• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.121-136
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• 2023

Microstructural characterization, identification of mineral assemblages, and K-Ar age dating of fault gouges from five Quaternary fault sites segmented along the northern Yangsan Fault, SE Korea were performed to understand formation condition and multiple activity of faults. The mean and median sizes of particles of bulk gouges vary among the studied faults: 1.75 ㎛ and 1.43 ㎛ for the Danguri Fault, 1.94 ㎛ and 1.79 ㎛ for the Yukjae Fault, 5.57 ㎛ and 4.16 ㎛ for the Yugye Fault, and 5.55 ㎛ and 2.31 ㎛ for the Bogyeongsa Fault. Fault gouges contain abundant secondary minerals, including smectite, chlorite, illite, kaolinite, laumontite, and mordenite, which are found in association with quartz and feldspar. K-Ar dating of the fault gouges (both bulk samples and separate size fractions) yields ages ranging from 59.1 to 18.8 Ma, with bulk ages of 47.6 Ma for the Yukjae Fault, 59.1 Ma for the Ansim Fault, 39.4 Ma for the Yugye Fault, and 22.6 Ma for the Bogyeongsa Fault. The finer fractions generally have younger K-Ar ages compared with the coarser fractions, and the finest fraction (<0.2 ㎛) is the youngest for each fault. Hydrothermal alteration of the gouges is considered to have occurred under low-temperature (100~200℃) conditions during faulting. Microstructural features and clay mineral assemblages of fault gouges and brecciated rocks should be considered when interpreting fault events and reactivation, in addition to age dating of faulting.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.75-103
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• 2014

The Quaternary faults are extensively observed along major inherited fault zones (i.e. Yangsan Fault System, Ulsan Fault, Yeonil Tectonic Line, Ocheon Fault System) in SE Korea. Their geometry and kinematics provide a very useful piece of information about the Quaternary crustal deformation and stress field in and around Korean Peninsula. Using magnetic fabrics (AMS), we attempted to determine the slip senses of Jinti, Mohwa, Suseongji2, and Wangsan faults and then interpreted the fabric development process of fault gouge and the characteristics of stress field during the Quaternary. All the magnetic fabrics of the faults, except the Wangsan Fault, consistently indicate a dominant reverse-slip sense with weak strike-slip component. Most of the oblate fabrics are nearly parallel to the fault surface and the anisotropy degrees generally increase in proportion to the oblatenesses. These results suggest that the fabrics of the fault gouges resulted from a progressive deformation due to continuous simple shear during the last reactivation stage as reverse faulting. It is also interpreted that the pre-existing fabrics were overwhelmed and obliterated by the re-activated faulting. Paleostress field calculated from the fault slip data indicates an ENE-WNW compressive stress, which is in accord with those determined from previous fault tectonic analysis, focal mechanism solution, and hydraulic fracturing test in and around Korean Peninsula.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.635-643
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• 2009

In this paper, a Quaternary fault is described, which is developed in the mid-eastern part of Ulsan Fault Zone, near the southern Gaegok-ri, Oedong-eub, Gyeongju, Korea. The Gaegok 6 fault is developed along the contact between Early Tertiary granite and Quaternary gravel deposit overlying unconformably the granite. The fault strikes $N02^{\circ}{\sim}22^{\circ}E$ and dips $45^{\circ}{\sim}80^{\circ}$ to the west. This fault has a 30~50 cm wide cataclastic shear zone with gouge zone, mixed with Quaternary sediments and fault breccia of granite. In the main Quaternary fault plane, the orientation of striation is $17^{\circ}$, $356^{\circ}$, indicating a dextral strike-slip faulting with some normal component. There is another striation ($78^{\circ}$, $278^{\circ}$ and $43^{\circ}$, $270^{\circ}$) with reverse-slip sense, developed on the subsidiary plane which cuts the main Quaternary fault plane. In brief, the fault has been developed between the granite in the western part and the Quaternary gravel deposit in the eastern part. The western block of fault is uplifted. The striations and movement senses of faults indicate multiple compressional stages in this region. The fault has a similar orientation, westward dipping geometric pattern, and reverse sensed kinematic pattern with Gaegok 1 fault developed in the north. Thus, the Gaegok 6 fault is probably a southern extension of Gaegok 1 fault.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.645-654
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• 2020

We present the K-Ar age dating results of <0.1㎛ fraction of the selected fault rocks from the Yangsan fault in the Yeonghae area. Based on the mineralogical characterization, the <0.1㎛ fractions were mostly composed of 1Md illite polytype, or I-S interstratified mineral, which should be formed by fault activation. Therefore, we determined the timings of fault activation events by analyzing K-Ar age-dating for the <0.1㎛ fractions. Accordingly, the activation timings of Yangsan Fault in the Yeonghae area were determined as 45.5±1.1 Ma, 50.9±1.2 Ma, 58.2±1.3 Ma, 60.8±1.4 Ma, 65.3±1.6 Ma, 66.8±1.5 Ma, 67.1±1.5 Ma, and 75.1±1.7 Ma. These results indicate that at least 5-times of major fault events occurred in the Yangsan fault from late Mesozoic to Cenozoic Era. In the outcrop, age dating results tend to be younger age from the location of the oldest sample(75.1±1.7 Ma) toward to the both sides. From the results, it suggests that the fault activation extends from the location of oldest age saple to both sides. This geochronological research of the multiple fault activation ages for the Yangsan Fault will provide crucial information for establishing the tectonic evolution model in the southeastern part of the Korean Peninsula.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.485-498
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• 2015

