• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.543-553
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• 2023

The current status of domestic a agalmatolite mines in South Korea was investigated with a view to establishing a stable supply of agalmatolite and managing its demand. Most mined agalmatolite deposits were formed through hydrothermal alteration of Mesozoic volcanic rocks. The physical characteristics of pyrophyllite, the main constituent mineral of agalmatolite, are as follows: specific gravity 2.65~2.90, hardness 1~2, density 1.60~1.80 g/cm³, refractoriness ≥29, and color white, gray, grayish white, grayish green, yellow, or yellowish green. Among the chemical components of domestic agalmatolite, SiO₂ and Al₂O₃ contents are respectively 58.2~67.2 and 23.1~28.8 wt.% for pyrophyllite, 49.2~72.6 and 16.5~31.0 wt.% for pyrophyllite + dickite, 45.1 and 23.3 wt.% for pyrophyllite + illite, 43.1~82.3 and 11.4~35.8 wt.% for illite, and 37.6~69.0 and 19.6~35.3 wt.% for dickite. Domestic agalmatolite mines are concentrated mainly in the southwest and southeast of the Korean Peninsula, with some occurring in the northeast. Twenty-one mines currently produce agalmatolite in South Korea, with reserves in the order of Jeonnam (45.6%) > Chungbuk (30.8%) > Gyeongnam (13.0%) > Gangwon (4.8%), and Gyeongbuk (4.8%). The top 10 agalmatolite-producing mines are in the order of the Central Resources Mine (37.9%) > Wando Mine (25.6%) > Naju Ceramic Mine (13.4%) > Cheongseok-Sajiwon Mine (5.4%) > Gyeongju Mine (5.0%) > Baekam Mine (5.0%) > Minkyung-Nohwado Mine (3.3%) > Bugok Mine (2.3%) > Jinhae Pylphin Mine (2.2%) > Bohae Mine. Agalmatolite has low thermal conductivity, thermal expansion, thermal deformation, and expansion coefficients, low bulk density, high heat and corrosion resistance, and high sterilization and insecticidal efficiency. Accordingly, it is used in fields such as refractory, ceramic, cement additive, sterilization, and insecticide manufacturing and in filling materials. Its scope of use is expanding to high-tech industries, such as water treatment ceramic membranes, diesel exhaust gas-reduction ceramic filters, glass fibers, and LCD panels.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.18 no.4 s.46
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• pp.259-266
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• 2005

X-ray diffraction (XRD), Electron microprobe analyses (EPMA) and heating experiments were used for mineralogical characterization of natural buserites collected from the Janggun and Dongnam mines. They are closely associated with $7-{\AA}$ phase (usually rancieite) in manganese oxide ores of the supergene oxidation zones of manganese carbonate deposits. Electron microprobe analyses give the average formula $(Ca_{0.78}Mg_{0.64}Mn^{2+}\;_{0.45})Mn^{4+}\;_{8.03}O_{18}\cdot13.2H_{2}O\;and\;(Zn_{0.81}Ca_{0.77}Mg_{0.26})Mn^{4+}\;_{8.00}O_{18}\cdot10.9H_{2}O$ for buserite from the Janggun and the Dongnam mine, respectively. The basal reflection of buserite from the Janggun mine shifts continuously from $9.86\;{\AA}\;at\;40^{\circ}C\;to\;7.60\;{\AA}\;at\;90^{\circ}C$, but the buserite from the Dongnam mine shows tendency of decreasing intensity in the $9.67^{\circ}C$ peak and of increasing intensity in the $7.53\;{\AA}$ peak in the range of $40\∼90^{\circ}C$, showing no gradual shifting of peaks.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.271-281
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• 2001

