• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.249-267
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• 2016

The Hongseong area of the central-western Korean Peninsula is considered to be a part of collision zone that is tectonically correlated to the Qinling-Dabie-Sulu belt of China. The area includes the elliptical-shaped serpentinized ultramafic bodies, together with mafic rocks. The studied bodies are in contact with the surrounded Neoproterozoic alkali granites at the Baekdong and Wonnojeon bodies and the Paleoproterozoic Yugu gneiss at the Bibong body. The Baekdong body contains the blocks of the Neoproterozoic alkali granites and the Late Paleozoic metabasites. The Bibong body also includes the Neoproterozoic alkali granite blocks. The Mesozoic intrusive rocks are also recognized at the Baekdong, Wonnojeon and Bibong bodies. On the other hand, the Early Cretaceous volcanic rocks are occurred at the Bibong body. The detrital zircon SHRIMP U-Pb ages of the serpentinites at three bodies range variously from Neoarchean to Middle Paleozoic at the Baekdong body, and from Neoarchean to Early Cretaceous at the Wonnojeon and Bibong bodies. Although serpentinization does not generally produce minerals suitable for direct isotopic dating, the youngest Middle Paleozoic age at the Baekdong body and the Early Cretaceous age at the Wonnojeon and Bibong bodies indicate the possible upper age limit for the (re)serpentinization. Especially, the Early Cretaceous serpentinization ages may be related to the widespread Early Cretaceous igneous activity in the central-southern Korean Peninsula. Age results for the serpentinite bodies and the included blocks of the studied serpentinized ultramafic bodies in the Hongseong area, therefore, provide several possible interpretations for the serpentinization ages of the ultramafic rocks as well as the geotectonic implications of serpentinization, requiring more detailed study including other serpentinized ultramafic bodies in the Hongseong area.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.167-185
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• 2014

SHRIMP zircon U-Pb ages and major element and Sr-Nd isotopic compositions were determined for drill cores (374-3390 m in depth) recovered from three boreholes in the Pohonag basin, southeastern Korea. Shallow-seated volcanic rocks and underlain plutonic rocks were geochemically classified as rhyolite and gabbro-granite, respectively. They showed high-K calc-alkaline trends on the $K_2O-SiO_2$ and AFM diagrams. Zircons from volcanic rocks of borehole PB-1 yielded concordia ages of $66.84{\pm}0.66Ma$ (n=12, MSWD=0.02) and $66.52{\pm}0.55Ma$ (n=12, MSWD=0.46). Zircons from volcanic rocks of borehole PB-2 gave a concordia age of $71.34{\pm}0.85Ma$ (n=11, MSWD=0.79) and a weighted mean $^{206}Pb/^{238}U$ ages of $49.40{\pm}0.37Ma$ (n=11, MSWD=1.9). On the other hand, zircons from plutonic rocks of borehole PB-3 yielded weighted mean $^{206}Pb/^{238}U$ ages of $262.4{\pm}3.6Ma$ (n=21, MSWD=4.5), $252.4{\pm}3.6Ma$ (n=8, MSWD=1.9) and $261.8{\pm}1.5Ma$ (n=31, MSWD=1.3). Detrital zircons from the sedimentary strata overlain the volcanic rocks showed a wide age span from Neoproterozoic to Cenozoic, with the youngest population corresponding to $21.89{\pm}1.1Ma$ (n=15, MSWD=0.04) and $21.68{\pm}1.2Ma$ (n=10, MSWD=19). These dating results indicate that the basement of the Pohang basin is composed of Late Permian plutonic rocks and overlain Late Cretaceous to Eocene volcanic sequences. Miocene sediments were deposited in the uppermost part of the basin, possibly associated with the opening of the East Sea. The Sr-Nd isotopic compositions of the Permian plutonic rocks were comparable with those reported from Permian-Triassic granitoids in the Yeongdeok area, northern Gyeongsang basin. They may have been recycled into parts of the Cretaceous-Paleogene magmatic rocks within the Gyeongsang basin.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.311-324
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• 2014

The Hongjeom formation of the Pyeongan Supergroup in the Munkyeong coalfield mainly consists of metapsammite and metapelites. Metampelites occur as slate preserving chloritoid+chlorite+muscovite and andalusite+biotite+chlorite+muscovite mineral assemblages. Chloritoid and andalusite occur as porphyroblast, and the matrix composed of fine-grained micas. Metamorphic P-T conditions for these mineral assemblages are $510-520^{\circ}C$ and 3.0-3.5kbar based on P-T pseudosection in $MnO-K_2O-FeO-MgO-Al_2O_3-SiO_2-H_2O(MnKFMASH)$ system and isopleth intersections of Fe/(Fe+Mg) ratios in chloritoid and chlorite. The medium temperature and low pressure metamorphism resulted from a higher geothermal gradient ($40-45^{\circ}C/km$) condition than that of burial metamorphism. The youngest (SHRIMP U-Pb age; ca. 327-310 Ma) detrital zircon grains from the Hongjeom formation display oscillatory zoning and relatively high Th/U ratio (0.60-1.12). Based on the previous sedimentary, paleontological, and geochronological studies in the Taebaeksan basin together with results of this study, we suggest that (1) initial deposition of the Hongjeom formation was contemporaneous with a magmatic activity in the provenance, (2) the Pyeongan Supergroup was deposited in an arc-related basin at an active continental margin during the Carboniferous to Permain, and (3) magmatic activities occurred repetitively in relatively short interval in the active continental margin had continuously supplied sediments to the basin.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.36-46
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• 2023

