• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.275-290
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• 2019

Geochemical study was conducted to elucidate the origin of fluorine (F) distributed in the rocks within the four areas of Yongyudo and Sammokdo, Incheon, which have been used as the source area of land reclamation for the $3^{rd}$ and $4^{th}$ stage construction sites of the Incheon International Airport. The main geology of the study area is Triassic biotite granite. Fluorine is contained at high levels in biotite granite, mylonite, and dykes (andesite and, basaltic-andesite). Furthermore, the higher concentrations of fluorine in the biotite granite can be contributed to fluorite. The results of microscopic analyses reveal that the fluorite was mostly observed as small vienlets together with quartz. This features support that fluorite was naturally formed due to the secondary process of hydrothermal fluids. In addition, fluorine was investigated to be highly enriched in a large amount of mica within the veins. In the case of mylonite, a high levels of fluorine was contributed to a large amount of sericite. The sericites contained in the mylointe, differently to those of the biotite granite, filled the micro-fractures of quartz formed as a result of mylonitization and included small cataclastic quartz grains. This indicates that fluorine was naturally enriched due to the alteration of hydrothermal fluids filling fractured zones formed by mylonitization. Consequently, the results of petrological and mineralogical study confirm that the fluorine distributed in the rocks within the Yongyudo and Sammokdo originated naturally.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.187-197
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• 2021

The Hyeongjeseom (Islet) is an erosional remnant of volcano which is located about 2 km northeast of sea shore of the Songaksan tuff ring, and is composed of volcaniclastic deposit, agglomerate and scoria deposit, ponded lava, aa lava flows, reworked deposit and beach deposit in ascending order from the base. The volcano is formed by volcaniclastic deposits and lava flows that recorded a transition from initial phreatomagmatic to magmatic explosions followed by lava effusion. It is interpreted that the outcropped volcaniclastic deposit may be a remaining portion of outer ring of a tuff cone. A bomb and a ponded lava yield geochemically basaltic trachyandesite compositions (SiO2 51.3 wt%, Na2O+K2O 6.0 wt%) and belong to olivine basalt with scarce (<5 %) phenocrysts of olivine, petrographically. By incremental heating Ar-Ar dating method, the plateau age of lava flow in the Heongjesom is 9.2±3.6(2σ) ka, implying that the volcanism of Heongjeseom may have occurred earlier than the Songaksan tuff ring which erupted ca. 3.7 ka. It still remains a task to find a volcano which matches with a historical record of volcanic activity that occurred a thousand years ago.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.229-238
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• 2023

Bentonite is a type of rock that has been used as a traditional mineral medicine. It has a variety of pharmacological activities, and is used in traditional Korean medicine to treat jaundice, diarrhea, and hemostasis. In modern medicine, it is used as a raw material and additive for medicines such as antacids, gastrointestinal protective agents, and laxatives. Bentonite produced in Korea was produced through diagenesis or hydrothermal alteration of tertiary volcanic debris distributed in the Pohang and Gyeongju areas. It is mainly used for industrial purposes such as papermaking, paint, civil engineering, casting, and animal feed. Recently, technology is being developed to use it in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. In this study, the geochemical characteristics of bentonite were identified by analyzing the main components and trace elements of 40 and 21 types of bentonite produced in the Gampo Gyeongju and Yeonil Pohang area. Also it were classifed by formation envrionment of bentonite deposits in the Gampo and Yeonil. As a result of the study, bentonite from the reserch area may be cased by argillic alteraton that alkali elements are removed form basaltic rocks by hydrothermal fluids and AI-CCPI alteration indices wrere also indentified argillic alteraton. It was found that there is a correlation between the behavior characteristics of heavy metal elements (P b, Cr, As) and the hydrothermal alteration of bentonite in the reserch area.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.449-471
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• 2024

