• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.403-420
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• 1993

The Cretaceous Kyongsang Basin is known to be composed of several tectonic blocks (or subbasins) with each distinct stratigraphic succession. The study area represents a major part of one of these blocks, i. e. the $\check{U}is\check{o}ng$ block. The area is charaterized by a suite of WNW-trending sinistral strike-slip faults as well as a number of ring faults. A total of 292 independently oriented core samples were drilled from 23 sites, covering virtually all the formations of the Cretaceous $Ky\check{o}ngsang$ Supergroup. Alternating field and thermal demagnetization experiments were conducted to reveal the primary magnetization. Due to the homoclinal nature of the strata in the area, it was not possible to make use of the conventional fold test It is, however, believed that the primary remanent components have been obtained from the majority of the formations, considering the similarity of the palaeomagnetic pole positions with those of contemporary strata of other blocks and the existence of antiparallel reversed remanence. It was found neither any significant difference in magnetic declination on each side of the strike-slip faults nor systematic change of magnetic declination with distance from the fault-line. This does not support such a block rotation hypothesis associated with the strike-slip faulting in the area as alleged by some authors. The samples from the outcrops on or near the fault-lines were severely overprinted by the recent magnetic fields regardless of age and lithology. Epithermal Au-Ag-Cu-Pb-Zn mineralizations are known along some fault lines in the area. It is interpreted that these two facts are closely related with fluid circulations along the fracture zones caused by fault activities. In regard to the age of the strata as deduced from the magnetostratigraphic consideration, the $Ch\check{o}mgok$ formation and the lower strata should be older than Barremian or 124 Ma. The age of volcanics of the $Yuch^{\prime}\check{o}n$ Group sampled in this study should be younger than Campanian or 83 Ma.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.275-286
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• 2008

The Sambo gold deposit located nearby the Cretaceous Hampyeong basin is composed of gold quartz fine vein(the Jija vein) within Cretaceous rhyolite showing $N10{\sim}20W$ trends as well as $N5{\sim}10E$ trending quartz veins(the Pungja, Gwangsan and Pungjaji veins) in Precambrian gneiss. The gold vein typically displays the intermittent and irregular fine veins within rhyolite. Electrum is disseminated in wallrock along the fine cracks as well as coexists with hematite replacing pyrite. Ore-forming fluids from the mineralized vein($H_2O/-NaCl$ system, Th; $340{\sim}200^{\circ}C$, Salinity <2.7 eq. wt.% NaCl) and NE-trending veins($H_2O-NaCl/-CO_2$ system, Th; $400{\sim}190^{\circ}C$, salinity <7.9 eq. wt.% NaCl) are featured by dissimilar physicochemical conditions but their fluid evolution trends(boiling and mixing) are similar with each other. Gold veins of the Sambo deposit filled along NNW-trending tension crack are related to pull-apart basin evolution. Selective gold mineralization of the deposit reflect to dissimilarity between two ore-forming fluid sources. Consequently, gold veining of the Sambo deposit formed at shallow-crustal level and could be categorized into epithermal-type gold deposit related to tensional fractures filling triggered by Cretaceous geodynamics.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.409-428
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• 2018

Yeongdong area is located on the border zone between Precambrian Yeongnam massif and central southeastern Ogcheon metamorphic belt, in which Cretaceous Yeongdong sedimentary basin exists. Main geology in this area consists of Precambrian Sobaeksan gneiss complex, Mesozoic igneous and sedimentary rocks and Quaternary alluvial deposits. Above this, age-unknown Ogcheon Supergroup, Paleozoic sedimentary rocks and Tertiary granites also occur in small scale in the northwestern part. This study focuses on the link between the various geology and Rn concentrations in groundwater. For this, twenty wells in alluvial/weathered zone and sixty bedrock aquifer wells were used. Groundwater sampling campaigns were twice run at wet season in August 2015 and dry season in March 2016. Some wells placed in alluvial/weathered part of Precambrian metamorphic rocks and Jurassic granite terrains, as well as Cretaceous porphyry, showed elevated Rn concentrations in groundwater. However, detailed geology showed the distinct feature that these high-Rn groundwaters in metamorphic and granitic terrains are definitely related to proximity of aquifer rocks to Cretaceous porphyry in the study area. The deeper wells placed in bedrock aquifer showed that almost the whole groundwaters in biotite gneiss and schist of Sobaeksan gneiss complex and in Cretaceous sedimentary rocks of Yeongdong basin have low level of Rn concentrations. On the other hand, groundwaters occurring in rock types of granitic gneiss or granite gneiss among Sobaeksan gneiss complex have relatively high Rn concentrations. And also, groundwaters occurring in the border zone between Triassic Cheongsan granites and two-mica granites, and in Jurassic granites neighboring Cretaceous porphyry have relatively high Rn concentrations. Therefore, to get probable and meaningful results for the link between Rn concentrations in groundwater and surrounding geology, quite detailed geology including small-scaled dykes or vein zones should be considered. Furthermore, it is necessary to take account of the spatial proximity of well location to igneous rocks associated with some mineralization/hydrothermal alteration zone rather than in-situ geology itself.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.65-88
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• 1982

