• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.117-128
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• 2017

Occurrence characteristics and existing forms of U-Th containing minerals in KURT (KAERI Underground Research Tunnel) granite are investigated to understand long-term behavior of radionuclides in granite considered as a candidate rock for the geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste. KURT granite primarily consists of quartz, feldspar and mica. zircon, REE(Rare Earth Element)-containing monazite and bastnaesite are also identified. Besides, secondary minerals such as sericite, microcline and chlorite including quartz vein and calcite vein are observed. These minerals are presumed to be accompanied by a post-hydrothermal process. U-Th containing minerals are mainly observed at the boundaries of quartz, feldspar and mica, mostly less than $30{\mu}m$ in size. Quantitative analysis results using EPMA (Electron Probe Micro-Analyzer) show that 74.2 ~ 96.5% of the U-Th containing minerals consist of $UO_2$ (3.39 ~ 33.19 wt.%), $ThO_2$ (41.61 ~ 50.24 wt.%) and $SiO_2$ (15.43 ~ 18.60 wt.%). Chemical structure of the minerals calculated using EPMA quantitative analysis shows that the U-Th minerals are silicate minerals determined as thorite and uranothorite. The U-Th containing silicate minerals are formed by a magmatic and hydrothermal process. Therefore, KURT granite formed by a magmatic differentiation is accompanied by an alteration and replacement owing to a hydrothermal process. U-Th containing silicate minerals in KURT granite are estimated to be recrystallized by geochemical factors and parameters such as temperature, pressure and pH owing to the hydrothermal process. By repeated dissolution/precipitation during the recrystallization process, U-Th containing silicate minerals such as thorite and uranothorite are formed according to the variation in the concentrated amount of U and Th.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.14 no.2 s.40
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• pp.116-126
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• 2005

The Precambrian quartzite and calc-schist layers experienced multi-1310ing events are distributed along the two kinds of U-shaped 1310 (Fold I and II) with $N10^{\circ}E-directed$ fo1d axis in Wollong-myeon, Gwangtan-myeon, Jori-myeon of Paju city, the northeastern part of Gyeonggido. Occurrence of 10 layers of quartzite and 4 layers of calc-schist is not clear whether quartzite and schist layers were deposited sequentially each other or one to two layers of quartzite and schist were distributed repeatedly by isoclinal folding and thrusting, because of lack of sedimentary structures. In this paper, we tried to clarify the correlative relationship among the quartzite beds which are distributed along the U-shaped folds using geochemical tools such as rare earth element (REE) patterns and Nd isotope ratio. Quartzites have characteristics of LREE-flattened, HREE- slightly depleted patterns. They also show Ce negative anomaly whereas there are no Eu anomalies. As a result, quartzite beds occurred along the bilateral sides of fold axis show very similar REE patterns from outer side to inner side of 1314. The Nd model age of quartzite layers shows a trend that the inner part of fold is younger than the outer part of it. Such geochemical characteristics suggest that bilateral quartzite beds occurred along the fold axis were derived from the cogenetic source materials. The REE patterns and trace element geochemistry of mica schist intercalated within quartzite indicate that the quartzite and mica schist may be derived from different source materials. Our results suggest that REE and Nd isotope geochemistries may be very useful in clarifying the relationship of sedimentary deposits which do not show stratigraphical and structural connections in the field.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.87-96
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• 2014

The objectives of this study were to characterize the physicochemical properties and mineralogy of Hwangto (yellow residual soils) from the southwestern part of Korea and to understand the soil-forming processes of the residual soils from their parent rocks. Both the yellowish residual soils as well as the unweathered and weathered parent rocks were obtained from Jangdong-ri, Donggang-myun, Naju, Jeollanam-do, Korea. The soil samples were examined to analyze the said soil's physicochemical properties such as color, pH, and particle size distribution. A scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis were performed in order to understand the mineralogy, chemical composition, and morphology of the soils. Two thin sections of a parent rock were analyzed to study its mineral composition. A particle size analysis of the soils indicates that the residual soil consists of mainly silt and clay (approximately 95%) and that soil textures are silty clay or silt clay loam. The soil colors of the residual soil are dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) through yellowish red (5YR 4/6). The pH of the residual soil ranges from 4.3 to 5.1. The major minerals of the parent rocks were quartz, biotite, chlorite, and plagioclase. The mineralogy of the sand fraction of the residual soil was quartz, biotite, muscovite and sanidine. The mineralogy of the silt fraction of the residual soil was quartz, biotite, muscovite, Na-feldspar, K-feldspar, and sanidine. The clay mineralogy of the soil was goethite, kaolinite, ilite, hydroxy-interlayed vermiculite(HIV), vermiculite, mica, K-feldspar and quartz. The mineral composition of the residual soil and the parent rock indicates that feldspar and mica in the parent rock weathered into illite, vermiculite and hydroxy-interlayed vermiculite(HIV), and finally changed into kaolinite and halloysite in the yellowish residual soils.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.19-31
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• 2013

