• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.565-583
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• 2020

In recent years, various social issues related to the natural radioactive elements detected in household goods and building materials are addressed, and should be solved promptly. In Korea, for more than 20 years, the Ministry of Environment has investigated the natural radioactive materials such as heavy metals, uranium, and radon in soil or groundwater. The origins of natural radioactive materials in them may have a close correlation with the geological factors including classification of rocks, petrogenetic origins, and deformation characteristics, but the exact geological correlations are not clarified because of the absence of the government policy preserved in the basement rocks, soils as well as groundwater in fault-related reservoirs. This study aims to perform a research on the correlation between the petrogeneses of the Phanerozoic plutonic rocks and natural radioactive concentrations in rocks (radon, uranium, thorium, potassium etc.) in Korea. Among the Phanerozoic plutonic rocks, alkaline plutonic rocks (syenite, monzonite and monzodiorite and alkali granite) show high U and Th concentrations by high solubilities of U, Th, Zr, REE, and Nb until the most extreme stages of magmatic fractionation (viz. crystal fractionation) due to high magma temperature and high alkalinity tendency. The highly fractionated high-K calalkaline and peraluminous granitic rocks (leucogranite, two-mica granite and leucocratic pegmatite are also U and Th concentrations compared with other less or medium fractionated granitic rocks (diorite, granodiorite and granite). The alkaline plutonic rocks are associated with intracontinental rifting and extensional environment after crustal thickening by collisional and subductional processes. In contrast, the dominant calc-alkaline granitic rocks in Korea are related to the arc environment of the subduction zone. In summary, the trends of the U, Th and K concentration from the Phanerozoic plutonic rocks in Korea are closely linked to the petrogenesis of the rocks in tectonic environment. The preliminary data for gamma-spectrometric mesurments of natural radionuclide contents (²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K) in the Phanerozoic plutonic rocks show high values in the alkaline and highly fractionated granitic rocks.

• Proceedings of the KSEEG Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.189-190
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• 2003

Oxygen and hydrogen isotopic data of whole rocks and mineral separates generally provide constraints on the nature of hydrothermal systems. We here report preliminary results of analyses of samples taken from the peraluminous granitic rocks and banded gneiss country rocks in Hwacheon area. Oxygen isotopic values for quartz and feldspar separates from the granitoids in Hwacheon area range from 8.2 to 10.6$\textperthousand$ and 5.8 to 8.5$\textperthousand$, respectively. (omitted)

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.179-190
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• 2008

The distribution characteristics of some major environmental radionuclides ($^{40}K$, $^{228}Ac$, $^{226}Ra$, $^{222}Rn$) and U in rocks, soils and soil gas were studied at Geumjeong-Gu, Busan, Korea. The activities of radionuclides in granitic rocks are decreased in the odor of $^{40}K$>thorium decay series>uranium decay series. This reveals that Th was relatively more enriched in granitic rocks than U. The U content and activity of $^{226}Ra$ and $^{228}Ac$, however, don't reflect the fractionation sequence of granitic rocks in the study area. The activities of all these radionuclides and U content in soils are generally higher than in rocks, and their distribution in rocks, soils and soil gas show very low co-relationship. These facts indicate that the activities of radionuclides in soil and soil gas were greatly affected by leaching and adsorption properties of the radionuclides and their parents during weathering and pedogenetic process rather than their concentrations in parent rocks.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.60-73
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• 1997

