• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.367-383
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• 2012

The Gyeongsang Arc is the most notable of the Korea Arc that is composed of several volcanic arcs trending to NE-SW direction in the Korean peninsula. The Hayang Group has many volcanogenic interbeds of lava flows by alkaline or calc-alkaline basaltic volcanisms during early Cretaceous. Late Cretaceous calc-alkaline andesitic and rhyolitic volcanisms reconstructed the Gyeongsang Arc that consist of thick volcanic strata on the Hayang Group in The Gyeongsang Basin. The volcanisms characterize first eruptions of basaltic and andesitic lavas with small pyroclastics, and continue later eruptions of dacitic and rhyolitic ash-fall and voluminous ash-flow with some calderas and then domes and dykes. During the Early Cretaceous (about 120 Ma), oblique subduction of the Izanagi plate to NNW from N direction results in sinistral strike-slip faults to open a pull-apart basin in back-arc area of the Gyeongsang Arc, in which erupted lava flows from generation of magma by a decrease in lithostatic pressure. Therefore the Gyeongsang Basin is interpreted into back-arc basin reconstructed by a continental rifting. Arc volcanism began in about 100 Ma with exaggeration of the back-arc basin in the Gyeongsang, and then changed violently to construct volcanic arcs. During the Late Cretaceous (about 90 Ma), orthogonal subduction of the Izanagi plate to NW from NNW direction ceased development of the basin to prolong violent volcanisms.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.445-454
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• 1993

The Keumseongsan caldera is composed of the Cretaceous sedimentary rocks of the Gyeonesang Supergroup, volcanic rocks of the Yucheon Group and basic dykes. The Keumseongsan caldera is formed by subsidence of volcanic rocks, and arc fault developed late. Also, synistral strike-slip fault ($N60^{\circ}W$) developed. Volcanic rocks belong to subalkaline rocks and calcalkaline magma series. First tuffaceous breccia erupted before 71.4 Ma and cavity of magma chamber caused subsidence, which formed arc fault. Basaltic lava erupted at 71.4 Ma and residual fluids containing Fe, As, Pb, Zn and Cu metal elements built the Ohto deposits, which are dated to be 70.5 Ma based on K-Ar age for sericite. Tuffaceous breccia and tuff erupted between 70.5 and 67 Ma. When volcanic eruption became weakened, cavity in site of magma chamber brought subsidence. Rhyolite intruded and erupted at 67 Ma, and intrusive rhyolite intruded according to arc faults, also. Hydrothermal fluids containing Fe, As, Pb, Zn, Cu, Sb, Bi, Au and Ag formed the Tohyeon deposits. K-Ar age for sericite from the Tohyeon mine gives 66.0 Ma. Results of field exploration, geochemical analyses of volcanic rocks support mineralization possibility by volcanism. Especially, age of volcanism and mineralization are well in coincidence with results of K-Ar age dating. By these results, Ohto Cu mineralization is regarded to be associcated with basaltic rocks, while Tohyeon Cu mineralization with rhyolitic rocks.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.481-496
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• 1996

The last Sea is a typical bark-arc basin consisting of basins, plateaus, ridges, and seamounts. The Ulleng Basin, located in the southwestern corner of the last Sea, contains thick Neogene sedimentary sequence. Analysis of over 2,500 km of single-channel seismic reflection data suggests that hemipelagic sedimentation prevailed over much of the basin during the late Miocene and pelagic sedimentation became more dominant during the Pliocene. During the Pleistocene terrigeneous sediments transported by turbidity currents and other gravity flows, together with continuous hemipelagic settling, resulted in well-stratified sedimentary layers. Influx of terrigenous sediments during the Pleistocene formed depocenters in the western and southern parts of the basins. In the Ulleung Interplain Gap, where the Ulleung Basin joins the deeper Japan Basin, sediment waves suggesting bottom current activities are seen.