To figure out the decay characteristics of naturally occurring radionuclides, eight sampled groundwaters from a monitoring borehole having high levels of uranium and radon concentrations in a two mica granitic area have analyzed by liquid scintillation counters (LSC) for over 1 year. In December 2011, three groundwater samples (DJ1, DJ2, DJ3) were obtained from each aquifer system located at -20 m, -40 m, -60 m of the monitoring borehole below the ground surface, respectively. Five samples (DJ4, DJ5, DJ6, DJ7, DJ8) were additionally gained from each aquifer positioned -20 m, -40 m, -60 m, -100 m, -105 m of the borehole in February 2012, respectively. Temporal variation characteristics of uranium and radon concentrations have showed over maximum 2.1 times and 1.4 times fluctuations of the values in the same sampling intervals over time, respectively. The intervals of -40 m and -105 m in the borehole have the highest values of uranium and radon concentrations, respectively. This may imply that the concentrations of naturally occurring radionuclides such as uranium and radon in groundwater have been changed over time and indicate that the qualities of groundwaters from the aquifers developed at each interval in the borehole are different each other. This discrepancy, moreover, could be caused by behaviour differences between uranium which is in ionic status having a half life of 4.6 billion years and is transported along with the flowing groundwater, and radon which is in gaseous status having a 3.82 day's half life in the aquifer systems. Physicochemical characteristics of groundwaters from the aquifer systems could be identified by the results of the on-situ measuring items such as pH and Eh, and the major ionic contents. The CPM values of eight groundwater samples analysed by LSC over one year have shown not to follow the theoretical decay curve of the radon. The CPM values of the samples have ranged from 2 to 7.5 after it had passed two months when the theoretical CPM values of the radon started zero since the initial analysis. Alpha and beta particle spectrums have shown the peaks of radium-226, however they have not revealed any peaks of radon and it's daughter products such as polonium-218 and 214, bismuth-214 for the late stage of the analysis. This implies that the groundwater from the borehole may contain radium-226 having a half life of 1,600 years which decays continuously.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.143-153
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• 2012

Mica-type minerals (illites) in the shales of the Jigunsan formation at Seokgaejae in Samchuk-City, Gangwon-do are studied using electron probe micro analysis (EPMA). The average chemical formula of the mica-type mineral obtained from the quantitative analysis is $(K_{1.17}Na_{0.04}Ca_{0.01})(Al_{2.80}Mg_{1.17}Fe_{0.78})(Si_{6.34}Al_{1.66})O_{20}(OH)_4$, which shows a chemical formula within the range of illite. These illites so called can be considered as mixed-phases among muscovite, pyrophyllite and chlorite due to the low contents of interlayer cations and high Mg, Fe. The formula of illite is separated into those three minerals and the method for the separation is newly formulated and proposed in this study. From the formula of illite, the content of muscovite is estimated from K (Na and Ca included), the content of chlorite by Mg+Fe, and the rest remains as pyrophyllite. The chemical formula of muscovite can be calculated by subtracting the compositions of pyrophyllite and chlorite from the analyzed composition of illite using an ideal formula for pyrophyllite and analyzed average formula for chlorite. The calculated formula of muscovite is supposed to be stoichiometric in principle. The result of the separation of analyzed illite is 61% muscovite, 27.3% chlorite and 11.7% pyrophyllite and the calculated formula of muscovite after separation is $(K,Na,Ca)_{2.00}Al_{3.69}(Si_{6.75}Al_{1.25})O_{20}(OH)_4$. The calculated formula of muscovite slightly low in Al content can be considered to be reasonable in general when the low content of Al in the rock and the uncertainties of chlorite compositions used in the calculation are counted. This supports that the method of separation proposed in this study is also applicable.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 2002

