• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.129-143
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• 2009

In South Korea, Mine industries were encouraged to obtain the natural resource from 1960 to 1980. However, the depletion of natural resource and decreasing price have been caused by the voluntary closure of non-economical mines and a cut of their production since 1990. Harmful wastewater containing such heavy metals as iron, aluminum, arsenic, and cadmium are being discharged from abandoned pits and waste stone and tailing dumping sites following the closure of mines. Therefore, the objective of this paper suggests a policy of mine hazard prevention(PMHP) and method that allows the combination of new spatial data and as well as collected data on resources for the sustainable mine reclamation and management using EGIS/MGIS technique to develop an integrated plan and management techniques.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.43-53
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• 2011

Health risk assessments for the abandoned asbestos mine were usually performed with activity-based sampling (ABS) method, which was not a effective tool for indexing health risk on an exact small area of mine. A newly proposed potential index of health risk (PIHR) was applied with proper spatial determination of geographical information system (GIS) to assess quantitatively health risks. A new trial was applied to a certain abandoned mine in Boryong as follows: A high grade area of PIHR was estimated 7.8% of the whole area of the mine (about 27.3 ha). Based on US EPA IRIS (integrated risk information system) model considering lifetime excess cancer risk (LECR), the health risk assessment indicated that the high grade area increased from 3.0 ha through 12.9 ha to 19.5 ha with an increase of asbestos contents in soil from 0.36% (1E-04 level) through 0.1% (3E-05 level) to 0.04% (1E-05 level). These results can be effectively applied to determine reclamation area of the abandoned asbestos mine.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.240-247
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• 2007

Geological information can be used for various purposes, such as the mine development, landuse, environmental protection, construction industry, and the development of water resource. Although geological information is highly useful for developing industrial raw materials, national land management and people's welfare, there is no unified public institution in charge of collecting and managing geological information at the national level. Thus, the government is to collect geological information, to construct database and to utilize and to distribute the information in a long-term and systematic way, the purpose of this study is to propose strategies for establishing an integrated geological information management system. In this study, we A) analyzed the current state and management of geological information in Korea and other countries; B) surveyed demand for geological information and analyzed correlations; C) drew up a conceptual diagram of the national integrated geological information management system; and D) developed strategies for establishing the national integrated geological information management system.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.39-49
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• 2023

Soil contaminants measured and managed in Korea include those of geologic origin such as arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, zinc, nickel, mercury, and fluoride. This study identifies the distribution of these contaminants using GIS modeling to analyze the spatial probability of soil contamination originating from geology. The modeling found that cadmium, copper, lead, nickel, and mercury often exceed the regulated standard by <1%. Concentrations of arsenic and zinc greatly exceeded the standard in the vicinity of mines and industrial complexes: mining and industry seemed to have substantial effects on the concentrations of these metals. Although fluoride was sampled at the lowest number of points, its frequency of exceeding the standard was the highest. No obvious source of artificial contamination has been identified, and fluoride's distribution characteristics showed continuity over a wide area, suggesting a strong correlation between geological characteristics and fluoride concentration. The highest frequencies of fluoride exceeding the standard were in Jurassic granite (40.00%) and Precambrian banded gneiss (34.12%). As these rocks contributed to the formation of soil through their weathering, high fluoride concentrations can be expected in soil in areas where these rocks are distributed.