• 한국지구물리탐사학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2007.12a
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• pp.73-83
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• 2007

We interpreted marine seismic profiles in conjunction with swath bathymetric and magnetic data to investigate rifting to breakup processes at the eastern Korean margin that led to the separation of the southwestern Japan Arc. Analysis of rift fault patterns suggests that rifting at the Korean margin was primarily controlled by normal faulting resulting from extension rather than strike-slip deformation. Two extension directions of E-W and NW-SE for rifting are recognized. We interpret that the E-W direction represents initial rifting at the inner margin and the NW-SE direction probably represents the extension in response to tensional tectonics associated with the subduction of the Pacific Plate in the NW direction. No significant volcanism was involved in rifting. In contrast, the inception of sea floor spreading documents a pronounced volcanic phase which appears to reflect asthenospheric upwelling as well as rift-induced convection particularly in the narrow southern margin. We suggest that structural and igneous evolution of the Korean margin, although it is in a back-arc setting, can be explained by the processes occurring at the passive continental margin with magmatism influenced by asthenospheric upwelling.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.603-612
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• 1997

Cretaceous sedimentary-volcanoclastic formations of the Kyeongsang Supergroup were intruded by granitic rocks in the late Cretaceous and early Tertiary. In the Euiseong and Shinryeong area, these intrusives have various compositions including gabbro, diorite，biotite granite and feldspar porphyry. Associated volcanic rocks consist of two chemically distinct types: the bimodal suite of basalt and rhyolite in the Keumseongsan caldera, and the felsic suite of andesite and rhyolite in the Sunamsan-Hwasan calderas. Most rocks are subalkaline, and follow a typical differentiation path of the calc-alkaline magma. The granitic rocks can be distinguished chemically from the volcanics by high Zr/Y ratios. Differences in Zr/Y and K/Y ratios between the two volcanic suites can be accounted for by mantle source and fractionation. Chondrite-normalized trace element abundances of granitic rocks are depleted in Th and K, whereas those of the Keumseongsan rhyolites are depleted in Sr and Ti. Rb, La and Ce is enriched in rhyolites of the Sunamsan-Hwasan calderas. $Rb-SiO_2$ and Rb-Y+Nb discrimination diagrams suggest that the intrusives and volcanics have a volcanic arc setting. K-Ar ages indicate four plutonic episodes : diorite (89 Ma), granite (66~62 Ma), granite and porphyry (55~52 Ma) and gabbro (52~45 Ma), and two volcanisms : bimodal basaltic and rhyolitic volcanism (71~66 Ma) in the Keumseongsan caldera, and felsic andesitic and rhyolitic volcanism (61~54 Ma) in the Sunamsan-Hwasan calderas. Geochemical and age data thus suggest that the igneous rocks are related to several geologic episodes during the late Cretaceous to early Tertiary.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.123-154
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• 1982