The study area is mostly composed of Precambrian Gyeonggi gneiss complex, Jurassic Daebo granites, Cretaceous tonalite and dykes, and so on. On the basis of field survey and mineral assemblage, the granites can be divided into three types; biotite granite (Gb), garnet biotite granite (Ggb) and two mica granite (Gtm). They predominantly belong to monzo-granites from the modes. Field relationship and K-Ar mica age data in the surrounding area suggest that intrusive sequences are older in order of Gtm, Ggb and Gb. Gb and Ggb, major study targets, occur as medium-coarse grained rocks, and show light grey and light grey-light pink colors, respectively. Mineral constituents are almost similar except for opaque in Gb and garmet in Ggb. Gb and Ggb have felsic, peraluminous, subalkaline and calc alkaline natures. In Harker diagram, both rocks show moderately negative trends of $TiO_2$, MgO, CaO, $Al_2O_3$, $Fe_2O_3$(t), $K_2O$ and $P_2O_5$ as $SiO_2$ contents increase. Among them, $TiO_2$, MgO and CaO show two linear trends. From the trends and the linear patterns in AFM, Sr-Ba and Rb-Ba-Sr relations, it is likely that they were originated from the same granitic magma and Ggb was differentiated later than Gb. REE concentrations normalized to chondrite value have trends of parallel LREE enrichment and HREE depletion. One data of Ggb showing a gradually enriched HREE trend may be caused by garnet accompaniment. Ggb have more negative Eu anomalies than Gb, suggesting that plagioclase fractionation in Ggb have occurred much stronger than that in Gb. In modal (Qz+Af) vs. Op, Gb and Ggb belong to magnetite-series and ilmenite-series, respectively. From the EPMA results, opaques of Gb are magnetite and ilmenite, and those of Ggb are magnetite-free ilmenite or not observed. Bimodal distribution of magnetic susceptibility reveals two different granites of Gb (332.6 ${mu}SI$) and Ggb (2.3 ${mu}SI$). Based on the paleomagnetic analysis as well as modal analysis, the main susceptibilities of Gb and Ggb reside in magnetite and mafic minerals, respectively. They belong to S-type granite of non-magnetic granite by susceptibility value. In addition, $SiO_2$ contents, $K_2O/Na_2O$, A/CNK molar ratio and ACF diagram support that they all belong to S-type granites.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.259-274
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• 2019

Using portable XRF and SWIR analyzer, the characteristics of element dispersion and wallrock alterations induced by interaction between hydrothermal fluids and host rocks were investigated and ore exploration factors were estimated for the orogenic-type Samgwang Au deposits. On this purpose, in-situ measurements were conducted for 804 spots at regular intervals with a total of 4,824 times for host rocks, consisting of schist and gneiss, and altered wallrocks contacted with quartz veins in the Bonhang adit of the deposit, and the results were compared with quantitative data obtained by XRF and ICP analysis. The regression coefficients are 0.88 for major elements and 0.56 for trace elements, excluding V. For polished rock slabs, better results came out for major elements, 0.97 and for trace elements, 0.65. In altered wallrocks contacted with quartz veins, elements such as Fe, Zn, and Rb exhibit positive correlations with As in concentrations, while V forms a negative trend. Contour maps demonstrate that As, Zn, Rb, Fe, Ti, Cr, and Ni are enriched together near quartz veins, showing similar elemental behaviors. In-situ analysis using portable SWIR analyzer represents that schist and gneiss contain mica, illite, chlorite, sericite, amphibole, and epidote, while illite, sericite, gypsum, and mica are present in the altered rocks contacted with quartz veins. In contour maps, chlorite occurs mostly in host rocks, while sericite is concentrated near quartz veins. These results are similar to those of previous studies for element dispersion and hydrothermal alteration, and support the possibility for application of in-situ analysis on the exploration of orogenic gold deposit.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.4-31
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• 2018

