• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.93-100
• /
• 2003

In most mountainous parts of the temperate zone of Japan along the Pacific Ocean, some climatic climax forests, whose main dominant species is Fagus crenate, F. japonica or Quercus mongolica var. grosseserrata, are distributed. In the riparian regions of the zone, however, there appear summer green forests composed of the different species from the climatic climax forests. Climate plays an important role in determining the overall distribution of vegetation, but some environmental factors, i.e., topography, soil type, soil moisture content, etc. have a great influence on vegetation formation. Riparian forests seem to be controlled by various geomorphologic disturbances, such as landslide, soil erosion and accumulation. The study aims to present the relationships among vegetation, soils and landforms in the process of determining riparian forests dominated by Fraxinus platypoda and Pterocarya rhoifolia establishment in the mountainous region of central Japan. The study area extends an area of 302 ha with a range of elevation between 925 m and 1,681 m at the Chichibu mountains. The landforms were corditied at sampling grids (25 $\times$ 25 m, n = 4,843) using a hierarchical system, and a brief description of the forest soil classification was also given. The mutual relationship analysis indicated that forest soils and landforms play a significant role in determining the geomorphological process of riparian forest, and shaping the ultimate pattern of vegetation. At the study area, riparian forests were mainly found on the $B_E$ forest soil type and steep slopes ( > 30$^{\circ}$) at convex slopes along the streams. On the other hand, the direction of slopes did not have a significant impact on the establishment of the riparian forests. A mosaic of patchy distribution of those riparian forests on the slightly wetter $B_E$ forest soil type was one of the characteristic features of the study area. This particular soil which contained large talus gravels was found on the land formed by erosion and deposition of landslide.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.373-387
• /
• 2009

Many cultural heritages with various periods including the 'Three Kingdoms Period' were discovered in Chulmamyeon, Busan. Detailed geomorphological and geological investigation was performed due to archaeological importance of the study area. Aerial photographic analysis for geomorphology and analysis of vertical sedimentary sections to interpret the sedimentary characteristics were carried out. Many pebbles with specific features were discovered during the investigation. The characteristics and origin of the pebbles are analysed based on their size, rock type and shape. The study area is located in a relatively low and gentle slope compared with neighboring regions. The strong N-S trending lineaments may influence the topographic features and the distribution of wells discovered in this area. The exposed sections during excavation are divided into several layers depending on colors and materials included. Some of the layers may be developed not by nature but by human activities. The similarity of the pebbles indicates that these pebbles may artificially be collected or produced for a specific purpose. This study shows that geomorphology and geology can be important in location and development of archaeological sites. The analysis and interpretation for the origin of the pebbles indicates that geological studies can be helpful to interpretation of archaeological studies.

• Journal of Conservation Science
• /
• v.7 no.1
• /
• pp.9-18
• /
• 1998

There are about 1470 stone-cultural properties in Korea which have been registered and protected by the government. Representative of them are pagoda, stupa, stone-buddha, stele support of banner pole and stone-lanterns. Most of them have been exposed to and weathered by natural environments. Stone-cultural properties are destroyed and/or destructed mostly by weathering and its related features of rocks. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct geological studies on the weathering phenomena and related features as well as characteristics of the rock itself must be done for the conservation. Thus geological investigation should include detail measurements, rock varieties and phases, structural lineaments of the rock, cause and degree of weathering, degree and patterns of crack development structural stability, identification of reusable parts for restoration, geomorphological characteristics of the site, and etc. The interaction among these factors must be investigated and analyzed, which must be used as basic data to establish the guideline of conservation and to plan for repair and/or restoration. The conservation plan should involve parts to be repaired, method of repair, type of cementing material, the characteristics of rock phases to be supplemented, method for maintaining structural stability, and method to delay or to prevent the rock weathering.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
• /
• v.48 no.2
• /
• pp.91-103
• /
• 2015

This paper presents the systematic approach to positively skewed shape of instantaneous unit hydrograph (IUH), that is one of the universal features of hydrologic response function. To this end an analytical expression of statistical moments for IUH is derived within the framework of geomorphologic instantaneous unit hydrograph (GIUH) theory and quantified according to the concept of hydrodynamic, geomorphologic and kinematic heterogeneity. There is a big scale difference between hillslope and channel flow path system. Although the former has the much smaller level of scale its variation coefficient tends to be higher and coefficient of skewness has the different trend than the latter. The shape of IUH is likely to be much more affected by kinematic heterogeneity rather than hydrodynamic heterogeneity and its combined effect with geomorphologic heterogeneity is the major cause of skewing hydrologic response function. Statistical features of hillslope and channel flow path can be transferred into hydrologic response function in the form of dimensionless statistics and their relative importance forms the general shape of hydrologic response function.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.4 no.1
• /
• pp.11-18
• /
• 1971

