• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.60-71
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• 2007

Groundwater from public wells was monitored during one year with two month interval for hydrogeochemical parameters and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) as environmental tracers in Jeju Island. Concentrations of major cations and $SiO_2$ show variation less than 10% whereas $NO_3$ and dissolved oxygen (DO) showed larger variation though DO variation did not change oxic or suboxic condition. $NO_3$ concentration has no consistent seasonal pattern with the largest variation of 35%. Groundwater ages determined by CFCs became temporarily younger by 5 years in October for groundwater with ages of 15 to 25 years, which can be attributed to infiltrating water in rainy season. Compared to air temperature, groundwater temperature has much smaller variation with no phase difference, which can be accounted for by a two-component model consisting of infiltrating water from surface and deeper groundwater with negligible temperature variation. The relatively small variation in groundwater age and temperature indicates that groundwater recharge through fast flow-paths is much smaller compared with basal groundwater in terms of aquifer storage.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.495-508
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• 2019

We measured the concentrations of natural radionuclides (uranium and radon) and major elements in groundwater collected from forty wells located in Wonju area to investigate the hydrochemistry and the occurrence of these radionuclides. The range of electrical conductivity (EC) value in the study area was 73~400 μS/cm. In addition to the increase of EC value, the content of cations and anions also tends to increase. Uranium concentrations ranged from 0.06~50.5 ㎍/L (median value, 1.55 ㎍/L) and radon concentrations ranged from 67~8,410 pCi/L (median value, 1,915 pCi/L). Uranium concentrations in 3 well, 7.5% of the samples, exceeded 30 ㎍/L, the maximum contaminant level (MCL) proposed by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), based on the chemical toxicity of uranium. Radon concentrations in 9 wells, 22.5% of the samples, and 1 well, 2.2% of the samples, exceeded 4,000 pCi/L (AMCL of the US EPA) and 8,100 pCi/L (Finland's guideline level), respectively. Concentrations of uranium and radon related to geology of the study area showd the highest values in groundwater of the biotite granite area. Uranium and radon contents in the groundwater are comparatively low compared to those in other countries with similar geological settings. It is likely that the measured value was lower than the actual content due to the inflow of shallow groundwater by the lack of casing and grouting.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.385-398
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• 1999

The Narim gold mine is located approimately 200km southeast of Seoul within the Muju mineralized district of the Sobaegsan gneiss complex, Korea. Environmental geochemistry were undertaken for various kinds of water (surface, ground and mine water) collected of April, September and November in 1998 from the narim mine creek. Hydrogeochemical compositions of water samples are characterized by the relatively significant enrichment of Na+K, alkali ions, $HCO_{3}$, $NO_{3}$, Cl and F in groundwater, wheras the mine and surface waters are relatively enriched in Ca+Mg, hea표 metals and $SO_{4}$. Therefore, the groundwaters belong to the (Na+Ca)-( $HCO_{3}+SO_{4}$) type, respectively. The pH and EC values of the non-mining creek surfers are relatively lower compared with those of the surface water of the mine and ore dump area. The d values ($\delta$D-8$\delta^{18}$O) of all kinds of water from the Narim mine creek are 5.8 to 13.1 The range of $\delta$D and $\delta^{18}$O values (relative to SMOW) are shown in distinct two groups as follows: for the April waters of -64.8 to -67.8$\textperthousand$ and -9.6 to -10.0$\textperthousand$(d value=10.1 to 13.1), and for the November waters of -65.9 to -70.2$\textperthousand$ and -9.3 to -9.6$\textperthousand$ (d value=5.8 to 7.9), respectively. This range variation indicates that two group water were composed of distinct waters with seasonal difference. Geochemical modeling showed that mostly toxic metals (As, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) may exist largery in the from of metal $(M2^+)$ and metal-sulfate $(MSO_4\;^{2-$\mid$),\; and \;SO_4^{2-$\mid$}$ concentration influenced the speciation of heavy metals in the meteoric water. These metals in the groundwater could be formed of $CO_3 \;and \;(OH)_3$ complex ions. Using computer program, saturation index of albite, calcite, dolomite in meteoric water show undersaturated and progreddively evolved toward the saturation state, however, ground and mine water are nearly saturated. The gibbsited water-mineral reaction and stabilities suggest that the weathering of silicate minerals may be stable kaolinite, illite and Nasmectite. The clay minerals will be transformed to more stable kaolinite owing to the contiunous reaction.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2004.04a
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• pp.472-472
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• 2004