The Neolithic pottery excavated from the Jungsandong site has been classified into four types of pottery (I: feldspar type, II: mica type, III: talc type and IV: asbestos type) according to their mineral composition. These four types of potteries generally appear to have undergone incomplete firing, while the level of oxidation in the type I pottery objects, which have a relatively higher clay content, was found to be particularly low. The type III objects, which have a high talc content, are judged to have been somewhat slow in removing carbon because they contain saponite belonging to the smectite group. Of the four types of pottery, type IV showed the highest redness and the most uniform characteristics, thus indicating a good level of oxidation. In particular, fixed carbide (C; 33.7 wt.%) with a thickness of about 1mm, and originating from organic substances, was detected inside the walls of the type I pottery, while the deep radial cracks in the outer surfaces of the pottery are thought to have been caused by repeated thermal shocks. Given that all of the pottery except for the type I artifacts are considered to be have been made for storage purposes, those containing talc and tremolite are easy to done liquid storing vessels based on an analysis of their material characteristics. As for the type II relics, which are composed of various minerals and exhibit poor physical properties, they seem to have been used for simple storage purposes. As domestic talc and asbestos mines were concentrated in the areas of Gyeonggi, Gangwon, Chungbuk, and Chungnam, it seems likely that talc and tremolite were produced as contiguous minerals. Considering the distance between the remains in Jungsandong and these mines and their geographical distribution, there is a possibility - albeit somewhat slight - that these mines were developed for the mining of various minerals. Although ultramafic rock masses - such as serpentine capable of generating talc and tremolite - have not been found in the Jungsandong area, limestone and biotite granite containing mica schist have been identified in the northwestern part of Yeongjong Island, indicating that small rock masses might have formed there in the past. Therefore, it is judged necessary to accumulate data on pottery containing talc and tremolite, other than the remains in Jungsandong, and to investigate the rocks and soils in the surrounding area with greater precision. The firing temperatures of the pottery found at the Jungsandong site were interpreted by analyzing the stability ranges of the mineral composition of each type. As a result, they have been estimated to range from 550 to $800^{\circ}C$ for the type I artifacts, and from 550 to $700^{\circ}C$ for the type I, II and IV artifacts. However, these temperatures are not the only factors to have affected their physical properties and firing temperature, and the types, particle sizes, and firing time of the clay should all be taken into consideration.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.38 no.5_1
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• pp.609-625
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• 2022

Validation of satellite data products is critical for subsequent analysis that is based on the data. Particularly, performance of ocean color products in turbid and shallow near-land ocean areas has been questioned for long time for its difficulty that stems from the complex optical environment with varying distribution of water constituents. Furthermore, validation with ship-based or station-based measurements has also exhibited clear limitation in its spatial scale that is not compatible with that of satellite data. This study firstly performed validation of major GOCI-II products such as remote sensing reflectance, chlorophyll-a concentration, suspended particulate matter, and colored dissolved organic matter, using the in-situ measurements collected from ship-based field campaign. Secondly, this study also presents preliminary analysis on the use of drone images for product validation. Multispectral images were acquired from a MicaSense RedEdge camera onboard a UAV to compensate for the significant scale difference between the ship-based measurements and the satellite data. Variation of water radiance in terms of camera altitude was analyzed for future application of drone images for validation. Validation conducted with a limited number of samples showed that GOCI-II remote sensing reflectance at 555 nm is overestimated more than 30%, and chlorophyll-a and colored dissolved organic matter products exhibited little correlation with in-situ measurements. Suspended particulate matter showed moderate correlation with in-situ measurements (R²~0.6), with approximately 20% uncertainty.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.671-687
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• 2021

This study investigated the firing temperature and thermal deformation process of roof tiles excavated from the connected stone-mound tomb in Seokchon-dong, Seoul, based on mineralogical and physical properties. A large number of roof tiles were excavated from the tomb site and some roof tiles were deformed by heat and were fired in uneven conditions. The colors of original roof tiles and their cores are mostly yellowish-brown, with high water absorption over 12%, containing fine-grained textures and some minerals such as quartz, feldspars, amphibole, and mica. It is estimated that the original roof tiles were fired below 900℃ in oxidation condition, showing loose matrices and mica layers by scanning electron microscopy. However, deformed roof tiles have the uneven surface color of reddish-brown and bluish-gray, and those cross-sections have sandwich structures in which dense reddish-brown surface and porous grey core coexist. They contained mullite and hercynite, so it was estimated to have been fired over 1,000℃, with 0.81~11% water absorption. In some samples, bloating pores by overfiring were observed, which means that they were fired at more than 1,200℃. In addition, the refirng experiments that the original roof tile was fired between 800℃ and 1,200℃ were carried out to investigate the physical and mineralogical properties of roof tiles compared to deformed ones. As a result, the water absorption decreased rapidly and the mineral phase started to change over 1,000℃. As the temperature gradually rises, the matrices are partially melted and recrystallized, resulting in similar thermal characteristics of deformed roof tiles. Therefore, the roof tiles from ancient tombs in Seokchon-dong seem to experience the secondary high temperature of 1,000 to 1,200℃ under uneven firing conditions, resulting in deformation characteristics such as shape transformation and mineral phase transition. It is considered to have been related to cremation rituals at the tombs of Seockchon-dong during the Baekje period.