• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
• /
• v.25 no.3
• /
• pp.261-281
• /
• 2016

Our knowledge of the lithosphere beneath the Korean Peninsula has been improved through petrologic and geochemical studies of upper mantle xenoliths hosted by Quaternary intraplate alkali basalts from Jeju Island. The xenoliths are mostly spinel lherzolites, accompanied by subordinate harzburgite and pyroxenites. The mantle xenoliths represent residual mantle material showing textural and geochemical evidence for at least a three-stage evolution, fractional partial melting, recrystallization, and metasomatism. Their composition primarily controlled by early fractional melt extraction and porphyroclastic and mylonitic fabrics formed in a shear-dominated environment, which was subsequently modified by residual slab-derived fluids (or melts). Modal metasomatic products occur as both anhydrous phase(orthopyroxene) and hydrous phase (phlogopite). Late-stage orthopyroxene is more common than phlogopite. However, chemical equilibrium is evident between the primary and secondary orthopyroxene, implying that the duration of post-metasomatic high temperatures enabled complete resetting/reequilibration of the mineral compositions. The metasomatic enrichment pre-dates the host Jeju Quaternary magmatism, and a genetic relationship with the host magmas is considered unlikely. Following enrichment in the peridotite protolith in the mantle wedge, the upper mantle beneath proto-Jeju Island was transformed from a subarc environment to an intraplate environment. The Jeju peridotites, representing old subarc fragments, were subsequently transported to the surface, incorporated into ascending Quaternary intraplate alkali basalt. The result of this study implies that long term material transfer in the transformation of geotectonic setting from a subarc to intraplate may have played a significant role in the evolution of lithospheric mantle, resulting in the enriched mantle domains, such as EM I or EM II in the lithospheric mantle beneath East Asia.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
• /
• v.1 no.2
• /
• pp.124-131
• /
• 1992

The Sm-Nd isotopic data on the Precambrian gneisses from Gyeonggi and Sobaegsan Massifs are presented and the crustal evolution of the Precambrian basements of the Korean Peninsula is discussed with that of the Precambrian basements of East Asia. Sm-Nd isochron plots on whole rock samples from Sobaegsan Massif give the following ages and initial Nd values. Biotite gneisses: $1.05{\pm}0.07$ Ga with ${\varepsilon}_{Nd}$ (1.05 Ga)= $-12.5{\pm}0.4$ ($2{\sigma}$); granitic gneisses: $1.70{\pm}0.59$ Ga with ${\varepsilon}_{Nd}$ (1.70 Ga)=$+9.5{\pm}6$($2{\sigma}$). Initial Nd isotopic evolution diagram for the Precambrian orthogneisses from Sobaegsan Massif with the Precambrian orthogneisses in northeastern China and Japan reveals the existence of early Archean depleted-mantle in east Asia and suggests the prevalence of nearly common or similar source accountable for these Precambrian gneisses. Such a common source is shown to have LREE-enriched feature and to have been formed from the depleted-mantle in the late Archean of ca. 2.6 Ga. On the other hand, the Sobaegsan granitic gneisses in Korea are concluded to have different evolution history. Our Sm-Nd study clearly discloses that some Precambrian orthogneisses from Korea had evolved from the protolith having the similar or same geochemical properties with the Precambrian orthogneisses in Japan and northeastern China. In addition, crustal formation age of Gyeonggi Massif in southern Korea may be different from that of Sobaegasn Massif.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.199-208
• /
• 2010

