• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.447-458
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• 1998

The spinel Ihelzolite of ultramafic xenoliths are found in the alkali basalt from eastern part of the Cheju island, Korea. The xenolith is are mainly composed of olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene and spinel. Based on the chemical compositions of the constituent minerals, the ultramafic xenolith belong to upper mantle peridotite. Each minerals have a protogranular texture. Olivine with kink band texture partly shows undulatory extinction. Some clinopyroxenes have spongy textured rims. Brown spinels occur in the interstices between olivine and pyroxene grains. Olivine is mostly forsterite $(Fo_{89-90})$. Orthopyroxene is enstatite $(Wo_{1.3}En_{88.4}Fs_{10.3})$ with 3.87~5.25 wt% $Al_{2}O_{3}$. Clinopyroxene is diopside $(Wo_{48.0}En_{46.2}Fs_{5.8})$ with 6.75~5.03 wt% $Al_{2}O_{3}$. Spinel has the Mg value of 75.9 and its Cr-number is 10.2. According to the PoT estimations for the mantle xenoliths, equilibrium temperatures of the xenoliths range from 1023 to $1038^{\circ}C$ and pressure is 18 kbar. Spinellhelzolite from this area, which is characterized by lower Cr-number (10.2) and homogeneous chemical compositions, supports that these ultramafic xenoliths are derived from the upper mantle.

• Proceedings of the Mineralogical Society of Korea Conference
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• 2000.05a
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• pp.19-19
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• 2000

;Ultramafic xenoliths found in alkali basalts from Jeju-do, Korea are mostly spinel Iherzolites composed of olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene and spinel. A subordinate amount of spinel harzburgites and pyroxenites are also found. Temperatures for these xenoliths were estimated from the compositions of coexisting pyroxenes (Wood '||'&'||' Banno 1973; Wells 1977; Bertrand '||'&'||' Mercier 1985; Brey '||'&'||' Kohler 1990), the AI-solubility in orthopyroxene coexisting with olivine and spinel (Sachtleben '||'&'||' Seck 1981; Webb '||'&'||' Wood 1986), and from Fe/Mg partitioning between olivine and spinel (Ballhaus et al. 1991). Temperature estimates from the thermometers by Wells (1977) and Brey and Kohler (1990) are compatible. Average equilibrium temperatures by these two methods for spinel peridotites range from 890 to 1030$^{\circ}$C. Pressures for spinel peridotites were estimated from the geobarometer by Kohler and Brey (1991) derived from the equilibrium Ca content of olivine coexisting with clinopyroxene, and fall within the range of 12.9 to 26.3 kbar. The combination of the thermometer by Brey and Kohler (1990) and the geobarometer by Kohler and Brey (1991) yields P- T estimates for Jeju-do spinel peridotites that fall in experimentally determined spinel lherzolite field in CFMASCr system (O'Neill 1981). These P-T data sets have been used to construct the Quaternary Jeju-do geotherm, which is significantly different from the conventional conductive geotherm. The xenolith-derived geotherm has a higher T gradient at low P (13 kbar) than at high P, which may be due to perturbation of the conductive heat flow by magma underplating or overplating at the crust-mantle boundary. Temperature estimates and statistics on the xenoliths indicate that the crust/mantle boundary in Jeju-do lies at about 11 kbar (~39 km). Spinellherzolite is inferred as a main constituent rock of the uppermost lithospheric mantle beneath Jeju-do. Pyroxenites were intercalated in peridotites in similar depth and temperature as re-equilibrated veins or lens.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.227-244
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• 2010