Petrochemical, K-Ar dating, Sand Rb/Sr isotopes, metallogenic zoning, paleomagnetic and geotectonic studies of the Gyongsang basin were carried out to examine applicability of plate tectonics to the post-late Cretaceous igneous activity and metallogeny in the southeastern part of Korean Peninsula. The results obtained are as follows: 1. Bulgugsa granitic rocks range from granite to adamellite, whose Q-Ab-Or triangular diagram indicates that the depth and pressure at which the magma consolidated increase from coast to inland varying from 6 km, 0.5-3.3 kb in the coastal area to 17 km, 0.5-10 kb in the inland area. 2. The volcanic rocks in Gyongsang basin range from andesitic to basaltic rocks, and the basaltic rocks are generally tholeiitic in the coastal area and alkali basalt in the inland area. 3. The volcanic rocks of the area have the initial ratio of Sr^{87}/Sr^{86} varying from 0.706 to 0.707 which suggests a continental origin; the ratio of Rb/Sr changing from 0.079-0.157 in the coastal area to 0.021-0.034 in the inland area suggests that the volcanism is getting younger toward coastal side, which may indicate a retreat in stage of differentiation if they were derived from a same magma. The K_2O/SiO_2 (60%) increases from about 1.0 in the coastal area to about 3.0 in the inland area, which may suggest an increase indepth of the Benioff zone, if existed, toward inland side. 4. The K-Ar ages of volcanic rocks were measured to be 79.4 m.y. near Daegu, and 61.7 m.y. near Busan indicating a southeastward decrease in age. The ages of plutonic rocks also decrease toward the same direction with 73 m.y. near Daegu, and 58 m.y. near Busan, so that the volcanism predated the plutonism by 6 m.y. in the continental interior and 4 m.y. along the coast. Such igneous activities provide a positive evidence for an applicability of plate tectonics to this area. 5. Sulfur isotope analyses of sulfide minerals from 8 mines revealed that these deposits were genetically connected with the spacially associated ingeous rocks showing relatively narrow range of ${\delta}^{34}S$ values (-0.9‰ to +7.5‰ except for +13.3 from Mulgum Mine). A sequence of metallogenic zones from the coast to the inland is delineated to be in the order of Fe-Cu zone, Cu-Pb-Zn zone, and W-Mo zone. A few porphyry type copper deposits are found in the Fe-Cu zone. These two facts enable the sequence to be comparable with that of Andean type in South America. 6. The VGP's of Cretaceous and post Cretaceous rocks from Korea are located near the ones($71^{\circ}N$, $180^{\circ}E$ and $90^{\circ}N$, $110^{\circ}E$) obtained from continents of northern hemisphere. This suggests that the Korean peninsula has been stable tectonically since Cretaceous, belonging to the Eurasian continent. 7. Different polar wandering path between Korean peninsula and Japanese islands delineates that there has been some relative movement between them. 8. The variational feature of declination of NRM toward northwestern inland side from southeastern extremity of Korean peninsula suggests that the age of rocks becomes older toward inland side. 9. The geological structure(mainly faults) and trends of lineaments interpreted from the Landsat imagery reveal that NNE-, NWW- and NEE-trends are predominant in the decreasing order of intensity. 10. The NNE-trending structures were originated by tensional and/or compressional forces, the directions of which were parallel and perpendicular respectively to the subduction boundary of the Kula plate during about 90 m.y. B.P. The NWW-trending structures were originated as shear fractures by the same compressional forces. The NEE-trending structures are considered to be priginated as tension fractures parallel to the subduction boundary of the Kula plate during about 70 m.y. B.P. when Japanese islands had drifted toward southeast leaving the Sea of Japan behind. It was clearly demonstrated by many authors that the drifting of Japanese islands was accompanied with a rotational movement of a clock-wise direction, so that it is inferred that subduction boundary had changed from NNE- to NEE-direction. A number of facts and features mentioned above provide a suite of positive evidences enabling application of plate tectonics to the late Cretaceous-early Tertiary igneous activity and metallogeny in the area. Synthesizing these facts, an arc-trench system of continental margin-type is adopted by reconstructing paleogeographic models for the evolution of Korean peninsula and Japan islands. The models involve an extention mechanism behind the are(proto-Japan), by which proto-Japan as of northeastern continuation of Gyongsang zone has been drifted rotationally toward southeast. The zone of igneous activity has also been migrated from the inland in late-Cretaceous to the peninsula margin and southwestern Japan in Tertiary.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.39 no.3 s.178
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• pp.235-253
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• 2006

We interpreted marine seismic profiles in conjunction with swath bathymetric and magnetic data to investigate rifting to breakup processes at the Korean margin leading to the separation of the Japan Arc. The Korean margin is rimmed by fundamental elements of rift architecture comprizing a seaward succession of a rift basin and an uplifted rift flank passing into the slope, typical of a passive continental margin. In the northern part, rifting occurred in the Korea Plateau, a continental fragment extended and partially segmented from the Korean Peninsula, that provided a relatively broader zone of extension resulting in a number of rifts. Two distinguished rift basins (Onnuri and Bandal Basins) in the Korea Plateau we bounded by major synthetic and smaller antithetic faults, creating wide and symmetric profiles. The large-offset border fault zones of these basins have convex dip slopes and demonstrate a zig-zag arrangement along strike. In contrast, the southern margin is engraved along its length with a single narrow rift basin (Hupo Basin) that is an elongated asymmetric half-graben. Rifting at the Korean margin was primarily controlled by normal faulting resulting from extension in the west and southeast directions orthogonal to the inferred line of breakup along the base of the slope rather than strike-slip deformation. Although rifting involved no significant volcanism, the inception of sea floor spreading documents a pronounced volcanic phase which seems to reflect slab-induced asthenospheric upwelling as well as rift-induced convection particularly in the narrow southern margin. We suggest that structural and igneous evolution of the Korean margin can be explained by the processes occurring at the passive continental margin with magmatism intensified by asthenospheric upwelling in a back-arc setting.

