• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.263-270
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• 2005

Nuclear track is an useful tool for elemental analysis of radionuclides, such as uranium, plutonium and thorium, etc., and for elements undergoing nuclear reactions with thermal neutrons such as lithium and boron. This method has various application fields such as detecting fissionable radionuelides, measuring the fission rate in nuclear technology, analyzing cosmic radiation from meteorite, calculating the age of minerals as well as their history, etc. Track registration method has been applied to the microscopic analysis of boron and fissionable element such as uranium in KAERI. This report reviews the theoretical background of the nuclear track formation, practical procedures to obtain etched tracks and a perspective of the future.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.104-121
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• 1993

Fission track (FT) thermochronological analyses on Mesozoic granites provide new information about cooling and uplift histories in Southeast Korea. Twenty-nine new FT sphene, zircon and apatite ages and seven track length measurements are presented for eleven granite samples. Measured mineral ages against assumed closure temperatures yield cooling rates for each sample. Relatively rapid (7-$15^{\circ}C$/Ma) and simple cooling patterns from the middle Cretaceouss (ca. 90-100 Ma) granites are caused mainly by a high thermal contrast between the intruding magma and country rocks at shallow crustal levels (ca. 1-2.5 km-depths). On the contrary, a slow overall cooling (1-$4^{\circ}C$/Ma) of the Triassic to Jurassic granites (ca. 250-200 Ma), emplaced at deep depths (>>9 km), may mainly depend upon very slow denudation of the overlying crust. The uplift history of the Triassic Yeongdeog Pluton in the Yeongyang Subbasin, west of the Yangsan Fault, is characterized by a relatively rapid uplift (~0.4 mm/a) before the total unroofing of the pluton in the earliest Cretaceous (~140 Ma) followed by a subsidence (~0.2mm/a) during the Hayang Group sedimentation. Stability of original FT zircon ages (156 Ma) and complete erasure of apatite ages suggest a range of 3 to 5.5 km for the basin subsidence. Since 120 Ma up to present, the Yeongyang Subbasin has been slowly uplifted (~0.04 mm/a). The FT age patterns of Jurassic granites both from the northeastern wing of the Ryeongnam Massif and from the northern edge of the Pohang-Kampo Block indicate that the two geologic units have been slowly uplifted with a same mean rate (~0.04 mm/a) since early Cretaceous. Estimates of Cenozoic total uplifts since 100 Ma are different: Ryeongnam Massif (~6 km)=Pohang-Kampo Block (~6 km)>Yeongyang Subbasin(~4 km).

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.83-115
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• 2013

Erroneous fission-track (FT) ages caused by an inappropriate calibration in the initial stage of FT dating were redefined by re-experiments and zeta calibration using duplicate samples. Revised FT zircon ages newly define the formation ages of Yucheon Group rhyolitic-dacitic tuffs as Late Cretaceous to Early Paleocene ($78{\pm}4$ Ma to $65{\pm}2$ Ma) and Gokgangdong rhyolitic tuff as Early Eocene ($52.1{\pm}2.3$ Ma). In case of the Early Miocene volcanics, FT zircon ages from a dacitic tuff of the upper Hyodongri Volcanics ($21.6{\pm}1.4$ Ma) and a dacitic lava of the uppermost Beomgokri Volcanics ($21.3{\pm}2.0$ Ma) define chronostratigraphies of the upper Beomgokri Group, respectively in the southern Eoil Basin and in the Waeup Basin. A FT zircon age ($19.8{\pm}1.6$ Ma) from the Geumori dacitic tuff defines the time of later dacitic eruption in the Janggi Basin. Based on FT zircon ages for dacitic rocks and previous age data (mostly K-Ar whole-rock, partly Ar-Ar) for basaltic-andesitic rocks, reference ages are recommended as guides for stratigraphic correlations of the Miocene volcanics and basements in SE Korea. The times of accumulation of basin-fill sediments are also deduced from ages of related volcanics. Recommended reference ages are well matched to the whole stratigraphic sequences despite complicated basin structures and a relative short time-span. The Beomgokri Group evidently predates the Janggi Group in the Eoil-Waeup basins, while it is placed at an overlapped time-level along with the earlier Janggi Group in the Janggi Basin. Therefore, the two groups cannot be uniformly defined in a sequential order. The Janggi Group of the Janggi Basin can be evidently subdivided by ca. 20 Ma-basis into two parts, i.e., the earlier (23-20 Ma) andesitic-dacitic and later (20-18 Ma) basaltic strata.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.122-129
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• 1993

