• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.427-448
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• 2019

This study reconstructed the paleoenvironments and paleogeography of the Taebaeksan Basin, through a review of the previous researches on sedimentology, paleontology and stratigraphy. This study also carried out a sequence stratigraphic analysis on regional tectonism and sea-level fluctuations on the basin during the Early Paleozoic. The basin broadly occur in the Taebaek, Yeongweol-Jecheon, Jeongseon-Pyeongchang, and Mungyeong areas, Gangwon province, South Korea. The basin-fills are composed mainly of mixed carbonates and siliciclastics, divided into the Taebaek, Yeongweol, Yongtan, Pyeongchang and Mungyeong groups according to lithologies and stratigraphic characteristics. Recently, there are a lot of studies on the provenance and depositional ages of the siliciclastic sequences of the basin. The detrital sediments of the basin would be derived from two separated provenances of the core-Gondwana and Sino-Korean cratons. In the Early Cambrian, the Taebaek and Jeongseon-Pyeongchang platforms have most likely received detrital sediments from the provenance of the Sino-Korean craton. On the other hand, the detrital sediments of the Yeongweol-Jecheon platform was probably sourced by those of the core-Gondwana craton. This separation of provenance can be interpreted as the result of the paleogeographic and paleotopographic separation of the Yeongweol-Jecheon platform from the Taebaek and Jeongseon-Pyeongchang platforms. The analyses on detrital zircons additionally reveal that the separation of provenance was ceased by the eustatic rise of sea-level during the Middle Cambrian, and the detrital sediments of the Taebaeksan Basin were entirely supplied from those of the core-Gondwana craton. During that period, sediment supply from the Sino-Korean craton would be restricted due to inundation of the provenance area of the craton. On the other hand, the Jeongseon-Pyeongchang platform sequences show the unconformable relationship between the Early Cambrian siliciclastic and the Early Ordovician carbonate strata. It is indicative of presence of regional uplift movements around the platform which would be to the extent offset of the effects of the Middle to Late Cambrian eustatic sealevel rise. These movements expanded and were reinforced across the basin in the latest Cambrian and earliest Ordovician. After the earliest Ordovician, the basin was tectonically stabilized, and the shallow marine carbonate environments were developed on the whole-platform by the Early Ordovician global eustatic sea-level rise, forming very thick carbonate strata in the basin. In the Late Ordovician, the Early Paleozoic sedimentation on the basin was terminated by the large-scale tectonic uplift across the Sino-Korean platform including the Taebaeksan Basin.

• Journal of the Geological Society of Korea
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.489-499
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• 2018

A series of geological events such as the formation of the Antarctic continental ice sheets, the changes in ocean circulation and a mass extinction after the onset of Oligocene has been studied as major concerns by various researches. However, paleoclimatic and paleoceanographic changes during the most period of Oligocene since the Eocene-Oligocene transition (EOT) still remains unclear. Especially, although the late Oligocene warming (LOW) has been assessed as the largest period in the paleoceanographic changes, the detailed understanding on the changed components is very low. The purpose of this study is the reconstruction of the paleoceanographic history during the late Oligocene using core sediments from IODP Expedition 342 Site U1406 performed in J-Anomaly Ridge in North Atlantic. Because North Atlantic deep water (NADW) has flowed southward through the study area since the early Oligocene, this area has been considered to an important location for studies on the changes of NADW. The core sediment analyzed in this study were deposited from about 26.0 to 26.5 Ma as evidenced by both of onboard and shore-based paleomagnetic data, and this is corresponded to the earliest period of LOW. The sediment profile can be divided into three Units (Unit 1, 2 & 3) based on the changes in both of total number and test size of Oridorsalis umbonatus as well as grain size data of clastic sediments. Unit 2 represents largest values in these three data. Because the total number, test size of O. umbonatus and grain size can be proxy records on the oxygen concentration and circulation intensity of deep water, we interpreted that Unit 2 had been deposited during the period of relatively strengthened NADW. Previous Cibicidoides spp. stable isotope results from the low latitude region of the North Atlantic also support our interpretation that is the intensified formation of NADW during the identical period. In conclusion, our results present a new evidence for the previous ideas that the causes on LOW are directly related to the changes in NADW.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.34 no.6_4
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• pp.1503-1517
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• 2018