In this study, small bird tracks from the Cretaceous Sanbukdong Formation in Gunsan City, South Korea, were briefly described. Detrital zircon SHRIMP U-Pb dating was conducted of the tuffaceous sandstone from the formation to determine the depositional age of the vertebrate track-bearing strata. Small bird tracks are not well-preserved but divided into two types: two consecutive tracks and three isolated tracks. They are small, asymmetric, slender, functionally-tridactyl tracks, which lack a web between digits. The consecutive and isolated tracks were identified as Koreanaornis dodsoni? and Koreanaornis ichnosp., respectively. This study adds avian tracks to the Sanbukdong tetrapod track assemblage composed of theropods, ornithopods, and pterosaur tracks. According to the U-Pb dating, the estimated age of the Sanbukdong Formation is 112.5±5.8 Ma, regard as the Aptian Stage, representing the maximum depositional age for the Sanbukdong Formation. The Sanbukdong Formation can be correlated with the lower part of the Jinju Formation in the Gyeongsang Basin. Thus, small avian tracks may represent the oldest Korean occurrence of Koreanaornis.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.831-846
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• 2023

The Jucheon-Pyeongchang area in the northwestern Taebaeksan Zone of the Okcheon fold-thrust belt preserved several thrust faults placing the Precambrian basement granite gneisses of the Gyeonggi Massif on top of the Early Paleozoic Joseon Supergroup and the age-unknown Bangrim Group. Especially, the thrust faults in the study area show the closed-loop patterns on the map view, showing older allochthonous strata surrounded by younger autochthonous or para-autochthonous strata. These basement-involved thrusts including Klippes will provide important information on the hinterland portion of the fold-thrust belt. For defining Klippe geometry in the thrust fault terrains of the Jucheon-Pyeongchang area by older on younger relationship, the stratigraphic position of the age-unknown Bangrim Group should be determined. The Middle Cambrian maximum depositional age by the detrital zircon SHRIMP U-Pb method from this study, together with field relations and previous research results suggest that the Bangrim Group overlies the Precambrian basement rocks by nonconformity and underlies the Cambrian Yangdeok Group (Jangsan and Myobong formations). The structural geometric interpretation of the Pyeongchang area based on newly defined stratigraphy indicates that the Wungyori and Barngrim thrusts are the same folded thrust, and can be interpreted as a Klippe, having Precambrian hanging wall granite gneisses surrounded by younger Cambrian strata of the Joseon Supergroup and the Bangrim Group. Further detailed structural studies on the Jucheon-Pyeongchang area can give crucial insights into the basement-involved deformation during the structural evolution of the Okcheon Belt.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.441-456
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• 2021

The Cretaceous Duwon Formation was studied on the basis of sedimentologic analysis in order to unravel geologic conditions for the development of the streamflow-dominated alluvial fan under arid to semi-arid climatic conditions. The Duwon Formation unconformably overlies the Paleoproterozoic gneiss (basement). Based on the sedimentologic analysis, the Duwon Formation is interpreted to have been deposited in gravelly braided stream (FA-1) near the basement, laterally transitional to sandy braided stream (FA-2) and floodplain environments (FA-3) with distance (< 7 km) from the basement. Lateral changes in sedimentary facies and the well development of calcrete nodules in FA-3, together with radial paleocurrent directions measured in FA-1, are suggestive of the deposition of the Duwon Formation in streamflow-dominated alluvial fan under arid to semi-arid climatic conditions. Recent analysis of detrital zircon chronology suggests that sediments of the Duwon Formation were derived from the southwestern part of the Korean peninsula, including the western part of Yeongnam Massif and the southwestern part of Okcheon Belt. This implies the alluvial fan where the Duwon Formation accumulated had the large drainage basin. Because the large drainage basin can supply the significant amounts of water and temporarily store the sediments within the basin, watery floodwater carried sediments to the alluvial fan rather than the debris flows. Furthermore, the drainage basin largely composed of coarse-grained metamorphic and igneous rocks produced sand-grade sediments, preventing evolution of floodwater into debris flows. We suggest that combined effects of the large drainage basin and its coarse-grained metamorphic and igneous rocks provided favorable conditions for the development of streamflow-dominated alluvial fan, despite arid to semi-arid climatic conditions during sedimentation.