• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
• /
• v.21 no.4
• /
• pp.349-354
• /
• 2008

Semiquantitative mineralogical analysis of clays in soils was performed to understand the distribution of clay minerals in relation to bedrock lithology on the northern basin of the Nakdong River. The soils developed on the granitic bedrocks have high contents of kaolinite and smectite. mite was the major clay mineral in the soils from sedimentary bedrocks, with minor kaolinite, smectite, and intergrade (interstratified chlorite-smectite or hydroxy-interlayed vermiculite) clay minerals. Illite and kaolinite contents of the soils from metamorphic and volcanic bedrocks fall between those of the soils from the granitic bedrocks and those of the soils from the sedimentary bedrocks. The clay mineralogy of the soils depends on the compositions of bedrock minerals and their susceptibility to chemical weathering. The weathering of plagioclase resulted in the high kaolinite content of the soils derived from granitic bedrocks, while the soils derived from sedimentary bedrocks are abundant in residual illite.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.71-81
• /
• 2015

This study was carried out in order to investigate the mineralogical characteristics of the core sediments (03GHP-02 and HB13-2), obtained from the Ulleung Basin and Hupo Basin, Korea. The results on mineral compositions, clay mineral compositions, and the total contents and sequential extraction of different fractions of the phosphorus in core samples showed that those values are different in two cores and also at different depths. In both samples, mineral compositions were the same, composed mainly of quartz, microcline, albite, calcite, opal A, pyrite, and clay minerals (illite, chlorite, kaolinite, and smectite). However, the sample from Hupo Basin contains more opal A. Both samples, especially the ones from Hupo Basin contains more smectite than those reported from East Sea, indicating the influence of paleo-Hwangwei River and the Tertiary Formation of Korea Peninsula. For the samples from Uleung Basin, at 0.7-3.5 m range in depth, the low content of opal A and the low illite crystallinity index can be inferred to indicate the relatively cool climate, corresponding to the ice age. Also, the content of total phosphorus was low in those samples. It was reported that East Sea at that time was isolated from the neighboring seas due to the decrease of the sea level, and as a result, the influx of sediments was supposed to be little through the strait and rivers. For the samples from Hupo Basin, there is no significant changes in clay mineral composition and the distribution of phosphorus with increasing depth. This little change can be interpreted to indicate that the sediments comprising the core might be deposited in a relatively short period of time or deposited in sedimentary environment in which there's no significant changes in sediment supplies. The values of crystallinity index of clay minerals are high in those samples, indicating that it was relatively warm during that time. Although the increase of fluctuation pattern can be observed, showing that the climate of this period often changed, it is supposed that it was generally warm.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.30 no.6
• /
• pp.531-541
• /
• 1997

Unconsolidated sediments of Youngjong Island were investigated to consider the vertical distribution of clay minerals and their origin. At least three sedimentation units can be recognized by color, magnetic susceptibility, and pH. X-ray diffraction analysis of clay size fraction reveals that illite is the most abundant phase (52.06%), and chlorite (27.16%), kaolinite (16.92%), smectite (3.86%) occur next to it. Detailed XRD study suggests that illitic materials contain fairly large amount of ordinary muscovite derived from the mica schist in Youngjong Island and adjacent area. The relative amount of kaolinite and chlorite is less than those of samples from estuary mouth of several rivers that flow to Yellow Sea and South Sea. Especially smectite content of the present sample is much higher than those of estuary sediments. These indicate that the unconsolidated sediments of tidal-flat deposit in Youngjong Island are largely affected by marine influence and partly affected by sediment in influx from China. However, some degree of source of this unconsolidated sediments is inland origin from adjacent estuary sediment and in situ or nearby weathered materials.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
• /
• v.32 no.1
• /
• pp.51-61
• /
• 2019

Clay minerals, a major component of mud volcano (MV) sediments, are expected to provide important information for characterizing mud volcano formation mechanisms, but clay minerals have rarely been studied. The purpose of this study is to investigate the characteristics of 420 MV and surrounding marine sediments. Clay minerals and grain size were analyzed for 8 box cores from 420 MV and Mackenzie Trough. The relative proportions of the four major clay minerals in the Mackenzie Trough are almost constant in the order of illite, chlorite, kaolinite, and smectite, regardless of the distance from the Mackenzie River. However, the grain size tends to become fining as they move away from the Mackenzie River. Comparing the clay mineral characteristics of river (Colville River, Kuparuk River, Sagavanirktok River, Canning River, Mackenzie River) sediments entering the Beaufort Sea in order to determine the origin of the Mackenzie Trough and 420 MV sediments, the sediments of the Mackenzie Trough are characterized mainly by the Mackenzie River with a low ratio of smectite/illite and a high ratio of kaolinite/chlorite. In 420 MV sediments, the contents of clay minerals decrease in the order of illite, kaolinite, chlorite, and smectite, and the grain size with depth is almost constant. The content of smectite and coarse sediments is about two times higher than the reference core. No river with higher kaolinite content than chlorite exists in the Beaufort Sea, and the ratio of smectite/illite to kaolinite/chlorite is different from the reference core such as the ratio of the Mackenzie River. Compared to the reference core, the high contents of coarse sediments and the constant grain size with depth might be attributed to the ejection by MV. The reference core is interpreted as originating from Mackenzie River, and sediment of 420 MV is interpreted as originating from eruption of MV.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
• /
• v.43 no.6
• /
• pp.837-843
• /
• 2010

