• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.28-36
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• 2008

The present study has focused on the environmental changes and evidences for sedimentation in the Lake Khuvsgul catchment during the Holocene period, inferred from short core sediment (BO03) from the eastern shore of Borsog Bay, which were analyzed in order to review records of the Holocene climatic evolution and Holocene history in Northern Mongolia. For the purpose of reconstruction of natural phenomenon that occurred in the lake catchment system during the Holocene, physical and chemical properties including HCl-soluble material, biogenic silica, organic matter and grain size distribution of minerals in the core sediments have been analyzed in this study. The vertical variations in composition for these properties show distinctly that five lines of paleoenvironmental evidence occurred in the lake catchment during the Holocene. A modified age model resulting from AMS carbon dating for the BO03 core sediment shows timings of these environmental events at 9.5 Kyr BP, 8.0 Kyr BP, 5.6 Kyr BP and 3.2 Kyr BP, respectively. Paleoenvironmental changes in the Lake Khuvsgul catchment system during the Holocene highlight distinctive features of the hydrological regime and geomorphologic evolution in the lake catchment due to regional landscape and global climatic changes corresponding with the Holocene optimum and thermal optimum. In particular, the change of hydrologic regime based on the sedimentological evidence has been caused by not only overland flow due to melting water, but also base flow due to thick permafrost around Khuvsgul region.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.245-254
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• 2005

This paper presents a paleoenvironmental study on Hoya Rincon do Parangueo, a maar lake in Valle de Santiago in Central Mexican Bajio. Maar lake sediments have been widely used for high-resolution reconstruction of paleoenvironment. Many different paleoenvironmental proxy data such as stable isotopes, pollen, sediment chemistry, and dung fungus spore were produced in this study. The pine-oak ratio, stable isotopes, and sediment chemistry help to reveal paleoenviromental changes throughout the whole period covered by sediment materials from this study site. The evidence I found indicates that during ca. 9,500 $\sim$ ca. 8,300 cal yr B.P. there was dry climate; during ca. 8,300 $\sim$ ca. 6,300 cal yr B.P. it was wetter; during ca. 6,300 $\sim$ ca. 4,000 cal yr B.P. drier and cooler; during ca. 4,000 $\sim$ ca. 1,100 cal yr B.P. milder and wetter. The presence of Chupicuaro culture between ca. 2,500 $\sim$ 1,100 cal yr B.P. is implied by the high frequencies of Amaranthaceae and Zea mars. It seems that man left this lake around 1,100 cal yr B.P. due to a dry climate after 1,300 cal yr B.P. Spanish arrival around 400 cal yr B.P. is implied by the fact that fe3 mars reappears and Sporormiella spp. become significant around 120 cm, whereas Poaceae drops sharply.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.431-446
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• 1998

The calcretes from the Cretaceous Gyeongsang Supergroup in the vicinity of Ulsan city have been examined at five sites (Daedong, Seodong, Ansachon, Deogha, and Mangyangri). In these calcretes, evidences indicating pedogenic origin are recognized. Included are calcite aureoles around detrital grains, pedotubular pores, microstromatactis, circumgranular cracks, fitted structure of adjacent peloids, calcrete ooids, rhizocretions, and calcrete intraclasts. On the basis of calcrete development together with lithofacies, the depositional environments of those deposits are interpreted as lake margin (Daedong deposits), braided to low-sinuosity river (Seodong deposits), braid plain (Ansachon deposits), and meandering river (Deogha and Mangyangri). Stratigraphically, the fluvial deposits of study area show paleoenvironmental change from braided to low-sinuosity river plain under arid climatic condition to meandering river plain under seasonally wet an dry climatic condition. The stratigraphic successions of the Gyeongsang Supergroup of the study area Qacustrine-fluvial-Iacustrine) together with paleoenvironmental change of fluvial deposits suggest that those deposits can be correlated with the Banyaweol-Songnaedong-Geoncheonri formations of the Gyeongsang Supergroup in the western part of the Yangsan Fault.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.7-16
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• 2003