We investigated the radiometric ages and petrological characteristics of basaltic rocks with columnar joints, basalt gorge, pillow lava, and mantle xenolith, from the geoheritages designated as Natural Monuments of Korea in recognition of their historical, academic, and scenic excellence. A total of 7 Natural Monuments were selected. They are 'Basalt gorge along Daegyocheon Stream of Hantangang River', 'Basalt gorge and Bidulginangpokpo Falls of Hantangang River, Pocheon', 'Pillow lava in Auraji, Pocheon' distributed along the Chugaryeong Fault System, 'Peridotite xenolith-bearing basalt in Jinchon-ri Baengnyeongdo Island, Ongjin', 'Columnar joint in Daljeon-ri, Pohang', 'Columnar joint in Yangnam, Gyeongju', and 'Columnar joint along Jungmun and Daepo Coasts, Jeju'. They ranged in age from the Cenozoic Neogene Miocene to the Quarternary Pleistocene. Based on the composition of major elements, Hantangang Basalt corresponded to trachybasalt, Daljeon Basalt to phonotephrite, Eoil Basalt to sub-alkaline basalt, and Daepodong Basalt to alkaline basalt. And in the composition of trace and rare earth elements, only Eoil Basalt showed the characteristics of arc basalt, while the others showed the characteristics of oceanic island basalt.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.161-175
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• 2008

The soil developed from volcanic ash in Jeju Island, Korea, were classified as typical Andisols. The soils had acidic pH, high water contents, high organic matters and clay-silty textures. The crystalline minerals of the samples were mainly composed of ferromagnesian minerals such as olivine and pyroxene, and iron oxides such as magnetite and hematite derived from basaltic materials. A large amount of gibbsite was found at the subsurface horizon as a secondary product from the migration of excessive aluminum. In addition, our study has shown that considerable amounts of poorly ordered minerals like allophane and ferrihydrite were present in Jeju soils. The contents of $SiO_2$ were lower than those of other soil orders, but $A1_2O_3$ and $Fe_2O_3$ contents were higher. These results are some of the important chemical properties of Andisols. The contents of heavy metals were in the range of $84{\sim}198$ for Zn, $56{\sim}414$ for Ni, $38{\sim}150$ for Co, $132{\sim}1164\;mg\;kg^{-1}$ for Cr, which are higher than the worldwide values in most of the soils. Some soil samples contained relatively high levels of Cr exceeding 1000 mg/kg. Mean reduction capacity of the Jeju soils was $6.53\;mg\;L^{-1}$ reduced Cr(VI), 5.1 times higher than that of the non-volcanic ash soils from inland of Korea. The soil reduction capacity of the inland soils had a good correlation with total carbon content (R = 0.90). However, in spite of 20 times higher total carbon contents in the Jeju soils, there was a week negative correlation between the reduction capacity and the carbon content (R = -0.469), suggesting that the reduction capacity of Jeju soils is not mainly controlled by the carbon content and affected by other soil properties. Correlations of the reduction capacity with major elements showed that Al and Fe were closely connected with the reduction capacity in Jeju soil (R = 0.793; R = 0.626 respectively). Moreover, the amounts of Ni, Co and Cr had considerable correlations with the reduction capacity (R = 0.538; R = 0.647; R = 0.468 respectively). In particular, in relation to the behavior of redox-sensitive Cr, the oxidation of the trivalent chromium to mobile and toxic hexavalent chromium can be restricted by the high reduction capacity in Jeju soil. The factors controlling the reduction capacity in Jeju soils may have a close relation with the andic soil properties explained by the presence of considerable allophane and ferrihydrite in the soils.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.57-82
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• 2008

