• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.171-181
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• 2022

The Geochang Au-Ag deposit is located within the Yeongnam Massif. Within the area a number of hydrothermal quartz and calcite veins were formed by narrow open-space filling of parallel and subparallel fractures in the granitic gneiss and/or gneissic granite. Mineral paragenesis can be divided into two stages (stage I, ore-bearing quartz vein; stage II, barren calcite vein) by major tectonic fracturing. Stage I, at which the precipitation of major ore minerals occurred, is further divided into three substages (early, middle and late) with paragenetic time based on minor fractures and discernible mineral assemblages: early, marked by deposition of pyrite with minor pyrrhotite and arsenopyrite; middle, characterized by introduction of electrum and base-metal sulfides with minor sulfosalts; late, marked by hematite with base-metal sulfides. Fluid inclusion data show that stage I ore mineralization was deposited between initial high temperatures (≥380℃ ) and later lower temperatures (≤210℃ ) from H₂O-CO₂-NaCl fluids with salinities between 7.0 to 0.7 equiv. wt. % NaCl of Geochang hydrothermal system. The relationship between salinity and homogenization temperature indicates a complex history of boiling, fluid unmixing (CO₂ effervescence), cooling and dilution via influx of cooler, more dilute meteoric waters over the temperature range ≥380℃ to ≤210℃. Changes in stage I vein mineralogy reflect decreasing temperature and fugacity of sulfur by evolution of the Geochang hydrothermal system with increasing paragenetic time. The Geochang deposit may represents a mesothermal gold-silver deposit.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.753-765
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• 2021

The Dongwon Au-Ag deposit is located within the Paleozoic Taebaeksan province, Okcheon belt. Mineral paragenesis can be divided into two stages (stage I, ore-bearing quartz veins; stage II, barren carbonate veins) by major tectonic fracturing. Stage I, at which the precipitation of major ore minerals occurred, is further divided into three substages(early, middle and late) with paragenetic time based on minor fractures and discernible mineral assemblages: early, marked by deposition of pyrite with minor magnetite, pyrrhotite and arsenopyrite; middle, characterized by introduction of electrum and base-metal sulfides with minor sulfosalts; late, marked by argentite, Cu-As (and/or Sb) and Ag-Sb sulfosalts with base-metal sulfides. Fluid inclusion data show that stage I ore mineralization was deposited between initial high temperatures (≥430℃) and later lower temperatures (≤230℃) from fluids with salinities between 6.0 to 0.4 wt. percent equiv. NaCl. The relationship of salinity and homogenization temperature suggest that ore mineralization at Dongwon was deposited mainly due to fluid boiling, cooling and dilution via influx of cooler, more dilute meteoric waters. Changes in stage I vein mineralogy reflect decreasing temperature and fugacity of sulfur by evolution of the Dongwon hydrothermal system with increasing paragenetic time. The Dongwon deposit may represents a Korean-type and/or Au-Ag type mesothermal/epithermal gold-silver deposit.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.447-457
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• 2003

In order to understand the distribution of changes of geochemical characteristics in surface sediments according to various environmental changes around the artificial Lake Shihwa, surface sediments were sampled at $13{\sim}15$ sites form 1997 to 1999 and analyzed by C/S analyzer, ICP/MS and AAS. The average $S/C_{org}$ ratio was 0.35 in the surface sediments, which is similar to 0.36, the characteristic ratio of marine sediments. Heavy metal contents and enrichment factors in the surface sediments tended to be decreasing from the head to the mouth of the Lake Shihwa. With the deposition of fine-grained sediments in the central part of lake, anoxic water column induced the sulfides compounds with Cu, Cd and Zn. Metals such as Al, Fe, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn and Cd except for Mn and Pb showed relatively high correlation coefficients among them. The contents of Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn and Cd in the surface sediments of the lake were two to five times higher than those in the lake before dike construction and also in outer part of the dike. These are mainly due to the Input of untreated industrial and municipal waste-waters into the lake, and the accumulation of heavy metals by limitation of physical mixing. Although metal contents of the surface sediments at the sites near the water-gate due to outer seawater inflow tended to be lower than those during the desalination, heavy metals were deposited in areas around the new industrial complex in the evidence of spatial distribution of heavy metals in the sediments. This is mainly due to the input of untreated waste-waters from tributaries.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.289-301
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• 1997

