• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.390-399
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• 1999

Siliceous and calcareous deep-sea core sediments were collected by a multiple corer from the KODOS (Korea Deep Ocean Study) area, northeast equatorial Pacific, to compare vane shear strengths measured by two different apparatuses and in different places of on-board and on-land laboratories. The apparatuses were 1) a hand-held vane with four blades of $2.0{\times}2.0$ cm, and 2) a motorized shear vane system with four blades of $1.0{\times}0.88$ attached on a rotational viscometer. Depth profiles of shear strengths of core samples determined by the apparatuses do not show any consistent difference. Also, there is no consistent difference between shear strength values measured on-board and on-land laboratories after storing the core samples for three months in a cold room by a motorized shear vane system. However, there are considerable differences between depth profiles of shear strengths measured at four different points (holes) of a core sample. Moreover, significant differences among the profiles of different tube samples from a multiple corer within a sampling station were observed. Heterogeneity in physical properties of each depth and sediment column, possibly due to bioturbation and bottom current flows, is likely responsible for the differences in the geotechnical properties.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.454-465
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• 2008

Benthic foraminiferal assemblage and AMS radiocarbon dating of core sediments from the northern shelf of the East China Sea were analyzed in order to understand the paleoenvironment and sedimentary environmental changes around the Korean marginal seas since the last glacial maximum (LGM). The core sediments, containing continuous records of the last 16,000 years, reveal a series of well-defined vertical changes in number of species (S), P/T ratio and species diversity (H) as well as foraminiferal assemblage. Such down-core variations display a sharp change at a core depth of approximately 240 cm, which corresponds to ca. 10,000 year B.P. The sediments of the lower part of the core (240${\sim}$560 cm, Zone I), including the well-developed tide-influenced sedimentary structures, are characterized by high abundances of Ammonia beccarii and Elphidium clavatum (s.l.) and low values in number of species, P/T ratio and diversity. These tide-influenced signatures and foraminiferal assemblage characters suggest that the sediments of Zone I were deposited in a coastal environment (water depths of 20${\sim}$30 m) such as tidal estuary with an influence of the paleo-rivers (e.g., old-Huanghe and Yangtze rivers) during the early phase of the sea-level rise (ca. 16,000 to 10,000 years) since the LGM. In contrast, the upper core sediments (0${\sim}$240 cm, Zone II) are characterized by abundant Eilohedra nipponica and Bolivina robusta with a minor contribution of A. ketienziensis angulata and B. marginata. and high values in number of species, P/T ratio and diversity. Based on relative abundance of these assemblage, Zone II can be divided into two subzones (IIa and IIb). Zone IIa is interpreted to be deposited under the inner-to-middle shelf environment during the marine transgression in the early Holocene (after ca. 9,000 yr B.P.) when sea level rapidly increased. The sediments of zone IIb most likely deposited after 6,000 yr B.P. under the outer shelf environment (80${\sim}$100 m water depth), which is similar to modem depositional environments. The muddy sediments of zone IIb were probably transported from the old-Huanghe and Yangtze Rivers during the late Holocene. We suggest that the present-day oceanographic conditions over the Yellow and the East China Seas have been established after ca. 7,000${\sim}$6,000 yr B.P. when the Kuroshio Current began to influence this area.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.286-294
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• 2008

In order to understand the physical properties of deep-sea sediments, which mainly consist of pelagic red clays, sediment samples were collected at 24 stations using a multiple corer in the Clarion-Clipperton fracture zone of the northeast equatorial Pacific. The sampled sediment cores were examined for the mass physical properties(i.e. grain size distribution, mean grain size, water content, specific grain density, wet bulk density, void ratio, and porosity) and the geotechnical properties(i.e. shear strength and consistency limits) with the content of biogenic opal and mineral composition. Although KR1 and KR2 areas on the same latitude are logitudinally far from each other, the mass physical properties of these areas are not distinctly different except for shear strengths. The maximum shear strength of surface sediments in KR2 area is higher than that in KR1 due to the appearance of a consolidated lower layer(Unit 3) in the sediment core from KR2.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.50-62
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• 1999

Sediment core samples recovered from the Korea Deep Ocean Study (KODOS)-97 area were divided into two or three units according to their distinct changes in sediment colors and chemical and physical properties. Analyses of radiolarian faunas in the sediments and $^{10}Be$ ratios in each unit were performed to reveal stratigraphic and paleoceanographic history of the study area. In the upper part of the sediments, Tertiary radiolarians were mixed at various proportions with Quaternary assemblages probably by reworking process of bottom current and benthic animals. Dissolution of radiolarians was severe in deeper depth and in the Unit III, only few of the fragments of corroded Tertiary radiolarians were detectable. The mid layer of the Unit I belonged to Collosphaera invaginata Zone, the time period of 0.21 Ma. The Unit II belonged to Collosphaera tuberosa Zone with the time period younger than 0.42 Ma which was observed above the Stylatractus universus Zone. The Unit III is assigned to Tertiary, which is younger than the Late Eocene. Composition analyses of radiolarian assemblage and $^{10}Be$ ratio data indicated hiatus periods of more than 3 My between late of Middle Miocene and Pliocene resulting from erosion and dissolution caused by Antarctic Bottom Water. Stratigraphic evidence from radiolaria was well correlated with $^{10}Be$ data. Sedimentation rate during Quaternary can be suggested as 0.15-0.5 mm per 1000 years. Dominance of warm-water radiolaria species and the results reflected minimum climatic changes of tropical conditions.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.125-137
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• 1997