The talc of the Daeheung, Pyeongan, and Cheongdang (Shinyang) talc deposits in the Yesan-Gongju-Cheongyang area is a hydrothermal alteration product of serpentinite originated from ultramafic rocks. The mineral assemblages in alteration zones are: serpentine, serpentine-talc, talc, talc-chlorite, talc-phlogopite-chlorite, and talc-tremolite-chlorite. Chemical distributions in both the Al2O3-FeO-MgO system and the immobile elements suggest that the serpentine-talc and talc rocks are the reaction product of ultramafic rocks and silicic hydrothermal solution without addition of other granitic components, whereas chlorite-, phlogopite-, and tremolite-bearing rocks are the metasomatic alteration product of serpentinite by hydrothermal solution affected by granitic gneiss. Discontinuities in the immobile element ratios of mineral assemblages are due to changes in their mineralogy. The relative contents of Al2O3, TiO2, Zr in the talc-phlogopite-chlorite and talc-tremolite-chlorite rocks increase irregularly with increasing phlogopite, tremolite, and/or chlorite contents in contrast to other ore types. But the relative contents of Cr, Ni, and Co are uniform in all the mineral assemblages. Chemistry of each mineral assemblage formed by steatitization of serpentinite suggests that Cr, Co, Ni, MgO, and Fe2O3 are relatively immobile during the alteration, whereas SiO2, Al2O3, CaO, and K2O are highly increased. The contents of chlorite, phlogopite, and tremolite in each mineral assemblage might be controlled by addition of Al2O3, K2O, and CaO, respectively. The high contents of other elements than immobile elements in the altered rocks as compared with unaltered rocks indicate that a large amount of elements were introduced from hydrothermal solution up to about 8∼41% in total mass showing maximum value in the talc-phlogopite-chlorite rock.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.427-443
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• 2009

Cretaceous intrusive and extrusive rocks in the southwestern part of the Yeongnam Massif are possibly the result of intensive magmatism which occurred in response to subduction of the Pacific plate beneath the northeast portion of the Eurasian plate. Geochemical and petrological study on the granitic rocks were carried out in order to constrain the petrogenesis of the granitic magma and to establish the paleotectonic environment of the area. Whole rock chemical data of the granitic rocks from the study area indicate that all the rocks have characteristics of calc-alkaline series in the subalkaline field. The overall geochemical features show systematic variations in each granitic body, but the source materials of each granitic body are thought to have been different in their chemical composition. The granodiorites distributed around Donggyori in the Bognae area (DGd) are different from other granitic rocks within the study area in the contents and differentiation trends of $Al_2O_3$ and MgO as well as in the contents of the trace elements such as Ba, Sr, Pb, Ni, Cr and Y DGd have geochemical features similar to slab-derived adakites such as high $Al_2O_3$, Sr contents and high Sr/Y, La/Yb ratios, but low Y and Yb contents. The major and trace element contents of the DGd fall well within the adakitic field, whereas other Cretaceous granites in the study area are plotted in the island arc ADR area in Sr/Y vs. Y diagram. On the ANK vs. A/CNK and tectonic discrimination diagrams, parental magma type of the granites corresponds to I-type and volcanic arc granite (VAG). Interpretations of the chemical characteristics of the granitic rocks favor their emplacement in a compressional tectonic regime at continental margin during the subduction of Pacific plate. The geochemical and tectonic features reveal that adakite-like signatures of the DGd were generated by the interaction of mantle peridotite and subducted slab-derived adakitic melts (caused by the thermal effect of ridge subduction), and which slightly modified by crustal contamination during emplacement.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.451-462
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• 2017

Physical weathering caused by external forces and chemical weathering caused by the decomposition or alteration of constituent materials are the two factors that dominate the mechanical properties of rocks. In this study, a field investigation was undertaken to identify the physical and chemical weathering characteristics of the biotite granite and granitic weathered soils in Gyeongju, South Korea. Samples were collected according to their grade of weathering and subjected to modal analysis, XRD analysis, XRF analysis, physical property tests, particle size distribution tests, and slake durability tests. Modal and XRD analysis identified these rocks as biotite granite; secondary alteration minerals were not observed. Physical property tests and particle size distribution analyses indicate an average porosity of 41.28% and a sand content of > 90 wt.%. These values are somewhat higher than those of granites in general. The results of the slake durability test and XRF analyses show that the physical and chemical weathering indices of the samples vary with the degree of weathering.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.529-541
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• 1996

