• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.153-162
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• 2009

The main compositions of "Seokganju", a Korean traditional red mineral pigment, are iron oxides. To investigate its mineralogical and functional properties, we had got its ore from Juto cave in Ulreoung island, which was a famous field of it in Korean documents. The ore occurs as a paleosol between the olivine basalt and amphibole trachyte in discontinuously. It is reddish brown and yellowish brown and consists mainly of clay minerals with minor debris. Its reddish and yellowish brown color are due to the hematite and ferrihydrate, respectively. These iron oxides are precipitated as ferrihydrate from the ferrous water in the paleosol and partly changed to hematite. The color reproduced in timber by using seokganju pigment with traditional tools and methods is similar to that in heritage building. The moistureproofing and fire resistance of Ulreungdo seokganju is far better than that of artificial seokganju. Moreover, the combustion tests show that the artificial seokganju promote the ignition and combustion of the timber. Ulreungdo seokganju is regarded as a pigment with fungicidal efficacy because growth of two wood decay fungi (cov. and typ.) are inhibited in solid medium with it.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.38 no.6 s.175
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• pp.675-687
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• 2005

The rocks of the five storied stone pagoda in the Jeongrimsaji temple site are 149 materials in total with porphyritic biotite granodiorite. They include pegmatite veinlet, basic xenolith and evenly developed plagioclase porphyry. This stone pagoda has comparably small fracture and cracks which are farmed in the times of rock properties, but surface exfoliation and granular decomposition are in process actively since the rocks are generally weakened from the influence of air contaminants and acid rain. Structural instability of constituting rocks in the 4th roof materials are observed to occur from distortion and tilt. Such instability is judged to threat stability of the upper part of the stone pagoda. Also, chemical weathering is operating even more as the contaminants, ferro-manganese hydroxides eluted from water-rock interaction on the rock surface. Most of the rock surface is covered with yellowish brown, dark black and light gray contaminants, and especially occur in the lower part of the roof rocks on each floor. The roof underpinning rocks are severe in surface pigmentation from manganese hydroxides and light gray contaminants. The surface of rocks lives bacteria. algae, lichen, or moss and diverse productions in colors of light gray, dark Bray and dark green. Grayish white crustose lichen grows thick on the surface with darkly discolored by fungi and algae in the first stage on basement rocks, and weeds grows wild on the upper part of each roof rocks. This stone pagoda must closely observe the movements of the upper part rock materials through minute safety diagnosis and long term monitoring for structural stability. Especially since the surface discoloration of rocks and pigmentation of secondary contaminants are severe, establishment of general restoration and scientific conservation treatment are necessary through more detailed study for this stone pagoda.