• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.13-21
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• 2010

The Piseo-ri site in Muan provides significant data in investigation on the Paleolithic sites in the southwest coast of Korea. Stratigraphic and geological analysis indicates that the characteristic of soil wedge can vary in accordance with soil property and relief of paleo-surface. Considering that the cultural layer was deposited after the Last Glacial Maximum, co-occurrence of the late Middle to early Upper Paleolithic stone tools suggests a possibility of redeposition of different ages resulted from active erosion. The result shows that the distribution of the Paleolithic tools and the property of soil wedge could be controlled by environmental conditions such as relief of paleo-surface and climate.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.26 no.7
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• pp.714-724
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• 2005

The East Sea, a semi-enclosed marginal sea with shallow straits in the northwest Pacific, is marked by the nearly geographic isolation and the low sea surface salinity during the last glacial maximum (LGM). The East Sea might have the only connection to the open ocean through the Korea Strait with a sill depth of 130 m, allowing the paleo-Tsushima Water to enter the sea during the LGM. The low paleosalinity associated with abnormally light $\delta^{18}O$ values of planktonic foraminifera is interpreted to have resulted from river discharge and precipitation. Nevertheless, two LGM features in the East Sea are disputable. This study attempts to estimate volume transport of the paleo-Tsushima Water via the Korea Strait and further examines its effect on the low sea surface salinity (SSS) during the lowest sea level of the LGM. The East Sea was not completely isolated, but partially linked to the northern East China Sea through the Korea Strait during the LGM. The volume transport of the paleo-Tsushima Water during the LGM is calculated approximately$(0.5\~2.1)\times10^{12}m^3/yr$ on the basis of the selected seismic reflection profiles along with bathymetry and current data. The annual influx of the paleo-Tsushima Water is low, compared to the 100 m-thick surface water volume $(about\;79.75\times10^{12}m^3)$ in the East Sea. The paleo-Tsushima Water influx might have changed the surface water properties within a geologically short time, potentially decreasing sea surface salinity. However, the effect of volume transport on the low sea surface salinity essentially depends on freshwater amounts within the paleo-Tsushima Water and excessive evaporation during the glacial lowstands of sea level. Even though the paleo-Tsushima Water is assumed to have been entirely freshwater at that time period, it would annually reduce only about 1‰ of salinity in the surface water of the East Sea. Thus, the paleo-Tsushima Water influx itself might not be large enough to significantly reduce the paleosalinity of about 100 m-thick surface layer during the LGM. This further suggests contribution of additional river discharges from nearby fluvial systems (e.g. the Amur River) to freshen the surface water.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.93-99
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• 2001

We have analyzed the pollen sequence since the end of Last Glacial Maximum at Yugawanuma moor The Yugawanuma moor($39^{\circ}15'N$, $140^{\circ}45'E$) is situated in an closed depression of an old landslide about 590m a.s.l. near the boundary between Iwate and Akita Prefecture. The main results are as follows : Five forest zones have been distinguished. \circled1 Y-I zone : Pinus-Picea-Betula zone (the subalpine forest.the end of the Last Glacial Maximum), \circled2 Y-II : Betula zone (the subalpine forest.the Late Glacial), \circled3 Y-III : Quercus-Betula-Ulmus/Zelkova zone (the lower subalpine or the upper montane forest.R I), \circled4 Y-IV : Fagus zone (the cool temperate deciduous broad-leaved forest.R II), \circled5 Y-V : Fagus-Quercus-Cryptomeria zone (the mixed forest conifer and deciduous broad-leaved forest.R III).

• Journal of the korean society of oceanography
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• v.33 no.1-2
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• pp.8-17
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• 1998