A 31m-long sediment core (SSDP-102) was taken from the inner shelf (about 40m water-depth) off the northwestern coast of the Korea Strait. Detailed lithofacies and organic-geochemical analyses were performed to establish a high-resolution stratigraphy in the Korea Strait shelf and to reconstruct the paleoenvironmental changes associated with the Holocene marine transgression. The stratigraphic framework of the core was primarily established using 6 AMS $^{14}C$ ages. The sedimentary record of the core SSDP-102 allows for the reconstruction of the paleoenvironmental changes during the last 12.1 ka BP. According to the high-resolution seismic reflection profiles, lithofacies and organic-geochemical data, the core SSDP-102 can be divided into three units (III to I in ascending order) above the acoustic basement. The three units reflect distinct changes of depositional environments resulted from the post-glacial marine transgression. Therefore, it is suggested that three phases of sea-level change have occurred within the inner shelf of the Korea Strait following the Holocene marine transgression. (1) estuarine environments from ca. 12.1 to 6.2 ka BP; (2) near-shore environments with a period of decreased rising of sea level between 6.2 and 5.1 ka BP; (3) near-shore to modem marine environments after 5.1 ka BP. In particular, the present marine conditions influenced by the warm Tsushima Current have been gradually established after ca. 5.1 ka BP.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.13-26
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• 2024

The Antarctic marine environment plays a crucial role in understanding the interactions between climate change and marine ecosystems. In particular, the Antarctic Circumpolar Current forms an independent environment around the Antarctic continent, and the complex interactions between the cryosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and atmosphere have significant impacts on the global climate system. Marine sediment cores served as essential data for reconstructing past environments, providing information on cryospheric and environmental changes through various proxies, including stable isotopes, geomagnetic variations, and diatoms. Particularly, the meteoric cosmogenic nuclide ¹⁰Be is an useful proxy for tracking changes in the presence and scale of the cryosphere. This study reviews and analyzes the use of ¹⁰Be in paleoenvironmental research in the West Antarctic glaciomarine environments. Through this, it aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the interactions between the Antarctic marine environment and cryosphere, as well as past environmental changes related to climate change.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.47-54
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• 1989

Pyrite ($FeS_2$) content in brackish and salt marsh sediments is relatively higher than the amount in freshwater marsh sediments. Different values of pyrite sulfur ($FeS_2$-S) content in sediments from the Hiroshima Delta indicate that poorly drained salt marsh had developed between 27.0m and 28.0m below mean sea-level and palaeo-sea-level was constant for several hundreds of years in the same depth during the early Holocene Epoch.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.40 no.5 s.110
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• pp.571-583
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• 2005

This paper presents a paleoenvironmental study on Hoya San Nicolas, a maar lake in Valle de Santiago in Central Mexican Bajio. Maar lake sediments have been widely used for high-resolution reconstruction of paleoenvironment. Many different paleoenvironmental proxy data such as stable isotopes, pollen, and sediment chemistry were produced in this study. These data help to reveal paleoenviromental changes throughout the whole period covered by sediment materials from this study site. The evidence indicates that during ca. 11,000 - ca. 8,900 cal yr B.P. there was dry climate; during ca. 8,900 - ca. 7,000 cal yr B.P. it was wetter; during ca. 7,000 - ca. 4,000 cal yr B.P. drier; during ca. 4,000 cal yr B.P - the present wetter. Prominent dominance of Pinus pollen during ca. 11,000 - ca. 8,900 cal yr B.P. and during ca. 7,000 - ca. 4,000 cal yr B.P. may reflect very low lake levels resulting in poor preservation of pollen. Pinus pollen, the most resistant pollen type, may have been able to survive severe deterioration due to arid climate, but other pollen types may not. Due to likely droughts in these periods, a sedimentation gaps are probably present in the core.

• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.153-163
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• 2020

Mineral and geochemical analysis were conducted on two sections (~3.5 m) of red-brown claysilt sediments covering the gneiss and granite weathering zones in Suwon-si for establishing Quaternary paleoenvironmental changes in Korea. The sections were divided into four sedimentary layers (Unit 1-4) by vertical changes in mineral composition and chemical composition. The lowermost unit 1 was a sandy sediment with a high K-feldspar content with a significant contribution of weathered bedrock. Unit 2 was a transition layer showing intermediate characteristics. Unit 3 was a reddish brown clay-silt sediment, with a total clay content of 58% on average, and the main clay minerals were illite-smectite mixed layer minerals and hydroxy-interlayered vermiculite/smectite. Unit 3 contained almost no plagioclase, while the content of kaolin minerals derived by the plagioclase weathering was higher than in the other layers. Unit 4 had similar mineral composition and chemical properties to Unit 3, but had a higher content of plagioclase and chlorite and lower content of kaolin minerals. The chemical compositions of the sections were compared with those in other regions of Korea, suggesting the eolian origin of Units 3 and 4. The paleoenvironmental change in the sedimentary section of this region was interpreted as follows. Weathered products of gneiss and granite, which are bedrocks of this region, were eroded and deposited as sandy sediments in the periphery to form the lower layers (Unit 1, 2), followed by the deposition of the claysilty rich eolian sediments (Unit 3) during the glacial. Unit 3 was chemically weathered during the warm humid climate during the last interglacial, developing a reddish brown color. After that, a eolian sediment layer (Unit 4) was deposited during the last glacial.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.38 no.7
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• pp.552-560
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• 2017

This study investigates the development process of Mt. Deok on Bigeum Island, Shinan, on the basis of geomorphological and geological analyses. K-Ar dating was carried out on two samples of the acidic lapilli tuff developed in the study area, and the obtained K-Ar ages are $70.4{\pm}1.4$ and $76.9{\pm}1.5Ma$, which correspond to the Late Cretaceous (Campanian). Mt. Deok is surrounded by rock cliff, and various weathering microtopographic features, such as tafoni, tor and gnamma, are developed. Tafoni with diverse morphologic types is the most dominant feature, indicative of intense salt weathering. Geological characteristics such as porous tuff and joint have played an important role in the development of tafoni and rock cliff. Geomorphology and geology of Mt. Deok reflect paleoenvironmental change and interaction between human and nature in the coastal area.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.89-102
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• 2023

Climate and environmental changes in the Arctic Ocean due to global warming have been linked to extreme climate change in mid-latitude regions, including the Korean Peninsula, requiring a better understanding of the Arctic climate system based on the paleo-analog. This review introduces three paleoenvironmental research cases using neodymium isotopes (¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd, ε_Nd) measured on two different fractions of marine sediments: silicate-bound 'detrital' and Fe-Mn oxide-dominated 'authigenic' fractions. In the first case, detrital ε_Nd in core HH17-1085-GC on the continental shelf off northern Svalbard was used for tracing changes in sediment provenance and associated glacier behavior over the last 16.3 ka. The second case showed the potential use of authigenic ε_Nd as a quasi-conservative water mass tracer. Three prominent ε_Nd peaks and troughs observed in core PS72/410-1 from the Mendeleev Ridge in the western Arctic Ocean over the past 76 ka suggested episodic meltwater discharge events during 51~46, 39~35 and 21~13 ka BP. The last case proposed the use of the difference between authigenic and detrital ε_Nd as a proxy for reconstructing glacier fluctuation. The idea is based on the assumption that enhanced glacial erosion during glacier advances can supply sufficient freshly-exposed rock substrate for incongruent weathering, potentially leading to greater isotopic decoupling between bedrock and dissolved weathering products as recorded in detrital and authigenic ε_Nd, respectively. Thus, it would be worthwhile to take advantage of sedimentary ε_Nd to improve our understanding of past environmental changes in polar regions.