We report Rb-Sr whole rock, K-Ar and fission track mineral ages for the Chuncheon granite in the Precambrian Gyeonggi massif. The Rb-Sr whole rock define an age of $196{\pm}9$ Ma with an initial ratio of $0.7159{\pm}0.0006$, suggesting that the granitic magma might have been generated from crustal sources (S-type), or probably mixed mantle and crustal materials, and emplaced into the massif in the late Triassic or the early Jurassic. K-Ar mineral ages of hornblende, muscovite and biotite are ~210 Ma, ~180 Ma and 166-170 Ma respectively, and fission track zircon and apatite ages are 65-70 Ma, ~35 Ma respectively. These ages indicate that the granitic magma might have been emplaced at about 7 to 9 km from the paleosurface, and rapidly cooled down up to $300^{\circ}C$ until middle Jurassic (~170 Ma) with a rate of about $10^{\circ}C$/Ma, due to thermal difference between the magma and the wall rock. During middle Jurassic to late Cretaceous (about 170-70 Ma), the granite pluton is assumed to have uplifted to 4 to 6 km level under the paleosurface with a rate of 30 m/Ma and slowly cooled down with a rate of about $1^{\circ}C$/Ma owing to relatively slow denudation of the massif. In late Cretaceous to the present, the pluton might have more rapidly uplifted to the present level with a rate of 85 m/Ma and rapidly cooled down with a rate of about $3^{\circ}C$/Ma compared to those of middle Jurassic to late Cretaceous time because of extensive igneous activities accompanied by tectonism in the Gyeonggi massif.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.335-365
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• 2012

Fission-track (FT) thermochronological records from SE Korean Cretaceous-Paleogene granitic plutons in different fault-bounded blocks reveal contrasting cooling and later thermal histories. Overall cooling patterns are represented by a monotonous (J-shaped) curve in most plutons except some Cretaceous granites retaining a complicated (N-shaped) path due to post-reset re-cooling. Discriminative cooling rates over different temperature ranges can be explained for individual plutons with respect to relative pluton sizes, differences in initial heat loss depending on country rocks, and the presence and proximity of later igneous activity. Even within a single batholith, cooling times for different isotherms were roughly contemporaneous with respect to positions. Insignificant deviations in cooling ages from two different plutons in succession across the Yangsan fault may suggest their contemporaneity before major horizontal fault movement. The extent of later thermal rise recorded locally along the Yangsan and Dongnae fault zones were reached the Apatite Partial Stability Zone ($70-125^{\circ}C$), but did not exceed $200^{\circ}C$. Thermal alteration from fractured zones in the Yangsan-Ulsan fault junction may suggest a thermal reset above $290^{\circ}C$ resulting a complete reset in FT sphene age (31 Ma), caused by a tectonic subsidence in Early Oligocene. A consistency in FT zircon/apatite ages (24 Ma) may imply a sudden rapid cooling over $200-105^{\circ}C$, plausibly related to the abrupt tectonic uplift of the Pohang-Gampo Block including the fault junction in Late Oligocene. A remarkable trend of lower cooling ages for $300-200-100^{\circ}C$ isotherms (i.e., 19% for FT sphene and K-Ar biotite; 20% for FT zircon; 27% for FT apatite) from the east of the Ulsan fault (Pohang-Gampo Block) comparing to the west of the fault may be attributed to retarded cooling times from the Paleogene granites and also reflected by their partially-reduced apatite ages due to later thermal effects.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.49 no.5
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• pp.389-410
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• 2016

Wide ranges of fission-track (FT) ages were obtained from the Jurassic granite batholith in Jeonju-Gimje-Jeongeup area, southwestern Okcheon Belt: sphene=158~70 Ma; zircon=127~71 Ma; apatite=72~46 Ma. Thermochronological analyses based on undisturbed primary cooling and reset or partially-reduced FT ages, and some track-length data reveal complicated thermal histories of the granite. The overall cooling of the batholith is characterized by a relatively rapid earlier-cooling (${\sim}20^{\circ}/Ma$) to $300^{\circ}C$ isotherm since its crystallization and a very slow later-cooling ($2.0{\sim}1.5^{\circ}/Ma$) through the $300^{\circ}C-200^{\circ}C-100^{\circ}C$ isotherms to the present surface temperature. It is indicated that the large part of Jurassic granitic body experienced different level of elevated temperatures at least above $170^{\circ}C$ (maximum>$330^{\circ}C$) by a series of igneous activities in late Cretaceous. Consistent FT zircon ages from duplicate measurements for two sites of later igneous bodies define their formation ages: e.g., quartz porphyry=$73{\pm}3Ma$; diorite=$73{\pm}2Ma$; rhyolite=$72{\pm}3Ma$; feldspar porphyry=$78{\pm}4Ma$ (total weighted average=$73{\pm}3Ma$). Intrusions of these later igneous bodies and pegmatitic dyke swarms might play important roles in later thermal rise over the study area including hot-spring districts (e.g., Hwasim, Jukrim, Mogyokri, Hoebong etc.). On the basis of an assumption that the latercooling of granite batholith was essentially controlled by the denudation of overlying crust, the uplift since early Cretaceous was very slow with a mean rate of ~0.05 mm/year (i.e., ~50 m/Ma). Estimates of total uplifts since 100 Ma, 70 Ma and 40 Ma to present-day are ~5 km, ~3.5 km and ~2 km, respectively. The consistent values of total uplifts from different locations may suggest a regional plateau uplift with a uniform rate over the whole granitic body.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.187-191
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• 1993

