• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.291-301
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• 2004

In order to charaterize weathering of chalcopyrite and behavior of dissolved metal ions in waste rocks from Manjang Cu mine, mineralogical studies such as refractive microscope, XRD and SEM/EDS analyses carried out. The weathering was mainly occurred in fractures and edge of the chalcopyrite within the mine waste rocks. The weathering process can be seen to reflect four stages based on the weathering degree of chalcopyrite. The main secondary minerals are goethite, covellite, azurite, malachite and brochantite. Dissolved Cu and As were mainly adsorbed Fe-hydroxide. Poorly crystalline Fe-oxide contains relatively high As contents. In oxdizing condition, the weathering of chalcopyrite mainly occurs along the fracture, while the replacement of chalcopyrite observed mainly in the grain and produced covellite and brochantite. The dissolved metals (Cu, Fe, As) in waste rocks from the abandoned Manjang mine area could attenuate naturally by precipitation, adsorption and replacement reaction.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.86 no.2
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• pp.186-199
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• 1997

The soils derived from granite gneiss occupy almost one third of the land area in Korea. The soils under forest vegetation, formed on granite gneiss, in Sun chon-shi, Chollanam-do in southern part of Korea, were studied to evaluate the weathering and the transformation of primary minerals into secondary minerals, clay minerals. The studied soils contained large amounts of ferromagnesian minerals, weathered biotites and were well weathered, strongly acid and low in organic matters and in ration exchange capacity. The clay contents in the Bt horizon were almost two times higher than those in the C horizon. The O horizon had a thin layer which consisted of a little decomposed plant components with a granic fabric and high porosity, and showed the micromorphological characteristics of moder humus. The related distribution pattern of the E horizon were enaulic and large amounts of silts and small amounts of sand grains were another characteristics of the E horizon. The most striking micromorphological features were multilaminated clay coating and infillings in the voids in the Bt and C horizons, and generally limpid ferriargillans ejected from the biotites and imparted red color to the soils in the Bt horizon. High clay contents in the Bt horizon was not only due to clay translocation, but also due to intensive in situ mineral weathering in this horizon. The most significant pedogenic process, revealed by the petrographic microscope and SEM, was the formation of iron oxides from biotites, the formation of tubular halloysites and the weathering models of biotites; wedge weathering and layer weathering. The thick coating on the weathering biotites showed the characteristics of the weathering process and the synthetic hematites were revealed in clays by TEM. Total chemical analysis of clays revealed extensive loss of Ca, and Na and the concentration of Fe and Al. Mineralogical studies of clays by XRD showed that micas were almost completely weathered to kaolinite, vermiculite-kaolinite intergrade, hematite, gibbsite, while halloysites from other primary minerals. Some dioctahedral mica appeared to be resistant in the soils. Parent rock of the soils contained a considerable amounts of biotites and this forest soils showed especially a dominant characteristics of biotite weathering.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.5-17
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• 2000

The physical and mechanical properties of the sedimentary rocks deposited in Taegu and Kyongbuk region have been measured in the laboratory and at the field. Four kinds of rocks such as the shale, the mudstone, the siltstone and the sandstone were the object of this study. In sedimentary rock joint, bedding made it impossible to extract cores for uniaxial compressive test. Some correlations between the uniaxial compressive strength and the other characteristic values such as Point load index, Schmidt hammer rebound, Brazilian strength, P-wave velocity and Absorption ratio are made. The chemical and mineral compositions are also investigated by the XRF and XRD analysis. In addition, the weathering grade of rocks are classified by the quantitative indices of Point load index, Schmidt hammer rebound and Absorption ratio.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.38 no.3 s.172
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• pp.319-334
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• 2005

Some of old fluvial sediments are originally composed of fine and silty-clay grains with sands or some of them have been segregated by weathering as a result of the influence of groundwater fluctuations. For this reason, some of old fluvial sediments are not suitable for using as fine aggregates. Furthermore, the old fluvial aggregates with comparatively good quality have been exploited for a long time and quality of most remainders have been significantly poor. Though many old fluvial aggregates do not satisfy the quality controls(QC) standards such as KS F2526 and KS F 2527, they must be utilized to various usage suitable far different quality categories. Thus, we try to make constant efforts to utilize aggregates of all qualities. This study shows that physical properties of old fluvial aggregates are both controlled by source rocks and also related to old fluvial environment.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.33-38
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• 2009

An experiment for uranium sorption onto fresh and weathered biotites was performed. After centrifugation, concentrations of uranium in the supernatants were analyzed using ICP-MS, and biotite samples were investigated using XRD and SEM. With powdered biotites (<3 mm in size), we have conducted uranium sorption experiments about fresh and weathered biotites to obtain uranium sorption amounts in various pH conditions. The uranium sorption was not high at a low pH (e.g., pH 3), but increased with increasing pH. There were lower uranium sorption by the weathered biotites than by the fresh ones, and the difference was much larger at higher pH (e.g., pH 11). The lower sorption values of uranium by the weathered biotites may be caused by a change of mineral surfaces and a chemical behavior of surrounding dissolved elements. It seems that the uranium-mineral interaction has been diminished, especially, in the weathered biotite by a destruction and dissolution of preferential sorption sites on the mineral surfaces and by the colloidal formation from dissolved elements.

