• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.205-214
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• 2005

From ancient Antarctic glacier ice, we extracted total genomic DNA that was suitable for prokaryotic 16S rDNA gene cloning and sequencing, and bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library and end-sequencing. The ice samples were from the Dry Valley region. Age dating by $^{40}Ar/^{39}Ar$ analysis on the volcanic ashes deposited in situ indicated the ice samples are minimum 100,000-300,000 yr (sample DLE) and 8 million years (sample EME) old. Further assay proved the ice survived freeze-thaw cycles or other re-working processes. EME, which was from a small lobe of the basal Taylor glacier, is the oldest known ice on Earth. Microorganisms, preserved frozen in glacier ice and isolated from the rest of the world over a geological time scale, can provide valuable data or insight for the diversity, distribution, survival strategy, and evolutionary relationships to the extant relatives. From the 16S gene cloning study, we detected no PCR amplicons with Archaea-specific primers, however we found many phylotypes belonging to Bacteria divisions, such as Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, Proteobacteria $({\alpha},\;{\beta},\;and\;{\gamma})$, Firmicutes, and Cytophaga-Flavobacterium-Bacteroid$. BAC cloning and sequencing revealed protein codings highly identical to phenylacetic acid degradation protein paaA, chromosome segregation ATPases, or cold shock protein B of present day bacteria. Throughput sequencing of the BAC clones is underway. Viable and culturable cells were recovered from the DLE sample, and characterized by their 16S rDNA sequences. Further investigation on the survivorship and functional genes from the past should help unveil the evolution of life on Earth, or elsewhere, if any.

• 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.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.507-518
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• 1993

Paleomagnetic investigations have been carried out on the Tertiary sedimentary formations (Yeonil Group) in Pohang basin, southeastern Korea. A total of 215 samples were collected from 26 sites. Progressive thermal demagnetization indicates that many samples have unstable magnetization and do not reveal a characteristic direction. However, some samples from the lower and upper Duho Formation show a characteristic direction $D/I=7.8^{\circ}/48.3^{\circ}$ (${\alpha}_{95}=3.7^{\circ}$, k=174.1). Stepwise thermal demagnetization data show that some samples from the Hagjeon and middle Duho Formations reveal great-circle distributions moving from the present to a reversed direction of geomagnetic field. The mean of intersection points of the great-circles is nearly antipodal to the characteristic normal direction of the lower and upper Duho Formation. We infer that the Hagjeon Formation was formed during the reversed polarity chron C5B (16.2~14.7 Ma) and the Duho Formation 14.7~11.6 Ma based on our results and previous paleontologic and age dating data. Paleomagnetic direction for the Middle Miocene of Korea, analysed from the combined results of stable endpoints and great circles, is $D/I=8.7^{\circ}/53.9^{\circ}$ (${\alpha}_{95}=4.2^{\circ}$, k=74.8), and the corresponding paleopole is Lat./Long.=$82.7^{\circ}/230.2^{\circ}$ (${\delta}p=2.8^{\circ}$, ${\delta}m=5.9^{\circ}$). On the basis of this, we interpret that the opening of the East sea (Japan sea) or the synchronous clockwise rotation of the Southwest Japan exerted no structural influence on the Yeonil Group in the Middle Miocene.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.224-239
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• 2009

This study analyzes the properties of fluvial landforms in the upper and lower reaches and investigates the evolutions of stream and fluvial terrace in the Odae river basin. The lower basin of the river that consist of sedimentary rocks resistant to weathering and erosion processes shows higher altitude, relief and slope than the upper basin that consist of granite less resistant to weathering and erosion processes. The average width of river valley at the lower reaches is one-third to the upper reaches and the average width of river channel at the lower reaches is narrower than at the upper reaches. Based on the OSL age dating, the fluvial terrace T1 formed at the temperature-rising period during the late MIS 2 and T2 formed at the middle MIS 3, interstadial period during the last glacial period. Based on the these results, the average incision rates of Odae river are calculated as 0.205m/ka and 0.269m/ka at the upper granite area and lower sedimentary rocks area, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.837-855
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• 2013

The remains and relics such as wood vessel, shell middens and acorn hollows related to marine environments were excavated at Bibong-ri, Changnyeong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea, approximately 70km apart from the Nakdong River mouth. The sea-level changes were reconstructed based on characteristics of shell middens and acorn hollows, sedimentary facies, AMS dating, and diatom analysis. The shell middens and acorn hollows were constructed during the early Neolithic Age and provide information on the paleo-sea level, because of influences of marine processes. The sedimentary facies are classified into a bedrock, base gravel and Holocene sediment (marine, terrestrial and back marsh sediments), upward. The sea level fluctuated during the middle Holocene is in harmony with those in Sejuk-ri, Ulsan and Pyeongtaek. In particular, the sea level at Bibong-ri of study area was higher than the mean high tidal level in Gimhae by approximately 1m during 5,000yr BP and maintained the stable condition during 4,000yr BP.