Numerous studies on urban groundwater have been carried out in many other countries. Urban groundwater shows a unique hydrologic system because of complex urban characteristics such as road pavement, sewers and public water supply systems. These urban facilities may change the characteristics of groundwater recharge but contaminate its quality as well. There have been several researches on urban groundwater in Seoul. Seoul has been industrialized very rapidly so that the city has large population. The recent population in Seoul amounts to more than ten millions, corresponding to a very high density of about 17, 000 people/km$^2$. Therefore, many factors affect the groundwater quality and quantity in Seoul. Nowadays, groundwater in Seoul is being extracted for construction, industrial use, and drinking and so on. There are 15, 714 wells in Seoul and its annual usage is 41, 425, 977m$^3$(in 2001). Therefore, systematic studies are needed to properly manage and use the groundwater in Seoul. The purposes of this study in progress are to identify geochemical characteristics of groundwater in Seoul and to determine the extent of groundwater contamination and its relationship with urban characteristics. For this study, groundwater was sampled from more than 400 preexisting wells that were randomly selected throughout the Seoul area. For all samples, major cations together with Si, Al, Fe, Pb, Hg For 200 samples among them, TCE, PCE, BTEX were also analyzed by GC. Our study shows that groundwater types of Seoul are distributed broadly from Ca-HCO$_3$ type to Ca-Cl＋NO$_3$ type. The latter type indicates anthropogenic contamination. Among cations, Ca is generally high in most samples. In some samples, Na and K are dominant. The dominant anions change widely from HCO$_3$ to Cl＋NO$_3$. The anion composition is considered to effectively indicate the contribution of distinct anthropogenic sources. In addition, major ions are positively proportional to total dissolved solid (TDS) except K and NO$_3$. Thus, we consider that TDS may be used as an effective indicator of the extent of pollution. However, the increase of TDS may result from increased water-rock interaction. To determine the extent of groundwater contamination, it is needed to figure out the baseline water quality in Seoul. Furthermore, detailed geochemical studies are required to find out pollution sources and their corresponding hydrochemical parameters.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.105-117
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• 2001

The characteristics of hydrogeochemistry and fluorine distribution in drinking groundwater from limestone and granite were studied in the Keumsan-Wanju area, where major important fluorite-deposits are distributed. The hydrochemical properties of groundwater from studied area arc commonly characterized as $Ca-HC0_3$ water type. However, some of the groundwater samples collected from Jurassic and Cretaceuus granites belong to $Ca-Na-HC0_3 and Na-HC0_3$ type, respectively. The contamination of drinking groundwater by minewater from the nearby fluorite deposits is not found yet. However, groundwater having high F contents up to 1].4 mgll, which is higher than the drinking water limit, is found from the wells located in Cretaceous granite. The tluorine contents in groundwater generally increase with increasing well depth. The concentrations of F in the groundwater show a positive relationship with the values of Na, $HC0_3, Cl. Si0_2$, pH, whereas a negative relationship with Ca. The positive correlation of F-concentrations to major elements ($Si0_2$, Na, CI) and trace elements (Li, B, Rb) may suggest that the groundwater come from the decomposition of tluoride-bearing silicate minerals within highly differentiated granitic rocks, Therefore, wells for drinking water should not be developed or should be drilled within shallow level in the Cretaceous granite region to reduce the F contents in the groundwater.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2004.09a
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• pp.121-121
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• 2004