The geotectonics and geomorphic structure of Korea resulted from the Song-rim Disturbance and the Daebo orogenic movements. Afterward this mountainous peninsula underwent several geological changes on a small scale, and it was also claimed that the steady rising of the elevated peneplain of the eastern coast and the submerging of the southwestern coastal area are largely due to the tilted block movement. These views have been generally accepted good in several ways, but they are limited in range or lacking in theoretical integration. The present writer investigated the geology of the Mt. Chi-ri-san and the Honam coal mining area for a geological map in 1965, respectively. The results of these studies convinced the present writer that the conventional views, which were based upon a theory of lateral pressure should be reconsidered in many respects, and more recent studies made it clear that the morphological development in the southwestern area can be better explained by the orogenic movement and rock control. The measurement of submerging speed of the western coastal area (Pak. Y. A., 1969) and a new account on the geology and tectonics of the Mid-central region of South Korea (Kim O.J., 1970) act as an encouragement to a new explanation. The present writer's researches on the extreme southwestern portion of the peninsula show that the steady submerging of this area cannot be attributed to a simple downthrown block phenomenon caused by block movement. It is no more than the result of the differential movement of uplifting in the eastern and western coastal areas and the rising of sea-level in the post-glacial period. This phenomenon could be easily explained by the comparison of the rate of rise in sea-level and amount of heat flow between Korea and other areas in the world. The existance of the erosional planes in the Sobaik-San ranges also provide an evidence of an upheaval in the western coast area. Though the Sobaik-San ranges largely follow the direction of the Sinian system. They consist of the numerous branches, whose trends run more or less differently from their main trend because of the disharmonic folding, are converged into Mt. Sobaik-San and Chupungryung. The undulation of the land is not wholely caused by orogenic movements, where as the present writer confirmed that the diversity of morphological development is the direct reflection of geological conditions such as rocks and processes which constitute the basic elements of geomorphic structure. An east-west directed mountain range which could be named as Hansan mountain range, was claimed to be oriented by the joint control. The geological conditions such as a special erosion and weathering of agglomerate and breccia tuff usually produce pot-hole like submarine features which cause the whirling phenomenon at the southwestern coast channel.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
• /
• v.14 no.1
• /
• pp.75-87
• /
• 2012

Hyporheic zone is a region beneath and alongside a stream, river, or lake bed, where there is mixing of shallow groundwater and surfacewater. Hyporheic exchange controls a variety of physical, biogeochemical and thermal processes, and provides unique ecotones in a aquatic ecosystem. Field and experimental observations, and modeling studies indicate that hyporheic exchange is mainly in response to pressure gradients driven by the geomorphological features of stream beds. In the reach scale of a stream, pool-riffle structures dominate the exchange patterns. Flow over a pool-riffle sequence develops recirculation zones and stagnation points, and this flow structures make irregular pressure gradient which is driving force of the hyporheic exchange. In this study, 3 D hydro-dynamic model solves the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations for the surface water and Darcy's Law and the continuity equation for ground water. The two sets of equations are coupled via the pressure distribution along the interface. Simulation results show that recirculation zones and stagnation points in the pool-riffle structures dominantly control the upwelling and downwelling patterns. With decrease of recirculation zones, length of donwelling zone formed in front of riffles is reduced and position of maximum downwelling point moves downward. The numerical simulation could successfully predict the behavior of hyporheic exchange and contribute the field study, river management and restoration.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
• /
• v.29 no.4
• /
• pp.553-563
• /
• 2019

In order to survey archaeological sites, drilling and excavation are carried out at the final stage. However, at the preliminary stage, non-excavation geophysical prospection is used for assessing underground archaeological ruins. Among the geophysical prospecting techniques, Ground Penetration Radar (GPR) prospection has effectively been applied to historical sites due to its high resolution at shallow depths. In this study, the GPR prospection was conducted to find underground ruins near Suseong-Dang, the place of ancient rituals in Buan area, Korea. First, the GPR prospection was conducted at three sites (Site-1, 2, and 3), and subsequently, the GPR prospection was carried out at Site-3 in more detail. As a result of the prospection, the underground layered structure of the survey area consists of three layers, which are soil layer, weathered rock, and sound rock from the surface. And the GPR anomaly to the archaeological structure was clearly identified at around 100-cm depth showing est-west direction that is parallel to the long-axis array. This GPR anomaly of irregular geomorphological features and intermittent distribution may be related to the ritual remains found in Suseong Dang. The GPR prospection could be effectively used to detect archaeological sites or remains buried in the ground.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.15-15
• /
• 2003

In South Korea, marine terraces have been well developed along the eastern coastal zone, and previous researches on the marine terraces have also been focused on to this coastal zone. The marine terraces of the eastern coast of South Korea had been classified into three terrace groups, that is, the higher, middle, and lower surface ones, according to the heights of marine terraces by previous studies(Oh, 1981 ;Chang, 1987 ;Yoon et. al, 1999, 2003 ; Hwang and Yoon, 1996 etc.). Recently, however, it tends to classify the marine terraces based on the concept of geomorphic surface units(Lee, 1987 ; Kim, 1990 ; Choi, S. 2003; Choi S. et. al 2003a,b, etc). For example, it was proposed that the marine terrace surfaces of Eupcheon coast of the southeastern coastal area of Korea could be classified into 16 geomorphic surfaces, i.e., Eupcheon 1terrace(former shoreline height of 160m), 2(153m), 3(140m), 4(130m), 5(124m), 6(115m), 7(100m), 8(92m), 9(82m), 10(71m), 11(62m), 12(53m), 13(43m), 14(35m), 15(18m) and 16(10m) surfaces, in descending order, according to the former shoreline heights(Choi, S, 2003 ; Choi, S. et. al, 2003a,b). Among these terraces, Eupcheon 1, 2, 4, 5 and 7 surfaces had not been reported in previous works. Among the above mentioned marine terraces, Eupcheon 15 terrace, the most widely and continuously distributed marine terrace have been identified as marine terrace of the Last Interglacial culmination period(oxygen isotope stage 5e) which was based on amino acid dates(124∼125ka BP) and geomorphological features such as red soil, pollen analysis, fossil cryogenic structures and crossing terrace concept. Eupoheon 15 terrace surfaces have also been proposed as the key surface for the identification and correlation of the so-called '5e' marine terrace in the eastern coast of South Korea. This terrace was reconfirmed as the Last Interglacial culmination period, which was based on the identification of Ata tephra, one of the wide-spread marker tephra which indicates the Last Interglacial culmination period in Japan by Sasaki et. al(2002). It was thought that marine terraces of the eastern coast of South Korea had been formed by the steady-state uplifting during the Quaternary glacio-eustatic sea level changes(Choi, 1997). The uprift rate of 10cm/1,000years had been proposed in the eastern coast of South Korea based on the former shoreline altitude(18m) of the above Eupcheon 15 terrace. Therefore, it can be estimated that Eupcheon 1 terrace had been formed in the early Pleistocene from the above uprift rate. The OSL dating for the samples of Eupcheon 7, 9, 13, 15 and 16 terraces and identification of marker tephra in the terrace deposits are in progress. It is expected that more elaborate chronology on themarine terraces of the eastern coast of South Korea could be established by these absolute dates and marker-tephra.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
• /
• v.27 no.5
• /
• pp.548-556
• /
• 2006

The purpose of this study is to clarify the relict landform development of fluvial terrace and the soil characteristics occurring on the fluvial deposits. The physico-chemical properties of soil that are developed on terrace deposits and X-ray diffraction analysis of clay were investigated specifically. The horizon of $A_1$ consists of silt loam with reddish-brown color (5YR4/3). Its soil structures is a weak, fine, subangular, and blocky, breaking to granular. The horizon of $B_{1t}\;and\;B_{2t}$ are silt clay with either a yellowish red (5YR5/6), bright red (2.5YR4/6) color. This soil structure is weak, subangular, and blocky, with thin discontinuous bright red (2.5YR4/6) clay cutans and soft manganese concretions. This red soil structure is made on heavy-textures. It is packed compactly with parent materials of high fluvial surface sediments, and usually has a $A_1-B_{1t}-B_{2t}-C$ profile, from top to bottom. In most cases, clay accumulation in the B-horizon and clay cutans on ped surfaces are observed, which means the argillic horizon has formed. The soils derived from fluvial surface deposits are associated with soils. The soils on the high fluvial surface are considered to be a kind of paleo-red soil which were developed by strong desilicification and rubefaction, and strong leaching of bases under warmer bio-climatic condition during the old Pleistocene period. According to these morphological and anlaytical characteristics,geomorphological features and bio-climatic conditions under which the soil have developed on the high terrace sediment indicate that the soil should be classified as paleo-red soils.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
• /
• v.34 no.6
• /
• pp.487-492
• /
• 2010

Ulsan Port is the biggest base port for liquid cargoes in Korea and is pushing in earnest for the development of the 'Ulsan New Port' and 'Northeast Asia Oil-Hub' to prepare for continuous shipment growth. However, Ulsan is in the situation which the harbour limit and anchorages are narrower than other trading ports and the occurrence probability of marine accidents is very high due to heavy marine traffic. We will find and suggest the plan to enlarge the harbour limit essentially needed to expand anchorages considering the geomorphological features of Ulsan and the volume of marine traffic in this research. For the enlargement of harbour limit needed to expand anchorages, the anchorage area needed for Ulsan New Port was calculated after the quantitative analysis of enlargement range through the mutual comparison of the area of harbour limit and anchorages with berths and the volume of marine traffic. The reasonable type of harbour limit, which is based on the survey by a group of experts, was also determined after the decision of the range of harbour limit to accommodate the relevant anchorages.