The characteristics of the heavy metal contamination in the soils affected by the tailings of the Palbong mine have been studied. The soils in the studied area consist mostly of loam by the particle size analysis, but a little of it, located near the stream, consist of loamy sand to sandy loam, finally to loam downward. The organic contents of soils are significantly low aoom 2 percent and the pH is in acidic ranging 6.0 $\pm$ 0.1. The samples of the parent rocks, the normal soils, the tailings and the channel deposits from the studied area were chemically analysed. From the result, the heavy metal concenlration of the soils is a little Jow compared with that of the parent rocks, shows the hydrologic process of the surface and the groundwater. The contamination of the tailings from the ore mining are high in lead, copper and arsenic. In the channel deposits the concenlrations of lead and copper are abnormally high but that of arsenic is uniquely low. And most of heavy metal contamination are decreased with the distance from the mine. It is caused by the properties of the surface and the ground water during the process of the heavy metal migration. The correlation-coefficient between sand and silt contents and the concentrations of Cd, Cu and Pb are significant but the amounts of As and Hg are increased with the clay contents. The dispersion of the heavy metals with the distance shows that the concentrations of them in the soils sampled at distance of 100 m to 200 m along the stream started near the Palbong mine are extremely high compared with those from other distances. These discrepancies are significant in Cd, Cu, Pb and Hg, but low in As. All the samples contain below detection limit of Cr+6 In the present stream water the concentrations of the heavy metals are not detected. So, it is interpreted that the concentrations in the soils are caused by the activities of the mining during the operation and have been continued by the dispersion from the tailings since after the closure of the mining, especially by the surface and ground water. The concentrations are diminished with the distance from the mining site, but in the interval of 800-2000 m increases abruptly. In the soil samples counted on the dispersion direction by wind, the lowering of the concentration is relatively uniform with the distance from the mining site. So, the rapid increase of the heavy metal concentrations is presumed to have been caused by the ground-water movement. In the migration of the heavy metals, the groundwater conditions, such as pH, Eh, the contents of colloidal particles, and Mn and Fe oxides are closely involveo. Integrating with these factors, it is interpreted that the groundwater conditions which have caused the heavy metal contamination of the studied area are those that the pH is about 3 in oxidized conditions, the contents of the colloidal particles are low, and Mn and Fe oxides are not involved in the migration of the heavy metals. Meanwhile, the vegetables growing on the soils in the studied area are not affected by the contamination of the heavy metals.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.163-176
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• 2009

The pyrophyllite deposits located in Jinhae area have been studied through field observations and laboratory works including the X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA) and Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP). The pyrophyllite deposits consist of mainly illite, dickite, pyrophyllite, diaspore, chlorite, pyrite and copiapite. According to the mineral assemblages, geological occurrences and alteration modes, the altered rocks can be classified into four types: Type A; quartz with silicifictaion, Type B; quartz + illite with illitization, Type C; quartz + dickite + illite with kaolin alteration, Type D; pyrophyllite + illite + dickite + diaspore with pyrophyllite alteraion. Rocks in Type A, which is generated by silicifictaion, have high $SiO_2$ contents more than 90 wt% and distinctive equigranular textures with microcrtstalline quartz. The pyrophyllites from the study area belong to 2M polytype. The host rocks of the pyrophyllite ore in this mine are rhyolitic rock, andecitic tuff and volcanic breccia. The alteration products seem to be controlled by the different lithology of the host rocks. The hydrothermal solution formed the deposits would be inferred to the acidic and have relatively high ionic activity of hydrogen and silica judging from alteration mineral assemblage. Pyrophyllite alteraion zone is generated by highest temperature condition of all alteration zone.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.311-325
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• 1993

The Ohto and Tohyun copper mine which are located 4 km southeast of Euiseong, Gyeongsangbukdo, Republic of Korea show various common geologic and mineralogic features. Both copper deposits are of hydrothermal-vein types, and associated with fracture system developed during formation of the Geumseong-san caldera in late Cretaceous age. According to structures and mineral assemblages, the mineralization processes have progressed in four stages: three hypogene mineralization stages and one supergene stage. Three hypogene stages are 1) stage I forming $N5{\sim}20^{\circ}E$ veins in the Ohto mine, 2) stage II building $N5^{\circ}W{\sim}N5^{\circ}E$ veins in the Tohyun mine, and 3) stage ill bringing $N80^{\circ}E$ veins which crosscut veins of the stage II. The vein ores consist mainly of pyrite, arsenopyrite, galena and chalcopyrite, minor or trace amounts of magnetite, hematite, pyrrhotite, stannite, bournonite, boulangerite, stibnite, galenobismutite, native bismuth, marcasite, geothite and malachite. The main gangue minerals are quartz and calcite. Wallrock is altered by sericitization, chloritization, pyritization, carbonitization and argillization. Arsenic and copper contents in arsenopyrite increase from stage I to stage III (from 31.28 to 33043 atom.% As) and (from 0.04 to 0040 atom.% Co). Going from stage I to stage III Fe and Mn contents in sphalerite decreases from 12.56 to 0.44 wt.% and from 0.24 to 0.01 wt.%, respectively. The compositional data of arsenopyrite in the early stage I indicate a temperature of $420{\sim}365^{\circ}C$ and sulfur fugacity of $10^{-6.5}{\sim}10^{-8.3}$ atm. Chalcopyrite and pyrrhotite assemblage suggest that Middle stage I was deposited at below $334^{\circ}C$. The compositional data of arsenopyrite in early stage II suggest a temperature range of $425{\sim}390^{\circ}C$ and sulfur fugacity codition of $10^{-6.4}{\sim}10^{-7.3}$ atm. Based on fluid inclusion the Middle stage II was regarded as to be deposited at $420{\sim}337^{\circ}C$ (Chi et al., 1989). Referring composition of sphalerite and stannite middle-late stage II seem to be deposited around $246^{\circ}C$ and $10^{-16.5}$ atm. sulfur fugacity. The ${\delta}^{34}S$ values of sulfide minerals in the Stage I, II, III range from 4.9 to 7.6%0 and indicate igneous ore fluid origin. Based on differences in mineral assemblages, chemical composition and chemical environments of Ohto and Tohyun mine its mineralization are considered to be formed at diffent mineralization ages and by different ore fluids.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.90-99
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• 1989