The groundwater in the Pocheon area occurs from both a fractured bedrock aquifer in igneous and metamorphic rocks and an alluvial aquifer with a thickness of <50 m, and forms a major source of domestic and agricultural water supply. In this study, we performed a hydrogeochemical study in order to identify the control of geochemical processes on groundwater quality. For this study, groundwater level and physicochemical parameters (EC, Eh, pH, alkalinity) were monitored once a month from a total of 150 groundwater wells between June 2003 to August 2004. A total of 153 water samples (13 surface water, 66 alluvial groundwater, 74 bedrock groundwater) were also collected and analyzed in February 2004. Groundwater chemistry in the study area is very complex, depending on a number of major factors such as geology, degree of chemical weathering, and quality of recharge water. Hydrochemical reactions such as the leaching of surficial and near-solace soil salts, dissolution of calcite, cation exchange, and weathering of silicate minerals are proposed to explain the chemistry of natural groundwater. Alluvial groundwaters locally have very high TDS concentrations, which are characterized by their chloride(nitrate)-sulfate-bicabonate facies and low Na/Cl ratio. Their grondwater levels are highly fluctuated according to rainfall event. We suggest that high nitrate content and salinity in such alluvial groundwaters originates from the local recharge of sewage effluents and/or fertilizers. Likewise, high concentrations of nitrate were also locally observed in some bedrock groundwaters, suggesting their effect of anthropogenic contamination. This is possibly due to the bypass flow taking place through macropores. Tile degree of the weathering of silicate minerals seems to be a major control of the distribution of major cations (sodium, calcium, magnesium, potassium) in bedrock groundwaters, which show a general increase with increasing depth of wells. Thermodynamic interpretation of groundwater chemistry shows that the groundwater in the study area is in chemical equilibrium with kaolinite and Na-montmorillonite, which indicates that weathering of plagioclase to those minerals is a major control of hydrochemistry of bedrock groundwater. The interpretation of the molar ratios among major ions, as well as the mass balance calculation, also indicates the role of both dissolution/precipitation of calcite and Ca-Na cationic exchange as bedrock groundwaters evolves progressively.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.474-485
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• 2002

The object of this study is to investigate the contamination degree and the interpretation of sea water intrusion phenomena with hydrogeochemical and hydrogen-oxygen stable isotope of coastal aquifer in the Gogum area, Korea. The physical characteristics of groundwaters is the neutral pH condition and transitional Redox environments, and groundwater is affected by sea water & surface water. The chemical properties of groundwaters are showing an increase in contamination owing to the sea water intrusion, waste water from the surface and agricultural chemicals. In the case of chloride, 6 samples of the groundwater in the study area are in excess of the drinking water standard. The Piper diagram shows the contamination in GG-4 and 14 by sea water intrusion. GG-3, 7 and 13 dominate the Na-HCO$_{3}$ type water and regional (GG-14) is indicated to dominate the Na-Cl type water such as sea water. According to the Sl (saturation index), sea water is oversaturated with respect to calcite and dolomite, GG-3, 14 and 18 are approaching the saturation state. The hydrogen-oxygen stable isotope ratio of groundwaters originates in the meteoric water, and groundwaters of GG-1, 5 and 14 display high oxygen isotope value due to surface water trespass and sea water intrusion. The result of this study, GG-14 is contaminated by sea water intrusion, groundwaters expected GG-3, 7 and 13 is in progress to artificial pollution and sea water intrusion.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Groundwater Environment
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.192-202
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• 1998

We investigated the geochemistry and environmental isotopes of granite-bedrock groundwater in the Yeongcheon diversion tunnel which is located about 300 m below the land surface. The hydrochemistry of groundwaters belongs to the Ca-HCO$_3$type, and is controlled by flow systems and water-rock interaction in the flow conduits (fractures). The deuterium and oxygen-18 data are clustered along the meteoric water line, indicating that the groundwater are commonly of meteoric water origin and are not affected by secondary isotope effects such as evaporation and isotope exchange. Tritium data show that the groundwaters were mostly recharged before pre-thermonuclear period and have been mixed with younger surface water flowing down rapidly into the tunnel along fractured zones. Based on the mass balance and reaction simulation approaches, using both the hydrochemistry of groundwater and the secondary mineralogy of fracture-filling materials, we have modeled the low-temperature hydrogeochemical evolution of groundwater in the area. The results of geochemical simulation show that the concentrations of Ca$\^$2＋/, Na$\^$＋/ and HCO$_3$and pH of waters increase progressively owing to the dissolution of reactive minerals in flow paths. The concentrations of Mg$\^$2＋/ and K$\^$＋/ frist increase with the dissolution, but later decrease when montmorillonite and illitic material are precipitated respectively. The continuous adding of reactive minerals, namely the progressively larger degrees of water/rock interaction, causes the formation of secondary minerals with the following sequence: first hematite, then gibbsite, then kaolinite, then montmorillonite, then illtic material, and finally microcline. During the simulation all the gibbsite is consumed, kaolinite precipitates and then the continuous reaction converts the kaolinite to montmorillonite and illitic material. The reaction simulation results agree well with the observed, water chemistry and secondary mineralogy, indicating the successful applicability of this simulation technique to delineate the complex hydrogeochemistry of bedrock groundwaters.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.471-484
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• 2002

