• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.447-454
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• 1998

As a widespread tephra erupted 24 to 25 KA, Aira-Tn Ash, or AT, provides an invaluable datum for stratigraphic study of late Pleistocene in Northeast Asia. AT can be identified from their tonal characteristic and morphology (the so­called bubble-wail feature), as well as typical refractive index. First reported in 1983, its presence was confirmed from many palaeolithic deposits distributed throughout Korea. It forces us to reconsider the age of prominent Pleistocene deposits. At the famous archaeological site of Chon-gok-ni, presence of AT lends a firm support that sedimentation and deposition of lithic assemblage were in fact a late Upper Pleistocene event, thus, throwing a new question at archaeologists to explain why such archaic-looking tools were continued to be made. Discovery of AT at Chongdongjin is more surprising, since the coastal terrace has been regarded by many as an early Lower Pleistocene eustatic feature. It implies strongly that we need to devise a new scheme for Quaternary stratigraphy. In the absence of reliable datum and marker for Quaternary research, efforts must be given to search for and identify AT and other widespread tephras.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.338-348
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• 1999

Physical properties of mudbelt sediments in the southeastern inner shelf of Korea are studied from 14 cores. Physical properties, compressional wave velocity, and sediment texture for core sediments are analyzed. The major source of sediment in the study area is the Nakdong River. Fine-grained sediments from the river are transported northeastward by coastal circulation and the Tsushima Current, resulting in a gradual northeastward increase in porosity and a decrease in wet bulk density and velocity. The trend matches well with the bathymetry. The mean grain size appears to be the most important variable to determine the physical properties and velocity. The variations of physical properties with burial depth are dependent more strongly on sediment texture than compaction and/or consolidation. Correlations between the physical properties and the sediment texture show slight deviations from those of the continental terrace sediment in the North Pacific and inner shelf sediment in the South Sea of Korea. The velocity is higher than that of the North Pacific and the South Sea sediments between these areas. This is probably due to differences in sedimentary, environment and mineral compositions. The higher sediment velocity in the study area may also be attributed to the escape of gas from pore space which decreases void ratio.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.477-486
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• 2014

Integrated sand control including sediment discharge from hinterland rivers is necessary to maintain coastal sand resources over a long term. In this regard, the following subjects should be considered; efficient ways to transfer discharged sand from a river to the neighboring coast, measures to improve storage efficiency of the discharged sand at the river delta and/or river terrace, measures to prevent the sand resources from being discharged into the deep sea during flooding. From the 1997 to January 2004, the jetty of 156 m length was constructed the Heoya-river mouth to protect the blockade of river mouth. Several tests were carried out to investigate the characteristics of sediment transport and morphological change due to the construction of the jetty at the Heoya-river mouth. Firstly, The sand discharge from Heoya river is quantified by one-dimensional numerical analysis assuming the mixed sand of three different particle diameters. Also the numerical mode system, which predicts the sea bed changes obtained from the Bailard's energy model(1981), was combined with the wave, wave-induced currents and sediment transport models. Then, to understand the changes to the blockade of the river mouth, several aerial photographs were compared, which showed that the changes were significant.

• 한국지구물리탐사학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2008.10a
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• pp.207-212
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• 2008

Bathymetry, side scan sonar, and magnetic survey data for the summit area of Dokdo obtained by Korea Ocean Research & Development Institute in 1999, 2004, and 2007 were analyzed to investigate the geophysical characteristics of the summit. Bathymetry and topographic data for the summit of Dokdo show uneven seabed and irregular undulations from costal line to -90 m in water depth, indicating the effects of partial erosions and taluses. The stepped slope in the bathymetry is supposed to be a coastal terrace suggesting repetition of transgressions and regressions in the Quaternary. The bathymetry and the side scan sonar data show a small crater, assumed to be formed by post volcanisms, at depth of $-100\;{\sim}\;-120\;m$ in the northeastern and the northwestern parts of the survey area. Except some areas with shallow sand sedimentary deposits, there are rocky seafloor and lack of sediments in the side scan sonar images of the survey area, dominantly. The analytic signal of the magnetic anomaly coincides with other geophysical results regarding to the location of the residual crater. The geophysical constraints of the summit of Dokdo propose that the islets and the rocky seabed elongated northeastward and northwestward from the islets might be the southern crater of the Dokdo volcano.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.42 no.3 s.120
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• pp.368-387
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• 2007

