• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.247-251
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• 1985

The sulfide and carbonate mineral samples for sulfur and carbon isotope studies were collected from Sangdong, Geodo, Yeonhwa, Shinyemi and Janggun mines which are distributed in the Metallogenetic Province of the Taebaeg Mt. Region. The ${\delta}S^{34}$ values of molybdenite, pyrite, arsenopyrite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite and galena from the above mines are similar and within the range of +1.66 to +6.77‰ with the exception of chalcopyrite from Geodo mine ranging from -1.58 to 1.96‰, while the sulfide minerals are dominated by positive values between +3.05 and +5.08‰. It is suggested that the major sulfur source is genetically related to the Cretaceous granitic activity. The average ${\delta}C^{13}$ values of calcite from limestone, calcite from calcite vein in ore bodies and granite, and rhodochrosite from ore bodies are -0.60‰, -2.69‰ and -6.00‰, respectively. The data on carbon isotope compositions indicate that the calcite from limestone originated in marine environment, the rhodochrosite in hydrothermal solution, and calcite from calcite vein and granite in the mixing condition of marine and hydrothermal waters. The temperatures of mineralization by the sulfur isotopic composition coexisting pyrite-pyrrhotite from Yeonhwa No.1, sphalerite-galena from Weolam and Dong-jeom of Yeonhwa No.1 mine, sphalerite-galena and pyrite-galena from Janggun mine were $273^{\circ}C$, $460{\sim}511^{\circ}C$, $561{\sim}690^{\circ}C$, $341^{\circ}C$ and $375^{\circ}C$, respectively.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.765-779
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• 2023

The Daum Vent Field (DVF) was newly discovered in the Central Indian Ridge during the hydrothermal expedition by the Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology (KIOST) in 2021. In this paper, we describe the detailed mineralogy and geochemistry of hydrothermal chimney and mound to understand the nature of hydrothermal mineralization in the DVF. The mineral assemblages (pyrite±sphalerite±chalcopyrite) of dominant sulfides, FeS contents (mostly <20 mole %) of sphalerite, and (Cu+Zn)/Fe values (0.001-0.22) of bulk compositions indicate that the DVF has an strong affinity with basaltic-hosted seafloor massive sulfide (SMS) deposit along the oceanic ridge. Combined with the predominance of colloform and/or dendritic-textured pyrite and relatively Fe-poor sphalerite in chimneys, the fluid-temperature dependency of trace element systematics (Co, Mn, and Tl) between chimney and mound indicates that the formation of mound was controlled by relatively reducing and high-temperature fluids compared to chimney. The δ³⁴S values (+8.31 to +10.52‰) of pyrite reflect that sulfur and metals were mainly leached from the associated basement rocks (50.6-61.3%) with a contribution from reduced seawater sulfur (38.7-49.4%). This suggests that the fluid-rock interaction, with little effect of magmatic volatile influx, is an important metal source for the sulfide mineralization in the DVF.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.3-15
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• 2008

Different toxic wastes are disposed of in our surroundings and these will ultimately threaten the existence of living organisms. Biohydrometallurgy, which includes the processes of bioleaching and bioremediation through the activities of microorganisms such as bacterial or fungal species, is a technology that has the potential to overcome many environmental problems at a reasonable economic cost. Bioleaching were carried out for dissolution of metals from different materials using most important metal mobilizing bacteria such as Thiobacillus ferrooxidans, Thiobacillus thiooxidans and Laptospirillum ferrooxidans. According to the reaction, bioleaching is parted as direct and indirect mechanism. In direct mechanism the bacteria oxidize the sulphides minerals by accepting electron and producing sulphuric acid in leaching media for their growth and metabolism. In other hand the indirect bioleaching is demonstrated as the oxidation of sulphides mineral by the oxidant like $Fe^{3+}$ produced by the iron oxidizing bacteria. Through this process, substantial amount of metal can be recovered from low-grade ores, concentrates, industrial wastes like sludge, tailings, fly ash, slag, electronic scrap, spent batteries and spent catalysts. This may be alternative technology to solve the high deposition of waste, which moves toward a healthy environment and green world.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.203-210
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• 2002

