• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2010

Geochemical approaches on the two recovered piston cores were performed to understand the characteristics of organic matters and the influence of the sea level variation of the East Sea in the Hupo Basin since the Holocene. The analyzing results on organic components (TOC and TN), and isotopic compositions of organic matters showed the variation to core locations and sampling depths. In core 08HZP-01, their values were gradually changed with depth from 4 mbsf to seafloor. However, rapid variation was observed at the boundary of 4.71 mbsf (meter below seafloor) in core 08HZP-03. Based on TOC/TN, $\delta^{13}C_{org}$ and $\delta^{15}N_{org}$, the origin of organic matters in the Hupo Basin can be divided into three groups; 1) predominant marine algae, 2) $C_3$ land plant, and 3) mixture of $C_3$ land plant and marine/freshwater algae. It is likely that the vertical and spatial variations of organic and isotopic compositions reflect the shifts in sedimentary environment (including sediment transportation) by ocean currents and sea-level changes and others during the Holocene period.