• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.381-393
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• 2014

Seismic reflection data are integrated with fieldwork data in order to understand startigraphy, structural geology and hydrocarbon potentials of Cretaceous strata in the Mesopotamian basin, Northeastern Iraq. Cretaceous strata in the basin divided into the Qamchuqa, Kometan, Bekhme and Shiranish formations, which are composed of carbonates deposited in shallow marine environment. The geological structures in these formations are mainly recognized as thrusts, detachment folds, fault propagation folds and fault bend folds. As well, NW-SE trending fractures are regularly developed, and are horizontal or perpendicular to the structures. The distribution and frequency of fractures are related to the development of the thrusts. In terms of hydrocarbon potentials, Cretaceous strata in the basin have limited capacities for source rocks and seal rocks due to the lack of organic carbon content and the well-developed fractures, respectively. Although these carbonates have limited primary porosity, however, development of the secondary porosity derived from the fractures contributes to enhance the reservoir quality. Most important factor for the reservoir quality of Cretaceous strata seems to be the frequency and connectivity of fractures relative to locations of folds and faults. The results delineated in this study will use as reference for recognizing stratigraphy and structures of Cretaceous strata and will provide useful information on hydrocarbon potentials of Cretaceous strata in the Mesopotamian basin, NE Iraq.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.381-393
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• 1996

Cretaceous volcanics and volcaniclastic sediments are abundantly distributed in the Haenam area located at the tip of the southwestern part of the Yongdong-Kwangju depression zone. The Cretaceous strata correlated with the Yuchon Group of the Kyongsang Supergroup are divided into three formations: Hwawon Formation, Uhangri Formation and Haenam Formation in ascending order. The stratovolcanic Hwawon Formation is mainly composed of andesite and andesitic pyroclastics. The Uhangri Formation is the lacustrine sedimentary deposit. The Haenam Formation is composed of Hwangsan tuff, Haenam tuff, Yongdang tuff, Seoho tuff, and also Acidic lava, both being formed by a cogenetic acidic volcanism. The topographic circular structure of the Cretaceous strata was controlled by the doming of Jurassic Sani granite. Cretaceous volcanism in the study area is characterized by the two stages of intermediate volcanic activity in Cenomanian to Albian, and acidic volcanic activity in Campanian to Coniacian.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.618-626
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• 2012

The Cretaceous fossil sites of Seoyuri in Hwasun was designated as the Korean Natural Monument No. 487 in November 2007. It provides important resources for paleoenvironmental studies, including theropod trackways, plant fossils, mudcracks, ripple marks, and horizontal bedding. The Cretaceous sedimentary strata contain a wide variety of volcanic pebbles, 5-40 cm in diameter in the lower portion and are overlain by the Late Cretaceous Hwasun andesite. Whole rock absolute K-Ar age determinations were performed on six volcanic pebbles from the Cretaceous sedimentary strata and on two samples from the overlaying Hwasun andesite. These ages indicate that the rocks belong to the period between the Turonian of the late Cretaceous (91-70 Ma) and the Pliocene age of the early Cenozoic ($63.4{\pm}1.2$ and $62.1{\pm}1.2$ Ma). Thus, the K-Ar ages indicate that the maximum geological age of the dinosaur track-bearing sedimentary deposits is about ca. 70 Ma. Therefore, it suggests that the age is comparable to the formation ages of the dinosaur footprints-bearing deposits in Sado area of Yeosu (71-66Ma).

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.329-336
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• 2012

In September 2009, a perfectly preserved fossil of a dinosaur egg nest was discovered in the Cretaceous formations of the Aphaedo area in Shinan, Jeollanam-do, South Korea. In order to estimate the age of dinosaur eggshells and the depositional age of the Cretaceous sediments in Aphaedo area, a whole-rock K-Ar dating was carried out on volcanic pebbles showing a sedimentary structure contemporaneous with the Aphaedo strata, acidic tuffs overlaying the strata conformably, and acidic dike rocks intrude to both of them. Volcanic rocks observed in the strata are 3-20 cm in diameter as pebbles found in lenticular conglomerate and pebble bearing mudstone strata. K-Ar whole-rock dating was performed on six different volcanic pebbles which show a sedimentary structure contemporaneous with the dinosaur egg nest contained in the strata, and all samples show Late Cretaceous ages: Cenomanian ($97.6{\pm}1.9$Ma), Coniacian ($87.6{\pm}1.7$ Ma), Santonian ($84.5{\pm}1.7$Ma) or Campanian ($82.5{\pm}1.6$, $77.3{\pm}1.5$, $75.7{\pm}1.5$ Ma). The K-Ar whole-rock age of acidic tuffs overlaying the Cretaceous formation conformably was estimated to be Campanian ($79.2{\pm}1.6$ or $77.3{\pm}1.5$Ma), when the dating was carried out under the same conditions. The acidic dike intruding both Cretaceous formation and acidic tuff showed a K-Ar whole-rock age of $70.9{\pm}1.4$Ma (Campanian). Therefore, the depositional age of the Cretaceous formation in the Aphaedo area and the time when dinosaurs lived in the study area are considered to be 77-83 Ma. Such results indicate that the ages of dinosaur eggshells from Aphaedo area can be correlated with the ages of the Seonso Formation (81Ma) with dinosaur egg nest fossils and the Uhangri Formation (79-81Ma) with dinosaur, pterosaur and web-footed bird tracks.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.695-702
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• 2000

The ichnogenus Protovirgularia McCoy, 1850 is reported from nonmarine strata of the Cretaceous Jinju Formation of the Sacheon area Korea. There, the Jinju Formation is composed mainly of fine-grained sandstone, grey to brownish grey mudstone, and shale which were deposited in a freshwater lacustrine environment. This occurrence represents the fist formal recording of the ichnotaxon from Korea and the first, on a global basis, from a nonmarine depositional environment.

• 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.29 no.2
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• pp.193-209
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• 1996

Paleomagnetic and rock-magnetic data have been obtained from the Cretaceous rocks (Yeongdong Group, volcanic rock, and intrusive rocks) which are exposed in the Yeongdong Basin. The characteristic remanent directions of these rocks, which are mainly carried by magnetite and hematite of single and pseudo-single domain sizes, are normally magnetized (Yeongdong Group: $D/I=29.6/59.0^{\circ}C$, k=75.7, ${\alpha}_{95}=3.3^{\circ}$, N=25 sites, paleopole at $198.0^{\circ}E$, $66.4^{\circ}N$, K=46.1, $A_{95}=4.3^{\circ}$; volcanic rock: $D/I=352.8/44.1^{\circ}$, k=44.2, ${\alpha}_{95}=18.8^{\circ}$, N=3 sites, paleopole at $340.0^{\circ}E$, $78.8^{\circ}N$, $K=49.8^{\circ}E$, $A_{95}=17.6^{\circ}$X>; intrusive rocks: $D/I=358.4/51.9^{\circ}C$, k=20.0, ${\alpha}_{95}=13.8^{\circ}$, N=7 sites, paleopole at $338.1^{\circ}E$, $86.8^{\circ}N$, K=13.5, $A_{95}=17.1^{\circ}$). The stepwise unfolding of the characteristic remanent magnetization (ChRM) of the Yeongdong Group reveals that a maximum value of k is observed at 60% of unfolding with $D/I=13.0/58.6^{\circ}$ (k=124.62, ${\alpha}_{95}2.6^{\circ}$) indicating that the ChRM was aquired during ti1ting of the strata. This remagnetized ChRM in the sedimentary strata is due to acquisition of geomagnetic field direction at the time of formation of authigenic magnetic minerals, although it is not totally ruled out that the formation of authigenic magnetic minerals was affected indirect1y by the elevated temperature originated from the volcanic and intrusive rocks which intruded between Late Cretaceous and Early Tertiary.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.189-201
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• 1999

