Palaeomagnetism of Tertiary Basins in Southern Korea : 3. Chongja-Ulsan Basins and its Vicinities

남한 제3기 분지지역에 대한 고자기 연구 : 3. 정자-울산분지와 그 일원

A total of 460 palaeomagnetic samples was collected from the Tertiary Chongja-Ulsan basins and surrounding area in the southeastern part of Korean peninsula. All samples were stepwise demagnetized by either alternating field or thermal method. It was found that most sample-sites have ChRM declination which has been rotated clockwise from the north-south reference direction of Tertiary East Asia, although other two extrusive sample-sites within the Chongja sedimentary basin show counterclockwise rotation of ChRM declination. Fold tests for the site-mean ChRMs of the latter two sites reveal insignificant result and negative result with 95% confidence level, respectively. The amount of the clockwise deflection of declination varies from about $20^{\circ}$ upto about $80^{\circ}$ according to the block to which each sample-site belongs. The amount of the counterclockwise deflection is about $20^{\circ}$. It is concluded that the clockwise ChRM rotation has been caused by dextral simple shearing accompanied by NNW-SSE spreading of the East Sea which has been active until about 16Ma, and that the counterclockwise rotation is a result of sinistral simple shearing associated with WNW-ESE contraction in the Korean Strait-SW Japan region at about 15 Ma.