• Molecules and Cells
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.437-440
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• 2007

$OGL-20P^T$-358 is a novel 66 amino acid residue protein from the hyperthermophile Thermococcus thioreducens sp. nov., strain $OGL-20P^T$, which was collected from the wall of the hydrothermal black smoker in the Rainbow Vent along the mid-Atlantic ridge. This protein, which has no detectable sequence homology with proteins or domains of known function, has a calculated pI of 4.76 and a molecular mass of 8.2 kDa. We report here the backbone $^1H$, $^{15}N$, and $^{13}C$ resonance assignments of $OGL-20P^T$-358. Assignments are 97.5% (316/324) complete. Chemical shift index was used to determine the secondary structure of the protein, which appears to consist of primarily ${\alpha}$-helical regions. This work is the foundation for future studies to determine the three-dimensional solution structure of the protein.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.273-285
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• 2015

The extensive hydrothermal deposits have been found, for the first time, on the western TA25 seamount caldera in the Tonga arc. The seafloor hydrothermal vents are active and immature, emitting the transparent fluids of which temperatures range from $150^{\circ}C$ to $242^{\circ}C$ (average=$203^{\circ}C$). The recovered hydrothermal sulfides are mainly composed of sphalerite, pyrite, marcasite, galena, chalcopyrite, covellite, tennantite, enargite and sulfates such as barite, gypsum/anhydrite. Predominant sphalerite categorize it into Zn-rich hydrothermal ore body. Zn-rich sulfide ores have minor enargite, indicating that mineralization occurred in high sulfidation environment. The proportion and FeS content of sphalerite increase from outside to inside of the hydrothermal ores, respectively. In particular, sphalerite has a great silver content (up to ~10 wt.%). Chalcopyrite is more frequently observed in mound than in the chimney, implying mineralization temperature in the mound is higher than in the chimney. Homogenization temperatures and salinities from fluid inclusions in barite at the mound range from $148^{\circ}C$ to $341^{\circ}C$ (average=$213^{\circ}C$) and 0.4 to 3.6 equiv. wt.% NaCl, respectively. Homogenization temperatures suggest that sulfides in the mound mineralized at a higher temperature (${\geq}200^{\circ}C$) than in the chimney.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.203-210
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• 2002

In order to elucidate the growth mechanism of sulfide chimney formed as a result of seafloor hydrothermal mineralization, we carried out the mineralogical and fluid inclusion studies on the inactive, sulfide- and silica-rich chimney which has been recovered from a hydrothermal field in the Cleft segment of the Juan de Fuca Ridge. According to previous studies, many active and inactive vents are present in the Cleft segment. The sulfide- and silica-rich chimney is composed of amorphous silica, pyrite, sphalerite and wurtzite with minor amounts of chalcopyrite and marcasite. The interior part of the chimney is highly porous and represents a flow channel. Open spaces within chimneys are typically coated with colloform layers of amorphous silica. The FeS content of Zn-sulfides varies widely from 13.9 to 34.3 mole% with Fe-rich core and Fe-poor rims. This variation possibly reflects the change of physicochemical characteristics of hydrothermal fluids. Chemical and mineralogical compositions of the each growth zone are also varied, possibly due to a thermal gradient. Based on the microthermometric measurements of liquid-rich, two-phase inclusions in amorphous silica that was precipitated in the late stage of mineralization, minimum trapping temperatures are estimated to be about 1140 to 145$^{\circ}$C with the salinities between 3.2 and 4.8 wt.% NaCI equiv. Although the actual fluid temperatures of the vent are not available, this study suggests that the lowtemperature conditions were predominant during the mineralization in the hydrothermal field at Cleft segment. Comparing with the previously reported chimney types, the morphology, colloform texture, bulk chemistry, and a characteristic mineral assemblage (pyrite + marcasite + wurtzite + amorphous silica) of this chimney indicate that the chimney have been formed from a relatively low-temperature (<250$^{\circ}$C) hydrothermal fluid that was changed by sluggish fluid flow and conductive cooling.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.745-764
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• 2023

In the Republic of Congo, Banded iron formations (BIFs) occur in two areas: the Chaillu Massif and the Ivindo Basement Complex, which are segments of the Archean Congo craton outcropping in the northwestern and southwestern parts of the country. They show interesting potential with significant mineral resources reaching 2 Bt and grades up to 60% Fe. BIFs consist mostly of oxide-rich facies (hematite/magnetite), but carbonate-rich facies are also highlighted. They are found across the country within the similar geological sequences composed of amphibolites, gneisses and greenschists. The Post-Archean Australian Shale (PAAS)-normalized patterns of BIFs show enrichment in elements such as SiO₂, Fe₂O₃, CaO, P₂O₅, Cr, Cu, Zn, Nb, Hf, U and depletion in TiO₂, Al₂O₃, MgO, Na₂O, K₂O, Sc, Th, Ba, Zr, Rb, Ni, V. REE diagrams show slight light REEs (rare earth elements; LREEs) compared to heavy REEs (HREEs), and positive La and Eu anomalies. The lithological associations, as well as the very high (Eu/Eu^*)_SN ratios> 1.8 shown by the BIFs, suggest that they are related to Algoma-type BIFs. The positive correlations between Zr and TiO₂, Al₂O₃, Hf suggest that the contamination comes mainly from felsic rocks, while the absence of correlations between MgO and Cr, Ni argues for negligeable contributions from mafic sources. Pr/Pr^* vs. Ce/Ce^* diagram indicates that the Congolese BIFs were formed in basins with redox heterogeneity, which varies from suboxic to anoxic and from oxic to anoxic conditions. They were formed through hydrothermal vents in the seawater, with relatively low proportions of detrital inputs derived from igneous sources through continental weathering. Some Congolese BIFs show high contents in Cr, Ni and Cu, which suggest that iron (Fe) and silicon (Si) have been leached through hydrothermal processes associated with submarine volcanism. We discussed their tectonic setting and depositional environment and proposed that they were deposited in extensional back-arc basins, which also recorded hydrothermal vent fluids.

• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.165-173
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• 2020

The activity of living microorganism directly or indirectly affects to the biomineralization in sediments and rocks that display the unique biotic structure. Minerals in the biotic structures showed unique properties and bypass the thermodynamic and kinetic barriers. Therefore, investigations on the biotically induced microstructure is essential to identify the new mineral formation mechanism by analyzing crystal structures and morphology at a nano-scale. The significant implication as well as advantages of using scanning electron microscopy to characterize the biotic structures were discussed in this paper for the examples of hydrothermal vent area microbial mat and deep-sea ferromanganese crust sample.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2002

Manus Basin, located in the equatorial western Pacific, is a back arc basin formed by collision between the IndoAustralian and the Pacific Plates. The basin is host to numerous hydrothermal vent fields and ore deposits. The basement rocks of the Manus Basin consist primarily of dacite and basaltic andesite. Some of the minerals that form the hydrothermal chimneys that were dredged on the Manus basin include pyrite, chalcopyrite, marcasite, sphalerite and galena. The chimneys can be classified into chalcopyrite dominant Cu-rich type and sphalerite dominant Zn-rich type. The concentration of Zn shows good positive correlation with that of Sb, Cd and Ag. The content of Cu, on the other hand, positively correlates with that of Mo, Mn and Co. For samples that were taken from Zn-rich chimney, a strong positive correlation is found between Au and Zn contents. The chimney also shows enrichments of Cd, Mn and Sb. On the other hand, the samples from Cu-rich chimney exhibit strong correlation among Au, Zn and Pb, and are enriched in Mo and Co concentration. Average contents of Au in Cu-rich and Znrich chimneys were 15.9 ppm and 29.0 ppm, respectively. Because of high concentration of Au with Ag and Cu, the ore deposit have high economic potential. Homogenization temperatures and salinities of fluid inclusions in anhydrite and amorphous silica from Zn-rich chimney are estimated to be l74-220$^{\circ}$C and 2.7-3.6 equiv. wt. % NaCI, respectively. These value suggest that ore forming processes were occurred at around 200$^{\circ}$C and that the oxygen fugacity changed from 2: 10$^{-39.5}$bar to -s: 10$^{-40.8}$bar and the sulfur fugacity from -s: 10$^{-14.7}$bar to 10$^{-13.4}$bar during the process. It appears that the temperature at which the ores formed on Cu-rich chimney was higher than that on Zn-rich chimney.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.136-146
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• 2024

This paper introduces the seismic facies classification and mapping of igneous bodies found in the sedimentary sequences of the Yellow Sea shelf area of Korea. In the research area, six extrusive and three intrusive types of igneous bodies were found in the Late Cretaceous, Eocene, Early Miocene, and Quaternary sedimentary sequences of the northeastern, southwestern and southeastern sags of the Gunsan Basin. Extrusive igneous bodies include the following six facies: (1) monogenetic volcano (E.mono) showing cone-shape external geometry with height less than 200 m, which may have originated from a single monogenetic eruption; (2) complex volcano (E.comp) marked by clustered monogenetic cones with height less than 500 m; (3) stratovolcano (E.strato) referring to internally stratified lofty volcanic edifices with height greater than 1 km and diameter more than 15 km; (4) fissure volcanics (E.fissure) marked by high-amplitude and discontinuous reflectors in association with normal faults that cut the acoustic basement; (5) maar-diatreme (E.maar) referring to gentle-sloped low-profile volcanic edifices with less than 2 km-wide vent-shape zones inside; and (6) hydrothermal vents (E.vent) marked by upright pipe-shape or funnel-shape structures disturbing sedimentary sequence with diameter less than 2 km. Intrusive igneous bodies include the following three facies: (1) dike and sill (I.dike/sill) showing variable horizontal, step-wise, or saucer-shaped intrusive geometries; (2) stock (I.stock) marked by pillar- or horn-shaped bodies with a kilometer-wide intrusion diameter; and (3) batholith and laccoliths (I.batho/lac) which refer to gigantic intrusive bodies that broadly deformed the overlying sedimentary sequence.