In order to explain geomorphological characteristics of the Korean Peninsula, it is necessary to understand the spatial distribution of tectonic movements and its causes. Even though geomorphological elements which might have been formed by tectonic movements(e.g. tilted overall landform, erosion surface, river terrace, marine terraces, etc.) have long been considered as main geomorphological research topics in Korea, the knowledge on the spatial distribution of tectonic movement is still limited. This research aims to identify the spatial distributions of tectonic movement via sequential analyses of Digital Elevation Model(DEM). This paper first developed a set of terrain analysis techniques derived from theoretical interrelationships between tectonic uplifts and landsurface denudation processes. The terrain analyses used in this research assume that elevations along major drainage basin divides might preserve original landsurfaces(psuedo-landsuface) that were formed by tectonic movement with relatively little influence by denudation processes. Psuedo-landsurfaces derived from a DEM show clear spatial distribution patterns with distinct directional alignments. Lines connecting psuedo-landsufaces in a certain direction are defined as psuedo-landsurface axes, which are again categorized into two groups: the first is uplift psuedo-landsurface axes that indicate the axis of landmass uplift; and the second is denudational psuedo-landsurface axes that cross step-shaped pusedo-landsurfaces formed via surface denudation. In total, 13 axes of pusedo-landsurface are identified in the Korean Peninsula, which show distinct direction, length, and relative uplift rate. Judging from the distribution of psudo-landsurfaces and their axes, it is concluded that the Korean Peninsula ran be divided into four tectonic regions, which are named as the Northern Tectonic Region, Center Tectonic Region, Southern Tectonic Region, and East Sea Tectonic Region, respectively. The Northern Tectonic Region had experienced a regional uplift centered at the Kaema plateau, and the rate of uplift gradually decreased toward southern, western and eastern directions. The Center Tectonic Region shows an arch-shaped uplift. Its uplift rate is the highest along the East Sea and the rate decreases towards the Yellow sea. The Southern Tectonic Region shows an asymmetric uplift centered a line connecting Dukyu and Jiri Mountains in the middle of the region. The eastern side of the Southern Regions shows higher uplift rate than that of the western side. The East Sea Tectonic Region includes south-eastern coastal area of the peninsula and Gilju-Myeongchun Jigudae, which shows relatively recent tectonic movements in Korea. Since this research visualizes the spatial heterogeneity of long-term tenonic movement in the Korean peninsula, this would provide valuable basic information on long-term and regional differences of geomorphological evolutionary processes and regional geomorphological differences of the Korean Peninsula.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.125-133
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• 1984

To obtain the basic date for the improvement of cultural and managemental problems caused by soil characteristics and soil productivity in rice cultivation of Honam area, morphological characteristics of rice soils were investigated in Mangeng-Dongjin and Yeongsan Water-sheds, and compaired differences between two major Watersheds. The results obtained are summarized as follows: 1. According to U.S.D.A. Soil Taxonomy Classification System, eight great groups are distributed in rice soils of two major Watersheds. More than 50% of rice paddy soils are classified as Haplaquepts. 2. Two Watersheds are quite different in soil parent materials. In Mangeong-Dongjin Watershed, most soils (55.1%) are derived from fluvic-marine deposits. Remainders are derived from local alluvium (24.7%) and alluvium (14.2%). But in Yeongsan Watershed, the order is local alluvium>alluvium>fluvio-marine deposits. 3. Rice soils occur mostly in coastal and inland flat-site with the slope of less than 2% (57.8%) in Mangeong-Dongjin Watersheds. However, in Yeongsan Watershed, flat-site and low undulating terrace are mostly distributed (52.9%). 4. About 81.9, 61.4 and 53.3% of rice soils are classified as fine textured in Yeongsan, Dongjin, and Mangeong Watersheds, respectively. 5. More normal paddy soils and less sandy paddy soils are distributed in Yeongsan Watershed. The results indicate that more rice soils are classified as productivity classes of I and II in Yeongsan Watershed than in Mangeong-Dongjin Watersheds.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.37-87
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• 1997