Mt. Baekdu is a stratovolcano located at the border between China and North Korea and is known to have formed through its differentiation stage after the Oligocene epoch in the Cenozoic era. There has been a growing interest in the magma re-activity of Mt. Baekdu volcano since 2010. Several research projects have been conducted by government such as Korea Meteorological Administration and Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources. Because, however, the Mt. Baekdu volcano is located far from South Korea, it is quite difficult to collect in-situ observations by terrestrial equipment. Remote sensing is a science to analyze and interpret information without direct physical contact with a target object. Various types of platform such as automobile, unmanned aerial vehicle, aircraft and satellite can be used for carrying a payload. In the past several decades, numerous volcanic studies have been conducted by remotely sensed observations using wide spectrum of wavelength channels in electromagnetic waves. In particular, radar remote sensing has been widely used for volcano monitoring in that microwave channel can gather surface's information without less limitation like day and night or weather condition. Radar interferometric technique which utilized phase information of radar signal enables to estimate surface displacement such as volcano, earthquake, ground subsidence or glacial movement, etc. In 2018, long-term research project for collaborative observation for Mt. Baekdu volcano between Korea and China were selected by Korea government. A volcanic specialized research center has been established by the selected project. The purpose of this paper is to introduce about remote sensing techniques for volcano monitoring and to review selected studies with remote sensing techniques to monitor Mt. Baekdu volcano. The acquisition status of the archived observations of six synthetic aperture radar satellites which are in orbit now was investigated for application of radar interferometry to monitor Mt. Baekdu volcano. We will conduct a time-series analysis using collected synthetic aperture radar images.

• Journal of Climate Change Research
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.409-416
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• 2013

Recently, the property damage has been increasing due to climate change in South Korea. While the general public has become more aware of the environmental issues, but the environmental education system has not been able to meet up with the demands of the public. The purpose of this study is to suggest preliminary data which is needed for developing a environmental textbook. A survey was conducted to meet the following requirements. Respondent's level of interest in problems or situations concerning the following eight themes: fundamental science, health and medicine, aerospace engineering, life science, electrical electronics, telecommunication, mineral and energy resources, environment. The data was collected from 139 students in Seoul and Gyeonggi province. The results showed that health and medicine issues interest students the most (49.6%), followed by environment (46.8%). We asked the respondents who were very interested in each question for their reasons, and they answered that environmental issue is related to the improvement of their life quality (53.8%) than their curiosity (38.5%). Students were very interested in the other issues because of just curiosity. Most students (90.6%) said seasonal change was not same each year. 18.0% of respondents replied that they and their friends had experienced climate change. The majority of students (94.2%) thought that they will experience natural disaster blamed on climate change during their life. In other words, climate change is already the day-to-day events of their lives. The majority of their opinions, more then three than ten students(30.9%) said the South Korean government should conduct an energy saving campaign to climate change problems followed by expanding new renewable energy (24.5%), conducting adaptation policies of climate change(22.3 %), introducing of a system as like $CO_2$ emissions trading(20.9%) and so on. There are more Stu- dents (69.1%) who know of new renewable energy than students who don't know it; however, respondents who know the meaning very well were just 18.7% showing that most students dimly know the meaning of new renewable energy.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.78-91
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• 2018

Sangjogam, located in Goseong, Gyeongsangnam-do, was designated as Natural Monument #411, because of its diverse geological heritage, such as fossils, ripple marks, dykes, and columnar joints. In the area, Byeongpungbawi, with its beautiful columnar joints vertical to the bedding plane of the underlying sedimentary rocks and spectacular coastal view, was named after its overall shape reminiscent of a huge folding screen. The purpose of this study was to investigate the formation process of the columnar joints using the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) method. AMS measurements showed that the k1 and k3 values representative of directions of the long and short axes of a magnetic particle at each point strongly clustered, and the oblate magnetic foliation structure in Byeongpungbawi developed during sill-type intrusion rather than lava flow. In summary, Byeongpungbawi was produced by sill-type intrusion along the bedding plane of the underlying sedimentary layer, and the subsequent formation of columnar joints was accompanied by the cooling and contraction of intruding rhyolite magma. This study potentially provides a basic research tool in understanding the formation mechanism of columnar joints which are widely distributed in southern Korea.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.157-169
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• 2019

