• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.383-389
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• 2021

Several studies investigating the behavior and environmental distribution of rare earth elements (REEs) have been reviewed to determine the geochemical processes that may affect their concentrations and fractionation patterns in groundwater and whether these elements can be used as tracers for groundwater-rock interactions and groundwater flow paths in small catchments. Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), equipped with an ultrasonic nebulizer and active-film multiplier detector, is routinely used as an analytical technique to measure REEs in groundwater, facilitating the analysis of dissolved REE geochemistry. This review focuses on the distribution of REEs in groundwater and their application as tracers for groundwater geochemistry. Our review of existing literature suggests that REEs in ice cores can be used as effective tracers for atmospheric particles, aiding the identification of source regions.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.133-143
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• 2008

On the basis of chemical composition of granite, gneiss and their weathering products, in this paper, rare earth elements (REEs) was estimated as tracer for clarifying a geochemical variance of earth surface material during weathering process. The chemical composition of clay, clay ware and pottery also were measured for testifying usefulness of REE geochemistry in clarifying the source material of pottery. It was observed that there was no systematic variation of chemical composition among source rock, weathered rock and soil during weathering process. The chemical composition of clay, clay ware and pottery also did not show systematic variation by baking pottery. However, PAAS (Post Archean Australian Shale)-normalized REE patterns of rock-weathered rock-soil and clay-clay ware-pottery are similar regardless of weathering process or ceramic art. Our results confirm that REE geochemistry is powerful tool for clarifying the source materials of surface sediment or archaeological ceramic products.

• 한국지구과학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2010.04a
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• pp.58-58
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• 2010

The sediment geochemistry, including REE of surface and core samples in the western part off Jeju Island have been carried out in order to understand the provenance and hydrolic sorting. The sediment in the study area were primarily composed of coarse silt with a mean grain size of $2.8{\sim}82.8{\mu}m$. The ratios of TOC over total nitrogen (TN) showed that the study area sediments contained more organic matters of marine origin than those of terrigenous origin. The total A1203, Fe203, K20, MgO, and MnO contents and REE concentration of the fine sediments are higher than those of the coarse sediments. The higher Zr/Th and Zr/Yb ratios in coarse sediments relative to fine-grained detritus indicates sedimentary sorting. Grain size influence the REE concentrations of the study area sediment significantly. The < $63{\mu}m$ fraction of the sediment has higher REE concentration and different REE patterns when compared with those in bulk samples, due to the presence of REE-enrich heavy minerals. The REE distribution patterns of the western part of Jeju Island sediments are relatively enriched in most LREEs than the Yellow River sediment and depleted in the Changjiang River, but the LaN/YbN ratios are similar to the Changjiang sediment. The Eu/Eu* ratios ranged from 0.594~0.665(0.631) is much similar to the Yellow River sediment, possibly mixture of the sediments from these two rivers.

• Geosciences Journal
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.1001-1013
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• 2018

A new type of uranium occurrence in Korea was identified in pegmatitic and hydrothermally altered granite in the Daejeon area. The U-bearing parts typically include muscovite, pink-feldspar and sericite as alteration minerals. In this study, the geochemical characteristics and alteration age of the granitic rocks were examined to provide evidence for hydrothermally-enriched uranium. The K-Ar ages of muscovite coexisting with U-bearing minerals were determined as 123 and 128 Ma. The U-bearing rocks have relatively low ($CaO+Na_2O$), high $K_2O$ contents, and high alteration index values by major element geochemistry. The trace element geochemistry shows that the uraniferous rocks have significantly low Th/U ratios and strongly differentiated features. The rare earth element patterns indicate that the uraniferous rocks have a low total REE and LREE contents with depletion of Eu. Considering the geochemical variation of the granitic rock major, trace and rare earth elements, it can be concluded that uranium enrichment in pegmatites and altered granite should be genetically related to post-magmatic hydrothermal alteration of K-metasomatism after emplacement of the two-mica granite. This is the first report for geochemical characteristics of Mesozoic granite-related U-occurrences in South Korea. This study will help further research for uranium deposits with similarities in geological setting, mineralogy and age data between South China and Korea, and can also be expected to help solve the source problems related to high uranium concentrations in some groundwater occurring in the granitic terrane.

• Geosciences Journal
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.975-987
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• 2018

Stable isotope ratios of $^{18}O/^{16}O$ and $^{13}C/^{12}C$ and rare earth elements geochemistry of the Upper Triassic carbonates from the Baluti Formation in Kurdistan Region of Northern Iraq were studied in two areas, Sararu and Sarki. The aim of the study is to quantify the possible diagenetic processes that postdated deposition and the paleoenvironment of the Baluti Formation. The replacement products of the skeletal grains by selective dissolution and neomorphism probably by meteoric water preserved the original marine isotopic signatures possibly due to the closed system. The petrographic study revealed the existence of foraminifers, echinoderms, gastropods, crinoids, nodosaria and ostracods as major framework constituents. The carbonates have micritic matrix with microsparite and sparry calcite filling the pores and voids. The range and average values for twelve carbonate rocks of ${\delta}^{18}O$ and ${\delta}^{13}C$ in Sararu section were -5.3‰ to -3.16‰ (-4.12‰) and -2.94‰ to -0.96‰ (-1.75‰), respectively; while the corresponding values for the Sarki section were -3.69‰ to -0.39‰ (-2.08‰) and -5.34‰ to -2.70‰ (-4.02‰), respectively. The bivariate plot of ${\delta}^{18}O$ and ${\delta}^{13}C$ suggests that most of these carbonates are warm-water skeletons and have meteoric cement. The average ${\Sigma}REE$ content and Eu-anomaly of the carbonates of Sararu sections were 44.26 ppm and 1.03, respectively, corresponding to 22.30 ppm and 0.93 for the Sarki section. The normalized patterns for the carbonate rocks exhibit: (1) non-seawater-like REE patterns, (2) positive Gd anomalies (average = 1.112 for Sararu and 1.114 for Sarki), (3) super chondritic Y/Ho ratio is 31.48 for Sararu and 31.73 for Sarki which are less than the value of seawater. The presence of sparry calcite cement, negative $^{13}C$ and $^{18}O$ isotope values, the positive Eu anomaly in the REE patterns (particularly for Sararu), eliminated Ce anomaly ($Ce/Ce^{\ast}$: 0.916-1.167, average = 0.994 and 0.950-1.010, average = 0.964, respectively), and Er/Nd values propose that these carbonates have undergone meteoric diagenesis. The REE patterns suggest that the terrigenous materials of the Baluti were derived from felsic to intermediate rocks.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.190-201
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• 2001

