• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.347-356
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• 2019

Various studies regarding the sedimentary environment, depositional age, provenance, and metamorphic history have been carried out on the Taean Formation in the western part of Gyeonggi Massif, since the unique detrital zircon age pattern was revealed. This review paper introduces the previous researches on the Taean Formation and discusses the depositional age and provenance. The Taean Formation was traditionally regarded as a Precambrian stratigraphic unit, but recently it is interpreted to be a middle or upper Paleozoic formation due to the occurrence of large amounts of Early to Middle Paleozoic detrital zircons. The Taean Formation consists of metasandstone, argillaceous schist, and phyllite which are mainly made up of quartz and mica. The protoliths are interpreted as turbidites deposited in deep sea fan environment. The Taean Formation has been interpreted to be deposited between the Devonian to Triassic ages given the age differences between detrital zircons and intrusive rocks. There are two opinions that the deposition age is close to the Devonian or the Permian period. The provenance of this formation is supposed to be South China block, Chinese collisional belt, or Gyeonggi Massif. Given the available detrital zircon ages of the Taean Formation and other Korean (meta)sedimentary rocks, the Taean Formation shares major source rocks with Yeoncheon Group and Pibanryeong Unit of the Okcheon Supergroup, but their source regions are not entirely consistent. Considering the existing hypotheses about the depositional timing and provenance, we put weight on the possibility that the Taean Formation was deposited between Permian and Early Triassic periods. However, further studies on the stratigraphy and sedimentary petrology are needed to clarify its definition and to elucidate the provenance.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.265-270
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• 1989

Soil properties for the limestone-derived soil were examined to relate soil formation to stratigraphy of parent materials and hillslope positions in Bangjeol Ri, Yeongweol Eup, Gangweon Do. Pyeongchang, Anmi, Yulgog and Mungyeong series were described for topographic positions such as shoulder position, footslope, terrace and local bottom associated with toposequence where the landscape consisted of gently rolling hillslopes and nearly level plains. 1. Pyeongchang, Anmi, Yulgog and Mungyeong series had the standard hue of the 2.5YR, 5YR, 10YR and 2.5Y, respectively. Thus, color sequence of soil could be related to hillslope positions on the landscape. 2. With ascending slope toward summit, the clay content increased while silt content decreased 3. Silt/Clay ratios ranged from 0.27 to 3.76 and it was increased with descending to bottom. It, also, appeared that maturity of soil was higher at summit position than at bottom. 4. Soils developed in limestone were neutral in soil reaction and very low in available $P_2O_5$. OM, available $SiO_2$, CEC, and active Fe in soils seemed to be increased with ascending to summit position.

• Journal of The Geomorphological Association of Korea
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.47-59
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• 2016

The formation age and depositional environment of the marine terrace I of the estimated paleoshoreline altitude of 18m in Sanhari of Ulsan coast, southeastern Korea were investigated on the basis of examination of lithofacies and stratigraphy of terrace deposits. Marine deposits of the terrace is composed of rounded boulders(70cm in diameter) and rounded pebbles(1.0cm in diameter) which overlay them. The above rounded boulders which lie on the paleo-shore platform are considered to have been formed by wave abrasion in the same period that the paleo-shore platform was developed. The rounded pebbles which lie on the rounded boulder layer are considered to have been deposited in gravel beach and berm environment, judging from the laminae developed in this layer. The paleo-shore platform and marine rounded gravel layer of the terrace are assumed to have been formed in the large transgression period of the Last Interglacial culmination stage(MIS 5e), judging from the comparision of the formation age of 125ka B.P. of Juckcheon terrace I in the adjacent Pohang coast which was dated by amino acid dating. The terrestrial deposit of this terrace was largely composed of angular and subangular gravel mixed with marine rounded pebble which has been carried away mainly from the deposit of previous marine terraces and redeposited in this terrace. The lowest peat layer of terrastrial deposit was considered to have been deposited during the period from the late MIS 5e which is the estimated finishing time of deposition of the above marine gravels to the early stage of following regression period(MIS 5d) in which the sea level was still high. The sediments of angular and subangular gravel deposit which lie on this peat layer were assumed to have been deposited during the period from the early stage of the first regression period(MIS 5d) of the Last Interglacial to the Last Glacial. The lower part of the angular gravel layer is composed of the deposits of the fluvial and colluvial sediments, whereas most of the upper and middle part of the layer is mainly composed of angular gravels of colluvial sediments formed in the cold environment.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.35-48
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• 2021