Paleoceanographic history of the East Sea is reconstructed based on several environmental parameters (coarse fraction content, planktonic foraminifera/benthic foraminifera ratio, fragmentation and assemblages of planktonic foraminifera, and coiling ratio of Neogloboquadrina pa-chyderma, etc,) of the late Quaternary sediments obtained from the Ulleung Basin. N. pa-chydeyma and Globigerina bulloides are dominant species (greater than 90% in abundance)among the total planktonic foraminifera assemblages in the late Quaternary sediments. The benthic foraminifera rarely occurred throughout the cores. Sinistrally-coiled specimens of N. pa-chyderma representing cold water temperature are observed more abundantly than dextrally-coil-ed ones. In addition, the sinistrally-coiled N, pachydeyma showed more the amount at the lower part of the cores than at the upper part suggesting the restriction of the Tsushima Warm Current into the East Sea during glacial period. G. bulloides, a species representative of upwelling condition, shows more abundant occurrence in the sediments of Core 941013 than those of Core 941006. This implies that Core 941013 is more influenced by upwelling than Core 941006. The upper part of the two cores contain more fragmentation of planktonic foraminifera suggesting significant dissolution by corrosive bottom wafer. Ascending CCD also played an important role for the absence of planktonic foraminifera at the upper part of the cores.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.242-258
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• 2012

The Yellow Sea has sensitively responded to high-amplitude sea-level fluctuations during the late Quaternary. The repeated inundation and exposure have produced distinct transgression-regression successions with extensive exposure surfaces in Kyeonggi Bay. The late Quaternary strata consist of four seismic stratigraphic units, considered as depositional sequences (DS-1, DS-2, DS-3, and DS-4). DS-1 was interpreted as ridge-forming sediments of tidal-flat and estuarine channel-fill facies, formed during the Holocene highstand. DS-2 consists of shallow-marine facies in offshore area, which was formed during the regression of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS)-3 period. DS-3 comprises the lower transgressive facies and the upper highstand tidal-flat facies in proximal ridges and forced regression facies in distal ridges and offshore area. The lowermost DS-4 rests on acoustic basement rocks, considered as the shallow-marine and shelf deposits formed before the MIS-6 lowstand. This study suggests six depositional stages. During the first stage-A, MIS-6 lowstand, the Yellow Sea shelf was subaerially exposed with intensive fluvial incision and weathering. The subsequent rapid and high amplitude rise of sea level in stage-B until the MIS-5e highstand produced transgressive deposits in the lowermost part of the MIS-5 sequence, and the successive regression during the MIS-5d to -5a and the MIS-4 lowstand formed the upperpart of the MIS-5 sequence in stage-C. During the stage-D, from the MIS-4 lowstand to MIS-3c highstand period, the transgressive MIS-3 sequence formed in a subtidal environment characterized by repetitive fluvial incision and channel-fill deposition in exposed area. The subsequent sea-level fall culminating the last glacial maximum (Stage-E) made shallow-marine regressive deposits of MIS-3 sequence in offshore distal area, whereas it formed fluvial channel-fills and floodplain deposits in the proximal area. After the last glacial maximum, the overall Yellow Sea shelf was inundated by the Holocene transgression and highstand (Stage-F), forming the Holocene transgressive shelf sands and tidal ridges.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.1-26
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• 1993

The estimation of the Last Interglacial sea level was made by using the thalassostatic terrace which had been developed in the lower reach of Namdaechon river in Kangneung, eastern coastal area of Korea. The fluvial terraces, which have been developed since late Pleistocene, were investigated. The main findings were as follows; 1) That Kangneung terrace I had been formed in the climax period of the Last Interglacial (Oxygen isotope stage 5e) was revealed. It was estimated that Kangneung terrace II had been formed during a certain warmer period between the climax period of the Last Interglacial and the early Last Glacial(probably Oxygen isotope stage 5c or 5a). 2) Being judged from the relative heights of the Kangneung terrace I and II, the sea levels of the formation periods of these terraces were estimated to have been relatively 17~20m and l0m higher than the present sea level, respectively. 3) The formation periods of the Wangsan terrace I and II were supposed to be the early and late Last Glacial respectively, being judged from the following 3 details ; a) the characteristics of the terrace deposits, b) the relation Wangsan terrace II to the buried valley floor, and c) the cross phenomena of the above two terraces to the Kangneung terraces. 4) The formation period of the pseudogleyed red soil in the Kangneung terrace I was estimated to be the middle or late period of the Last Interglacial.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.369-379
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• 2003