Manganese deposits ar the Dongnam mine occur as vein in the Pungchon limestone of Ordovician age. Manganese ore veins consist of the hydrothermal manganese carbonate ores in the deeper part and the supergene manganese oxide ores in the shallow part. Manganese carbonate ores consist mainly of rhodochrosite, with minor amount of proxmangite, garnet, calcite, quartz, pyrite, galena and sphalerite. Manganese oxide ores consist of rancieite, buserite, birnessite, vernadite, todorokite, pydrolusite, nsutite, hydrohetaerosite and goethite. Manganese oxide minerals were formed in the following sequences; 1) rhodochrosite ${\rightarrow}$ vernadite ${\rightarrow}$ birnessite ${\rightarrow}$ nsutite ${\rightarrow}$ pyrolusite, 2) pyroxmangite ${\rightarrow}$ birnessite, 3) Buserite ${\rightarrow}$ ransieite. Todorokite, buserite and hydrohetaerolite were precipitated from solution in the later stage. The natural analogue of synthetic buserite has been discovered from the mine. It has been disclosed that buserite transforms to rancicite by dehydration, and that distinction between buserite and todorokite is possible by X-ray diffraction studies combined with dehydration experiment. Minerals identified from the mine have been characterized using various methods including polarizing microscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis, infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis, infrared spectroscopy, elecrton microscopy and dehydration experiment.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.423-435
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• 2001

The gold-silver vein deposits in the Mugeug mineralized area are emplaced in late Cretaceous biotite granite associated with the pull-apart type Cretaceous Eumseong basin. Mugeug mine in northern part is composed of multiple veins showing relatively high gold fineness and is characterized by sericitization, chloritization and epidotization. The ore-forming fluids were evolved by dilution and cooling mechanisms at relatively high temperature and salinity (=30$0^{\circ}C$,1~9 equiv. wt. % NaCl) and highly-evolved meteoric water ($\delta$$^{18}$ O;-1.2~3.7$\textperthousand$) and gold mineralization associated with sulfides tormed at temperatures between 260 and 22$0^{\circ}C$ and within sulfur fugacity range of 10$^{-11.5}$ ~ 10$^{-13.5}$ atm. In contrast, Geumwang, Geumbong and Taegueg mines show the low fineness values, in southern part are characterized by increasing tendency of simple and/or stockwork veins and by kaolinitization, silicificatitan, carbonatization and smectitization. These droposits formed at relatively low temperature and salinity (<23$0^{\circ}C$, <3 equiv. wt. % NaCl) from ore-forming fluids containing greater amounts of less-evolved meteoric waters ($\delta$$^{18}$ O;-5.5~4.0$\textperthousand$), and silver mineralization representing various gold-and/or silver-bearing minerals formed at temperatures between 200 and 15$0^{\circ}C$ and from sulfur fugacity range of 10$^{-15}$ ~10$^{-18}$ atm These results imply that mineralization in the Mugueg area formed at shallow-crustal level and categorize these deposits as low-sulfidation epithermal type. The genetic differences between the northern and southern parts reflect the evolution of the hydrothermal system due to a different physicochemical environment from heat source area (Mugeug mine) to marginal area (Taegeum mine) in a geothermal field.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.109-122
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• 1986