The Cenozoic alkali basalts are distributed over Korea, both on central part as Bangnyeongdo, Ganseong, Pyeongtaek-Asan and Jogongni and also on southernmost part Jejudo. The ultramafic mantle xenoliths carried by Korean alkali basalts are spinel lherzolites. Garnet lherzolite that is more stable at the deeper level has not been reported so far, indicating that the lithospheric thickness under Korea does not reach deep enough to the stable zone of garnet lherzolite. The crustal evolution history of the Korean peninsula, at least some part of it, seemingly started since the Archean, it normally should have lithospheric thickness greater than 150 km. However, the mantle xenoliths carried by the Cenozoic alkali basalts indicate the maximum depth of origination in the much shallower range of 60-90 km. Such significantly thinner lithospheric thickness of the Korean peninsula than expected is quite similar to the case of North China Craton having lithospheric thickness of ca. 80 km in average, suggesting thinning of the lithospheric mantle in a depth scale of a few tens of kilometers during the past geologic time. The main causal events for such significant thinning of the lithospheric mantle can be continental collisional events of Paleoproterozoic and early Mesozoic similar to the case of North China Craton, which are also supported by Paleoproterozoic igneous and metamorphic events during the 1.9-2.0 Ga occurring all over the Korean peninsula and also early Mesozoic continental collisional event which has been discussed on lively arguments.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
• /
• v.23 no.3
• /
• pp.229-237
• /
• 2014

The Lu-Hf isotope system, coupled with the advent of multiple collector inductively coupled plasma source mass spectrometry, is now widely utilized as a tracer for geological processes. The paper presents a comprehensive review on the principles of the Lu-Hf isotopes, and its current and potential applications to both geochronology and petrogenesis. Finally, based on the Lu-Hf isotopic data from Korean mafic and ultramafic rocks, its has been discussed evolution of the mantle beneath the Korean Peninsula.

• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
• /
• v.35 no.3
• /
• pp.273-281
• /
• 2022

Mantle heterogeneity is closely related to the distribution and circulation of volatile components in the Earth's interior, and the behavior of volatiles in the mantle strongly influences the rheological properties of silicate rocks. In mantle xenoliths, these physicochemical properties of the upper mantle can be recorded in the form of microstructures and fluid inclusions. In this paper, I summarized and reviewed the results of previous studies related to the characteristics of microstructures and fluid inclusions from peridotite xenoliths beneath the Rio Grande Rift (RGR) in order to understand the evolution and heterogeneity of upper mantle. In the RGR, the mantle peridotites are mainly reported in the rift axis (EB: Elephant Butte, KB: Kilbourne Hole) and rift flank (AD: Adam's Diggings) regions. In the case of the former (EB and KB peridotites), the type-A lattice preferred orientation (LPO), formed under low-stress and low-water content, was reported. In the case of the latter (AD peridotites), the type-C LPO, formed under low-stress and high-water content, was reported. In particular, in the case of AD peridotites, at least two fluid infiltration events, such as early (type-1: CO₂-N₂) and late (type-2: CO₂-H₂O), have been recorded in orthopyroxene. The upper mantle heterogeneity recorded by these microstructures and fluid inclusions is considered to be due to the interaction between the North American plate and the Farallon plate.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
• /
• v.40 no.2
• /
• pp.130-134
• /
• 2024

The family Velutinidae is found in various intertidal and subtidal habitats worldwide including Arctic and Antarctic seas. They are characterized by possessing a fragile shell that is partially or entirely covered by the mantle. Eight valid species of the genus Coriocella have been reported mostly in the Indo-West Pacific. Here we report Coriocella jayi Wellens, 1996 from Korean waters for the first time and describe details of their external morphology and radula characteristics using scanning electron microscopy, and provide the mtDNA cox1 sequence as a DNA barcode sequence information. This species is distinguished from other congeneric species by having six cylinder-shaped tubercular lobes of their dorsal part of mantle body and mantle color. Phylogenetic tree using the mtDNA cox1 sequence data shows that two Coriocella species (C. jayi and C. nigra) are grouped as their respective sister among Velutinidae species, and these relationships are strongly supported by 100% bootstrap value. Despite the morphological similarities, further investigation will be needed to confirm whether the African and Korean populations can be justified as the same species with a disconnected distribution range, or represent morphologically similar but two distinct species.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.124-131
• /
• 2014

The Korean nudibranch faunal study has been conducted since 2011 and five species including Dermatobranchus otome Baba, 1992, Mexichromis festiva (Angas, 1864), Noumea nivalis Baba, 1937, Hoplodoris armata (Baba, 1993), and Okenia hiroi (Baba, 1938) were newly reported with re-descriptions and figures. Also, Noumea purpurea Baba, 1949 was re-described with illustrations because previous records for this species were given without a description. Two congeneric species in the genus Noumea could be distinguished by ground color, dorsal markings, color of the mantle edge and gills, and mantle and dorsal marking. In addition, mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences of five species were provided for further molecular identification study. Consequently, a total of 43 species have been reported for the Korean nudibranch fauna.