To study the vertical variation of heavy metal and Rare Earth Element (REE) contents in deep-sea sediments, eighteen cores were sampled from the Korea Deep-sea Environmental Study (KODES)-96 area in the C-C zone (Clarion-Clipperton fracture zone), northeast equatorial Pacific. Sediment columns can be divided into three units based on sediment colors and geochemical characters; uppermost Unit I with brown color, middle Unit II with pale brown color and smaller Ni/Cu ratio than the ratio in Unit I, and lowermost Unit III with dark (brown) colors and higher contents of Mn, Ni, Cu, and REEs than those in Unit I and II. Unit II can be divided more into two layers of upper Unit IIa and lower Unit IIb. Unit IIb is characterized by high contents of Cu, 3+REEs (REEs except Ce), smectite, and severely deteriorated fossil tests. Unit III can also be divided into two units; upper Unit IIIa with dark brown color, and lower Unit IIIb with black color and enriched Mn and Fe. The KODES area was located near from the East Pacific Rise (EPR) When Unit III Sediments were deposited, considering the hiatus between Unit II and III (Quaternary-Tertiary boundary) and the spreading rate (10 cm/yr) and direction (north southern west) of the Pacific plate from the EPR. High contents of Mn and Fe in Unit IIIb may be related with hydrothermal influence from the EPR. Meanwhile, Unit IIb (about 2~3 Ma) and Unit III (11~30 Ma) layers were probably formed near (or under) the equatorial high productivity zone, and accordingly received a lot of organic materials. As a result, Cu and 3+REEs, closely associated with organic materials, are enriched in smectite and/or Ca-P composites (fish bone debrise, biogenic apatite) after decomposition and reprecipitation on the sea floor. Higher contents of Cu and 3+REEs in Unit IIb and III are suggested to be the result of abundant supply of organic substances in the equatorial high productivity zone.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.245-253
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• 2004

The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), where the southeast and northeast trade winds converge, is the effective climatological barrier that separates the southern and northern hemispheres in dust budget. Asian and N. American dusts dominate in fhe Pacific north of the ITCZ, while Central and S. American dust prevails south of the ITCZ. In order to understand the nature of latitudinal and depth-related variations of mineral composition in terms of relative position to the ITCZ, deep-sea core sediments were collected from $9^{\circ}N$ to $17^{\circ}N$ at a $2^{\circ}N$ interval along the $131.5^{\circ}W$ meridian and analyzed for mineral composition. The amount of illite in surface sediments decreases gradually from 65% at $17^{\circ}N\;to\;31^{\circ}N$ to 31% at 9f. In contrast, smectite increases from 11% to 56% southward. The observed mineralogical variation toward the ITCZ is attributed to the increased supply of volcaniclastic material transported via the southeast trade winds from the Central and South America source regions. Smectite-illite transition, a phenomenon that the amount of smectite increases over illite, occurs at around $10^{\circ}N$, the northern margin of the ITCZ. This result indicates that the change in latitudinal position of the ITCZ in geologic past could be recorded as a form of smectite-illite transition in deep-sea cores. The studied cores show down-core variation of mineral composition from illite-rich at the surface to smectite-rich clay suit at depths, similar to the latitudinal variation. The smectite-illite transitions observed in these cores are likely the records of changes in latitudinal position of the ITCZ. The depth and age of smectite-illite transition is getting shallower and younger toward equator, implying that the ITCZ was located farther north during late Tertiary and has shifted southward to the present position of $5^{\circ}N-10^{\circ}N$.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.49-56
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• 2013

The necessity of exploration in deep sea increases to develop the natural resources. The deep marine sediments, which were recovered from the hydrate occurrence regions during the Ulleung Basin Gas Hydrate Expedition 2 (UBGH2), East Sea, Korea in 2010, are explored to obtain the geotechnical characteristics and strength parameters. The index properties of the specimens including the atterberg limits, specific surface, and particle size distribution are measured and compared with the previous studies. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, and X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy are conducted to analyze the clay mineralogy, chemical composition, and microstructure of the sediments. Strength parameters and shear wave velocities are measured with the axial strain by using an instrumented triaxial device. The strength parameters estimated by empirical equations are compared with the experimental results.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.149-157
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• 2003