Abundant spinel lherzolite xenoliths showing distinctively different textural types such as protogranular, porphyroclastic, and mylonitic texture are trapped in the basaltic rocks from southeastern part of Jeju Island. These xenoliths show the textural spectrum from coarse-grained protogranular through porphyroclastic with bimodal grain size to fine-grained and foliated mylonitic texture. They tend to decrease in grain sizes and show more linear grain boundaries and more frequent triple junctions from protogranular through porphyroclastic to mylonitic. Spinel has different occurrence mode according the textural type. Spinel is always associated with orthopyroxene in protogranular texture, whereas it is scattered and independent of orthopyroxene in mylonitic texture. Additionally, porphyroblast from porphyroclastic and mylonitic textures has internal deformation features such as kink band, undulatory extinction and curved lamella, whereas neoblast is strain-free. These textural features indicate increasing degree of static/dynamic recrystallization from protogranular through porphyroclastic to mylonitic texture. The mg#[$=100{\times}Mg/(Mg+Fe_t)$] of olivine, orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene is relatively constant (ol: 88-91; opx: 89-92; cpx: 89-92) regardless of textural differences. The mg# of constituent minerals, NiO content (0.3~0.4 wt%) and MnO content (0.1~0.2 wt%) of olivine are similar to those of mantle xenoliths worldwide, also indicating that studied spinel lherzolite xenoliths were mantle residues having experienced 20~25% partial melting. The geochemical and textural characteristics have close relations showing that LREE and incompatible trace elements content of orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene increases from protogranular through porphyroclastic to mylonitic. These observations suggest that the studied mantle xenoliths experienced metasomatism by LREE enriched melt or fluid after partial melting, indicating a close relation between deformation and metasomatism. The metasomatism was possibly confined to narrow shear zones from where porphyroclastic and mylonitic textured xenoliths originated. These shear zones might favorably drive the percolation of LREE-enriched melts/fluids responsible for the metasomatism in the lithospheric mantle below the Jeju Island.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.199-208
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• 2010

The Cenozoic alkali basalts are distributed over Korea, both on central part as Bangnyeongdo, Ganseong, Pyeongtaek-Asan and Jogongni and also on southernmost part Jejudo. The ultramafic mantle xenoliths carried by Korean alkali basalts are spinel lherzolites. Garnet lherzolite that is more stable at the deeper level has not been reported so far, indicating that the lithospheric thickness under Korea does not reach deep enough to the stable zone of garnet lherzolite. The crustal evolution history of the Korean peninsula, at least some part of it, seemingly started since the Archean, it normally should have lithospheric thickness greater than 150 km. However, the mantle xenoliths carried by the Cenozoic alkali basalts indicate the maximum depth of origination in the much shallower range of 60-90 km. Such significantly thinner lithospheric thickness of the Korean peninsula than expected is quite similar to the case of North China Craton having lithospheric thickness of ca. 80 km in average, suggesting thinning of the lithospheric mantle in a depth scale of a few tens of kilometers during the past geologic time. The main causal events for such significant thinning of the lithospheric mantle can be continental collisional events of Paleoproterozoic and early Mesozoic similar to the case of North China Craton, which are also supported by Paleoproterozoic igneous and metamorphic events during the 1.9-2.0 Ga occurring all over the Korean peninsula and also early Mesozoic continental collisional event which has been discussed on lively arguments.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.523-532
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• 2002

The rare earth elements (REE) and Nd, Sr and noble gas isotopic compositions eHer'He, 4$^{\circ}$Arp6Ar) for the Quaternary alkali basaltic rocks and mantle xenoliths in the basaltic rocks from the Baegryongdo were investigated to decipher the origin of alkali basaltic magma and xenolith beneath the Sino-Korean craton. Analytical results are summarized as follows; (1) The alkali volcanic rocks with voluminous xenoliths which are represented by the Mg-olivine and clinopyroxene dominant spinel-lherzolite in the Baegryongdo consist mainly of the basalt-mugearite and basaltic andesite. (2) The REE pattern of alkali basaltic rocks characterized by high HREE is similar to that of oceanic island basalt (OlB). Relatively concordant REE patterns of the basaltic rocks suggest that the alkali basaltic magma be formed by the identical source materials. (3) The Nd-Sr isotopic data of the alkali basaltic rocks suggest that the alkali basaltic magma be originated from the depleted mantle source with a little contamination of the continental crustal materials. (4) The $^3$He/ $^4$He ratios in olivines of xenoliths ranging from 5.0${\pm}$1.lRa to 6.7${\pm}$1.3Ra are lower than that of MORB (ca. 8.0Ra). It suggest that the xenolith be derived from the subcontinental lithospheric mantle. However, the high $^3$Her'He value of 16.8${\pm}$3.IRa at 1800$^{\circ}$C fraction (sample no OL-7) might be resulted from the post-eruptive cosmogenic $^3$He. The 4OAr/ 36 Ar ratios in olivines of mantle xenoliths are comparable to that of atmospheric argon, and are much lower than that of the MORB type mantle. These facts can lead to conclusion that the olivine of the xenolith in the Baegryongdo is affected by the post-eruptive atmospheric contamination during the slow degassing process.