• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.487-502
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• 2012

This paper is focused on mineral compositions, microstructures and distributional characters of remained grains in the fault rocks collected from a fault developed in Yongdang-ri, Yangbuk-myeon, Gyeongju City, Korea, using X-ray diffraction (XRD), optical microscope, laser grain size analysis and fractal dimension analysis methods. The exposed fault core zone is about 1.5 meter thick. On the average, the breccia zone is 1.2 meter and the gouge zone is 20cm thick, respectively. XRD results show that the breccia zone consists predominantly of rock-forming minerals including quartz and feldspar, but the gouge zone consists of abundant clay minerals such as chlorite, illite and kaolinite. Mineral vein, pyrite and altered minerals commonly observed in the fault rock support evidence of fault activity associated with hydrothermal alteration. Fractal dimensions based on box counting, image analysis and laser particle analysis suggest that mineral grains in the fault rock underwent fracturing process as well as abrasion that gave rise to diminution of grains during the fault activity. Fractal dimensions(D-values) calculated by three methods gradually increase from the breccia zone to the gouge zone which has commonly high D-values. There are no noticeable changes in D-values in the gouge zone with trend being constant. It means that the bulk-crushing process of mineral grains in the breccia zone was predominant, whereas abrasion of mineral grains in the gouge zone took place by continuous fault activity. It means that the bulk-crushing process of mineral grains in the breccia zone was predominant, whereas abrasion of mineral grains in the gouge zone took place by continuous fault activity. Mineral compositions in the fault zone and peculiar trends in grain distribution indicate that multiple fault activity had a considerable influence on the evolution of fault zones, together with hydrothermal alteration. Meanwhile, fractal dimension values(D) in the fault rock should be used with caution because there is possibility that different values are unexpectedly obtained depending on the measurement methods available even in the same sample.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.389-397
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• 2021

Moryang Fault is geomorphologically observed as a linear fault valley from Angang through Moryang, Duckhyun and Wondong to Gimhae, and contacts with Yangsan Fault, being obliquely away to the east, at Angang disrict. The fault valley appears a V-shape feature with a width from 100 to 300 m, and has fragmental zones of the fault along the valley on a small scale. Nine fault-outcrop localities were found along the nine-kilometers valley between Daehyun-ri, Gyeongju, and Baenaemi-gogae, Yangdong-ri, Ulsan. The fault strikes the North-North-East to the Northeast and dips to the Northwest with high angles, and reveals it had been undergone predominantly sinistral reverse fault movement sense, left-lateral and right-lateral strike-slip sense in bedrocks. However, after unconsolidated sediments, there was the top-up-to-the-east dextral reverse fault movement.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.20 no.2 s.52
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• pp.83-89
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• 2007

XRD, HRPD and SEM were used for mineralogical characterization of fault clay in fracture zone from Ipsil. Variations of color in fault clay exhibit significant mineral composition difference. Fault clays from Ipsil are composed mainly of smectite, laumontite, and quartz. Laumontite, a distinct fault clay in Ipsil fault, might be resulted from alteration of bed rock in fracture zone based on the result that no laumontite was found near fault rock. Fault clays from Ipsil are composed mainly of smectite.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.121-136
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• 2023

Microstructural characterization, identification of mineral assemblages, and K-Ar age dating of fault gouges from five Quaternary fault sites segmented along the northern Yangsan Fault, SE Korea were performed to understand formation condition and multiple activity of faults. The mean and median sizes of particles of bulk gouges vary among the studied faults: 1.75 ㎛ and 1.43 ㎛ for the Danguri Fault, 1.94 ㎛ and 1.79 ㎛ for the Yukjae Fault, 5.57 ㎛ and 4.16 ㎛ for the Yugye Fault, and 5.55 ㎛ and 2.31 ㎛ for the Bogyeongsa Fault. Fault gouges contain abundant secondary minerals, including smectite, chlorite, illite, kaolinite, laumontite, and mordenite, which are found in association with quartz and feldspar. K-Ar dating of the fault gouges (both bulk samples and separate size fractions) yields ages ranging from 59.1 to 18.8 Ma, with bulk ages of 47.6 Ma for the Yukjae Fault, 59.1 Ma for the Ansim Fault, 39.4 Ma for the Yugye Fault, and 22.6 Ma for the Bogyeongsa Fault. The finer fractions generally have younger K-Ar ages compared with the coarser fractions, and the finest fraction (<0.2 ㎛) is the youngest for each fault. Hydrothermal alteration of the gouges is considered to have occurred under low-temperature (100~200℃) conditions during faulting. Microstructural features and clay mineral assemblages of fault gouges and brecciated rocks should be considered when interpreting fault events and reactivation, in addition to age dating of faulting.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.533-546
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• 2021

Large earthquakes with (M_W > ~ 6) result in ground shaking, surface ruptures, and permanent deformation with displacement. The earthquakes would damage important facilities and infrastructure such as large industrial establishments, nuclear power plants, and waste disposal sites. In particular, earthquake ruptures associated with large earthquakes can affect geological and engineered barriers such as deep geological repositories that are used for storing hazardous radioactive wastes. Earthquake-driven faults and surface ruptures exhibit various fault zone structural characteristics such as direction of earthquake propagation and rupture and asymmetric displacement patterns. Therefore, estimating the respect distances and hazardous areas has been challenging. We propose that considering multiple parameters, such as fault types, distribution, scale, activity, linkage patterns, damage zones, and respect distances, enable accurate identification of the sites for deep geological repositories and important facilities. This information would enable earthquake hazard assessment and lower earthquake-resulted hazards in potential earthquake-prone areas.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.18 no.3 s.45
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• pp.205-214
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• 2005