In the last ten years, marine geological and geophysical survey and research were conducted by Japanese, Russian and American scientists in the East Sea of Korea (Japan Sea). Many research results were published. However, regional research of the geology of the continental margin of the Korean Peninsula was not conducted. This study has made on attempt to classify submarine strata and stratigraphic boundaries. The study has revealed characters of submarine geology and structure. Isopach maps of each identified stratigraphic unit have been constructed as the results of this study. The study was conducted on the basis of analyses of marine seismic surveys carried out in the continental margin of the East Sea between Kangneung and Pohang. Three depositional basins were identified in the study area and they were named as, Mukho Basin, Hupo Basin and Pohang Basin. The Mukho Basin is developed in continental slope and shelf in the area between Kangneung and Samcheog. Quaternary and Pliocene sediments attain a maximum thickness of 900 m. Basement rocks are interpreted as granite and gneiss. They are correlated with granite-gneiss of the Taebaecksan Series of Pre-cambrian age and the Daebo granite of Jurassic age. The Hupo Basin is developed in the continental shelf between Uljin and Youngdeok. Quaternary and Pliocene sediments attain a maximum thickness of 600 m. Basement rocks were interpreted as granite and gneiss and they are correlated with metamorphic rocks of Pre-cambrian age and the Daebo granites, comprising the Ryongnam Massif. The Pohang Basin is developed in the area between Pohang and Gangu. This basin contains Miocene and older sediments. Basement rocks are not shown. Many faults are developed within the continental shelf and slope. These faults strike parallel with the coast line. A north-south direction is predominant in the southern study area. However, in the northern study area the faults strike north, and north-west. The faults are parallel to each other and are step faults down-thrown to the east or west, forming horst and graben structures which develop into sedimentary basins. Such faults caused the development of submarine banks along the boundary between the continental shelf and slope. This bank has acted as a barrier for deposition in the Hupo Basin. Paleozoic sedimentary rocks distributed widely in the adjacent land area are absent in the Mukho Basin. This suggests that the area of the basin was situated above the sea level until the Pliocene time. The study area contains Pliocene sediments in general. These sediments overlie the basement complex composed of metamorphic rocks, granites, Cretaceous (Kyongsang System) sedimentary rocks and Miocene sedimentary rocks. These facts lead to a conclusion that the continental shelf and slope of the study area were developed as a result of displacements along faults oriented parallel to the present coast line in the post Miocene time.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.14-23
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• 1999