Structural analysis for a large-scale fault in Maegok-dong, Ulsan, was carried out based on filed-works to investigate the geometric and kinematic characteristics of the fault as well as its Quaternary slip. As results, a series of repeated stratigraphy, minor faults, fracture zones, and deformation band clusters are observed over a distance of about 100 m in the first studied site consisting of sedimentary rocks, which may indicate the damage zone of a large-scale fault in this site. In the second site, mainly composed of granitic clastic rocks, a large-scale thrust fault is expected based on low-angle dipping faults showing branched and/or merged patterns. Age of the last slip on this fault was restrained as after 33,275 ± 355 yr BP based on radiocarbon dating for organic material included in the gouge zone. Dimension of fault damage zone, dominant sense of slip, and age of the slip event associated with the fault suggest that these structures have a close relationship with the Ulsan Fault and/or Yeonil Tectonic Line, which are well-known large-scale neotectonic structural features around the study area. Therefore, it is necessary to study the characteristics of the faults in detail based on structural geology and paleoseismology in order to ensure seismic and geologic stability of the buildings under construction, and to prevent geologic hazards in this area.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.295-306
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• 2012

In this study, the Singal fault zone in the Gyeonggi massif is identified in the Kiheung area. Geotechnical investigations were carried out to locate and characterize of the Singal fault zone in the Kiheung reservoir area. The N-S striking Shingal fault is known to be a Riedel-type strike-slip fault within the Choogaryung rift. Along the fault zone, 62 bore holes were drilled and electrical resistivity survey of about 11km, and vibroseis seismic refraction and reflection survey of about 500m were done. From the result of investigations, it is found that the fault zone, consisting mainly of gouge and breccia, has maximum width of 300 meters with anastomosing geometry of secondary fractures developed subparallel to the fault zone. We interpret these geometric features to be the result of structural development of flower-structure type at the restraining band of strike-slip fault. However, there are uncertainties of this interpretation because there are virtually no outcrops in the area. Further investigation to understand geometric features and linkage style of the fault zone.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.127-140
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• 2015

A fault is one of the critical factors that may lead to a possible ground collapse occurring in construction site. A fault core, however, possibly acting as a failure plane in whole fault zone, is composed of fractured rock and gouge nonuniformly distributed and thus can be characterized by its wide range of shear strength which is generally acquired by experimental method for stability analysis. In this study, we performed direct shear test and grain size distribution analysis for 62 fault core samples cropped from 12 different spots located in the vicinity of Kyongju and Ulsan, Korea. As a result, the range of shear strength representing the characteristics of fault cores in the study regions is determined with regard to vertical stress using a regression analysis for experiment data. The weight ratio of gravels in the samples is proportional to the shear strength and that of silt and clay is in inverse proportion to the shear strength. For most samples, the coefficient of determination is over 0.7 despite of inhomogeneity of them and consequently we determined the lower limit and upper limit of the shear strength with regard to the weight ratio by setting the confidence interval of 95%.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2005.03a
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• pp.107-112
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• 2005

Road is built continuously along with development of industry and cut slope is happened necessarily in road construction. Geoengineers are executing cut slope stability analysis considering various cut slope condition such as topography, geology, hydraulic condition and so on. The Tertiary Jungja Basin is located in the southeastern coastal area of the Korea Peninsula. Jungja Basin area is created by geotectonic movement of the plate after Early Miocene epoch. The northwestern and southwestern boundary of the basin is fault zone. The Basement rock is hornfels (Ulsan Formation). Basin-fills consist of extrusive volcanic rock(Tangsa Andesites), unconsolidated fluviatile conglomerate(Kangdong Formation) and shallow brackish-water sandstone(Sinhyun Formation). The characteristics of cut slopes in this area is different with cut slopes in the other site. Soil layers in this area is unconsolidated sediments and is not formed the weathering and erosion of the rock. So, the depth of soil layer is very thick. Faults of this area are northwest-southeast and northeast-southwest direction. Expandible clay mineral as smectite, chlorite et al. detected from fault gouge using XRD. Therefore, Jungja Basin area must consider the characteristics of the faults and soil layers thickness necessarily cut slopes stability analysis.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.397-409
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• 2014

The appearance of faults during tunnel construction is often difficult to predict in terms of strike, dip, scale, and strength, even though this information is essential in determining the strength of the surrounding rock mass. However, the strength and rock mass classification of fault zones are generally determined empirically on the construction site. In this study, 109 specimens were collected from fault of nine area throughout Korea, and direct shear tests were conducted and the particle distribution was analyzed to better characterize the fault zones. Six multiple regression models were established, using 97 of the specimens, to analyze the correlation between the shear strengths and weight rations of these fault materials. A verification of the six models, using the remaining 12 specimens, shows that in all of the models the coefficient of determination yielded $R^2{\geq}0.60$, with two models yielding $R^2{\geq}0.69$. These results provide useful information for determining the shear strength of fault materials in future studies.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.91-101
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• 2017

Fault materials has various properties depending on their areas, rock types, and components because they are formed by heterogeneous and complicated mechanisms. In this study, to understand the physical and mechanical properties of fault materials, 109 fault materials distributed in South Korea were collected to conduct various laboratory tests with them and analyze their physical and mechanical properties (unit weight, specific gravity, porosity, gravel content, silt/clay content, clay mineral content, friction angle, and cohesion) according to areas, rock types, and components. As for the physical and mechanical properties by rock type, gneiss shows the highest medians in the unit weight ($17.1kN/m^3$) and specific gravity (2.73), granite does so in the porosity (45.5%), schist does so in the gravel content (20.0 wt.%) and cohesion (38.1 kPa), and phyllite does so in the silt/clay content (54.4 wt.%), clay mineral content (30.1 wt.%), and friction angle ($38.2^{\circ}$). With regard to the physical and mechanical properties by component, fault gouge was shown to have lower values than cataclasite and damage zones in all factors other than porosity and silt/clay contents.