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.233-241
• /
• 2015

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are a major pattern recognition receptor that recognize the structure of invading pathogen and play key roles by triggering immune response. In this study, we identified a sequence of TLR homolog and characterized at molecular level from the abalone (Haliotis discus hannai). Multiple alignments and phylogenetic analysis of abalone TLR protein belongs to the TLR 2/6. Expression level of abalone TLR 2/6 in the tissue was comparatively high in the mantle, gill, digestive duct, and hemocytes, but lowest in the muscle. Expression level of abalone TLR 2/6 mRNA in the mantle, gill, digestive duct, and hemocytes was 20-fold, 60-fold, 115-fold, 112-fold higher than in the muscle, respectively. Expression level of abalone TLR 2/6 mRNA in the mantle was steadily increased until 12 h and decreased post-infection with Vibrio parahemolyticus. While the expression level of abalone TLR 2/6 mRNA in the gill and hemocytes was drastically increased at 6 and 9 h post-infection with Vibrio parahemolyticus, respectively. These results suggest that abalone TLR 2/6 is conserved through evolution and may play roles similar to its mammalian counterparts.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
• /
• v.38 no.2
• /
• pp.248-253
• /
• 2020

The level at which analyses of DNA content might contribute more significantly to the genetic mechanisms of evolution lies in the events of speciation. The object of this study was to investigate the DNA content of abalone (Haliotis discus hannai) and determine the optimal tissue samples for measuring the DNA content of abalone by flowcytometry without fixation. The DNA content (pg/nucleus) of gill tissue (2.5±0.08), which was contaminated with protozoa, was significantly lower than that of muscle tissue (3.2±0.02), mantle tissue (3.2±0.02) (p<0.05), and a standard reference standard, while the DNA contents of muscle tissue and mantle tissue were higher than that of the standard reference. Considering the results of this study, DNA content analysis with flowcytometry is an acute and rapid method by which muscle tissue and mantle tissue are the most appropriate sample for measuring the DNA content of abalone without fixation.

• Journal of the Korean Geophysical Society
• /
• v.2 no.1
• /
• pp.9-26
• /
• 1999

The Ulleung Basin (Tsushima Basin) in the southwestern East Sea (Japan Sea) is floored by a crust whose affinity is not known whether oceanic or thinned continental. This ambiguity resulted in unconstrained mechanisms of basin evolution. The present work attempts to define the nature of the crust of the Ulleung Basin and its tectonic evolution using seismic wide-angle reflection and refraction data recorded on ocean bottom seismometers (OBSs). Although the thickness of (10 km) of the crust is greater than typical oceanic crust, tau-p analysis of OBS data and forward modeling by 2-D ray tracing suggest that it is oceanic in character: (1) the crust consists of laterally consistent upper and lower layers that are typical of oceanic layers 2 and 3 in seismic velocity and gradient distribution and (2) layer 2C, the transition between layer 2 and layer 3 in oceanic crust, is manifested by a continuous velocity increase from 5.7 to 6.3 km/s over the thickness interval of about 1 km between the upper and lower layers. Therefore it is not likely that the Ulleung Basin was formed by the crustal extension of the southwestern Japan Arc where crustal structure is typically continental. Instead, the thickness of the crust and its velocity structure suggest that the Ulleung Basin was formed by seafloor spreading in a region of hotter than normal mantle surrounding a distant mantle plume, not directly above the core of the plume. It seems that the mantle plume was located in northeast China. This suggestion is consistent with geochemical data that indicate the influence of a mantle plume on the production of volcanic rocks in and around the Ulleung Basin. Thus we propose that the opening models of the southwestern East Sea should incorporate seafloor spreading and the influence of a mantle plume rather than the extension of the crust of the Japan Arc.