• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.223-234
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• 1988

A large number of gold and/or silver-bearing quartz veins occur in or near Mesozoic granite batholith elongated in a NE-SW direction within the Chungcheong Province. Precambrian schists and gneisses, and Jurassic and Cretaceous granitic rocks serve as hosts for gold and/or silver deposits. On the basis of Ag/Au total production and ore grade ratio, 15 mines may be divided into three major groups: gold-dominant deposits, gold-silver deposits, and silver-dominant deposits. The chemical composition of electrum from skarn deposit (Geodo mine), alaskite-type deposit (Geumjeong mine) and 15 vein deposits was summarized. It was found that the Au content of electrum for vein deposits ranging from 5.2 to 86.5 is lower than that for skarn and alaskite deposits. Among 15 vein deposits, the composition of electrum associated with pyrrhotite is relatively high and has a narrow range of 40.8 to 86.5 atomic % Au, but the Au content of electrum with pyrite is in range of 5.2 to 82.8 atomic %, and is clearly lower than that with pyrrhotite. The grouping of ages for these mines indicates that gold and/or silver mineralizations occurred during two periods in the Mesozoic. Daebo igneous activities are restricted to gold mineralization in the range of 158 to 133 Ma, whereas Bulgugsa igneous activities are related to gold and/or silver mineralization ranging from 108 to 71 Ma. Generally speaking, Jurassic gold-dominant veins have many common characteristics; notably prominent association with pegmatites, simply massive vein morphology, high fineness in the ore concentrates, rarity of silver minerals, and a distinctively simple mineralogy, including sphalerite, galena, chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite and/or pyrite. Although individual deposits exhibit widely differing diversity, Cretaceous gold-silver and silver-dominant veins are characterized by features such as complex vein, low to medium fineness in the ore concentrates and abundance of silver minerals including Ag sulfosalts, Ag sulfides, Ag tellurides and native silver.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.33-38
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• 2005

Worldwide magnesium market has been considerably growing recently due to adoption as light materials for automobile engines and electronic devices such as mobile phones. In this study, it is to prepare magnesium oxide, which is the first-step product in smelting of magnesium from the ore, using magnesite of Yongyanag mines in North Korea as raw ores. MgO grade of the magnesite was about 45 wt%, and SiO$_2$, CaO, Al$_2O_3$ and Fe$_2O_3$ were contained as impurities. The sample ore was crushed, classified and thermally analyzed to determine its calcination temperature. The sample of 45-75 ${\mu}m$ size was calcined at 600-900$^{\circ}C$, and effect of temperature on calcination and change of the particle shape was investigated. Optimum temperature of the calcination was about 750$^{\circ}C$, and 30 minutes was sufficient to obtain over 99% conversion. The purity of the calcined MgO was about 95 wt%.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.59 no.6
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• pp.51-60
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• 2017

In this study, the concentrations of As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn in agricultural soils across a region of South Korea (Buyeo County) were investigated. Their pollution sources were assessed using multivariate statistical analysis, and Geographic Information System (GIS) technology was used to determine the distribution of these elements. Surface soil samples were collected from 114 locations across the agricultural fields in the study site. Cu and Zn were derived from natural sources (i.e., parent rocks of the soil), whereas As, Cd, and Pb were found to be originated from abandoned mines. The results of this study clearly show that the transport of anthropogenic As, Cd, and Pb is governed mostly by the specific environment of the paddy soil. Our approach was effective in clearly identifying the sources of metals and analyzing their contamination characteristics. We believe this study will provide useful information to future studies on soil pollution by anthropogenic sources.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.268-278
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• 2015

Background: This study aimed to assess the whole-body vibration (WBV) exposure among large blast hole drill machine operators with regard to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) recommended threshold values and its association with machine- and rock-related factors and workers' individual characteristics. Methods: The study population included 28 drill machine operators who had worked in four opencast iron ore mines in eastern India. The study protocol comprised the following: measurements of WBV exposure [frequency weighted root mean square (RMS) acceleration ($m/s^2$)], machine-related data (manufacturer of machine, age of machine, seat height, thickness, and rest height) collected from mine management offices, measurements of rock hardness, uniaxial compressive strength and density, and workers' characteristics via face-to-face interviews. Results: More than 90% of the operators were exposed to a higher level WBV than the ISO upper limit and only 3.6% between the lower and upper limits, mainly in the vertical axis. Bivariate correlations revealed that potential predictors of total WBV exposure were: machine manufacturer (r = 0.453, p = 0.015), age of drill (r = 0.533, p = 0.003), and hardness of rock (r = 0.561, p = 0.002). The stepwise multiple regression model revealed that the potential predictors are age of operator (regression coefficient ${\beta}=-0.052$, standard error SE = 0.023), manufacturer (${\beta}=1.093$, SE = 0.227), rock hardness (${\beta}=0.045$, SE = 0.018), uniaxial compressive strength (${\beta}=0.027$, SE = 0.009), and density (${\beta}=-1.135$, SE = 0.235). Conclusion: Prevention should include using appropriate machines to handle rock hardness, rock uniaxial compressive strength and density, and seat improvement using ergonomic approaches such as including a suspension system.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.917-922
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• 2010