The granitic rocks, so called Masanite, characterized by the micrographic, mylmekitic and perthitic textures, and zonal structure of the plagioclase in the Masan, Changwon and Jinhae areas belong to normal granite and granodiorite based on the modal analysis. These petrographic features strongly suggest the shallow emplacement of the plutons which are defined a typical calc-alkaline suite and I-type granitoids. The pressures of emplacement of the granitic plutons using the amphibole geobarometer were calculated to be 1.2kbar in the Masan area and 1.4kbar in the Changwon area. Their amphibole-plagioclase equilibrium temperatures were obtained to be $638^{\circ}C$ for the former ones and $724^{\circ}C$ for the latter. Homogenization temperatures and salinities for the type HI and IV fluid inclusions in quartz range from 298 to $541^{\circ}C$ (av. $425^{\circ}C$), and 10.5 to 34.6 wt.% NaCl (av. 28.2 wt.% NaCl), respectively. Gas compositions of the granitic rocks with fairly high $CO_2$ concentration relative to CH, correspond to the magnetite series granite of the mantle source. The terminology of the Masanite is not recommended usage. Because it is hard to discriminate in terms of petrological and petrogenetical characteristics between the Masanite and the Bulguksa granites in the Kyeongsang basin.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.141-150
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• 1999

The granitic rocks are distributed in the northeastern Gyeongsang basin, and are subdivided into the Youngduk, Younghae, Jangsadong and Onjeong granite. Based on the chondrite normalized patterns of REE by primitive mantle, the Jangsadong granite is more negative Eu anomaly than other granites. On the patterns of trace and rare earcth elements normalized by primitive mantle, Sr, P, Nd, Sm and Ti contents of t도 Youngduk and Younghae granites are higher than those of Jangsadong and Onjeong granites. Based on K-Ar ages, the Youngduk granite is 166.5 Ma for biotite, Younghae granite is 158.7 to 178.0 Ma for hornblende, Jangsadong granite is 113.8 to 118.4 Ma for K-feldspar and hornblende, and Onjeong granite is 67.4 Ma for biotite. Thus, geochemical and geochronological results suggest two plutonic episodes :the Youngduk-Younghae granites and Jangsadong-Onjeong granites suggest two plutonic episodes : the Youngduk-Younghae granites and Jangsadong-Onjeong granites. Jurassic plutonism cooled faster than Cretacous plutonism in the study area.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.349-361
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• 1993

The granitic rocks in the study area are divided into the schist and gneiss complex, Yongdok pluton, Yonghae pluton and Onjong pluton by their texture, fabric and relationship to the adjacent rocks in the field, Schist and gneiss complex occurs as xenolith or roof pendant in the Yongdok, Yonghae and Onjong plutons. The Yongdok pluton occurs in association with pegmatite and aplite in many places of its pluton. In the field it is obviously clarified that the Yongdok pluton is unconformably overlay by the Cretaceous sedimentary rocks. The Yonghae and Onjong plutons are gradationally changed each other, and these plutons truncate both the Yongdok pluton and the Cretaceous sedimentary rocks. Petrographically, the Yongdok pluton consists of granodiorite and granite with minor quartz monzonite. The Yonghae pluton is composed of diorite, quartz diorite, tonalite, and granodiorite. The Onjong pluton also ranges granodiorite to granite. Both the Yongdok and Yonghae-Onjong plutons are different in the constituent minerals, such as alkali feld~par, myrmekite, mica, sphene and mafic minerals. This suggests that each pluton might have been different crystallization sequence and characteristically different gological history during the crystallization period. Iron/magnesium ratio in biotite and hornblende from both the Yongdok and Yonghae-Onjong plutons gradually decrease as the differentiation index increasing in the whole rock. The decrease of this ratio strongly depend on the increase of opaque mineral contents. From the results of chemistry in the whole rocks and some mafic minerals, it is suggest that the granite plutons of the two different geological ages would have been suffered the environment of high oxygen fugacity in the process of magmatic emplacement and during the crystallization period.

• Proceedings of the Petrological Society of Korea Conference
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• 1998.09a
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• pp.22-22
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• 1998