The Boguk cobalt mine is located within the Cretaceous Gyeongsang Sedimentary Basin. Major ore minerals including cobalt-bearing minerals (loellingite, cobaltite, and glaucodot) and Co-bearing arsenopyrite occur together with base-metal sulfides (pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, pyrite, sphalerite, etc.) and minor amounts of oxides (magnetite and hematite) within fracture-filling $quartz{\pm}actinolite{\pm}carbonate$ veins. These veins are developed within an epicrustal micrographic granite stock which intrudes the Konchonri Formation (mainly of shale). Radiometric date of the granite (85.98 Ma) indicates a Late Cretaceous age for granite emplacement and associated cobalt mineralization. The vein mineralogy is relatively complex and changes with time: cobalt-bearing minerals with actinolite, carbonates, and quartz gangues (stages I and II) ${\rightarrow}$ base-metal sulfides, gold, and Fe oxides with quartz gangues (stage III) ${\rightarrow}$ barren carbonates (stages IV and V). The common occurrence of high-temperature minerals (cobalt-bearing minerals, molybdenite and actinolite) with low-temperature minerals (base-metal sulfides, gold and carbonates) in veins indicates a xenothermal condition of the hydrothermal mineralization. High enrichment of Co in the granite (avg. 50.90 ppm) indicates the magmatic hydrothermal derivation of cobalt from this cooling granite stock, whereas higher amounts of Cu and Zn in the Konchonri Formation shale suggest their derivations largely from shale. The decrease in temperature of hydrothermal fluids with a concomitant increase in fugacity of oxygen with time (for cobalt deposition in stages I and II, $T=560^{\circ}C-390^{\circ}C$ and log $fO_2=$ >-32.7 to -30.7 atm at $350^{\circ}C$; for base-metal sulfide deposition in stage III, $T=380^{\circ}-345^{\circ}C$ and log $fO_2={\geq}-30.7$ atm at $350^{\circ}C$) indicates a transition of the hydrothermal system from a magmatic-water domination toward a less-evolved meteoric-water domination. Sulfur isotope data of stage II sulfide minerals evidence that early, Co-bearing hydrothermal fluids derived originally from an igneous source with a ${\delta}^{34}S_{{\Sigma}S}$ value near 3 to 5‰. The remarkable increase in ${\delta}^{34}S_{H2S}$ values of hydrothermal fluids with time from cobalt deposition in stage II (3-5‰) to base-metal sulfide deposition in stage III (up to about 20‰) also indicates the change of the hydrothermal system toward the meteoric water domination, which resulted in the leaching-out and concentration of isotopically heavier sulfur (sedimentary sulfates), base metals (Cu, Zn, etc.) and gold from surrounding sedimentary rocks during the huge, meteoric water circulation. We suggest that without the formation of the later, meteoric water circulation extensively through surrounding sedimentary rocks the Boguk cobalt deposits would be simple veins only with actinolite + quartz + cobalt-bearing minerals. Furthermore, the formation of the meteoric water circulation after the culmination of a magmatic hydrothermal system resulted in the common occurrence of high-temperature minerals with later, lower-temperature minerals, resulting in a xenothermal feature of the mineralization.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.75-87
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• 2003

The Haman-Gunbuk mineralized area is located within the Cretaceous Gyeongsang Basin along the southeastern part of the Korean peninsula. Major ore minerals, magnetite, scheelite, molybdenite and chalcopyrite, together with base-metal sulfides and minor sulfosalts, occur in fissure-filling tourmaline, quartz and carbonates veins contained within Cretaceous sedimentary and volcanic rocks anu/or granodiorite (118{\pm}$3.0 Ma). The ore and gangue mineral paragenesis can be divided into three distinct stages: Stage 1, tourmaline+quartz+Fe-Cu ore mineralization; Stage II, quartz+sulfides+sulfosalts+carbonates; Stage 111, barren calcite. Earliest fluids are recorded in stage I and early por-tions of stage II veins as hypersaline (35~70 equiv. wt.% NaCl+KCl) and vapor-rich inclusions which homogenize from ~30$0^{\circ}C$ to $\geq$50$0^{\circ}C$. The high-salinity fluids are complex chloride brines with significant concentrations of sodium, potassium, iron, copper, and sulfur, though sulfide minerals are not associated with the early mineral assemblage produced by this fluid. Later solutions circulated through newly formed fractures and reopened veins, and are recorded as lower-salinity(less than ~20 equiv. wt.% NaCl) fluid inclusions which homogenize primarily from ~200 to 40$0^{\circ}C$. The oxygen and hydrogen isotopic compositions of fluid in the Haman-Gunbuk hydrothermal system represents a progressive shift from magmatic-hydrothermal dominance during early mineralization stage toward meteoric-hydrothermal dominance during late mineralization stage. The earliest hydrothermal fiuids to circu-late within the granodiorite stock localiring the ore body at Haman-Gunbuk could have exsolved from the crystal-lizing magma and unmixed into hypersaline liquid and $H_2O$-NaCl vapor. As these magmatic fluids moved throughfractures, tourmaline and early Fe, W, Mo, Cu ore mineralization occurred without concomitant deposition of othersulfides and sulfosalts. Later solutions of dominantly meteoric origin progressively formed hypogene copper and base-metal sulfides, and sulfosalt mineralization.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.85-96
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• 1986