To assess the bioavailability of As in soils and to provide a basic information for adequate management of As contaminated fields, paddy soils and rice grains near 5 closed mines were collected and analyzed for As using sequential extraction procedure. The As contents extracted with 1M HCl against total As content in soils were ranged from 5.4 to 41.9% ($r=0.90^{**}$). However, these two contents of As in soils were not positively correlated with As concentration in rice grains. Major As fractionation of paddy soils was residual form ranging 38.1 to 84.1% except NS mine. Also, specially adsorbed fraction and fraction associated with amorphous Fe and Al oxyhydroxides, which are partially bioavailable As fractionation to the rice plant, were positively correlated with As in rice grains while fraction associated with crystalline Fe and Al oxyhydroxides and residual form were not correlated.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.479-489
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• 2021

Background: During 2011, a study was undertaken to assess safety conditions in Serbian underground coalmines by analysis of injury data. The study covered all Serbian coalmines, identified week spots from the aspect of safety, and recommended possible courses of action. Since then, Serbia has made changes to safety and health legislation; all coalmines introduced new preventive measures, adopted international standards, and made procedures for risk management. After 10 years a new study has been performed to analyze the impact of these changes. Materials and methods: In this study, the injuries that have occurred in the Serbian underground coal mines over the last 20 years were analyzed. Statistical data analysis was performed by IBM SPSS Statistics v23. The injuries that occurred in the last ten years were compared with the results of the previous study (2000-2009). The average values of injury rates for both periods were compared for each of the categories (severity, age, body part, qualification), and the results were presented as absolute difference or percentile difference. Results: The results showed reduction in the number of injuries in the category of 20-30 years old workers, where the new training procedures for workers, which were set by mandatory legal regulations, certainly contributed. They also showed an increase in the number of injuries in the category of old workers, which indicates that the law did not have a positive effect on this category. Conclusion: The total number of injuries is still high; therefore, it is necessary to introduce mechanization and automation in mines and have a better policy for older workers who retire later nowadays.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.345-349
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• 2019

With increasing demand for resources worldwide, Korea has been negotiating with resource-holding countries to achieve conservation of energy resources. Among them, Russia is the third largest resource-producing and exporting nation in the world and has several resource materials such as nickel, platinum group metals, gold, and other reserves. As a result, there is growing interest in cooperation between Korea and Russia. The aim of this article is to summarize the current status of market flow of Russian energy resources as well as Russia's economic cooperation with Korea. Notably, South Korea needs to focus on investing in overseas mines for a stable supply of rare metals. Nevertheless, securing rare metals is a major task by understanding the flow and policy direction of Russian material mines.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.30-37
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• 2019

Some leading countries in mining have a very quantitative guideline for underground mine opening design which is useful to minimize mine hazards such as rockfall and collapse. Those hazards sometimes can cause a huge damage on human life and property in the mines. Construction guidelines of underground mines in Korea consist of qualitative and general expressions although the workers' safety rules and guides are well provided. Recently, mining operations in Korea are going underground due to the environmental regulations and resource depletion at shallow depth, and therefore there is a growing demand on a specialized and systematic guideline for mine opening design securing the underground stability. In this paper, current status of mining industry, research trends, and mining guidelines in Korea and overseas have been reviewed to give an insight into developing a new Korean guideline for underground mine design.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.57-67
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• 2019

Water-induced strength reduction is one of the most critical causes for rock deformation and failure. Understanding the effects of water on the strength, toughness and deformability of rocks are of a great importance in rock fracture mechanics and design of structures in rock. However, only a few studies have been conducted to understand the effects of water on fracture properties such as fracture toughness, crack propagation velocity, consumed energy, and microstructural damage. Thus, in this study, we focused on the understanding of how microscale damages induced by water saturation affect mesoscale mechanical and fracture properties compared with oven dried specimens along three notch orientations-divider, arrester, and short transverse. The mechanical properties of calcite-cemented sandstone were examined using standard uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) and Brazilian tensile strength (BTS) tests. In addition, fracture properties such as fracture toughness, consumed energy and crack propagation velocity were examined with cracked chevron notched Brazilian disk (CCNBD) tests. Digital Image Correlation (DIC), a non-contact optical measurement technique, was used for both strain and crack propagation velocity measurements along the bedding plane orientations. Finally, environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) was employed to investigate the microstructural damages produced in calcite-cemented sandstone specimens before and after CCNBD tests. As results, both mechanical and fracture properties reduced significantly when specimens were saturated. The effects of water on fracture properties (fracture toughness and consumed energy) were predominant in divider specimens when compared with arrester and short transverse specimens. Whereas crack propagation velocity was faster in short transverse and slower in arrester, and intermediate in divider specimens. Based on ESEM data, water in the calcite-cemented sandstone induced microstructural damages (microcracks and voids) and increased the strength disparity between cement/matrix and rock forming mineral grains, which in turn reduced the crack propagation resistance of the rock, leading to lower both consumed energy and fracture toughness ($K_{IC}$).

• Journal of the Korean Society of Mineral and Energy Resources Engineers
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.604-613
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• 2018

In this study, we analyzed the variations in the received signal strength index (RSSI) measured from Bluetooth beacons based on the strength and propagation direction of Bluetooth low energy (BLE) signal. Using a smartphone, we performed field experiments to investigate RSSI variations in the BLE signal transmitted by non-directional and directional beacons in an amethyst mine. In case of non-directional beacons, as the distance between the Bluetooth beacon and smartphone decreased, the RSSI increases, whereas as the BLE signal strength increased, the RSSI average gradually increased. The mean value of RSSI measured from the directional beacons was changed without relation to the facing angle between the Bluetooth beacon and smartphone. The results of this study can be used as basic data for developing a Bluetooth beacon-based proximity warning system for underground mines.