The volcanic sequence of the late Cretaceous Moonyu volcanic mass which distributed in the southwestern part of Ryeongnam massif, can be divided into felsic pyroclastic rocks, andesite and andesitic pyroclastic rocks, rhyolite in ascending order. The earliest volcanic activity might commence with intermittent eruptions of felsic magma during deposition of volcaniclastic sediments. Explosive eruptions of felsic pyroclastic rocks began with ash-falls, to progressed through pumice-falls and transmitted with dacitic to rhyolitic ash-flows. Subsequent andesite and andesitic pyroclastic rocks were erupted and finally rhyolite was intruded as lava domes along the fractures near the center of volcanic mass. Petrochemical data show that these rocks are calc-alkaline series and have close petrotectonic affinities with subduction-related continental margin arc volcanic province. Major element compositions range from medium-K to high-K. Petrochemical variation within the volcanic sequence can be largely accounted for tractional crystallization processes with subordinate mixing. The most mafic rocks are basaltic andesite, but low MgO and Ni contents indicate they are fractionated by fractional crystallization from earlier primary mafic magma, which derived from less than 20% partial melting of ultramafic rocks in upper mantle wedge. Based on the stratigraphy, the early volcanic rocks are zoned from lower felsic to upper andesitic in composition. The compositional zonation of magma chamber from upper felsic to lower andesitic, is interpreted to have resulted from fractionation within the chamber and replenishment by an influx of new mafic magma from depth. Replenishment and mixing is based on observations of disequilibrium phenocrysts in volcanic rocks. REE patterns show slight enrichment of LREE with differentiation from andesite to rhyolite. Rhyolite in the final stage can be derived from calc-alkaline andesite magma by fractional crystallization, but it might have underwent crustal contamination during the fractional crystallization.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.135-151
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• 1977

The present paper summerizes the studies on clay mineralogical characteristics of Korean soil, relationship between potassium and clay minerals, potassium release pattern of clay minerals and utilization of clay minerals for soil conditioner and fertilizers, which have been carried out in this laboratory. 1. The red yellow podzolic soil is mostly abundant in the upland of Korea and mainly consists of halloysite and weathered intermediates of mica such as illite and vermiculite. 2. With regard to soil parent material, kaolin mineral occurs abundant in soils derived from granite and granite gneiss. Mica is dominant in basaltic soil. The main clay mineral of the soil, originated from the Tertiary, is found montmorillonite and the volcanic soil of Jeju Island has plenty of allophane as its main clay mineral. 3. It is confirmed that the soil fertility depends on the composition of clay minerals. The red yellow podzolic soil, containing lot of kaolin, shows low productivity while the montmorillonite soil has higher productivity. 4. The release rate of solid phase potassium (micas and fixed potassium) follows the 1st order reaction equation in the equilibrium solution of $IN-NH_4OAc$. The potassium release constant is positively correlated with the mica content of the clay but negatively correlated with the content of $14.5{\AA}$ minerals. On the other hand, the potassium release constant has very high correlation with the ratio(Kex/Kt) of exchangeable potassium(Kex) to total potassium(Kt). 5. It is also found that Kex/Kt has rather high correlation with the content of mica and $14.5{\AA}$ minerals existed in the clay as well as the mica content of the soil.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.14 no.2 s.40
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• pp.93-107
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• 2005

We determined $^{40}Ar/^{39}Ar$ ages of the Tertiary dike swarms and volcanic rocks distributed in the SE Korea where the most prevalent crustal-deformation and volcanism occurred during the period. In previous study, it was disclosed that the mafic dike swarms on both sides (east and west) of the Yeonil Tectonic Line (YTL) were originated from a same magma although they are consistently aligned with different intrusion directions of NS and NE, respectively. Ages of the mafic dike swarms of this study are $47.3\pm0.8Ma$ and $48.0\pm1.3Ma$, respectively and confirm such conclusion. These facts clarify that the YTL acted as a westernmost limit of the crustal deformation, especially clockwise crust-rotation, during the Miocene. Frequent occurrence of basic dikes indicate strongly that the southeastern part of the Korean Peninsula was under E-W extensional stress field at about 48 Ma, intimately related to the India-Asia collision and subsequent sudden change of the Pacific Plate motion. The ages of the uncommonly appearing intermediate and felsic dikes were determined as $55.9\pm1.5Ma$ and $53.0\pm1.0Ma$, respectively. Ages of the andesitic lava of the Hyodongri Volcanics, the dacitic lava of the Yongdongri Tuff, and dacitic rocks intruding and covering the Churyeong Breccia were determined as $24.0\pm0.5Ma,\;21.6\pm0.4Ma$, $21.8\pm0.1Ma,\;and\;22.0\pm0.5Ma$ respectively. The ages from the volcanics agrees well with the stratigraphy established by the latest field survey, which confirms that the $andesitic\~dacitic$ volcanism was followed by the basaltic volcanism during the Early Miocene.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.309-333
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• 2012