In order to elucidate the growth mechanism of sulfide chimney formed as a result of seafloor hydrothermal mineralization, we carried out the mineralogical and fluid inclusion studies on the inactive, sulfide- and silica-rich chimney which has been recovered from a hydrothermal field in the Cleft segment of the Juan de Fuca Ridge. According to previous studies, many active and inactive vents are present in the Cleft segment. The sulfide- and silica-rich chimney is composed of amorphous silica, pyrite, sphalerite and wurtzite with minor amounts of chalcopyrite and marcasite. The interior part of the chimney is highly porous and represents a flow channel. Open spaces within chimneys are typically coated with colloform layers of amorphous silica. The FeS content of Zn-sulfides varies widely from 13.9 to 34.3 mole% with Fe-rich core and Fe-poor rims. This variation possibly reflects the change of physicochemical characteristics of hydrothermal fluids. Chemical and mineralogical compositions of the each growth zone are also varied, possibly due to a thermal gradient. Based on the microthermometric measurements of liquid-rich, two-phase inclusions in amorphous silica that was precipitated in the late stage of mineralization, minimum trapping temperatures are estimated to be about 1140 to 145$^{\circ}$C with the salinities between 3.2 and 4.8 wt.% NaCI equiv. Although the actual fluid temperatures of the vent are not available, this study suggests that the lowtemperature conditions were predominant during the mineralization in the hydrothermal field at Cleft segment. Comparing with the previously reported chimney types, the morphology, colloform texture, bulk chemistry, and a characteristic mineral assemblage (pyrite + marcasite + wurtzite + amorphous silica) of this chimney indicate that the chimney have been formed from a relatively low-temperature (<250$^{\circ}$C) hydrothermal fluid that was changed by sluggish fluid flow and conductive cooling.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.477-490
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• 2003

Bottom sediments from Youngil Bay, East Coast of Korea, were analyzed for grain composition as well as elemental compositions and total organic carbon (TOC) content in order to investigate the spatial variability and content of metal elements. Grain size distribution of the sediments seems to be controlled by anticlockwise current pattern with bottom topography of the study area. Spatial variability of TOC and all elemental contents reflects those of grain size, but an exception was found in the harbor area (Old-Port): their contents are high in the central part of the bay with the muddy sediment and decrease toward the sand-dominated coastal zone. However, contents of Ca, Sr, K are high in the sand-dominated coastal zone and contents of some heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Zn) are high in the Old-Port area and the mouth of Hyeongsan River. The correlation matrix and R-mode factor analyses reveal that four important factors controlling the distribution of metals in the bay are sediment grain size (or quartz dilution effect), the formation of sulfide minerals associated with decomposition of organic matters under anoxic geochemical environment, calcium carbonate (mainly shell fragments) and coarse-grained feldspar mineral. According to the metal content of labile fraction an CER (concentration enrichment ratio) value, high accumulation of some heavy metals in the harbor area seems to result not formed by early diagenetic processes under anoxic environment.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.233-243
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• 1992

Ore mineralization of the Hwanghak copper deposit in the Ogsan area occurred in three stages of quartz (stage I and II) and calcite (stage III) veining along fissures in Early Cretaceous sedimentary rocks. Ore minerals are pyrite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite (dominant), sphalerite, hematite, galena, and Ag-, Pb-, and Bi-sulfosalts. These were deposited during the first stage at temperatures between $370^{\circ}C$ and < $200^{\circ}C$ from fluids with salinities between 0.5 and 7.6 equiv. wt. % NaCl. There is evidence of boiling and this suggests pressures of less than 180 bars during the first stage. Equilibrium thermodynamic interpretation accompanying with mineral paragenesis and fluid inclusion data indicates that copper precipitation in the hydrothermal system occurred due to cooling and changing in chemical conditions ($fs_2$, $fo_2$, pH). Gradual temperature decrease from $350^{\circ}$ to $250^{\circ}C$ of ore fluids by boiling and mixing with less-evolved meteoric waters mainly led to copper deposition through destabilization of copper chloride complexes. Sulfur isotope values of sulfide minerals decrease systematically with paragenetic time from calculated ${\delta}^{34}S_{H_2S}$ values of 8.2 to 4.7‰. These values, together with the observed change from sulfide-only to sulfide-hematite assemblages and fluid inclusion data, suggest progressively more oxidizing conditions, with a corresponding increase of the $sulfate/H_2S$ ratio of hydrothermal fluids. Measured and calculated hydrogen and oxygen isotope valutls of ore-forming fluids suggest meteoric water dominance, approaching unexchanged meteoric water values.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.35-42
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• 2006