• Journal of The Geomorphological Association of Korea
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.19-40
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• 2014

Rock rebound values and chemical compositions of Gamak island at Sangha, Gochang, Jeollabuk do are analysed as a part of geomorphic survey of that area. Some corestones are formed by deep weathering found from the summit of rock mass of Gamak island, while the rocks a part of weathering front are exposed at the foot of the island. Rebound values of rock increase toward coastal plain, so summit would be weak in resistance to erosion. It can be assumed that chemical weathering is more active at the summit by the chemical index of alteration and changes in chemical composition ratio. However it should be mentioned that the samples are taken from the surface of the rock mass that more fresh part will be exposed when the weathered parts are removed. The chemical composition and CIA values of the polygonal cracks found from on the surface of weathering rind showed that this part has values between those of the summit and the footslope. The bottom of weathering rind with polygonal cracks has higher CIA value than those of the surface. Though it supports the result from the Bisul Mt., there also difference in the ratio of SiO2. It looks caused by the difference in weathering environment and chemical difference in parent rock. In summary Gamak island is the remnants of weathering front after removal of weathered material. The removal processes are more active at the footslope where the coastal processes are stronger than the summit.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2002.03a
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• pp.253-260
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• 2002

Chemical weathering processes related with mineralogical characters and ground water condition are very essential engineering problems in soluble rock masses. Detailed geological mapping were performed and 8 samples were collected from the 2 formations including various rock faces to deduce the possibility of the limestone cavity formation and their mechanism. Petrological descriptions and various petro-mineralogical experiments such as XRD analysis, clay mineral analysis, absorptivity test, impurity analysis were conducted to evaluate the cavity making processes. Laboratory solubility test for rock specimen were also carried out under the strong acid (pH=1) condition. From the experimental data and geological mapping data, it is found that the formation of limestone cavities in limestones are strongly related with geological structures such as beddings, cleavages and the contents of impurities rather than CaCO$_3$contents. In case of dolomites, rock textures, grain size, amounts and types of clay minerals as well as geological structures are major controlling factors of cavity forming processes

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.583-596
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• 2022

The rock surface of Bangudae petroglyphs is mainly dark brown hornfelsified shales by contact metamorphism. The surface form a weathered layer of a invariable depth, and there is a difference with mineral and chemical composition between weathered and non-weathered layers. Surface of the petroglyphs has been discolored to light brown over the face due to biological and chemical weathering. As the measuring chromaticity based on the non-weathered layer, the whiteness and yellowness increased in the weathered layer, and the color difference (ΔE) was 5.54 to 36.89 (mean 17.26). In the weathered layer of the petroglyph surface, the CaO content was reduced by about 90% compared to the non-weathered layer, and Sr also showed the same trend. In particular, the mean porosity of the non-weathered layer was 0.4%, but it was estimated as 25.0% in the weathered layer. This is interpreted as the fact that calcite reacts with water, and forms a weathered layer from the surface as it is eluted. Based on the weathering depth modeling of the petroglyphs using the penetration characteristics of X-rays, the weathering depth of rock faces was found to be 1 to 2mm. However, the area classified as 2mm or more estimated to be a maximum of 3 to 4mm, considering the weathering depth around the petroglyphs surface.

• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.153-163
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• 2020

Mineral and geochemical analysis were conducted on two sections (~3.5 m) of red-brown claysilt sediments covering the gneiss and granite weathering zones in Suwon-si for establishing Quaternary paleoenvironmental changes in Korea. The sections were divided into four sedimentary layers (Unit 1-4) by vertical changes in mineral composition and chemical composition. The lowermost unit 1 was a sandy sediment with a high K-feldspar content with a significant contribution of weathered bedrock. Unit 2 was a transition layer showing intermediate characteristics. Unit 3 was a reddish brown clay-silt sediment, with a total clay content of 58% on average, and the main clay minerals were illite-smectite mixed layer minerals and hydroxy-interlayered vermiculite/smectite. Unit 3 contained almost no plagioclase, while the content of kaolin minerals derived by the plagioclase weathering was higher than in the other layers. Unit 4 had similar mineral composition and chemical properties to Unit 3, but had a higher content of plagioclase and chlorite and lower content of kaolin minerals. The chemical compositions of the sections were compared with those in other regions of Korea, suggesting the eolian origin of Units 3 and 4. The paleoenvironmental change in the sedimentary section of this region was interpreted as follows. Weathered products of gneiss and granite, which are bedrocks of this region, were eroded and deposited as sandy sediments in the periphery to form the lower layers (Unit 1, 2), followed by the deposition of the claysilty rich eolian sediments (Unit 3) during the glacial. Unit 3 was chemically weathered during the warm humid climate during the last interglacial, developing a reddish brown color. After that, a eolian sediment layer (Unit 4) was deposited during the last glacial.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.158-167
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• 1994

The various weathering products derived from andesitic rocks in the Guweol mountain area of Pusan have been studied in order to investigate the occurrence, characteristics and evolutional trend of clay minerals in the weathered rock and soil using mainly X-ray powder diffraction method. Kaolinite and halloysite are very abundant in the weathered rocks and soils derived from andesitic rocks of this area. Also, $12{\AA}$- and $14{\AA}$-minerals occur in the considerable amount. $12{\AA}$-minerals have been identified as mica/vermiculite interlayer minerals showing the $25{\AA}$ basal reflection. Their crystal sizes are relatively big showing more than 10 micron in diameter. Two types of $14{\AA}$-mineral, which are vermiculite/smectite interlayer mineral and Al-vermiculite, have been observed. Kaolin minerais consist of kaolinite, $10{\AA}$ and $7{\AA}$ halloysite. Kaolinite relatively dominates in the strongly weathered soil of the area. In contrast with kaolinite. $12{\AA}$- and $14{\AA}$-minerals such as vermiculite/smectite and mica/vermiculite interlayer minerals tend to occur in the weakly to intermediately weathered products. Based on their occurrences, it strongly suggests that they are intermediate products in the course of the weathering process from the parent materials into the kaolin mineral.