• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
• /
• v.36 no.4
• /
• pp.233-257
• /
• 2023

Asbestos minerals are found at rocks and soils of the Hongseong and Bibong serpentine mines, western part of Chungnam. The area consists of and metasediment, and Mesozoic igneous intrusives with minor age-known gneiss complexes and Mesozoic sediments. With detailed geological investigations, rock samples for the serpentinite and amphibolite areas are collected at sites containing asbestos. Representative asbestos and rock samples are analysed by PLM, XRD, SEM and EPMA. Serpentinites are found as steeply dipping faults with adjacent gneiss complex to the NNE direction. Repeated alteration, including serpenitization and talcification, is found at the emplacement direction for the serpentinite body. Amphibollites occur as intrusives and stratiforms within the Precambrian gneiss complex. Serpentinite and amphibolite (or amphibole schist) contain amphiboles either as asbestiform or non-asbestiform. Varying amounts of asbestos minerals, including chrysotile, tremolite asbestos and actinolite asbestos, are found within the serpentinites. The asbestos minerals are found near the cracks or fractures and along the bedding plane. They occur as cross fiber, slip fiber and mass fiber types. Varying amounts of amphibole asbestos minerals, such as tremolite and actinolite asbestos, are found within amphibolites and as a mass fiber type. Overall results suggest that rocks of the serpentine mines contain serpentine and amphibole type asbestos minerals originated from the hydrothermal alteration. Considering construction nearby the mines and environmental risks by the asbestos, additional land management plans are required.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
• /
• v.32 no.1
• /
• pp.15-39
• /
• 2019

An ultramafic complex occurs as an isolated lenticular body in the Andong area. The Andong ultramafic complex comprises ultramafic and mafic rocks, but mainly peridotites. The complex extends for several kilometer to ENE direction, adjacent to the Andong fault line. This study is for petrochemistry of the peridotites within the ultramafic complex and characteristics of asbestos occurrences. The peridotites are igneous origin, ranging from lherzolite to wehrlites and are characterized by high Fo olivine ($Fo_{0.85-0.87}$), Mg clinopyroxene ($Mg_{87.5-93.5}$), and tremolitic to tschermakitic hornblende. Geochemically, these rocks show high magnesium number (mainly Mg = 85.3-87.38) and transitional element and low alkali element contents. The peridotites host asbestos, including chrysotile, tremolite and actinolite asbestos, but dominated by amphibole asbestos. The amphibole asbestos are found along small fault face, and cleavage and fracture showing several cm to ten cm in width as slip and oblique fibers, while the chryostiles occur at cleavage and vein showing several mm-cm in width as cross and slip fibers. They are confirmed by PLM, XRD and SEM results. Overall characteristics of peridotites from the Andong ultramafic complex and occurrences of the asbestos are similar to those of worldwide orogenic related Alpine type ultramafic rocks and serpentinized ultramafic bodies in Chungnam, Korea, respectively.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.26 no.3
• /
• pp.253-266
• /
• 2016

Objectives: This study is for characteristics of asbestos occurrence (NOA, naturally occurring asbestos) from the Gapyeong area and its host rocks, serpentinites. Methods: Representative samples are collected from the serpentinite bodies, following degrees of hydrothermal alteration and metamorphism, after about 2 year field trips. Mineralogical, morphological and optical characteristics of the asbestos and host rocks are confirmed by PLM, XRD EPMA and SEM results. Results: The serpentinites are dunites and harzburgites, and host asbestos, including chrysotile, tremolite and actinolite. The asbestos chrysotiles are found as veins ranging from several millimeters to several centimeters in thickness, while asbestos-tremolite and -actinolite occur along cracks and fractures ranging up to ten centimeters in thickness. The chryostiles occur mainly as cross and slip fibers, while the amphibole asbestos is found as vein, slip and oblique fibers. More tremolitic grains are colorless and commonly show elongated or fiber shapes, whereas the magnesio hornblende grains mainly show light green and occur as subhedral to euhedral diamond grains. Conclusions: Overall characteristics of serpentinites from the Gapyeong area are similar to worldwide orogenic-related Alpine type ultramafic rocks serpentinized and serpentinites in South Chungcheong-do Province, Korea, and occurrences of asbestos are similar to those of the ultramafic bodies in South Chungcheong-do Province.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.21 no.4
• /
• pp.222-226
• /
• 2011

