• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.325-340
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• 2017

The Seongdo Pb-Zn deposit, located in the northwestern part of the Ogcheon Metamorphic Belt, consists of skarn ore replacing limestone within the Hwajeonri Formation of Ogcheon Group and hydrothermal vein ore filling the fracture of host rock. Skarn minerals comprise mostly hedenbergitic pyroxene, garnet displaying oscillatory zonal texture composed of grossular and andradite, and a small amount of wollastonite, tremolite, and epidote, indicating reducing condition of formation. Ore minerals of skarn ore include sphalerite and galena with a small amount of pyrite, pyrrhotite, and chalcopyrite. In hydrothermal vein ore, arsenopyrite, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, and pyrite occur with a small amount of galena, native Bi, and stannite. Chemical compositions of sphalerite vary from 17.4 mole% FeS in average for dark grey sphalerite, 3.6 mole% for reddish brown sphalerite in skarn ore, and to 10.3 mole% FeS in hydrothermal vein ore. In comparison with representative metallic deposits in South Korea on the FeS-MnS-CdS diagram, skarn and hydrothermal vein ore plot close to the field of Pb-Zn deposits and Au-Ag deposits, respectively. Arsenic contents of arsenopyrite in hydrothermal vein ore decrease from 31.93~33.00 at.% in early stage to 29.58~30.21 at.% in middle stage, and their corresponding mineralizing temperature and sulfur fugacity are $441{\sim}490^{\circ}C$, $10^{-6}{\sim}10^{-4.5}atm$. and $330{\sim}364^{\circ}C$, <$10^{-8}atm$. respectively. Phase equilibrium temperatures calculated from Fe and Zn contents for coexisting sphalerite and stannite in hydrothermal vein are $236{\sim}254^{\circ}C$. Sulfur isotope compositions are 5.4~7.2‰ for skarn ore and 5.4~8.4‰ for hydrothermal vein ore, being similar or slightly higher to magmatic sulfur, suggesting that ore sulfur was mostly of magmatic origin with partial derivation from host rocks. However, much higher sulfur isotope equilibrium temperatures of $549^{\circ}C$와 $487^{\circ}C$, respectively for skarn ore and hydrothermal ore, than those estimated from phase equilibria imply that isotopic equilibrium has not been fully established.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.19 no.spc
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• pp.139-149
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• 1986

Compositional variation of sphalerites from various hydrothermal metallic ore deposits in Korea were investigated in mine and local, and regional scale. The sphalerites were partially analyzed for iron, manganese, and cadmium by using an electron probe microanalyzer(EPMA). The contents of iron and cadmium in sphalerites collected from the Weolam deposit of the No.1 Yeonhwa mine are not variable with increase of depth, but manganese content is highly variable. Sphalerites from lead-zinc deposits which are geologically associated with hypabyssal and effusive activity are characterized by high manganese (more than 1.0 MnS mole %) and low cadmium contents (less than 0.5 CdS mole %). Relatively manganese rich sphalerites are found in the deposits where sphalerites are enriched in iron content. Variation of cadmium content is very limited compared with that of manganese content. Sphalerites from most tungsten and some gold-silver deposits are remarkably high in cadmium content, but most of base metal and iron deposits are low in cadmium content. Cadmium content in sphalerites which occur in the metallic ore deposits genetically associated with plutonic activity shows a tendency to high variation. Available amounts of cadmium in sphalerites could be originated from the initial enrichment during the magmatic and postmagmatic processes.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.423-435
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• 2001