• 한국해양학회지
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.69-76
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• 1995

A turbidite core sediment (RN88-PC5) from 2051 m on the deep-sea floor at the southern margin of Okinawa Trough was examined. Sedimentological characteristics were quite different between sandy sediments and hemipelagic sediments and hemipelagic sediments in terms of benthic foraminiferal assemblage, grain-size and chemical composition. All turbidite sandy sediments were clearly transported from shallow area as they include typical coral reef dwelling benthic foraminifera which were not found in the background hemipelagic sediments. These layers also suggest that the sediments were transported by turbidity-related currents and implies that sedimentological mechanisms were different between sandy sediments and hemipelagic sediments. The result of the /SUP 14/ C age dating and the stable oxygen isotopic fluctuation of planktonic foraminifera show a gradual warming trend of the surface water from about 10 Ka to present. Also Termination lb as well as two fresh water input events were recognized at ca2 and 7 ka.

• Journal of The Geomorphological Association of Korea
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.27-41
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• 2017

In this study, geomorphological and geological research has been carried out to estimate the possibility of ancient port location near Hwaseong Dangseong. Geomorphological characteristics around Eunsupo were analyzed through comparison of past and present topographic maps and field survey. Grain size, age dating, and geochemical analysis on surface sediments and borehole sediments were performed. Through the geomorphological characteristics analysis, it was interpreted that Eunsupo area was submerged in seawater especially at high tide in the past, and that ships could approach to the inside of the area through the tidal channel which were developed in the area. It is also assumed that ships were anchored at a low elevation point in the area. The paleo-environmental change in the area was analyzed based on the classification of sedimentary environment using grain size distribution of surface and borehole sediments and geochemical analysis. It was confirmed that the geomorphological interpretation for the possibility of ancient port location coincided well with the paleo-environmental change interpreted through sediment analysis. This study is a basic study for estimating ancient port location, and it is expected that more accurate paleo-environmental changes will be restored through detailed geomorphological survey and additional borehole analysis in the future research.

• Journal of The Geomorphological Association of Korea
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.157-168
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• 2012

The Eonyang section is located at the confluent area of Samdong River to Taehwa River in Sinhwa-ri, Samnam-myeon, Ulju-gun, Ulsan-si, Korea. Physical analyses such as the OSL age dating, magnetic susceptibility and grain size analysis were performed. Coarse grains in the upper section were deposited by the aeolian processes from the local sources and the grains in the lower section by the fluvial processes. The Eonyang section shows the large differences such as the irregularity in the variations of magnetic susceptibility, large deviations in the Y values and very poor sorting values from the loess sediments in Bongdong, Geochang and Daecheon in Korea. These characteristics in the Eonyang section suggest the multi-source areas such as the Chinese Loess Plateau and nearby floodplain or the influences by the other processes. The loess sediments of Eonyang section were formed during the period from the late MIS 3 to MIS 2.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.283-298
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• 2016

Sangumburi crater, designated as Natural Monument No. 63, recognized as a maar, but precise geological mapping and geological characteristics in the field indicate that Sangumburi crater is a pit crater. Two stages of volcanic activities created Sangumburi pit crater. Lava flow (aphanitic pyroxene basalt I) and associated pyroclastic deposit (pyroclast I), composed of ash and lapilli, were formed at the stage 1. In the stage 2, lava flow (feldspar olivine basalt) was overlain by lava flow (aphanitic pyroxene basalt II) and associated pyroclastic deposit (pyroclast II), composed of agglomerate. Sangumburi pit crater formed at $0.073{\pm}0.036Ma$, determined by Ar-Ar age dating for the feldspar olivine basalt at the stage 2. It is not clear the preferred migration direction of subsurface magma after Sangumburi pit crater formed.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.245-251
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• 2020

Lead (Pb) has been shown to be a useful tracer of contamination sources and geochemical processes such as age dating and crustal evolution. These studies require a chromatographic technique for Pb separation from geological samples. This paper presents a comparison study on the effect of eluent concentration between 6M HCl and 8M HCl on the separation of Pb from Pb resin. The results showed that the separation of Pb using 6M HCl as the eluent was not effective compared to the separation using 8M HCl. To verify this method, we measured the Pb isotopic compositions of the Pb isotopic standard (NIST NBS981) and geological reference materials (BCR-2, GSP-2, and JG-1a) using a thermal ionization mass spectrometer (TIMS). The results correspond well with the reported values within the error range, implying that this method can be useful.