Deep sea core samples were taken in the southwestern part of the Ulleung Basin in order to characterize the properties of shallow gases in the sediment. Amount of shallow gases in the sediments were calculated by head space techniques, and chemical and isotopic compositions of hydrocarbon gases were analyzed. Geochemical analyses were carried out on the gas bearing sediments to find out relationship between natural gas contents and organic characteristics of the sediments. Seismic characteristics of shallow gases in the sediments were also examined in this study. The amount of the hydrocarbon gases in the sediments range from 0.01% to 11.25%. Calculation of volume of gas per volume of wet sediment varies from 0.1 to 82.0 ml HC/L wet sediment. Methane consists 98% of the total hydrocarbon gases except for two samples. Based on the methane content and isotopic composition$(\delta^{13}c)$: -94.31$\textperthousand$~-55.5$\textperthousand$), the hydrocarbon gases from the sediments are generated from bacterial activities of methanogenic microbes. Contents of hydrocarbon gases are variable from site to site. Volume of shallow gases in the sediments shows no apparent trends vs. either characteristics of organic matter or particle sizes of the sediments. Gas concentration is high in the area of seismic anomalies such as blanking zone or chimney structures in the section. Physicochemically the pore water and the formation water systems are saturated with gases in these areas. Concentration of hydrocarbon gases in the sediments in these area shows favorable condition for generation of gas hydrate, as far as the other conditions are satisfied.

• Journal of the korean society of oceanography
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.57-71
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• 2004

Based on the data obtained under the China-Korea joint project (1997-2001) and historic observations, the distribution, transportation and sedimentation of sediment in the southern Yellow Sea (SYS) are discussed, and the controversial formation mechanism of muddy sediments is also explored. The sediment transport trend analysis indicates that the net transport direction of sediment in the central SYS (a fine-grained sediment deposited area) points to $123.4^{\circ}E,\;35.1^{\circ}N$, which is a possible sedimentation center in the central SYS. The sediment transport pattern is verified by the distribution of total suspended matter (TSM) concentration and ${\delta}^{13}C$ values of particulate organic carbon (POC), the latter indicates that the bottom water plays a more important role than the surface water in transporting the terrigenous material to the central deep-water area of the SYS, and the Yellow Sea circulation is an important control factor for the sediment transport pattern in the SYS. The carbon isotope signals of organic matter in sediments indicate that the Shandong subaqueous delta has high sedimentation rate and the deposited sediments originate mainly from the modern Yellow River. The terrigenous sediments in deep-water area of the SYS originate mainly from the old Yellow River and the modern Yellow River, and only a small portion originates from the modern Yangtze River. The analytical results of TSM and stable carbon isotopes are further confirmed by another independent tracer of sediment source, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Five light mineral provinces in the SYS can be identified and they indicate inhomogeneity in sources and sedimentary environment. The modern shelf sedimentary processes in the SYS are controlled by shelf dynamic factors. The muddy depositional systems are produced in the shelf low-energy environments, which are controlled by some meso-scale cyclonic eddies (cold eddies) in the central SYS and the area southwest of the Cheju Island. On the contrary, an anticyclonic muddy depositional system (warm eddy sediment) appears in the southeast of the SYS (the area northwest of the Cheju Island). In this study, we give the cyclonic and anticyclonic eddy sedimentation patterns.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.407-421
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• 2014

The benthic environmental impact experiment addresses environmental impacts at a specific site related to deep-sea mineral resource development. We have acquired several tens of multi- or box core samples at 31 sites within the Benthic environmental Impact Site (BIS) since 2010, aiming to examine the basic properties of surficial deep-sea sediment as a potential source for deep-water plumes. In this study, we present the geochemical properties such as major elements, rare earth elements (REEs), and heavy metal contents at the BIS. Such proxies vary distinctly according to the Facies association. The lithology of all core sediments in the BIS corresponds to both Association Ib and Association IIIb. The vertical profiles of some major elements ($SiO_2$, $Fe_2O_3$, CaO, $P_2O_5$, MgO, MnO) show noticeable differences between Association Ib and IIIb, while others ($Al_2O_3$, $TiO_2$, $Na_2O$, and $K_2O$) do not vary between Association Ib and IIIb. REEs are also distinctly different for Associations Ib and IIIb; in Association Ib, REY and HREE/LREE are uniform through the sediment section, while they increase downward in Association IIIb like the major elements; below a depth of 8 cm, REY is over 500 ppm. The metal enrichment factor (EF) evaluates the anthropogenic influences of some metals (Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, and Cd) in marine sediments. In both Associations, the EF for Cu is over 1.5, the EF for Ni and Pb ranges from 0.5 to 1.5, and the EF for Zn and Cd are less than 0.5, indicating Cu is enriched but Zn and Cd are relatively depleted in the BIS. The vertical variations of geochemical properties between Association Ib and IIIb are shown to be clearly different, which seems to be related to the global climate changes such as the shift of Intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ).