• Journal of the Geological Society of Korea
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.641-656
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• 2018

Although an amount of hydrocarbon has been discovered in the West Korea Bay Basin (WKBB), located in the North Korean offshore area, geophysical investigations associated with these hydrocarbon reservoirs are not permitted because of the current geopolitical situation. Interpretation of satellite derived potential field data can be alternatively used to image three-dimensional (3D) density distribution in the sedimentary basin associated with hydrocarbon deposits. We interpreted the TRIDENT satellite-derived gravity field data to provide detailed insights into the spatial distribution of sedimentary density structures in the WKBB. We used 3D forward density modeling for the interpretation that incorporated constraints from existing geological and geophysical information. The gravity data interpretation and 3D forward modeling showed that there are two modeled areas in the central subbasin that are characterized by very low density structures, with a maximum density of about $2,000kg/m^3$, indicating some type of hydrocarbon reservoir. One of the anticipated hydrocarbon reservoirs is located in the southern part of the central subbasin with a volume of about $250km^3$ at a depth of about 3,000 m in the Cretaceous/Jurassic layer. The other hydrocarbon reservoir should exist in the northern part of the central subbasin, with an average volume of about $300km^3$ at a depth of about 2,500 m. A comparison between the TRIDENT derived gravity field and the ship-based gravity field measured in 1980s shows us that our results are highly reliable and there is a very high probability to detect another low-density layer existings in the northwestern part of the central subbasin.

• Proceedings of the Mineralogical Society of Korea Conference
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• 2001.06a
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• pp.133-133
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• 2001

우리는 괴산 덕평리 지역의 소위 구룡산층과 대전 추부 지역의 창리층 흑색 점판암에 대한 납 동위원소 연대측정 결과를 보고한다. 덕평리 지역의 흑색 점판암은 270 Ma 내외의 Pb-Pb 연대를 보이고 U-Pb 연대는 정의되지 않는다. 그 Pb-Pb 연대는 같은 시료의 22개 uraninite 입자에 대한 CHIME 연대와 오차범위 내에서 일치한다. 이로 보아 uraninite는 형성 또는 변성작용에 의한 동위원소적 재평형 작용 이후 폐쇄계를 잘 유지하였지만 흑색 점판암이 지질학적으로 최근에 지표에 노출된 이후에는 전암 규모에서 개방계로 거동하였음을 알 수 있다. 박편 미조직 관찰에 의하면 흑색 점판암의 1차광물인 uraninite 외에 풍화기원 2차광물인 uranocircite, francevillite가 관찰된다. 덕평리 지역 흑색 점판암의 최고 변성온도 조건은 50$0^{\circ}C$ 내외이므로 (Kim et al., 2000) uraninite CHIME 연대의 폐쇄온도가 50$0^{\circ}C$ 이상이거나 uraninite의 형성시기와 변성시기 사이에 시간차가 거의 없었다고 판단된다. 덕평리 지역의 U 광화작용 시기는 이번 자료에 의해 고생대 말로 정의될 수 있으나 그 연대가 흑색 점판암의 모물질인 해저 흑색 유기질 퇴적물의 초기 속성작용과 관련 있는지 후기의 변성작용과 관련 있는지에 대해서는 광물학적인 연구가 더 진행되어야 한다. 옥천대 변성퇴적암의 일부가 고생대 말에 퇴적되었을 가능성은 황강리층 역의 xenotime 및 monazite에 대한 CHIME 연대측정 결과 (약 367 Ma; Adachi et al., 1996)에 의해서 지지된다. 추부 지역 흑색 점판암의 Pb-Pb 연대는 170 Ma 내외로서 인접한 쥬라기 화강암의 관입시기를 지시하는 것으로 생각된다. 이는 화강암체로부터의 거리로 볼 때 덕평리 지역과 추부 지역의 시료 채취 위치가 유사하지만 지하 천부에 관입한 백악기 속리산 화강암 (91$\pm$6 Ma, Cheong and Chang, 1997)에 의해서는 덕평리 지역 흑색 점판암의 납 동위원소계가 영향받지 않았다는 점과 대조적이다.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.329-336
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• 2012

In September 2009, a perfectly preserved fossil of a dinosaur egg nest was discovered in the Cretaceous formations of the Aphaedo area in Shinan, Jeollanam-do, South Korea. In order to estimate the age of dinosaur eggshells and the depositional age of the Cretaceous sediments in Aphaedo area, a whole-rock K-Ar dating was carried out on volcanic pebbles showing a sedimentary structure contemporaneous with the Aphaedo strata, acidic tuffs overlaying the strata conformably, and acidic dike rocks intrude to both of them. Volcanic rocks observed in the strata are 3-20 cm in diameter as pebbles found in lenticular conglomerate and pebble bearing mudstone strata. K-Ar whole-rock dating was performed on six different volcanic pebbles which show a sedimentary structure contemporaneous with the dinosaur egg nest contained in the strata, and all samples show Late Cretaceous ages: Cenomanian ($97.6{\pm}1.9$Ma), Coniacian ($87.6{\pm}1.7$ Ma), Santonian ($84.5{\pm}1.7$Ma) or Campanian ($82.5{\pm}1.6$, $77.3{\pm}1.5$, $75.7{\pm}1.5$ Ma). The K-Ar whole-rock age of acidic tuffs overlaying the Cretaceous formation conformably was estimated to be Campanian ($79.2{\pm}1.6$ or $77.3{\pm}1.5$Ma), when the dating was carried out under the same conditions. The acidic dike intruding both Cretaceous formation and acidic tuff showed a K-Ar whole-rock age of $70.9{\pm}1.4$Ma (Campanian). Therefore, the depositional age of the Cretaceous formation in the Aphaedo area and the time when dinosaurs lived in the study area are considered to be 77-83 Ma. Such results indicate that the ages of dinosaur eggshells from Aphaedo area can be correlated with the ages of the Seonso Formation (81Ma) with dinosaur egg nest fossils and the Uhangri Formation (79-81Ma) with dinosaur, pterosaur and web-footed bird tracks.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.83-94
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• 2011

Extra heavy oil reservoirs are distributed over the world but most of them is deposited in the northern part of the Orinoco River in Venezuela, in the area of 5,500 $km^2$, This region, which has been commonly called "the Orinoco Oil Belt", contains estimated 1.3 trillion barrels of original oil-in-place and 250 billion barrels of established reserves. The Venezuela extra heavy oil has an API gravity of less than 10 degree and in situ viscosity of 5,000 cP at reservoir condition. Although the presence of extra heavy oil in the Orinoco Oil Belt has been initially reported in the 1930's, the commercial development using in situ cold production started in the 1990's. The Orinoco heavy oil deposits are clustered into 4 development areas, Boyaco, Junin, Ayachoco, and Carabobo respectively, and they are subdivided into totally 31 production blocks. Nowadays, PDVSA (Petr$\'{o}$leos de Venzuela, S.A.) makes a development of each production block with the international oil companies from more than 20 countries forming a international joint-venture company. The Eastern Venezuela Basin, the Orinoco Oil Belt is included in, is one of the major oil-bearing sedimentary basins in Venezuela and is first formed as a passive margin basin by the Jurassic tectonic plate motion. The major source rock of heavy oil is the late Cretaceous calcareous shale in the central Eastern Venezuela Basin. Hydrocarbon materials migrated an average of 150 km up dip to the southern margin of the basin. During the migration, lighter fractions in the hydrocarbon were removed by biodegradation and the oil changed into heavy and/or extra heavy oil. Miocene Oficina Formation, the main extra heavy oil reservoir, is the unconsolidated sand and shale alternation formed in fluvial-estuarine environment and also has irregularly a large number of the Cenozoic faults induced by basin subsidence and tectonics. Because Oficina Formation has not only complex lithology distribution but also irregular geology structure, geological evolution and characteristics of the reservoirs have to be determined for economical production well design and effective oil recovery. This study introduces geological formation and evolution of the Venezuela extra heavy oil reservoirs and suggest their significant geological characteristics which are (1) thickness and geometry of reservoir pay sands, (2) continuity and thickness of mud beds, (3) geometry of faults, (4) depth and geothermal character of reservoir, (5) in-situ stress field of reservoir, and (6) chemical composition of extra heavy oil. Newly developed exploration techniques, such as 3-D seismic survey and LWD (logging while drilling), can be expected as powerful methods to recognize the geological reservoir characteristics in the Orinoco Oil Belt.

• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.349-359
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• 2020

The Ulsan Fault Zone (UFZ) of NNW trend is developed in the Gyeongsang Basin, the southeastern part of the Korean Peninsula, and the Quaternary faults have been found around the UFZ. The faults generally thrust the Bulguksa igneous rocks of Late Cretaceous-Early Tertiary upon the Quaternary deposits or are developed within the Quaternary deposits. They mainly show the reverse-slip sense of top-to-the west movement. The lines connecting the their outcrop sites show a zigzag-form which is similar to the orientation of their fault surfaces which show the various trends, like (W)NW, N-S, (E)NE, ENE trends. The E-W trending dextral strike(-slip) fault is found in the Quaternary deposits of the Singye-ri valley. It cuts the N-S trending reverse fault and are cut by the N-S trending thrust fault again. Two types of at least two times of Quaternary tectonic movements related to the formation of neotectonic fault zone in the Singye-ri valley are considered from such the geometric and kinematic characteristics of Quaternary faults. One is the reverse faulting of N-S trend by the E-W directed 1st compression and associated the strike-slip tear faulting of E-W trend, and then the thrust faulting of N-S trend by the E-W directed 2nd compression. The other is the reverse faulting of N-S trend, and then the dextral strike-slip faulting of E-W trend by the NW-SE directed compression, and then the thrust faulting of N-S trend. In this paper is suggested the development history of Singye-ri neotectonic fault zone on the basis of the various orientations of Quaternary fault surfaces around the UFZ, and the zigzag-form connecting line of their outcrop sites, and the compressive arc-shaped lineaments which convex to the west reported recently in the Yangsan Fault Zone.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.238-253
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• 2000

In the eastern part of the Euiseong Basin acidic~intermediate volcanic rocks widely distribute on the Cretaceous sedimentary basement. Coeval granitic rocks and dyke rocks intruded into the volcanic rocks. Volcanic stratigraphy of study area are andesite lava, dacitic lapilli tuff, dacitic flow-banded lava, rhyolitic bedded tuff, rhyolitic massive tuff, dacitic massive lava, rhyolitlc welded tuff occur from the lower to the upper strata. $SiO_2$ content of the volcanic rocks range from 51 to 74 wt.%. With the increase of $SiO_2$, the contents of $TiO_2$, $Al_2$$O_3$, MgO, FeOT MnO, CaO, $P_2$$O_{5}$ decrease but those of $K_2$O increase. The contents of $Na_2$O show dispersive variation. This trend is quite sim-ilar to the major oxide variation in the volcanic rocks from the Yucheon sub-basin. The geochemical natures indicate that the volcanic rocks in the study area are discriminated to the island-arc type high K to medium K calc-alkaline rocks. The compositional variation of the volcanic rocks can be explained by the plagioclase fractionation of the volcanic magmas originated from similar source materials. The volcanic stratigraphy seems to have formed by at least two eruptive sequences of andesitic to rhyolitic and dacitic to rhyolitic magmas which underwent crystallization differentiation.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.214-232
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• 2023

Stromatolite at the Daegu Catholic University, Gyeongsan was designated as a natural monument in December 2009 because it was very excellent in terms of rarity, accessibility, preservation and scale. From the time of designation, the necessity of confirming the lateral extension of the stromatolite beds with the excavation of the surrounding area, and preparing a preservation plan was raised. Accordingly, the Cultural Heritage Administration conducted an investigation of the scale, production pattern, and weathering state of stromatolites with an excavation from April to December 2022, and based on this, suggested natural heritage values and conservation and use plans. The excavation was carried out in a 1,186m² area surrounding the exposed hemispherical stromatolite (approximately 30m2). Stromatolites are continuously distributed over the entire excavation area, and hemispherical stromatolites predominate in the eastern region, and the distribution and size of hemispherical domes tend to decrease toward the west. These characteristics are interpreted as a result of long-term growth in large-scale lakes, where stratiform or small columnar domes continued to grow and connect with each other, finally forming large domes. Consequently, large and small domes were distributed on the bedding plane in clusters like coral reefs. The growth of plants and lichens, as well as small-scale faults and joints developed on the stromatolite bedding surface, is the main cause of accelerated weathering. However, preservation treatment with chemicals as with dinosaur footprints or dinosaur egg fossil sites is not suitable due to the characteristics of stromatolites, and preservation with the installation of closed protection facilities should be considered. This excavation confirmed that the distribution, size and value of stromatolites are much larger and higher than at the time of designation as a natural monument. Therefore, additional excavation of areas by experts that could not be excavated due to the discovery of buried cultural properties (stone chamber tombs) and reexamination of the expansion designation of natural monuments are required.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.165-178
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• 2011

The potential of petroleum generation was investigated by clay mineralogical changes of illite-smectite on the sedimentary basins: Tertiary Pohang basin and Cretaceouls Gyeongsang basin on land, and offshore basins east and west of Korea. Only disordered illite-smectite mixed layer minerals occur in the Pohang sediment, where petroleum generation cannot be expected due to low temperatures below $100^{\circ}C$. By contrast, the Gyeongsang basin is characterized by the occurrence of illite and high temperatures above $200^{\circ}C$ which are obtained by illite crystallinity. The high temperatures indicate that the Gyeongsang sediment ha, already passed through the oil generation stage. The change of disordered illite-smectite to R-l ordered illite-smectite is shown in the sediment of the East Sea continental shelf area at a depth of 2,500 m. Therefore, the oil generation can be expected in the sediments below the depth of 2,500 m. The sequential change of disordered illite-smectie to R=3 ordered illite-smectite through R=l ordered illite-smectite occurs in the sediments of West Sea continental shelf area with burial depth which shows the favorable condition for oil and gas generation. The temperatures of sediments measured by illite-smectite indicate that hydrocarbon potential is very low in the onland basins but high in the continental shelf areas.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.76-89
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to develop a science field study area using Geumgang(Geum River), fossil origins and various geological resources in Youngdong area of Chungcheongbuk-do as educational resources; and utilize them to develop an education program to cultivate earth science and topophilia. The Youngdong sedimentary basin (Cretaceous period) has a well-developed outcrop along the Geumgang and it is therefore easy to find various geological structures, plant fossils, and dinosaur fossils. Also, it has a distinct sedimentary structure, such as mud cracks, ripple marks and cross-bedding. Science field study area(6 observation sites) were developed based on school curriculum, textbook analysis, and professional earth science education panel discussion to create a convergence education program. The result of validating the developed program showed that all the items were satisfactory ($CVR{\geq}0.88$) in the test categories. The science field study teaching-learning model was applied to actual classes. The evaluation result for class satisfaction was positive, scoring Rickert scale 4.18. The result of observation about the outdoor classroom process in the science field study area revealed that students were able to form a new image of the beautiful scenery of the Geumgang. Also, the students could gain a new understanding, concept and value of various geological objects (sandy beach, stepping-stones, dinosaur footprint fossils, sedimentary formation), which naturally allowed them to form topophilia.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.307-321
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• 2015

The study area, Bophi Vum, Myanmar, is composed of the harzburgite, serpentinite and dunite, those are covered by Quaternary alluvium. The chromite ore bodies are developed within dunite and harzburgite bodies, mainly within dunite bodies. To identify the extension of the chromite ore bodies, we carried out trench surveys in the 5 different sites. The chromite ore bodies have 0.3-1.5 m wide, and several meters of extension, and deformed strongly as a sigmoid and a boudin shapes with dunite and harzburgite bodies by ductile deformation. The ductile deformation have a top-to-the-west shear sense, indicating the existence of a westward thrusting. The NW-SE trending distribution of ore bodies is related to the dextral ductile shearing and/or to the block rotation as a book-shelf structure by dextral strike-slip movement.