Paleomagnetic and rock magnetic investigations have been carried out for the Cretaceous Hanyang Group, exposed in the Yongyang Sub-Basins within the Kyeongsang Basin, eastern South Korea. A total of 452 oriented core samples was drilled from 31 sits for the study. The in-situ site mean direction is more dispersed than the mean direction after bedding correction, indicating that the fold test is positive at 95% confidence level. In addition, the stepwise unfolding of the characteristic remanent magfold test is positive at 95% confidence level. In addition, the stepwise unfolding of the characteristic remanent magnetization reveals that a maximum value of k is observed at 90% unfolding. Furthermore, the rock magnetic investigations and electron microscope observations of the representative samples show that the main magnetic carrier of the Hayang Group is the detrital specular hematite of single and pseudo-single domain sizes with negligible contribution of pigmentary hematite grains. These results collectively imply that the ChRM direction is the primary component acquired at the time of the formation of the strata. Provided the primary nature of the ChRM, a magnetostratigraphic correlation between polarities of the studied formation and the Geomagnetic Time Scale indicates that the Hayang Group in the Yongyang Sub-Basin can be correlated to the Cretaceous Long Normal superchron. The paleomagnetic pole position from this study is significantly different from those of the Hayang group in the Euiseong the Milyang sub-Basins. Rather the paleomagnetic pole position of the Hayang Group of the study area is closer to that of the Quaternary period or present time of the Korean Peninsula. It is hypothesized that the study area might be rotated about 25$^{\circ}$ aticlockwise with respect to the Euiseong and Milyang Sub-Basins after the formation of the strata and aquisition of the ChRM, although there is not enough geologic evidence supporting the rotation hypothesis.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.519-539
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• 1993

A total of 264 independently oriented core samples were collected from 26 sites in the southwestern part (the Naktong Trough) of the Cretaceous $Ky{\check{o}}ngsang$ Basin in south Korea. The sampled formations comprise the sedimentary Shindong and the Hayang Groups of the Lower Cretaceous age. Alternating field and thermal demagnetizations were conducted. Characteristic remanent magnetization (ChRM) was relatively easily isolated in each formation except in the Chinju formation, from which only remagnetization circles were observed. Even though an extensive use of the fold test was not possible due to the nearly homoclinal nature of the strata in the area, we believe that the ChRM of each formation is of primary origin based on the following grounds: The in-situ ChRM direction of each formation is different from the present geomagnetic field direction. Fisherian precision parameter becomes enhanced through the tilt correction in all formations, closely to the values required for a positive fold test. Three out of the five studied formations pass the reversal test. The mean palaeomagnetic pole position from the studied area is found to be statistically different from the contemporary pole from the Chinese block exclusive of the Shandong area. The difference in magnetic declination suggests a $14.5^{\circ}$ (${\pm}10.5^{\circ}$) clockwise rotation of the studied area relative to the Chinese block comprising the west of the Tan-Lu fault. On the other hand, any significant difference in magnetic inclination and concurrent palaeolatitude is not observed between the studied area and China as well as the other area (Taegu-Andong area) in the $Ky{\check{o}}ngsang$ Basin. The dual nature of the magnetic polarity confirmed in all formations suggests an older than 124 Ma (Neocomian or older) age of the studied sedimentary strata.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2003.03a
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• pp.369-374
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• 2003

A study of anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) have been carried out to understand the tectonic stress field of late Cretaceous-Tertiary strata in Yangsan area. A total of 119 independently oriented core samples were collected from 9 sites throughout the area. The study results show that 5 sites are characterized by load foliation, and 4 sites by tectonic foliation. Load foliations caused by the weight of the overlying strata occur in the central part of the study area. Tectonic foliations created by compressional tectonic force show a regional variation in direction: Direction of compression axes derived from tectonic foliation in the southern part of the study area is approximately WNW-ESE, while it changes into NE-SW northern part of the study area. Such compressional directions are compatible with the lineament directions in each area.