Isotope Dilution Mass Spectrometry(IDMS) is one of the analytical method which uses enriched isotope spikes and analyzes the abundance of element by comparison of the spectrum between spiked mass and non-spike mass. Especially, the Thermal Ion Mass Spectrometry with isotope dilution technique (in general ID-TIMS) is the most accurate method of the chemical analysis, which enables us to obtain the data better than 1% in accuracy and precision. In IDMS, enriched isotope spike is one of the most important factor in order to obtain the best data. For rare earth elements, in general, a mixture of /sup 138/La, /sup 142/Ce, /sup 145/Nd, /sup 149/Sm, /sup 151/Sm, /sup 151/Eu, /sup 157/Gd, /sup 163/Dy, /sup 167/Er, /sup 171/Yb, and /sup 176/Lu is used as composite spike. IDMS is very useful in geochronology and REE geochemistry. Especially, it is very effective in studying the “tetrad effect” of rare earth elements in natural samples.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.44-50
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• 2008

A geochemical technique based on rare earth element geochemistry was used to clarity the source of the Asian dust (Yellow sand) in the Daejeon area. The Asian dusts were collected 4 times during 31th March- 2nd April and 25th May-27th May 2007. The Yellow sand shows PAAS (Post Archean Australian Shale)-normalized REE pattern of the flattened LREE and slightly depleted LREE without Eu anomaly, whereas the Daejeon soil has slightly enriched LREE and depleted HREE with negative Eu anomaly. Our results show that REE patterns of the Asian dust are LREE-flattened similar to those of the sediment from the south-eastern part of Ordos desert. This suggests that Asian dust in the Daejeon area might be derived from the south-eastern part of Ordos desert.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.181-197
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• 2010

This study is for finding a geoscientific factor for clarifying the source soil of the ancient earthenware finding. The used samples were the earthenware, soil and rocks, which were collected at the Gyeongju, Gyeongsan and Haman area. The chemical and mineralogical study for the samples were carried out for understanding the change of mineralogical and chemical composition among them. The mineralogical compositions of the earthenware are different from those of the soils from the surrounding area, which suggests that the mineralogical approach for clarifying the source soil of the earthenware should be difficult. Major element compositions of the earthenware also are different from those of the surrounding soils, which suggests that the comparison of the chemical composition using the major elements might be difficult for deducing the source soil of the earthenware. However, PAAS-normalized rare earth element (REE) patterns and Nd model ages among the rock, soils and earthenware from the same sampling sites show similar characteristics one another compared to those of the major element compositions. Nd-Sr isotopic systematics among the earthenware, soils and rocks also show a close relationship. Our results suggest that REE and Nd-Sr isotope geochemistry might be more useful than the other geochemical technique in clarifying the source soils of the ancient earthenware.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.473-483
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• 1998

The igneous rocks in the Goseong area are composed of the volcanic rocks (andesitic lapilli tuff and rhyodacite), Bulgugsa granites (Hornblende-biotite granite and two pyroxene granite) and intrusive andesites. In the variation diagrams of the trace and rare earth element contents and elemental ratios as well as the REE patterns, the three igneous rock types show different variational trends and patterns. The geochemical features represent that the igneous rocks in the area were formed from three different magmatic pulses. Two independently carried out Rb-Sr isotope experiments for the Goseong granites show that the whole rock ages and Sr initial ratios of the granites are $66.4{\pm}6.2Ma$, $0.70517{\pm}22(2{\sigma})$ and $71.3{\pm}6.8Ma$, $0.70506{\pm}18(2{\sigma})$, respectively. These results suggest that the granites magma originated from the lower crustal materials of igneous origin intruded into the area during the late Cretaceous period. Masan hornblende-biotite granite emplaced at the vicinity of the Goseong area is very similar to the Goseong granite in its mineral compositions, major, trace and rare earth element contents and patterns. The intruding age (100 Ma) of the Masan granite is order than that of the Geseong granite, however. The similarity of the geochemical natures but the contrast of the intruding ages between the Masan and Goseong granites possibly indicate that the magma generation from the same source materials occurred at a temporal interval of ca. 30 Ma.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.431-439
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• 2012

A column chemistry is the most useful tools for isolating the elements of interest in isotope geochemistry. Here we introduce the chemical experimental procedure for Sm, Nd, La and Ce separation such as Teflon powder or Ln-resin method using HDEHP of KIGAM, KBSI, KOPRI and ${\alpha}$-HIBA(${\alpha}$-Hydroxy Isobutyric acid) method of Nagoya University, Japan. This technical report will provide an useful information in selecting the experiment method for rare earth element isotope system study such as Sm-Nd and La-Ce isotope system.