Analysis of high-resolution seismic profiles and sediment data from the southeastern continental shelf of Korea reveals that the late Quaternary deposits consist of a set of lowstand (LST), transgressive (TST), and highstand systems tracts (HST) that corresponds to the sea-level change after the Last Glacial Maximum. LST (Unit I) above the sequence boundary consists of sandy mud or muddy sand deposited during the last glacial period and is confined to the shelf margin and trough region. TST (Unit II) between transgressive surface and maximum flooding surface consists of sandy sediments deposited during the postglacial transgression (15,000-6,000 yr BP). Although TST is widely distributed on the shelf, it is much thinner than LST and HST. On the basis of distribution pattern, TST can be divided into three sub-units: early TST (Unit IIa) on the shelf margin, middle TST (Unit IIb) on the mid-shelf, and late TST (Unit IIc) on the inner shelf, respectively. These are characterized by a backstepping depositional arrangement. HST(Unit III) above the maximum flooding surface is composed of the fine-grained sediments deposited during the last 6000 yrs when sea level was close to the present level and its distribution is restricted to the inner shelf along the coast.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.13-19
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• 1992

To understand the natural environments and human cultures in the Yellow Sea regions, this paper deals especially the climate and sea level fluctuation in the Yellow Sea and its surrounding region in the period of late Pleistocene (125, 000 yr BP) to Holocene. During the glacial maximum (about 15, 000 yr BP to 18, 000 yr BP), the climate might be cold and arid. These arid climate in the Yellow Sea region did make desertization possible. Possible human culture exchanges between China, Korea and Japan might be carried in a easy way, because the entire basin of the Yellow Sea was exposed as land. Paleoshorelines of the Yellow Sea in the period of 10, 000 yr BP, 9, 000 ry BP and 6, 000 yr BP are presented and sea level fluctuation curve from 37, 000 yr BP (late Pleistocene) to present (late Holocene), for the first time, is presented based on a careful reconsideration of existing old data and recent new data.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.18 no.2 s.23
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• pp.17-17
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• 2004

The Pleistocene lake level and climate development is described by proxies from sediment, pollen and diatom records in Mongolia and Northwest-China. It could be proved that higher lake levels seem to have existed during the old and mid Pleistocene period interpreted on the base of geomorphological and sedimentological reords. They are dated in a relativ time scale. The lake basins are filled up to 300 m by limnic deposits, which foused on a constant water balance of more than 700.000 years. Late Glacial and Holocene lake level fluctuations and climate changes can be proved by biostratigraphic records pointing to dry and wet phases. Only for the youngest history desiccation of some lakes are related to human impact.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.18 no.2 s.23
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• pp.3-3
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• 2004

One short core with length of 146cm(HB-107, at coordinates of $N51^{\circ}$11'37.5";$E100^{\circ}$24'45.6", from 229m water depth was subject of the present study. The sub-samples of the core were analyzed for the water contents (WC%), biogenic silica, identification of the main phases, grain size distribution, geochemistry and some physical properties of sediment(Wet density and Magnetic susceptibility) with aims of recording palaeo-environmental changes in Northem Mongolia. The evaluation of the geochemical and mineralogical proxies on palaeo-climated and palaeo-environmental changes are based on comparison to the behvior of biogenic silica through core, as later one had been showed itself, as good indicator of the climate and environmental fluctuation. Age model of the investigating core based on previously C 14 dated core HB105 taken from the central part of the Hobsgol Lake and the result had been published elsewhere. The core consists of two litological varieties : upper diatomaceous silt, lower clay. According to the age model the upper diatomaceous silt formed during the Holocene, lower caly-during the late Pleistocene glacial period. The geochemistry and phase identification analysis on the core samples are resulted in determining main minerals that form the bottom sediments and their geochemistry. The main include quartz, felspar, muscovite, clinochlore, amphibole and carbonate phase(dolomite and calcite). Through the core not only occur the relative quantitative changes of the main phases, but also happen that the carbonate phase completely disappear in diatomaceous silt. This is believed to be related to the lake water salinity changes, which occurred during the trassition period from Pleistocene glacial-to the Holocene interglacial. These abrupt changes of the mineralogy have been clearly traced in geochemistry of sediments, specially in calcium concentration, which is high in lower clay and low in upper diatomaceous silt. That means, geochemistry and mineralogy of the bottom sediments can be used as proxy data on palaeo-climate and palaeo-environmental changes.