The Bupyeong Silver mine which is located approximately 35km west of Seoul is currently the leading silver producer in Korea. The deposits occur as stockwork deposits hosted in Jurassic pyroclastic rocks. Occurrences of ore deposits and mineral paragenesis suggest a division of mineralization into four stages: Stage I, deposition of iron oxide and base metal sulfides; Stage II, deposition of tin oxide and silverm inerals; stage III, deposition of native silver and other silver minerals; Stage IV, formation of pyrite bearing siderite veinlets, Silver minerals in ore are native silver, argentite, freibergite, pyrargyrite, canfieldite, polybasite, dyscrasite and Ag-Fe-S mineral. The most important silver mineral is native silver among them. Chemical composition of important silver minerals were determined by electron probe microanalyser. Assay, size and modal analyses for floatation products were carried out. In floatation products, relative proportion of native silver for total important silver minerals have following ranges: feed, 64.7 to 74.74 wt.%; A-cleaner concentrate, 80.58 to 98.79 wt.%; and final tailing, 28.12 to 72. 57 wt. %. Average degree of liberation for native silver in feed and A-cleaner concentrate are 60.49% and 77.57% respectively. Negative relationship can be recognized between native silver and argentite in their abundance and behavior in floatation precesses.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.499-508
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• 1998

The Imgok Creek is located in the Gangreung coal field, which has been known that sulfides are more abundant than other coal fields in Korea, and it has been severly contaminated by acid mine drainage (AMD) discharging from the abandoned coal mines, such as the Youngdong, the Dongduk and the Waryong coal mines. The purposes of this study are to synthetically assess the contamination of natural water, stream sediment and cultivated soils, and to provide the basic data for AMD treatment. Geochemical samples were collected in December, 1996 (dry season) and April, 1997 (after three day's rainfall). TDS of the Youngdong mine water was remarkably higher than those of other mine waters. In the Imgok Creek, concentrations of most elements, except Fe decreased with distance by dilution caused by the inflow of uncontaminated tributaries. From the results of NAMDI and $I_{geo}$ calculation, the Youngdong coal mine was the main contamination source of the study area. Groundwater pollution was not yet confirmed in this study and the paddy and farm land soils were also not yet contaminated by mining activity based on the pollution index ranging from 0.27 to 0.47.

• Proceedings of the Korea Committee for Ocean Resources and Engineering Conference
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• 2006.11a
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• pp.14-20
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• 2006

During the 11 year period of 1995-2005, there was about a 40% increase in the world copper demand mainly because of the Asian economic growth. In the increase, about a half was consumed by China. Most of the China's copper demand increase has been taken place over the final 5-6 years of that period. The growth is expected to continue for several years, and in 10 years or sooner the same situation is expected for India. Copper is the third metal in global demand, but its little abundance in the Earth's crust is not well recognized. From the production rate and the abundance, a copper shortage, or crisis, has a high probability than the other metals. Deep ocean mineral resources such as manganese nodules in the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zones, Kuroko-type massive seafloor sulfides (SMS), and cobalt-rich manganese crusts in the EEZ and the high sea areas have big potentials for the future sources. We need to re-evaluate their potentials as copper resources and other metals to realize their developments. The same situation is under progress in the hydro-carbon markets. Methane hydrates that are classified into non-conventional hydro-carbon resources have an important role as the future sources, too.

• Electronics and Telecommunications Trends
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.76-86
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• 2021

Technologies for lithium secondary batteries are now increasingly expanding to simultaneously improve the safety and higher energy and power densities of large-scale battery systems, such as electric vehicles and smart-grid energy storage systems. Next-generation lithium batteries, such as lithium-sulfur (Li-S) and lithium-air (Li-O₂) batteries by adopting solid electrolytes and lithium metal anode, can be a solution for the requirements. In this analysis of battery technology trends, solid electrolytes, including polymer (organic), inorganic (oxides and sulfides), and their hybrid (composite) are focused to describe the electrochemical performance achievable by adopting optimal components and discussing the interfacial behaviors that occurred by the contact of different ingredients for safe and high-energy lithium secondary battery systems. As next-generation rechargeable lithium batteries, Li-S and Li-O₂ battery systems are briefly discussed coupling with the possible use of solid electrolytes. In addition, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institutes achievements in the field of solid electrolytes for lithium rechargeable batteries are finally introduced.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.169-178
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• 2016

The Standards, Measurement and Testing Programme (SM&T-formerly BCR) extraction procedure was applied to fractionate Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn in 23 top soil samples into: (i) exchangeable phase; (ii) reducible phase; (iii) oxidisable(sulfides and organics bound) phase; and (iv) residual phase. Fractions of Cr and Ni were in the order of residual > oxidisable > reducible > exchangeable phase. The oxidisable phase was identified as dominant for Cu and Pb. Zn had the highest ratio of exchangeable phase in comparision to the other metals. The bioavailability and mobility were assessed to be the greatest for Zn, followed by a decreasing order of Pb, Cu, Ni and Cr. All metal average concentrations in topsoil samples was higher in industrial sites than in agricultural sites. Our results revealed higher concentrations in topsoil samples (0~15 cm) than in sub soils (15~30 cm, 30~60 cm) for most metals at six sites (No. 5, 6, 17, 19, 20, 23). The fractions of exchangeable, reducible ad oxidisable phases showed relatively high correlation with soil pH, Fe/Mn oxide concentrations and organic matter contents, respectively.