical of a passive continental margin. In the northern part, rifting occurred in the Korea Plateau, a continental fragment extended and partially segmented from the Korean Peninsula, that provided a relatively broader zone of extension resulting in a number of rifts. Two distinguished rift basins (Onnuri and Bandal Basins) in the Korea Plateau we bounded by major synthetic and smaller antithetic faults, creating wide and symmetric profiles. The large-offset border fault zones of these basins have convex dip slopes and demonstrate a zig-zag arrangement along strike. In contrast, the southern margin is engraved along its length with a single narrow rift basin (Hupo Basin) that is an elongated asymmetric half-graben. Rifting at the Korean margin was primarily controlled by normal faulting resulting from extension in the west and southeast directions orthogonal to the inferred line of breakup along the base of the slope rather than strike-slip deformation. Although rifting involved no significant volcanism, the inception of sea floor spreading documents a pronounced volcanic phase which seems to reflect slab-induced asthenospheric upwelling as well as rift-induced convection particularly in the narrow southern margin. We suggest that structural and igneous evolution of the Korean margin can be explained by the processes occurring at the passive continental margin with magmatism intensified by asthenospheric upwelling in a back-arc setting.

Study on the Geochemical Weathering Process of Sandstones and Mudstones in Pohang Basin at CO2 Storage Condition (지중저장 조건에서 초임계CO2에 의한 포항분지 사암과 이암의 지화학적 풍화반응 연구)

  • Park, Jinyoung;Lee, Minhee;Wang, Sookyun
    • Economic and Environmental Geology
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    • v.46 no.3
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    • pp.221-234
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    • 2013
  • Laboratory experiments for the reaction with supercritical $CO_2$ under the $CO_2$ sequestration condition were performed to investigate the mineralogical and geochemical weathering process of the sandstones and mudstones in the Pohang basin. To simulate the supercritical $CO_2$-rock-groundwater reaction, rock samples used in the experiment were pulverized and the high pressurized cell (200 ml of capacity) was filled with 100 ml of groundwater and 30 g of powdered rock samples. The void space of the high pressurized cell was saturated with the supercritical $CO_2$ and maintained at 100 bar and $50^{\circ}C$ for 60 days. The changes of mineralogical and geochemical properties of rocks were measured by using XRD (X-Ray Diffractometer) and BET (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller). Concentrations of dissolved cations in groundwater were also measured for 60 days of the supercritical $CO_2$-rock-groundwater reaction. Results of XRD analyses indicated that the proportion of plagioclase and K-feldspar in the sandstone decreased and the proportion of illite, pyrite and smectite increased during the reaction. In the case of mudstone, the proportion of illite and kaolinite and cabonate-fluorapatite increased during the reaction. Concentration of $Ca^{2+}$ and $Na^+$ dissolved in groundwater increased during the reaction, suggesting that calcite and feldspars of the sandstone and mudstone would be significantly dissolved when it contacts with supercritical $CO_2$ and groundwater at $CO_2$ sequestration sites in Pohang basin. The average specific surface area of sandstone and mudstone using BET analysis increased from $27.3m^2/g$ and $19.6m^2/g$ to $28.6m^2/g$ and $26.6m^2/g$, respectively, and the average size of micro scale void spaces for the sandstone and mudstone decreased over 60 days reaction, resulting in the increase of micro pore spaces of rocks by the dissolution. Results suggested that the injection of supercritical $CO_2$ in Pohang basin would affect the physical property change of rocks and also $CO_2$ storage capacity in Pohang basin.