The Gumi basin, situated in the mid-southeastern Yeongnam Massif, has the Cretaceous stratigraphy that is divided into Gumi Formation, andesitic rocks (Yeongamsan Tuff, Busangni Andesite), rhyolitic rocks (Obongni Tuff, Doseongul Rhyolite, Geumosan Tuff) and Intrusives (ring dikes, other dikes) in ascending order. The Geumosan Tuff is composed mostly of many ash-flow tuffs which are associated with Geumosan caldera along with the ring dikes. The caldera is outlined by ring faults and dikes and has about 3.5 × 5.6 km in diameters. The intracaldera volcanics show a downsag structure that is dipped inward in their flow and welding foliations. The caldera block represent an asymmetric subsidence, which drops 350 m in the northern margin and 600 m in the southern one. Based on these data, the Geumosan caldera is geometrically classified as an asymmetric piston subsidence caldera that suggests a single caldera cycle. The caldera reflects the piston subsidence of the caldera block bounded by the outward-dipping ring faults following a voluminous eruption of magma from the chamber. The downsag in the caldera block refers to the downsagging during the initial subsidence at the same time as the full development of the bound fault. In the ring fissures following the sagging, magma was injected due to the overpressure of magma chamber caused by subsidence.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.149-169
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• 2022

Indonesia coal is widely consumed as a major energy source in Asian countries, such as China, India, and Korea. In the paper, the characteristics of the coal-bearing basin and coal deposits in Indonesia are comprehensively reviewed using the exploration data accumulated through the coal exploration projects supported by Korean government subsidy. Cenozoic coal bearing sedimentary basins in Indonesia extensively contain coal deposits and are most productive in East Asia. Properties of coal deposits are variable depending on stratigraphy, depositional histories and tectonics. Eocene coal deposits tend to have thinner coal thickness and fewer numbers of coal seams, but have been major exploration targets due to higher calorific value and good coal quality. Late Oligocene-Early Miocene coal deposits occur in small scales, but are suitable enough for small to medium-sized coal mines. Miocene-Pliocene coal deposits, which are widely distributed across East Kalimantan and Sumatra, are being actively mined by taking advantage of thick coal thickness and abundant reserves in spite of their lower calorific values. The experience of various exploration informs that we need to have an overall understanding on geological conditions for successful coal exploration. The details on coal-bearing basin and coal deposits in Indonesia provided through the paper will be useful data for up-coming exploration activities by Korean companies.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.148-160
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• 2023

The Pliny Letter, the first historical record of volcanic eruptions and disasters on Earth, was studied to better understand the Vesuvius' eruption patterns in 79 AD. The two-day eruption, which began at 1 a.m. on August 24th 79 AD, produced large amounts of volcanic ash and pumice, which were carried by the wind and fell on nearby cities. Furthermore, during the eruption, fast-moving pyroclastic flows flowed down the volcano's sides, and several phenomena such as earthquakes and tsunamis occurred. Cities near Mount Vesuvius were buried and destroyed by volcanic ash and pyroclastic flows. Previous studies were collected, analyzed, and investigated and the scope of damage was chosen from Pompeii, Herculaneum, Stabiae, and Oplontis. The sedimentary stratigraphy and thickness vary according to location and distance from Vesuvius in each region. Within the depositional layers, the remains of residents who died during the eruption were also discovered, and 1,150 remains have been discovered in Pompeii, 306 in Herculaneum, 111 in Stabiae, and 54 in Oplontis, but the exact number of people who killed is unknown. The eruption that exhibited the pattern seen in AD 79 was named the Plinian eruption after Pliny and classified as a new type of eruption as a result of Pliny's detailed description of the eruption.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.41-49
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• 2006

This paper demonstrates the feasibility of using shallow S-wave, high-resolution seismic reflection surveys to characterize geological structure and stratigraphy of basement rocks for civil engineering purposes. S-wave seismic reflections from depths less than 20 m were recorded along the top of steep readout slopes. Seismic reflection data were recorded using a standard CDP acquisition method with a 24-channel seismograph and a sledge-hammer SH-wave source. The data were acquired using a split-spread source-receiver geometry with a 2 m shot-and-receiver interval, and then were processed to enhance S/N ratio of the data, to improve resolvable power of the seismic section, and to get velocity information of the basement rock. The final seismic reflection profiles using the CDP technique has imaged surfaces as shallow as less than 1m and resolved beds as thin as 1m. The migrated reflection sections possess sufficient quality to correlate the prominent reflection events to the bedding planes and faults identified on the readout outcrops. Similar S-wave reflection surveys could also be used to produce the necessary details of a geological structure of shallow bedrocks to pinpoint optimum locations for monitor wells of civil engineering purposes.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.831-846
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• 2023