The northeastern part of the Gyeongsang Basin is widely covered by the Cretaceous Hayang Group (Aptian to Albian). The Hayang Group consists of the IIjig. Hupyeongdong, Jeomgog, and Sagog formations. Heavy mineral analysis was carried out to define the possible source rocks of the Haynag Group snadstones. Heavy minerals separated from IIjig, Hupyeongdong, and Jeomgog sandstones are hematite, ilmenite, leucoxene, magnetite, pyrite, actinolite, andalusite, apatite, biotite, chlorite, epidote, garnet, hornblende, kyanite, monazite, muscovite, rutile, sphene, spinel, staurolite, tourmaline, and zircon. Based on their close association and sensitiveness, the heavy mineral assemblages can be classified into 6 syutes: 1)apatite-green tourmaline-sphene-colorless/yellowish zircon; 2) colorless garnet-epidote-rutile-brown tourmaline; 3) rounded purple zircon-rounded tourmaline-rounded rutile; 4) augite-hornblende-color- less zircon; 5) epidote-garnet-sphene; and 6) blue tourmaline. The possible source rocks corresponding to each assemblage are 1) granitic rocks; 2) metamorphic rocks (schist and gneiss) ; 3) older sedimentary rocks; 4) andesitic rocks; 5) metamorphosed impure limestone; and 6) pegmatite, respectively. Previous paleocurrent data suggest that the sediments of the study area were mainly derived from the northeastern to southeastern directions. Thus, the most possible source areas would be the east extension part of the sobaegsan metamorphic complex to the northeast and the Cheongsong Ridge to the southeast.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.85-106
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• 2017

The Lago Sofia conglomerate in southern Chile is a deep-marine gravelly deposit, which is hundreds of meters thick and kilometers wide and extends laterally for more than 100 km, filling the foredeep trough of the Cretaceous Magallanes Basin. For understanding the depositional processes and environments of this gigantic deep-sea conglomerate, detailed analyses on sedimentary facies, architecture and paleoflow patterns were carried out, highlighting the differences between the northern (Lago Pehoe and Lago Goic areas) and southern (Lago Sofia area) parts of the study area. The conglomerate bodies in the northern part occur as relatively thin (< 100 m thick), multiple units intervened by thick mudstone-dominated sequences. They show paleoflows toward ENE and S to SW, displaying a converging drainage pattern. In the southern part, the conglomerate bodies are vertically interconnected and form a thick (> 400 m thick) conglomerate sequence with rare intervening fine-grained deposits. Paleoflows are toward SW. The north-to-south variations are also distinct in sedimentary facies. The conglomerate bodies in the southern part are mainly composed of clast-supported conglomerate with sandy matrix, which is interpreted to be deposited from highly concentrated bedload layers under turbidity currents. Those in the northern part are dominated by matrix- to clast-supported conglomerate with muddy matrix, which is interpreted as the products of composite mass flows comprising a turbidity current, a gravelly hyperconcentrated flow and a mud-rich debris flow. All these characteristics suggest that the Lago Sofia conglomerate was formed in centripetally converging submarine channels, not in centrifugally diverging channels of submarine fans. The tributaries in the north were dominated by mass flows, probably affected by channel-bank failures or basin-marginal slope instability processes. In contrast, the trunk channel in the south was mostly filled by tractive processes, which resulted in the vertical and lateral accretion of gravel bars, deposition of gravel dunes and filling of scours and channels, similar to deposits of terrestrial gravel-bed rivers. The trunk channel developed along the axis of foredeep trough and its confinement within the trough is probably responsible for the thick, interconnected channel fills. The large-scale architecture of the trunk-channel fills shows an eastward offset stacking pattern, suggesting that the channel migrated eastwards most likely due to the uplift of the Andean Cordillera.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2000

The Cretaceous basaltic rocks in Gyeongsang Basin are temporally and spatially dispersed widely in thick sedimentary piles: Chilgog basaltic rock (CGB) and Cheongyongsa basaltic rock (CSB) in the Shindong Group, and Hakbong basaltic rocks (HBB), Osibbong basalt (OSB), Secheondong basaltic rocks (SCB), Haman basaltic rocks (HAB), Hama basaltic rocks (HMB), and Chaeyaksan basaltic rocks (CYB) in the Hayang Group, upwardly in their stratigraphy. Chilgog basaltic rock is merely identified as pebbles in the Shilla Conglomerate and its provenance has not been found, and it is characteristics that the volcanics except Osibbong basalt and Chaeyaksan basaltic rocks are very small in both of their thickness and extension. Petrochemical diversity of the basaltic rocks are revealed; OSB and SCB distributed in the Yeongyang Minor Basin preserve the calc-alkaline natures in major and immobile minor element geochemistry, but CGB, HBB, HAB, and CYB reflect that they might be originated from calc-alkaline basaltic magma of volcanic arc in continental margin area by trace elements and altered to alkaline suites in the viewpoint of their major element geochemistry. Major and trace element geochemistry of CSB and HMB suggests that they may be derived from within -plate alkaline magma contaminated by the upper continental crust, especially in the case of the former.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2017