Pseudotachylytes, produced by frictional heating during seismic slip, provide information that is critical to understanding the physics of earthquakes. We report the results of occurrence, structural characteristics, scanning electron microscopic observation and geochemical analysis of pseudotachylytes, which is presumed to have formed after the Late Cretaceous in outcrops of the Paleoproterozoic granitic gneiss on the Bulil waterfall of the Jirisan area, Yeongnam massif, Korea. Fault rocks, which are the products of brittle deformation under the same shear stress regime in the study area, are classified as pseudotachylyte and foliated cataclasite. The occurrences of pseudotachylyte identified on the basis of thickness and morphology are fault vein-type and injection vein-type pseudotachylyte. A number of fault vein-type pseudotachylytes occur as thin (as thick as 2 cm) layers generated on the fault plane, and are cutting general foliation and sheared foliation developed in granitic gneiss. Smaller injection vein-type pseudotachylytes are found along the fault vein-type pseudotachylytes, and appear in a variety of shapes based on field occurrence and vein geometry. At a first glance fault vein-type seudotachylyte looks like a mafic vein, but it has a chemical composition almost identical to the wall rock of granitic gneiss. Also, it has many subrounded clasts which consist predominantly of quartz, feldspar, biotite and secondary minerals including clay minerals, calcite and glassy materials. Embayed clasts, phenocryst with reaction rim, oxide droplets, amygdules, and flow structures are also observed. All of these evidences indicate the pseudotachylyte formed due to frictional melting of the wall rock minerals during fault slip related to strong seismic faulting events in the shallow depth of low temperature-low pressure. Further studies will be conducted to determine the age and mechanical aspect of the pseudotachylyte formation.

• Journal of the Geological Society of Korea
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.529-544
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• 2018

Dongrae hot spring belongs to the residual magma type and has a long history of bathing since the Silla dynasty in Korea. Due to long development of hot spring water, it is expected that the amount of hot spring water in Dongrae hot spring has been changed. In this study, long-trem water level data of Dongrae hot spring were examined for recognizing the change of the hot spring. By the fluctuation analysis of the hot spring water level from January 1992 to July 2018, the maximum and minimum annual drawdowns of no. 27 well were 137.70 and 71.60 meters, respectively, with an average drawdown of 103.39 m. On the other hand, the maximum and minimum annual drawdowns of no. 29 well were 137.80 and 71.70 meters, with an average drawdown of 103.49 m. Besides, drawdown rate became bigger in recent years. As a result of analyzing autocorrelation of the two wells, the correlation coefficient ranged from 0.919 to 0.991, showing seasonal groundwater level fluctuation. The cross correlation analysis between water level and precipitation as well as water level and hot spring discharge resulted in the correlation coefficients of -0.280 ~ 0.256 and 0.428 ~ 0.553, respectively. Therefore, using Dongnae hot-spring water level data from 1992 to 2018, the Mann-Kendall test and Sen's test showed that the continuous decline of water level was mainly caused by the pumping of the hot spring water among various reasons.

• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.193-208
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• 2021

The characteristics of the microcrack lengths(①), microcrack spacings(②) and Brazilian tensile strengths(③) related to the six directions of rock cleavages(H2~R1) in Geochang granite were analyzed. First, the 18 cumulative graphs for the above three major factors representing unique characteristics of the rock cleavages were made. Through the general chart for these graphs classified into three planes and three rock cleavages, the 28 parameters on the length, spacing and Brazilian tensile strength have been determined. The results of correlation analysis among these parameters are summarized as follows. Second, the above parameters were classified into six groups(I~VI) according to the sorting order on the magnitude of parameter values among three rock cleavages and three planes. The values of parameters belonging to group I and II are in order of R(rift) < G(grain) < H(hardway) and H < G < R. The values of the 8 parameters on the length of line(os₂, 𝚫s, 𝚫L and oS^mean), the exponent(λ_L^mean and λ_S^mean), the slope(a^mean) and the anisotropy coefficient (An^mean) are in order of R < G < H and H'(hardway plane) < G'(grain plane) < R'(rift plane). Third, the noticeable differences in distribution patterns among the six types of charts for three planes and three rock cleavages are as follows. From the chart for three planes, the values of 𝚫L, 𝚫s and 𝚫σ_t, corresponding to the distance between two points where the two fitting lines meet on the X-axis, increase in the order of R' < H' < G'. In particular, the two graphs of R2 and G2 related to the length and Brazilian tensile strength are almost parallel to each other and show the distribution characteristics of hardway plane. Among the graphs related to the Brazilian tensile strength, the overall shape for hardway plane is similar to that for grain. From the chart for three rock cleavages, the slopes of the graphs related to the length increase in the order of R < G < H, while those of the graphs related to the spacing and Brazilian tensile strength decrease in the order of R < G < H. Lastly, the characteristics of variation among the six rock cleavages, the three planes and the three rock cleavages were visualized through the correlation chart among the above parameters from this study.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.531-542
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• 2021