The gold-silver vein deposits in the Mugeug mineralized area are emplaced in late Cretaceous biotite granite associated with the pull-apart type Cretaceous Eumseong basin. Mugeug mine in northern part is composed of multiple veins showing relatively high gold fineness and is characterized by sericitization, chloritization and epidotization. The ore-forming fluids were evolved by dilution and cooling mechanisms at relatively high temperature and salinity (=30$0^{\circ}C$,1~9 equiv. wt. % NaCl) and highly-evolved meteoric water ($\delta$$^{18}$ O;-1.2~3.7$\textperthousand$) and gold mineralization associated with sulfides tormed at temperatures between 260 and 22$0^{\circ}C$ and within sulfur fugacity range of 10$^{-11.5}$ ~ 10$^{-13.5}$ atm. In contrast, Geumwang, Geumbong and Taegueg mines show the low fineness values, in southern part are characterized by increasing tendency of simple and/or stockwork veins and by kaolinitization, silicificatitan, carbonatization and smectitization. These droposits formed at relatively low temperature and salinity (<23$0^{\circ}C$, <3 equiv. wt. % NaCl) from ore-forming fluids containing greater amounts of less-evolved meteoric waters ($\delta$$^{18}$ O;-5.5~4.0$\textperthousand$), and silver mineralization representing various gold-and/or silver-bearing minerals formed at temperatures between 200 and 15$0^{\circ}C$ and from sulfur fugacity range of 10$^{-15}$ ~10$^{-18}$ atm These results imply that mineralization in the Mugueg area formed at shallow-crustal level and categorize these deposits as low-sulfidation epithermal type. The genetic differences between the northern and southern parts reflect the evolution of the hydrothermal system due to a different physicochemical environment from heat source area (Mugeug mine) to marginal area (Taegeum mine) in a geothermal field.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.325-337
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• 2002

We examined the contamination of stream water and stream sediments by heavy metal elements with respect to distance from the abandoned Backun Au-Ag-Cu mine. High contents of heavy metals (Pb, Zn, Cu, Cd, Mn, and Fe) and aluminum in the waters connected with mining and associated deposits (dumps, tailings) reduce water quality. In the mining area, Ca and SO$_4$ are predominant cation and anion. The mining water is Ca-SO$_4$ type and is enriched in heavy metals resulted from the weathering of sulfide minerals. This mine drainage water is weakly acid or neutral (pH; 6.5-7.1) because of neutralizing effect by other alkali and alkaline earth elements. The effluent from the mine adit is also weakly acid or neutral, and contains elevated concentrations of most elements due to reactions with ore and gangue minerals in the deposit. The concentration of ions in the Backun mining water is high in the mine adit drainage water and steeply decreased award to down stream. Buffering process can be reasonably considered as a partial natural control of pollution, since the ion concentration becomes lower and the pH value becomes neutralized. In order to evaluate mobility and bioavailability of metals, sequential extraction was used for stream sediments into five operationally defined groups: exchangeable, bound to carbonates, bound to FeMn oxide, bound to organic matter, and residual. The residual fraction was the most abundant pool for Cu(2l-92%), Zn(28-89%) and Pb(23-94%). Almost sediments are low concentrated with Cd(2.7-52.8 mg/kg) than any other elements. But Cd dominate with non stable fraction (68-97%). Upper stream sediments are contaminated with Pb, and down area sediments are enriched with Zn. It is indicate high mobility of Zn and Cd.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.413-426
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• 2009

The study was conducted to investigate the effects of indigenous bacteria on geochemical behavior of toxic heavy metals in contaminated paddy soil near an abandoned mine. The effects of sulfate amendment to stimulate microbial sulfate reduction on heavy metal behaviors were also investigated. Batch-type experiments were performed with lactate or glucose as a carbon source to activate indigenous bacteria in the soil under anaerobic condition for 100 days. Sulfate (250 mg/L) was artificially injected at 60 days after the onset of the experiments. In the case of glucose supply, solution pH increased from 4.8 to 7.6 while pH was maintained at 7~8 in the lactate solution. The initial low pH in the case of glucose supply likely resulted in the enhanced extraction of Fe and most heavy metals at the initial experimental period. Lactate supply exerted no significant difference on the amounts of dissolved Zn, Pb, Ni and Cu between microbial and abiotic control slurries; however, lower Zn, Pb and Ni and higher Cu concentrations were observed in the microbial slurries than in the controls when glucose supplied. Sulfate amendment led to dramatic decrease in dissolved Cr and maintenance of dissolved As, both of which had gradually increased over time till the sulfate injection. Black precipitates formed in solution after sulfate amendment, and violarite($Fe^{+2}{Ni^{+3}}_2S_4$) was found with XRD analysis in the microbial precipitates. Conceivably the mineral might be formed after Fe(III) reduction and microbial sulfate reduction with coprecipitation of heavy metal. The results suggested that heavy metals which can be readily extracted from contaminated paddy soils may be stabilized in soil formation by microbial sulfate reduction.