This study was conducted to identify the characteristics of analytical errors shown in the Korean quality control program on bulk asbestos analyses using polarized light microscopy (PLM). 179 participating laboratories were required to analyze 4 samples respectively and asked to classify each test sample as asbestos-containing (positive) or non-asbestos-containing (negative). For positive samples, participants were also asked to identify the type and semiquantitate the contents of asbestos present. The test results showed 21 (4%) false negative errors among 562 samples, 9 (6%) false positive errors among 154 samples and 53 (9%) asbestos identification errors among 562 samples. Most of false negative and positive errors were observed in a few types of samples. Higher frequencies of asbestos identification errors were shown in samples containing two or more types of asbestos and samples containing anthophyllite, tremolite or actinolite asbestos. For semiquantitative analyses, the ratios of mean to nominal weight contents were 2.1 for chrysotile and 2.9 for amphiboles. A tendency of over-estimation was observed in semiquantitative analyses using the visual estimation technique and higher in case of analyzing samples containing amphiboles than chrysotile. Coefficients of variation (CVs) of semiquantitative analytical results were 0.44~0.83 and 0.5~1.14 for samples containing chrysotile and amphibole asbestos, respectively.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.95-104
• /
• 2012

Electron microscopy of the tremolite-actinolite series amphiboles from the naturally occurring asbestos locality showed the morphological diversity including fibrous, acicular, and prismatic. Very thin, long, and flexible fibers of constant width form ropy bundles or mats. Acicular particles are slightly thick, long, elastic, and easily separated from the bundle of parallel rods. Acicular fragments of lower aspect ratio are formed during the crushing of the amphibole prism. Morphological features of the amphiboles are different depending on their localities and vary in a specimen. Morphological continuum between amphibole fiber and prism requires the establishment of reliable identification criterions and sample preparation protocol based on the relation between carcinogenicity and morphological features.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.47 no.5
• /
• pp.497-505
• /
• 2014

This study is for discrimination between asbestiform and non-asbestiform based on size characteristics of tremolite-actinolite fibers in soils from a closed asbestos mine, Jecheon, Chungcheongbuk-do, Korea. Soils and tremolite asbestos rocks were collected from a closed asbestos mine area. The dimensions of fibers with minimum $5{\mu}m$ in length and 3:1 in aspect ratio were measured using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and compared to the known tremolite populations ranging from asbestiform to non-asbestiform. The geometric means of width of soils, asbestos rocks and National Institute for Standard and Technology (NIST) and Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL) reference samples were $1.2{\mu}m$, $0.3-0.6{\mu}m$, $1.3{\mu}m$ and $0.2{\mu}m$, respectively. The geometric means of aspect ratio of soils, asbestos rocks and NIST and HSL reference samples were 7.3, 13.7-30.1, 7.2 and 37.8, respectively. The population of tremolite-actinolite fibers from soils compared to known asbestiform and non-asbestiform tremolite was lack of thin and high aspect ratio fibers. Upper results suggest that tremolite-actinolite fibers in soils cannot be classified into a commercial grade asbestos. The tremolite-actinolite fibers do not mainly appear to be the result of contamination from distance asbestos sources by wind. For the management and control of asbestos in soils, size distributions of amphiboles should be incorporated into asbestos survey results of soils.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.47 no.5
• /
• pp.489-496
• /
• 2014

The occurrence and mineralogical characteristics of asbestos in dolostone at Ungdo, Seosan were investigated by analyses of PLM, XRD, and SEM/EDS. Representative outcrops of dolostone at Ungdo were examined and four dolostone samples were collected according the occurrence type to identify the shape of asbestos in dolostone samples. The host rock of dolostone had been produced from the hydrothermal alteration and/or thermal metamorphism of which main source was assumed as the acidic granite. Tremolites were observed near the cracks or fractures of the dolostone as tamping or gob types. From the mineralogical analyses, main minerals of dolostone were dolomite with calcite, quartz, talc, amphibole, and pyroxene. From SEM/EDS analyses, tremolite-actinolite asbestoses were observed in dolostone and their shapes were prismatic and fibrous (less than $1{\mu}m$ in width). Non-asbestos prismatic forms were also found and they would transfer to asbestos particles resulting from the cleavage and fracture of the prismatic particles. Overall results suggest that asbestoses in Ungdo dolosotnes were mainly tremolite-actinolite and they were originated from the hydrothermal alteration of Ca-Mg rich dolostone.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.47 no.5
• /
• pp.467-477
• /
• 2014