Some Quaternary faults developed in the eastern block of the Ulsan fault are Gaegok 1, Gaegok 2, Singye, Madong, Wonwonsa and Jinhyeon faults, which are characterized by thin gouge and narrow cataclasitic tones. This study was performed to emphasize the role of mineral alteration and microtexture in response to hydrothermal alteration of fault gouges during fault activity, using XRD, EPMA, BSE (backscattered electron image), and K-Ar age dating methods. Alteration minerals in fault gouges were formed in the age range of $44.3\~28.9Ma$ by hydrothermal alteration attributed to fault activity. XRD results show that fault gouges consist predominantly of clay minerals, quartz and feldspars. Clay minerals formed in the gouge zones are mainly composed of smectite with trace chlorite, illite and kaolinite. The evidence to support the hydrothermal alteration of preexisting minerals due to fault activity are easily recognized at the host rocks in contact with gouges zones. Injected gouge and calcite veins indicate that they were originated from multiple deformation by repeated fault activity. Gouge with green or greenish grey color, for example Jinhyeon fault, contains higher $Al_2O_3$ and lower MgO and CaO compared to those with reddish color. Various colors of fault gouge are intimately related to the chemical compositions of main constituent mineral as well as mineral assemblage.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.29-38
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• 2014

Recently developed illite-age-analysis (IAA) approach has been applied to determine the multiple events for the Singal and Wangsukcheon faults in the Chugaryeong fault belt, Korea. Fault reactivated events during Late Cretaceous to Paleogene events($69.2{\pm}0.3$ Ma and $27.2{\pm}0.5$ Ma) for the Singal fault and of $75.4{\pm}0.8$ Ma for the Wangsukcheon fault were determined by combined approach of the optimized illite-polytype quantification and the K-Ar age-dating of clay fractions separated from the fault clays. These absolute geochronological determinations of the multiple tectonic events recorded in the Chugaryeong fault belt are crucial to establish the tectonic evolution of the Korean Peninsula since Late Cretaceous.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.339-350
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• 2007

Content, swelling, concentration, drainage of clay are critical factors that could control rock failures as well as discontinuous geological structures like faults and joints. Especially, the proportional components of clay minerals can be one of few direct indicators to a rock failure caused well by rainfall. Criticality of the role of clay mineral contents gets bigger in the slope and tunnel design. This study, using a horizontal boring core of pelitic/psammitic phyllite from the OO tunnel construction site, aims to investigate mineral composition changes related to fault distribution and their mechanical effects to the activity of these discontinuous layers (i.e., clay-filled fault layers), and eventually to define correlation among rock compositions, weathering products and rock instabilities. Field survey and lab tests were carried out for the composition and strength index of fault clay minerals within the core samples and microscopic analysis of fresh and weathered rock samples.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2002.11b
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• pp.3-17
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• 2002

Tertiary Pohang basin distributed in south weatern part of the korean peninsula, is composed of Chunbuk formation as the basal conglomerate, Hakjon formation, Duho formation and intrusive basalt which is 15 Ma by absolute age data. The basement of the basin is represented by Cretaceous sedimentary rocks, Hakjon welded tuff and Chilpo welded tuff and rhyolite. The fault systems at the basement of the Pohang basin are consist of NNE direction fault, WNW to EW trend fault. NNE fault is not only strike-slip fault but also normal fault. n fault has sinistral strike-slip sene and the EW fault is strike-slip and normal fault. In the Tertiary basin, the fault system is represented by nm strike-slip fault, EW normal fault and NNE thrust fault. By these fault relationships and geometries, it is interpreted that NNE sinistral strike-slip fault and nomal fault have acted at Creceous times. At Tertiary tines, NNE dextralstrike-slip fault and EW normal fault has created. Progressively Tertiary Pohang basin was influenced by the trenspression to make thrust fault and fold, namely as inversion tectonics.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.347-357
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• 2019

The main fault zone of the Yangsan Fault, located in the southeastern part of the Korean peninsula, is newly found at the Cheonjin-ri, Dudong-myeon, Ulju-gun, Ulsan, Korea. About 100 wide fault zone exposed along the Guryangcheon stream strikes N-S and dips over 70° toward east. The main fault zone is composed of N-S-striking gouge and breccia layers and enclosed lenses. Striations on the subvertical fault surfaces mainly indicate dextral slip, but moderate-angle minor reverse faults showing top-tothe-west shearing transect the foliated high-angle gouge and breccia layers. These indicate that the dextral slip along the fault, which is interpreted as the main movement of the fault, was followed by reverse slip. The fault zone is composed of N-S-striking gouge layers and enclosed, fractured lenses. Locally distributed NE-SW- to E-W-striking fault gouge layers with fractured lenses show asymmetric folds, indicating progressive dextral movement. Therefore, the exposed fault zone has a high internal complexity due to the combined effects of NNE-SSW-trending dextral shearing and E-W-trending shortening by compression. In addition, around main boundary fault between the western volcanic rocks and eastern sedimentary rocks offsets the overlying Quaternary fluvial conglomerate. This is a good example that understanding of internal structures of main fault zone (or fault core), such as the Yangsan Fault, plays an important role to study the Quaternary activity and to find the active fault.