The Jucheon-Pyeongchang area in the northwestern Taebaeksan Zone of the Okcheon fold-thrust belt preserved several thrust faults placing the Precambrian basement granite gneisses of the Gyeonggi Massif on top of the Early Paleozoic Joseon Supergroup and the age-unknown Bangrim Group. Especially, the thrust faults in the study area show the closed-loop patterns on the map view, showing older allochthonous strata surrounded by younger autochthonous or para-autochthonous strata. These basement-involved thrusts including Klippes will provide important information on the hinterland portion of the fold-thrust belt. For defining Klippe geometry in the thrust fault terrains of the Jucheon-Pyeongchang area by older on younger relationship, the stratigraphic position of the age-unknown Bangrim Group should be determined. The Middle Cambrian maximum depositional age by the detrital zircon SHRIMP U-Pb method from this study, together with field relations and previous research results suggest that the Bangrim Group overlies the Precambrian basement rocks by nonconformity and underlies the Cambrian Yangdeok Group (Jangsan and Myobong formations). The structural geometric interpretation of the Pyeongchang area based on newly defined stratigraphy indicates that the Wungyori and Barngrim thrusts are the same folded thrust, and can be interpreted as a Klippe, having Precambrian hanging wall granite gneisses surrounded by younger Cambrian strata of the Joseon Supergroup and the Bangrim Group. Further detailed structural studies on the Jucheon-Pyeongchang area can give crucial insights into the basement-involved deformation during the structural evolution of the Okcheon Belt.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.817-830
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• 2023

This study investigates the age of the surficial rocks in the Arunta region using Uranium-Lead (U-Pb) geochronological dating. Rock samples were collected at four locations, Cattle-Water Pass (CP 1610), Gough Dam (GD 1622 and GD 1610), and London-Eye (LE 1601), within the Strangways Metamorphic Complex and crushed by selFragging. Subsequently, the zircon grains were imaged using Cathodoluminescence (CL) analysis and the U-Pb (uranium and lead) isotope ratios and the chrono-stratigraphy were measured. The imaged zircon revealed an anomalous heterogeneous crystal structure. Ellipses of the samples at locations GD1601, CP1610, and GD1622 fall below the intercept indicating the ages produced discordant patterns, whereas LE1601 intersects the Concordia curve at two points, implying the occurrence of an event of significant impact. For the rock sample at CP1610, the estimated mean age is 1742.2 ± 9.2 Ma with mean squared weighted deviation (MSWD) = 0.49 and probability of equivalence of 0.90; 1748 ± 15 Ma - MSWD = 1.02 and probability of equivalence of 0.40 for GD1622; and 1784.4 ± 9.1 Ma with MSWD of 1.09 and probability of equivalence of 0.37 for LE1601. But for samples at GD1601, two different age groups with different means occurred: 1) below the global mean (1792.2 ± 32 Ma) estimated at 1738.2 ± 14 Ma with MSWD of 0.109 and probability of equivalence of 0.95 and 2) above it with mean of 1838.22 ± 14 Ma, MSWD of 1.6 and probability of equivalence of 0.95. Analysis of the zircon grains has shown a discrepancy in the age range between 1700 Ma and 1800 Ma compared to the ASO dated to have occurred between 440 and 300 Ma. Moreover, apparent similarity in age of the core and rim means that the mineral crystallized relatively quickly without significant interruptions and effect on the isotopic system. This may have constraint the timing and extent of geological events that might have affected the mineral, such as metamorphism or hydrothermal alteration.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.675-695
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• 2023

The tracksite of dinosaurs and pterosaurs in Sanbuk-dong of Gunsan is the largest early Cretaceous dinosaur footprint fossil site in Korea, and all the footprints are important evidence indicating that large ornithopod and theropod dinosaurs inhabited the Korean peninsula during the early Cretaceous. The Sanbuk-dong site was covered with waterproof sheet in an outdoor environment until the installation of a protective enclosure in 2021. As a result, various factors such as shear force, load reduction, temperature and humidity fluctuations, acid rain, salinity and microorganisms have complexly interacted in the substrate of fossils, exacerbating the damage to footprints. For 159 footprints in 12 trackways among the footprints found in the site, the damage types were classified in detail and the level of each damage was assessed. The damages were classified into 6 types through the classification of deterioration degree of individual footprints. As a result of ultrasonic physical property evaluation on the surface of the fossil site, most of these footprints are in the completely weathered (CW) stage. Furthermore, various weathering patterns were observed in the study area, and surface contaminants were analyzed along the stratigraphy. Although the patterns of freshness and contaminants varied at different points within the fossil site, the chemical compositions were similar. Based on the results, an efficient conservation management system for dinosaur footprint fossils was established, and a conservation treatment type for each footprint was proposed.