Naturally occurring asbestos (NOA) occurs in rocks and soils as a result of natural weathering and human activities. The asbestos have been associated with ultramafic and mafic rocks, and carbonate rock. The previous studies on NOA were mainly limited to ultramafic and mafic rock-hosted asbestos in Korea. But, studies on carbonatehosted asbestos are relatively rare. Therefore, the purposes of this study were to investigate mineralogical characteristics of carbonate-hosted and metapelite-hosted NOA and to examine genesis of NOA occurred in the both rocks. The study area was Daerori, Seosan, Chungnam Province, Korea. The major rock formation consisted of limestone and schist which have been known to contain asbestos. Sampling was performed at outcrop which contained carbonate rock showing acicular asbestos crystals as well as pegmatitic intrusion that contacted with carbonate rock. PLM, XRD, EPMA, and EDS analyses were used to characterize mineral assemblages, mineralogical characteristics, and crystal habits of amphiboles and other minerals. BSEM images were also used to examine the genesis of asbestos minerals. The amphibole group was observed in all of the carbonate rocks, and actinolite and tremolite were identified in all rocks. These mineral habits were mainly micro-acicular crystals or secondary asbestiform minerals on the surface of non-asbestiform minerals appearing split end of columnar crystals produced by weathering. BSEM images showed residual textures of samples. The residual textures of carbonate rocks showed dolomite-tremolite-diopside mineral assemblages that formed during prograde metasomatism stage. Some carbonate rock also showed diopside-tremolite-talc mineral assemblages which were formed during retrograde metasomatism stage, as the residual textures. In result the presence of asbestos actinolite-tremolite in the carbonate rocks were confirmed in the areas where actinolite-tremolite asbestos was influenced by low temperature hydrothermal solution during metasomatism stage. These asbestos minerals showed the acicular asbestiform minerals, but even non-asbestiform minerals, a bundle or columnar shape, could transform to asbestiform minerals as potential NOA by weathering because the end of columnar shape of non-asbestiform minerals appeared as multiple acicular shaped fibers.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.49 no.1
• /
• pp.1-11
• /
• 2016

Chrysotile is well known as a fibrous mineral in serpentinite by the previous studies in S. Korea. Previous studies in other countries showed that antigorite also occurred as asbestiform and harmful to humans. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate types and characteristics of fibrous serpentine minerals occurred in serpentinite in Hongseong, Chungnam and Gapyeong, Gyeonggi in S. Korea. XRD, SEM-EDS, PLM and EPMA mapping analyses were used to examine the occurrence and formation mechanism of serpentine minerals. Serpentinization partially occurred in amphibole-schist and calc-schist at two study sites, Hongseong, Chungnam and Gapyeong, Gyeonggi, respectively. Both chrysotile and antigorite occurred as a fibrous mineral at Hongseong site, but chrysotile occurred as a fibrous mineral at Gapyeong site. Based on PLM analysis with dispersion staining, the chrysotile was observed horizontally magenta and vertically blue colors. The antigorite appeared as horizontally gold to golden magenta and vertically blue magenta colors under central stop dispersion staining objective(DSO). PLM and SEM analyses showed the fibrous minerals were formed from plate form of serpentine minerals or by hydrothermal alternation of primary minerals. The EPMA mapping showed that Mg contents in chrysotile is relatively higher than that in antigorite while Si and O contents in antigorite is higher than them in chrysotile. However, more studies are necessary to know the exact variation in chemical composition of chrysotile and antigorite. These results indicate that even though asbestiform antigorite found associated with asbestos chrysotile in serpentinites, the fibrous antigorite can be distinguished from chrysotile by different dispersion staining colors.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
• /
• v.50 no.4
• /
• pp.122-147
• /
• 2017

The Jungsandong sites are distributed across quartz and mica schist formations in Precambrian, and weathering layers include large amounts of non-plastic minerals such as mica, quartz, felspar, amphibole, chlorite and so on, which form the ground of the site. Neolithic pottery from Jungsandong exhibits various brown colors, and black core is developed along the inner part for some samples, and sharp comb-pattern and hand pressure marks can be observed. Their non-plastic particles have various composition, size distribution, sorting and roundness, so they are classified into four types by their characteristic mineral compositions. I-type (feldspar pottery) is including feldspar as the pain component or mica and quartz. II-type (mica pottery) is the combination of chloritized mica, talc, tremolite and diopside. III-type (talc pottery) is with a very small amount of quartz and mica. IV-type (asbestos pottery) is containing tremolite and a very small amount of talc. The inner and outer colors of Jungsandong pottery are somewhat heterogeneous. I-type pottery group shows differences in red and yellow degree, depending on the content of feldspar, and is similar to III-type pottery. II-type is similar to IV-type, because its red degree is somewhat high. The soil of the site is higher in red and yellow degree than pottery from it. The magnetic susceptibility has very wide range of 0.088 to 7.360(${\times}10^{-3}$ SI unit), but is differentiated according to minerals, main components in each type. The ranges of bulk density and absorption ratio of pottery seem to be 1.6 to 1.7 and 13.1 to 26.0%, respectively. Each type of pottery shows distinct section difference, as porosity and absorption ratio increase in the order as follows: I-type (organic matter fixed sample) < III-type and IV-type < I-type < II-type (including IV-type of IJP-15). The reason is that differences in physical property occur according to kind and size of non-plastic particles. Although Jungsandong pottery consists of mixtures of various materials, the site pottery has a geological condition on which all mineral composition of Jungsandong pottery can be provided. There, it is thought that raw materials can be supplied from weathered zone of quartz and mica schist, around the site. However, different constituent minerals, size and rock fragments are shown, suggesting the possibility that there can be more raw material pits. Thus, it is estimated that there may be difference in clay and weathering degree.