The following results were obtained in the reductive degradation of hexachloroethane (HCA), and surface characteristics by using iron sulfide ($FeS,\;FeS_{2}$) mediators. HCA was degraded to pentachloroethane (PCA), tetrachloroethylene(PCE), trichloroethylene(TCE) and cis-l,2-dichloroethylene (cis-1,2-DCE) by complicated pathways such as hydrogenolysis, dehaloelimination and dehydrohalogenation. FeS had more rapid degradation rates of organic solvent than $FeS_{2}$. In liquidsolid reaction, the reaction rates of organic solvents were investigated to explain surface characteristics of FeS and $FeS_{2}$.. To determine surface characteristics of FeS and $FeS_{2}$, the specific surface area and surface potential of each mineral was determined and the hydrophilic site ($N_{s}$) was calculated. The specific surface area ($107.0470m^{2}/g\;and\;92.6374m^{2}/g$) and the $pH_{ZPC}$ of minerals ($FeS\;PH_{ZPC}=7.42,\;FeS_{2},\;PH_{ZPC}=7.80$) were measured. The results showed that the Ns of FeS and $FeS_{2}$ were $0.053\;site/mm^{2}\;and\;0.205\;site/mm^{2}$, respectively. $FeS_{2}$ had more hydrophilic surface than FeS. In other words, FeS have more hydrophobic surface site than $FeS_{2}$.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2023

In this study, column tests using relatively uniform Jumunjin sand media were conducted to evaluate the feasibility of calcium polysulfide (CaS_x, CPS) in removing high concentration of Zn²⁺ in groundwater. The injected CPS solution reacted rapidly with Zn²⁺ in artificial groundwater and effectively reduced Zn²⁺ by more than 99% through metal sulfide precipitation. Since the density (d = 1.27 g/cm³ ) of CPS solution was greater than that of water, CPS solution settled down rapidly while capturing Zn²⁺ and formed stable CPS layer similar to dense nonaqueous phase liquid. Mass balance analysis on Zn²⁺ in CPS solution suggested that CPS solution effectively reacted with Zn²⁺ to form metal sulfide precipitates except for high groundwater seepage velocity of 400 cm/d. With greater groundwater seepage velocity, injected CPS did not completely dissolve at the CPS-water interface, but a partially-misible CPS layer continuously moved and reacted with Zn²⁺+ in the direction of groundwater flow. Since hydraulic conductivity (K_h) decreased slightly due to the generated metal precipitates in the inter-pores of media, injection of CPS solution should be optimized to prevent clogging. As evidenced by both XRF and SEM/EDS results, ZnS precipitates were clearly observed through the reaction between the CPS solution and Zn²⁺. Further study is warranted to evaluate the feasibility of CPS to remove high-concentration heavy metalcontaminated groundwater in complex and heterogeneous media.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.117-130
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• 1994

Titanomagnetite ore bodies in the Yonchon iron mine are closely associated with alkali gabbroic rocks of middle Proterozoic age which intruded Precambrian metasedimentary rocks. The orebodies can be divided into massive ores in gabbroic rock, skarn ores in calcareous xenoliths and banded ores in gneissic gabbro. Gabbroic rocks from the Yonchon iron mine have unusually high content of $TiO_2$ with an average values of 3.46 wt%. Iron ores are ilmenite (42.25~51.56 wt% in $TiO_2$) and titanomagnetite (1.29~6.57 wt% in $TiO_2$) and the former is dominant Small amount of magnetite, hematite, sphene and sulfide minerals are included in the ores. Grandite garnet, titanoaugite and tschermakite are in iron skarn ores. Hornblendes from ores and gabbroic rocks have a relatively homogeneous isotopic composition with ${\delta}D$ between -110.0 and -133.9‰, and ${\delta}^{18}O$ of +4.5 to +6.5‰, and calculated to have formed in fluids with ${\delta}O_{H_2O}$ of + 6.7 to +8.7‰. and ${\delta}_{H_2O}$ of -87.9 to -111.8‰, which has a similar isotopic value of primary magmatic water. Based on intrusive age, occurrence, mineral chemistry and isotopic compositions of magnetite ores and gabroic rocks, it will be concluded that the gabbroic rocks are responsible for the titanomagnetite mineralization. The titaniferous magnetite melt was immiscibly separated from the high titaniferous gabbroic melts of Proterozoic age.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.242-246
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• 2014

Spectral induced polarization (SIP) is a useful technique, which uses electrochemical properties, for exploration of metallic sulfide minerals. Equivalent circuit analysis is commonly conducted to calculate IP parameters from SIP data. An equivalent circuit model, which indicates the SIP response of rock, has a non-uniqueness problem. For this reason, it is very important to select the proper model for accurate analysis. Thus, this study focused on suggesting a new model, which suitable for the analysis of an anomalous SIP response, such as ore. A suitability of the new model was verified by comparing it with the existing Dias model and Cole-Cole models. Analysis errors were represented as a normalized root mean square error (NRMSE). The analysis result using the Dias model was the NRMSE of 10.50% and was the NRMSE using the Cole-Cole model of 17.03%. Howerver, because the NRMSE of the new model is 0.87%, it is considered that the new model is more useful for analyzing the anomalous SIP data than other models.