We have dated the K-Ar, Ar-Ar and U-Pb ages of the Masan hornblende-biotite granite in the southern Cretaceous Gyeongsang basin to constrain its emplacement age. The ~108 Ma hornblende K-Ar age obtained in the study is similar to the previously reported Rb-Sr age. However, the single grain total fusion $^{40}Ar/^{39}Ar$ dating on hornblende failed to yield statistically meaningful ages because the isotopic system was open during its alteration. Thus the hornblende K-Ar age in the study is also unlikely to be reliable. The single grain total fusion $^{40}Ar/^{39}Ar$ dating on biotite yielded an average age of $75.8{\pm}3.0Ma$. Apart from scattered data in the range of ~45-75 Ma, the average age increased to ~80 Ma. The SHRIMP and LA-MC-ICPMS U-Pb isotopic compositions of zircon from the Masan hornblende-biotite granite yielded its emplacement age as $87.6{\pm}2.7Ma$ and $86.8{\pm}0.4Ma$, respectively. It is thus likely that the ~80 Ma $^{40}Ar/^{39}Ar$ age of biotite might reflect the cooling age of Masan hornblende-biotite granite or the thermal influences from later intense igneous activities in the Gyeongsang basin.

• The Korean Journal of Petroleum Geology
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• v.9 no.1_2 s.10
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• pp.24-39
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• 2001

Prospecting for energy and mineral resources is essential kind of public fundamentals that manage the nation's economy. Most explorations in the past were concentrated in the simple structural traps in relatively shallow depth. Due to their vast exploitation, recent history has shown that the emphasis in explorations has steadily shifted toward the subtle stratigraphic traps in deeper level. Increasing exploration for the subtle stratigraphic traps in deeper level requires precise correlation and assessment of deeply buried strata in the basin. However, the descriptive stratigraphic principles used for evaluation of the simple structural traps are limited to delineate the subtle stratigraphic traps in deeper depth. As this occurs, it is imperative to establish a new stratigrtaphic paradigm that allows a more sophisticated understanding on the basin stratigraphy. This study provides an exemplary application of integrated stratigraphic approach to defining basin stratigraphy of the Middle Ordovician Taebacksan Basin and the Cretaceous South Yellow Sea Basin, Korea. The integrated stratigraphic approach gives much better insight to unravel the stratigraphic response to tectonic evolution of the basins, which can be utilized for enhancing the efficiency of resources exploration and development in the basins. Thus, the integrated stratigraphic approach should be considered as a new stratigraphic norm that can improve the probability of success in any type of resources exploration and development project.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.231-241
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• 2011

Cheolwon Group in the Cheolwon Basin, which lies northwest of the Gyeonggi massif, has been correlated to the Yucheon Group in the Gyeongsang Basin, but its ages and volcanic times are defined to be considerately earlier than the other one. In this study, SHRIMP zircon U-Pb ages were determined from the igneous rocks in the Cheolwon Basin. The mean ages from zircons are $115.0{\pm}1.1Ma$ in rhyolite, and $111.24{\pm}0.85Ma$ and $109.1{\pm}1.1Ma$ in granite porphyry. The minimum age is 113 Ma in the Jijangbong Tuff. Such age in the rhyolite define the intrusion time of ring dykes, suggesting a caldera collapse following eruption of the Dongmakgol Tuff. Such age in the Jijangbong Tuff represent latest volcanism as postcaldera in the basin. The volcanic rocks in the basin were erupted during late Aptian, and are correlated to the Sindong Group in the Gyeongsang Basin. The plutonism in the basin occurred during $111.24{\pm}0.85Ma{\sim}109.1{\pm}1.1Ma$, following the volcanism. The age distribution of the analyzed zircons in the Jijangbong Tuff indicates the presence of foreign zircons derived from protoliths, regarding a wide span of zircon ages from Cretaceous to Jurassic, Triassic, early and late Protozoic, and Archean. The Archean age suggests the possible presence of the Archean protoliths with such age, which have not been exposed on the surface. The age distribution with wide span suggests that its vent is located in an area that several strata with different ages piled up and intercepted with some intrusives.