Mn-Pb-Zn-Ag deposits of the Janggun mine are hosted in the Cambro-Ordovician Janggun limestone mostly along the contacts of the Jurassic Chunyang granite. The deposits are represented by several ore pipes and steeply dipping lenticular bodies consisting of lower Pb-Zn-Ag sulfide ores and upper manganese carbonate and oxide ores. The former consists mainly of arsenic, antimony, silver, manganese, and tin-bearing sulfides, whereas the latter are characterized by hypogene rhodochrosite, and superficial manganese oxides including todorokite, nsutite, pyrolusite, cryptomelane, birnesite and janggunite. Origin of the upper manganese ore deposits has been a controversial subject among geologists for this mine: hydrothermal metasomatic vs. syngenetic sedimentary origin. Syngenetic advocators have proposed a new sedimentary rock, rhodochrostone, which is composed mainly of rhodochrosite in mineralogy. In the present study, carbon, oxygen and sulfur isotopic compositions were analayzed obtaining results as follows: Rhodochrosite minerals, (Mn, Ca, Mg, Fe) $CO_3$, from hydrothermal veins, massive sulfide ores and replacement ores in dolomitic limestone range in isotopic value from -4.2 to -6.3‰ in ${\delta}^{13}C$(PDB) and +7.6 to +12.9‰ in ${\delta}^{18}O$(SMOW) with a mean value of -5.3‰ in ${\delta}^{13}C$ and +10.7‰ in ${\delta}^{18}O$. The rhodochrosite bearing limestone and dolomitic limestone show average isotopic values of -1.5‰ in ${\delta}^{13}C$ and +17.5‰ in ${\delta}^{18}O$, which differ from those of the rhodochrosite mentioned above. This implies that the carbon and oxygen in ore fluids and host limestone were not derived from an identical source. ${\delta}^{34}S$ values of sulfide minerals exhibit a narrow range, +2.0 to +5.0‰ and isotopic temperature appeared to be about $288{\sim}343^{\circ}C$. Calculated initial isotopic values of rhodochrosite minerals, ${\delta}^{18}O_{H_2O}=+6.6$ to +10.6‰ and ${\delta}^{13}C_{CO_2}=-4.0$ to -5.1 ‰, strongly suggest that carbonate waters should be deep seated in origin. Isotopic data of manganese oxide ores derived from hypogene rhodochrosites suggest that the oxygen of the limestone host rock rather than those of meteoric waters contribute to form manganese oxide ores above the water table.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.157-166
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• 2001

Numerous base-metal bearing hydrothermal quartz vein deposits occur in the Hunan province of southern China. The Tangguanpu lead-zinc-tin-silver mine is the major producer among these deposits. Lead-zinc-tin-silver mineralization occurs in a single stage of massive quartz veins which filled fractures in fault zones within Paleozoic metasedimentary rocks. Sphalerite, chalcopyrite, galena, pyrite, arsenopyrite and pyrrhotite are the principal sulphide minerals in the Tangguanpu lead-zinc ores with minor amounts of tin- and antimony-bearing sulphides (stannite, teallite, boulangerite and tetrahedrite). Based on the iron and zinc partitioning between coexisting stannite and sphalerite, the formation temperature for this mineral assemblage range from 300$^{\circ}$ to 330$^{\circ}$C, which relatively agree with the upper part of homogenization temperature of fluid inclusion in quartz (20T-358$^{\circ}$C). Fluid inclusion data show that main lead-zine-tin-silver mineralization occurred from $H_{2}O$-NaCl fluids with relatively low salinities (11.2-7.3 wl.% eg. NaCI) at temperatures between 207$^{\circ}$ and 358$^{\circ}$C. The relationship between homogenization temperature and salinity suggests a history of cooling and dilution followed by initial boiling. Evidence of initial fluid boiling may indicate the fluid trapping pressures of 180 bars. The ${\delta}^{34}S{{\Sigma}S}$ values of -5.0 to 1.1 %, indicate an igneous source of sulfur in the Tangguanpu lead-zinc-tin-silver hydrothermal fluids.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.273-282
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• 1984

The Buncheon manganese ore deposits occur in vein along the fault of $N20^{\circ}E$, cutting the foliation of Yulri Series. The deposits consist of primary manganese silicate ores in the deeper part and superficial manganese oxide ores near the surface. The spatial distribution of manganese oxide ores with respect to the manganese silicate ores suggests that the manganese oxide ores are the supergene oxidation product of the manganese silicate ores. Manganese silicate ores consist mainly of fine-to coarse-grained pyroxmangite with minor rhodochrosite, quartz, sulfides and chlorite. Manganese oxide ores are composed of supergene manganese oxides such as nsutite, birnessite, manganite and todorokite, and other associated minerals. Paragenetic sequence of formation of the manganese minerals are as follows: $\array{{rhodochrosite{_{\rightarrow}^o}todorokite{_{\searro}^o}}\\pyroxmangite{_{\line(10){90}}^o}{\nearro}}birnessite{_{\rightarrow}^o}nsutite{_{\rightarrow}^s}manganite$ In order to elucidate the mineralogy of the manganese minerals, microscopic, X-ray, IR spectroscopic, and thermal studies were made for manganese and associated minerals.