FT dating of twelve zircon concentrates was carried out on the igneous rocks in the study area. The FT results from this study are younger than those of Rb-Sr or K-Ar by 20Ma, probably, due to the different closing temperature of the minerals. The obtained ages are $161{\pm}11Ma$ to $150{\pm}10Ma$ for the gneissose granodiorite and the Geochang granodiorite. It is estimated that the intermediate and basic rocks were formed at twice: one from $148{\pm}13Ma$ to $144{\pm}8Ma$, and the other from $122{\pm}8Ma$ to $104{\pm}7Ma$. In the case of the Gajo granite, the age is $96.5{\pm}5.7Ma$ to $95.4{\pm}6.4Ma$. Although considering the fact that the FT age is younger than the K-Ar age, it is likely that the magmatism in the Jurassic period was most intense in the area, which was associated with the Daebo orogeny.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.153-167
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• 1995

Emplacement ages for the granite plutons of the Jurassic and the Cretaceous times in the central Ogcheom Fold Belt were determined by Rb-Sr whole rock and mineral isocheon methods. In addition mineral ages for the plutons were determined by K-Ar and fission track methods. In turn, thermal histories and uplifting rates of the granitic bodies are elucidated from the isotopic ages. The Jecheon(~203 Ma) and Mungyeong(at lest~200 Ma) granites of the Jurassic and the Muamsa, Wolagsan and Daeyasan granites(~110 Ma) of the Cretaceous show high strontium initial ratios [$(^{87}Sr/^{86}Sr)_1$0.7100],suggesting that the granitic magmas have been generated by partial melting of crustal materials (S-type), or by mixing of mantle and crustal materials. Only mineral ages of the Sogrisan and Hyeongjebong granites (~90 Ma) were determined by K-Ar method, and petrogenesis of them were not defined yet. The two Jurassic granite plutons were cooled rapidly down to $300^{\circ}C$, right after the plutons were slowly cooled down since then, due to their deep emplacment. During the Middle Cretaceous period, the Jurassic Mungyeong granitic pluton was intruded and thermally affected much by the surrounding Wolagsan and Daeyasan granites. Accordingly the Rb-Sr mineral age, K-Ar hornblende and biotite ages of the Mungyeong granite appear to be reduced or reset due to the thermal effects above their blocking temperatures. All the cretaceous granites have been cooled much ore simply and rapidly down than the Jurassic ones below $300^{\circ}C$, owing to their shallow emplacement.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.49-57
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• 1992

Whole rock and mineral ages for the Jecheon Granite distributed in the Ogcheon Fold Belt were dated by three radiometric methods, and its thermal history was elucidated as follows, on the basis of isotopic age data. Rb and Sr isotopic compositions of three whole rock and seven mineral concentrates made an isochron of 202.7${\pm}$ 1.9 Ma with a strontium initial ratio of 0.7140. Different age data of twelve mineral concentrates agree closely with the retention temperature of each mineral in K-Ar and Fission Track methods. The Jecheon granitic magma was generated by partial melting of crustal materials (S-type), or by mixins between mantle and crustal materials, intruded into the katazone or mesozone (7∼9 km) of the Ogcheon Fold Belt, at least in the Early Jurassic (about 203 Ma), and then crystallized and cooled down rapidly from about 600$^{\circ}C$ to 300$^{\circ}C$ (more than 20$^{\circ}C$/Ma), owing to thermal differences between the magma and the wall-rock. During the Middle to Late Jurassic (190∼140 Ma), the cooling of the granite was likely to stop and keep thermal equilibrium with the wall-rock. The severe tectonism associated with igneous activities and active weathering on the surface in Early to Late Cretaceous time (140∼70 Ma) might have accelerated the granite pluton to uplift rapidly (40∼60 m/Ma in average) up to 3∼4 km and cooled down from 300$^{\circ}C$ to 200$^{\circ}C$ (1.4 $^{\circ}C$/Ma). The granite pluton was likely to keep different uplifting and cooling rate of about 120 m/Ma and 5$^{\circ}C$/Ma in average from the Late Cretaceous to Early Tertiary (70∼50 Ma), and about 60 m/Ma and 2$^{\circ}C$/Ma in average from about 50 Ma up to the present, respectively.