As a results of researches on the cultivation processes and settlement developments on the Mangyoung river valley as a whole could be have four 'Space-Time Continuity' through a [Origin-Destination] theory model. On a initial phases of cultivation, the cultivation process has been begun at mountain slopes and tributory plains in upper part of river-basin from Koryo Dynasty to early Chosun Dynasty. At first, indigenous peasants burned forests on the mountain slopes for making 'dryfield' for a cereal crops. Following population increase more stable food supply is necessary facets of life inducing a change production method into a 'wetfield' in tributory plains matching the population increase. First sedentary agriculture maybe initiated at this mountain slopes and tributory plains on upper part of river basin through a burning cultivation methods. Mountain slopes and tributory plains are become a Origin area in cultivation processes. It expanded from up to down through the valleys with 'a bits of land' fashion in a steady pace like a terraced fields expanded with bit by bit of land to downward. They expanded their land to the middle part of river basin in mid period of Chosun Dynasty with dike construction techniques on the river bank. Lower part of river cultivated with embankment building techniques in 1920s and then naturally expanded to the tidal marshes on the estuaries and river inlets of coastal areas. 'Pioneer fringes' are consolidated at there in modern times. Changes in landscapes are appeared it's own characters with each periods of time. Followings are results of study through the Mangyoung river valley as a whole. (1) Mountain slopes and tributory plains on the upper part of river are cultivated 'dryfields' by indigenous peasants with Burning cultivation methods at first and developed sedentary settlements at the edges of mountain slopes and on the river terrace near the fields. They formed a kind of 'periphery-located cluster type' of settlement. This type of settlement are become a prominant type in upper part of river basin. 'Dryfields' has been changed into a 'wetfields' at the narrow tributory plains by increasing population pressure in later time. These wetfields are supplied water by Weir and Ponds Irrigation System(제언수리방법). Streams on the tributory plains has been attracted wetfields besides of it and formed a [water+land] complex on it. 'Wetfields' are expanded from up to downward with a terraced land pattern(adder like pattern, 붕전) according to the gradient of valley. These periphery located settlements are formed a intimate ecological linkage with several sets of surroundings. Inner villages are expanded to Outer villages according to the expansion of arable lands into downward. (2) Mountain slopes and tributory plains expanded its territory to the alluvial deposited plains on the middle part of river valley with a urgent need of new land by population increase. This part of alluvial plains are cultivated mainly in mid period of Chosun Dynasty. Irrigation methods are changed into a Dike Construction Irrigation method(천방수리방법) for the control of floods. It has a trend to change the subjectives of cultivation from community-oriented one who constructed Bochang along tributories making rice paddies to local government authorities who could be gather large sums of capitals, techniques and labours for the big dike construction affairs. Settlements are advanced in the midst of plains avoiding friction of distances and formed a 'Centrallocated cluster type' of settlements. There occured a hierarchical structures of settlements in ranks and sizes according merits of water supply and transportation convenience at the broad plains. Big towns are developed at there. It strengthened a more prominant [water+land] complex along the canals. Ecological linkages between settlements and surroundings are shaded out into a tiny one in this area. (3) It is very necessary to get a modern technology of flood control at the rivers that have a large volume of water and broad width. The alluvial plains are remained in a wilderness phase until a technical level reached a large artificial levee construction ability that could protect the arable land from flood. Until that time on most of alluvial land at the lower part of river are remained a wilderness of overgrown with reeds in lacks of techniques to build a large-scale artificial levee along the riverbank. Cultivation processes are progressed in a large scale one by Japanese agricultural companies with [River Rennovation Project] of central government in 1920s. Large scale artificial levees are constructed along the riverbank. Subjectives of cultivation are changed from Korean peasants to Japanese agricultural companies and Korean peasants fell down as a tenant in a colonial situation of that time in Korea. They could not have any voices in planning of spatial structure and decreased their role in planning. Newly cultivated lands are reflected company's intensions, objectives and perspectives for achieving their goals for the sake of colonial power. Newly cultivated lands are planned into a regular Rectangular Block settings of rice paddies and implanted a large scale Bureaucratic-oriented Irrigation System on the cultivated plains. Every settlements are located in the midst of rice paddies with a Central located Cluster type of settlements. [water+land] complex along the canal system are more strengthened. Cultivated space has a characters of [I-IT] landscapes. (4) Artificial levees are connected into a coastal emnankment for a reclamation of broad tidal marshes on the estuaries and inlets of rivers in the colonial times. Subjectives of reclamation are enlarged into a big agricultural companies that could be acted a role as a big cultivator. After that time on most of reclamation project of tidal marshes are controlled by these agricultural companies formed by mostly Japanese capitalists. Reclaimed lands on the estuaries and river inlets are under hands of agricultural companies and all the spatial structures are formed by their intensions, objectives and perspectives. They constructed a Unit Farming Area for the sake of companies. Spatial structures are planned in a regular one with broad arable land for the rice production of rectangular blocks, regular canal systems and tank reservoir for the irrigation water supply into reclaimed lands. There developed a 'Central-located linear type' of settlements in midst of reclaimed land. These settlements are settled in a detail program upon this newly reclaimed land at once with a master plan and they have planned patterns in their distribution, building materials, location, and form. Ecological linkage between Newly settled settlemrnts and its surroundings are lost its colours and became a more artificial one by human-centred environment. [I-IT] landscapes are become more prominant. This region is a destination area of [Origin-Destination] theory model and formed a 'Pioneer Fringe'. It is a kind of pioneer front that could advance or retreat discontinously by physical conditions and socio-cultural conditions of that region.