Open-pit mines require constant monitoring as they can cause surface changes and environmental disturbances. In open-pit mines, there is little vegetation at the mining site and can be monitored using InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) coherence imageries. In this study, activities occurring in mine were analyzed by applying the recently developed InSAR coherence-based NDAI (Normalized Difference Activity Index). The March 5 Youth Mine is a North Korean mine whose development has been expanded since 2008. NDAI analysis was performed with InSAR coherence imageries obtained using Sentinel-1 SAR images taken at 12-day intervals in the March 5 Youth Mine. First, the area where the elevation decreased by about 75.24 m and increased by about 9.85 m over the 14 years from 2000 was defined as the mining site and the tailings piles. Then, the NDAI images were used for time series analysis at various time intervals. Over the entire period (2017-2019), average mining activity was relatively active at the center of the mining area. In order to find out more detailed changes in the surface activity of the mine, the time interval was reduced and the activity was observed over a 1-year period. In 2017, we analyzed changes in mining operations before and after artificial earthquakes based on seismic data and NDAI images. After the large-scale blasting that occurred on 30 April 2017, activity was detected west of the mining area. It is estimated that the size of the mining area was enlarged by two blasts on 30 September 2017. The time-averaged NDAI images used to perform detailed time-series analysis were generated over a period of 1 year and 4 months, and then composited into RGB images. Annual analysis of activity confirmed an active region in the northeast of the mining area in 2018 and found the characteristic activity of the expansion of tailings piles in 2019. Time series analysis using NDAI was able to detect random surface changes in open-pit mines that are difficult to identify with optical images. Especially in areas where in situ data is not available, remote sensing can effectively perform mining activity analysis.

• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.349-359
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• 2020

The Ulsan Fault Zone (UFZ) of NNW trend is developed in the Gyeongsang Basin, the southeastern part of the Korean Peninsula, and the Quaternary faults have been found around the UFZ. The faults generally thrust the Bulguksa igneous rocks of Late Cretaceous-Early Tertiary upon the Quaternary deposits or are developed within the Quaternary deposits. They mainly show the reverse-slip sense of top-to-the west movement. The lines connecting the their outcrop sites show a zigzag-form which is similar to the orientation of their fault surfaces which show the various trends, like (W)NW, N-S, (E)NE, ENE trends. The E-W trending dextral strike(-slip) fault is found in the Quaternary deposits of the Singye-ri valley. It cuts the N-S trending reverse fault and are cut by the N-S trending thrust fault again. Two types of at least two times of Quaternary tectonic movements related to the formation of neotectonic fault zone in the Singye-ri valley are considered from such the geometric and kinematic characteristics of Quaternary faults. One is the reverse faulting of N-S trend by the E-W directed 1st compression and associated the strike-slip tear faulting of E-W trend, and then the thrust faulting of N-S trend by the E-W directed 2nd compression. The other is the reverse faulting of N-S trend, and then the dextral strike-slip faulting of E-W trend by the NW-SE directed compression, and then the thrust faulting of N-S trend. In this paper is suggested the development history of Singye-ri neotectonic fault zone on the basis of the various orientations of Quaternary fault surfaces around the UFZ, and the zigzag-form connecting line of their outcrop sites, and the compressive arc-shaped lineaments which convex to the west reported recently in the Yangsan Fault Zone.