Basalt having lots of feldspar phenocryst occurred at the northern and southern slope of the Mt. Halla, Jejudo. Among them, the Sioreum trachybasalt in southern slope consists of abundant phenocrysts of plagioclase in aphanitic groundmass. And the number of plagioclase grains are about 20 per $10cm^2$, and based on 667 grains the sizes are 13~0.7 mm (average 4.23 mm) in length and 8.6~0.5 mm (average 2.3 mm) in width. In according to modal analyses, Sioreum basaltic rock consists mainly of plagioclase (16~28%), olivine, clinopyroxene (1.5~6%) and opaque minerals (~0.1%) of magnetite and ilmenite as phenocryst and microphenocryst and groundmass (60~82%). The compositions of plagioclase, olivine and clinopyroxene are bytownite~andesine, chrysolite~hyalosiderite, augite respectively. Plagioclase phenocrysts show different type of zoning, namely, normal, reversal, patchy, oscillatory type. The An contents of zoned plagioclase mainly increase from core to rim. Those of oscillatory type from core to rim show variations of increase following decrease or decrease following increase, being more enriched in rim or almost same to core. Under the microscope, some plagioclase phenocrysts are especially melted in core part or marginal part, or found as only the remnant remain which resulted from reaction with melt. Some clinopyroxene are also corroded in margin part or found as irregular shape resulted from melting. The characteristics of petrography and compositional variation from core to rim of plagioclase and clinopyroxene, indicate that they are disequilibrium with melt and has been undergone geological environmental changes in magma batch during crystallization including magma mixing with replenishment of more mafic and high temperature melt.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.235-247
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• 2012

Peridotite xenoliths hosted by alkali basalts from South Korea occur in Baengnyeong Island, Jeju Island, Boeun, Asan, Pyeongtaek and Ganseong areas. K-Ar whole-rock ages of the basaltic rocks range from 0.1 to 18.9 Ma. The peridotites are dominantly lherzolites and magnesian harzburgites, and the constituent minerals are Fo-rich olivine ($Fo_{88.4-92.0}$), En-rich orthopyroxene, Di-rich clinopyroxene, and Cr-rich spinel (Cr# = 7.8-53.6). Hydrous minerals, such as pargasite and phlogopite, or garnet have not been reported yet. The Korean peridotites are residues after variable degree of partial melting (up to 26%) and melt extraction from fertile MORB mantle. However, some samples (usually refractory harzburgites) exhibit metasomatic enrichment of the highly incompatible elements, such as LREE. Equilibration temperatures estimated using two-pyroxene geothermometry range from ca. 850 to $1050^{\circ}C$. Sr and Nd isotopic compositions in clinopyroxene separates from the Korean peridotites show trends between depleted MORB-like mantle (DMM) and bulk silicate earth (BSE), which can be explained by secondary metasomatic overprinting of a precursor time-integrated depleted mantle. The Korean peridotite clinopyroxenes define mixing trends between DMM and EM2 end members on Sr-Pb and Nd-Pb isotopic correlation diagrams, without any corresponding changes in the basement. This is contrary to what we observe in late Cenozoic intraplate volcanism in East Asia which shows two distinct mantle sources such as a DMM-EM1 array for NE China including Baengnyeong Island and a DMM-EM2 array for Southeast Asia including Jeju Island. This observation suggests the existence of large-scale two distinct mantle domains in the shallow asthenosphere beneath East Asia. The Re-Os model ages on Korean peridotites indicate that they have been isolated from convecting mantle between ca. 1.8 and 1.9 Ga.