• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.15 no.2 s.44
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• pp.106-117
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• 2006

Re-Os isotopic system, based on the long-lived $\beta^-$ transition of $^{187}Os(\lambda=1.67\times10^{-11}year^{-1})$ is being widely used in cosmochemistry and geochemistry. Along with the development of elemental separation and mass-spectrometric technique, the Re-Os isotopic system, like Sm-Nd, Rb-Sr, U-Th-Pb isotopic system, is now conventionally applied as a useful tool for absolute dating and isotoptc tracers. This paper introduces brief principles of Re-Os isotopic system and presents the general methodology fur dating the formation age of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle, based on the Re-Os isotopic data of the mantle xeonliths from South Korea.

• 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.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.144-153
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• 2008

Sr, Nd, Pb isotopic compositions of the Cenozoic basaltic rocks distributed in Pyeongtaek-Asan area display significantly enriched values compared with mid-ocean ridge basalts just like other Cenozoic basalts of Korea. The isotopic compositions of most of the Cenozoic basaltic rocks of Korea including those from Pyeongtaek-Asan area can be explained as mixing between enriched mantle component with relatively low $^{206}Pb/^{204}Pb$ ratios and depleted mantle component. In contrast, Jejudo basalts can be explained as mixing between enriched mantle component with realtively higher $^{206}Pb/^{204}Pb$ ratios and depleted mantle componsnt. Combined with that very similar division of enriched mantle components is applied to the Cenozoic basalts of northeast China and southeast China, it is suggested that subcontinental lithospheric mantle of central and southern parts of Korea represents eastern extension of North China Block and South China Block respectively. The indentation model for the late Paleozoic to early Mesozoic continental collision of China contradicts to such an interpretation, because it cannot explain occurrence of subcontinental lithospheric mantle component of South China Block-affinity under the Jejudo area. Instead, it is more probable that suture zone of the two continental blocks crosses between central and southern Korea and its location is further south from the Pyeongtaek-Asan area. Such distinct location compared with Imjingal belt, supposedly collisional boundary suggested before, suggests that mantle boundary may not be coincide with crustal boundary for the continental collision.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.89-107
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• 1996

Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic characteristics of alkaline lavas and tholeiites in Cheju Island show that the isotopic compositions of the former slightly overlap, but have relatively more depleted than the latter. However, in viewpoint of the two eruptional stratigraphies of tholeiites, the isotopic compositon of the older one is similar to those of alkaline rocks in Lava Plateau Stage after Lee (1982). These suggest that the parental magmas of alkaline lavas and tholeiites might have originated from the homogenous mantle sourve and that the characteristics of the mantle source to be partially melted might be different between the eruption stages. The isotopic signatures of the bolcanic rocks in Cheju Island overlap with those in Samoa Islands and South China Basin, indicating the DMM-EM IImixing trend. This is distingushed from the DMM-EM I trend of the Cenozoic volcanic rocks in Korea except for cheju Island and Northeastern China. The modelled binary mixing calculation between MM and EM IImaterials indicates that the mantle source of the volcanic rocks in Cheju Island has been mixed about less than 10% of enriched mantle material (EM II) with depleted mantle material (DMM). Concerned with the indentation model between North China Block (NCB) and South China Block (SCB) after Yin an Nie (1993), we suggest that the distinct isotopic features of DMM-EM I and DMM-EM IIof the Cenozoic volcanic rock in Korea as well as China can be explained by the difference of the nature of subcontinental lithospheric mantle as enriched mantle materials, i.e. EM I of NCB, while EM II of SCB.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.51-67
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• 2016

Geochemical characteristics of the Early Cretaceous igneous rocks from eastern China and the Gyeongsang Basin, Korean Peninsula has been summarized. They have wide range of lithological variation with extrusive picrite-basalt-andesite-trachyte-rhyolite and lamprophyre, and intrusive gabbro-diorite-monzonite-syenite-granite and diabase in eastern China, mostly belonging to the high-K calc-alkaline or shoshonitic series. The volcanic rocks intercalated with the Hayang Group sedimentary assemblages in the Gyeongsang basin are high-K to shoshonitic basaltic trachyandesites. The Early Cretaceous basaltic rocks studied mostly fall within the field of within-plate basalts on the Zr/Y-Zr and Nb-Zr-Y tectonic discrimination diagrams. On a Sr-Nd isotope correlation diagram, basaltic rocks from the North China block (NCB) and the continent-continent collision zone (CZ) between the North and South China blocks plot into the enriched lower right quadrant along the extension of the mantle array. The initial $^{87}Sr/^{86}Sr$ ratios of basaltic rocks from the South China block (SCB) are indistinguishable from those of the NCB and CZ basaltic rocks, but their ${\varepsilon}_{Nd}$ (t) values are relatively more elevated, plotting in right side of the mantle array. Basaltic rocks from the NCB and CZ are characterized by low $^{206}Pb/^{204}Pb(t)$ ratios, lying to the left of the Geochron on the $^{207}Pb/^{204}Pb(t)$ vs. $^{206}Pb/^{204}Pb(t)$ correlation. Meanwhile, the SCB basaltic rocks have relatively radiogenic Pb isotopic compositions compared with those of the NCB and CZ basaltic rocks. Basaltic rocks from the Hayang Group plot within the field of the NCB basaltic rocks in Sr-Nd and Pb-Pb isotope spaces. Metasomatically enriched subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) is likely to have been the dominant source for the early Cretaceous magmatism. Asthenospheric upwelling under an early Cretaceous extensional tectonic setting in eastern China and the Korean Peninsula might be a heat source for melting of the enriched SCLM. Metasomatic agents proposed include partial melts of lower continental crust delaminated and foundered into the mantle or subducted Yangtze continental crust, or fluid/melt derived from the subducted paleo-Pacific plate.

• 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.