• The Korean Journal of Petroleum Geology
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• v.11 no.1 s.12
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• pp.27-41
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• 2005

The hydrocarbon source rock potential of the Eocene units in the southern Oregon Coast Range was evaluated by using the Rock-Eval pyrolysis. Most Eocene units in southern Oregon Coast Range are thermally immature and contain lean, gas-prone Type III kerogen. However, some beds(coals) are sufficiently organic-rich to be sources of biogenic and thermogenic methane discovered in numerous seeps. The overall hydrocarbon source rock potential of the southern Oregon Coast Range is moderately low. Several requirements for commercial accumulations of hydrocarbon, however, probably exist locally within and adjacent areas. Three speculative petroleum systems are identified. The first includes the southern part of the Oregon Coast Range near the border with the Mesozoic Klamath Mountains and is related to a proposed subduction zone maturation mechanism along thrust faults. The second is centered in the northern part of the range and may be associated with basin-centered gas in an over-pressured zone. The third occurs near the eastern border of the range where maturation is related heating by sills and migration of hydrothermal fluids associated with mid-Tertiary volcanism in the Western cascade arc.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.96-110
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• 1997

The Wondong Caldera, formed by the voluminous eruption of the rhyolitic ashflows of the Wondong Tuff which is about 1,550 m thick at the intracaldera and 550 m at the outflow, is a resurgent caldera which shows a dome structure on the central exposure of the caldera. The Wondong caldera volcanism eviscerated the magma chamber by a series of explosive eruptions during which rhyolitic magma was ejected, as small fallouts and voluminous ash-flows, to form the Wondong Tuff. The explosive eruptions began with ash-falls, progressed through pumice-falls and transmitted ash-flows. During the ash-flow phase the initial central vent eruption transmitted into late ring-fissure eruption which accompanied with caldera collapse. Contemporaneous collapse of the roop of the chamber resulted in the formation of the Wondong Caldera, a subcircular depression subsiding about 1,930 deep. Following the collapse, quartz porphyry was intruded as ring dykes along the ring fracture near the southwestern caldera rim. Subsequently the central part of the caldera floor began to be uplifted into a circular resurgent dome by the rising of residual magma. Concurrent with the resurgent doming, the volcaniclastic sediments of Hwajeri Formation were accumulated in the caldera moat and then rhyodacite lava erupted from the initial central resurgent dome and another ash-flow tuff from the northern ring fracture. After the sedimentation, the find-grained granodiorite was intruded as an arc along the eastern ring fracture of the caldera. Finally in the central part, the resurgent magma was emplaced as a hornblende biotite granite stock that formed the central dome.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.198-206
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• 2018

In this preliminary study, dehydration of the subducting slab and behavior of the expelled water are numerically modeled using 2-dimensional model scheme. The hydrated minerals in the oceanic crust of the subducting slab experience dehydration by increases in temperature and pressure and expel their water into the overlying mantle wedge. Behavior of the expelled water is governed by both the corner flow in the mantle wedge and porous flow of the expelled water through the pores of the mantle minerals. The effects of convergence rate and age of the subducting slab as well as grain size of the minerals on the dehydration of the subducting slab and behavior of the expelled water are evaluated. The water solubility of the oceanic crust measured from the laboratory experiments is considered for modeling dehydration of the oceanic crust. The model calculations show most of the hydrated minerals in the oceanic crust is dehydrated by a depth of 100 km and the effects of the convergence rate and age of the subducting slab on the dehydration of the subducting slab and behavior of the expelled water are not significant. The larger grain size allows faster porous flow of the expelled water through the oceanic crust, mantle wedge and overlying continental crust and reduces the volume fraction of the expelled water there. The developed technique will be used for future studies on arc volcanism and has a potential implication for the other fields such as seismic tomographic study.