Alluviums in the Keum River watershed cover an areal extent of $3,029{\;}\textrm{km}^2$ and contain about 8.1 billion tons of groundwater. However, the waters are severely polluted by nitrate, possibly due to the application of nitrogen fertilizer (>250 N kg/ha) on agricultural land. This paper aims to elucidate the pollution status and behaviors of nitrate in alluvial groundwaters in the Keum River watershed area, based on regional hydrogeochemical study. Most of the collected samples (n = 186) are polluted by nitrate (average = 42.2 mg/L, maximum = 295 mg/L). About 29% of the samples have the nitrate concentrations exceeding Korean Drinking Water Standard (44 mg/L $NO_3$). The distribution of nitrate concentrations in the study area is largely dependant on geochemical environments of alluvial aquifers. In particular, the decrease of redox potential of alluvial groundwaters showed a good correlation with the decreases of nitrate, iron, and manganese concentrations. Thus, the change of redox state in alluvial aquifers, likely reflecting their sedimentary environments, controls both the behavior and fate of nitrogen compounds and their natural attenuation (denitrification) in aquifers. A carbon-rich, silty layer within alluvium strata forms a reducing condition and possesses a buffering capacity on nitrate pollution.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.63-77
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• 2002

Salinization is an important environmental problem encountered in coastal aquifers. In order to evaluate the salinization problem in the western coastal area of Korea, we have performed a regional hydrochemical study on shallow well groundwaters (N=229) collected within 10 km away from the coastline. The concentrations of analyzed solutes are very wide in range, suggesting that the hydrochemistry is controlled by several processes such as water-rock interaction, seawater mixing, and anthropogenic contamination. Based on the graphical interpretation of cumulative frequency curves for some hydrochemical parameters (esp., $Cl^{-}$ and ${NO_3}^-$), the collected water samples were grouped into two major populations (1) a background population whose chemistry is predominantly affected by water-rock interaction, and (2) an anomalous population which records the potential influences by either seawater mixing or anthropogenic pollution. The threshold values obtained are 34.7 mg/l for $Cl^{-}$ and 37.2 mg/l for ${NO_3}^-$, Using these two constituents, groundwaters were further grouped into four water types as follows (the numbers in parenthesis indicate the percentage of each type water) : (1) type 1 waters (38%) that are relatively poor in $Cl^{-}$ and ${NO_3}^-$, which may represent their relatively little contamination due to seawater mixing and anthropogenic pollution; (2) type 2 waters (21%) which are enriched in $Cl^{-}$, Indicating the considerable influence by seawater mixing; (3) ${NO_3}^-$-rich, type 3 waters (11%) which record significant anthropogenic pollution; and (4) type 4 waters (30%) enriched in both $Cl^{-}$ and ${NO_3}^-$, reflecting the effects of both seawater mixing and anthropogenic contamination. The results of the water type classification correspond well with the grouping on a Piper's diagram. On a Br x $10^4$versus Cl molar ratio diagram, most of type 2 waters are also plotted along or near the seawater mixing line. The discriminant analysis of hydrochemical data also shows that the classification of waters into four types are so realistic to adequately reflect the major process(es) proposed for the hydrochemical evolution of each water type. As a tool for evaluating the degree of seawater mixing, we propose a parameter called 'Seawater Mixing Index (S.M.I.)’ which is based on the concentrations of Na, Mg, Cl, and $SO_4$. All the type 1 and 3 waters have the S.M.I. values smaller than one, while type 2 and type 4 waters mostly have the values greater than 1. In the western coastal area of Korea, more than 21% of shallow groundwaters appear to be more or less affected by salinization process.