This research investigated classification of clay activity degree by different clay mineral components. Based on compositions of different clay and oxide minerals within 390 soil series in Korea, 7 soils were selected to analyze for CEC and specific surface area of clay minerals. As a result, soils were mainly composed with Chlorite originated from sandstone, Smectite originated from Andesite porphyry and combination of Allophane and Ferrihydrite originated from volcanic ash, if the ratio of CEC value to clay content (degree of clay activity) was greater than 0.7. If the degree of clay activity was ranged between 0.3 and 0.7, soils were composed mainly with Kaolin originated from anorthite. Soils with this ratio also was composted with combinations of Kaolin, Illite and Vermiculite originated with river deposits. When the degree of the activity was less than 0.3, soils were commonly red-yellowish color and composed with two different minerals. One type of composition was Kaolin originated from granite and granite gneiss and the soils contained Geothite and Hematite. The other type was composited mainly with Illite and Vermiculite minerals originated from granite. These soils contained Gibbsite, Geothite and Hematite. The degree of clay activity was highly related with CEC and specific surface area. The greater degree of the activity displayed greater values of clay CEC and specific surface area. It is not easy to measure actual quantity and compositions of clay minerals, while the degree of clay activity can be measured from routine soil analyses. As a conclusion, the degree of clay activity may be not just a simple but also powerful tool to estimate physical-chemical properties of soils and to evaluate the soil classification in Korean soils.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
• /
• v.29 no.4
• /
• pp.167-177
• /
• 2016

Smectitic clays, occurring in Kırka and Bigadiç boron evaporite deposits formed in Miocene playa lake environment in Turkey, contain $LiO_2$ 0.02-0.21% and 0.16-0.30%, respectively, and boron tailings are also reported to contain $LiO_2$ 0.04-0.26%. Lithium in smectitic clays was identified to be retained in hectorite. The XRD results revealed that hectorite was contained in 25.7% and 79.7% of Kırka and Bigadiç deposit samples respectively. In this study, we selected a clay sample from each deposit with lithium content of ~0.18% and estimated extractable lithium by acid treatment and roasting method commercially applicable to lithium resources, such as lepidolite and hectorite. When 1 g of crushed clay (particle size less than $74{\mu}m$) was reacted with 200 mL of 0.25 M HCl solution, the amount of lithium dissolved increased with the increase of reaction time up to 10 hours for both samples. Reaction time longer than 10 hours did not significantly increased the amount of lithium dissolved. After 10 hours of reaction, 89% of lithium in the clay sample from the Kırka deposit was dissolved, while 71% of lithium was dissolved from the Bigadiç deposit tailing sample. 87% of lithium in the clay sample from the Kırka deposit was extracted and 82% of lithium was extracted from the Bigadiç deposit tailing sample by the roasting extraction method, where clays were leached after a thermal treatment at $1,100^{\circ}C$ for 2 hours with $CaCO_3$ and $CaSO_4$.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.203-212
• /
• 2007

Mineral compositions of 89 Yellow Sea surface sediments collected at the second cruise in 2001, were determined using the high resolution X-ray diffractometer and Siroquant v.3.0 program. Yellow Sea surface sediments are composed of major minerals (quartz 57.8%, plagioclase 16.0% and alkali feldspar 10.0%), clay minerals, and calcite. Illite (8.7%) is the most abundant clay mineral, chlorite (2.6%) is the second, and kaolinite (0.6%) is few. however smectite is not detected. Quartz content is very high around the margin of the Yellow Sea, however is very low along the northwest to southeast direction extending from southeast of Sandong Peninsula to southwest of Jeju Island. It has similar distribution pattern with that of coarse sediment (sand). The coarse sediment, is mainly consisted of quartz, may be much supplied from the eastern part and southwestern part of the Yellow Sea. Illite distribution pattern is opposite to that of quartz. It is similar to those of clay and mud particles, therefore it can be suggested that fine sediment may be largely supplied from the northwestern part of the Yellow Sea. It is necessary to continue this kind of investigation, because it is difficult to interpret the sediment provenance of the Yellow Sea only from the result of this study.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.28 no.6
• /
• pp.571-577
• /
• 1995

Several acid-sulfate clay deposits associated with silicic magmas occur in the Haenam area of the southwestern part of Korea. Geology of the studied area consists of tuffs, granitic rocks, quartz porphyry, rhyolite, andesite and sedimentary rocks. The granitic rocks and quartz porphyry intruded tuffs and sedimentary rocks. The rhyolite and tuffs around the mines have undergone hydrothermally weak or strong alteration. Gold contents with major and trace elements have been determined for a total of sixty-seven specimens of fresh igneous rocks, wall rocks and minerals such as dickite and alunite by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer and inductively coupled plasma. Gold is enriched in the alunite vein and the silicified zone, but is depleted in dickites and hydrothermally altered rocks with dickite of the Seongsan deposit. Gold is especially concentrated near the faults or conjunction area of two faults. High content of gold is shown in the mineral assemblages of alunitequartz- pyrite in the alunite vein and silicic zone of the Seongsan deposit compared with that of minerals and rocks from another deposits distributed in the studied area. Gold content in tuffs and dickites with pyrite is generally low. Gold content in silicified tuff tends to show positive correlations with content of As, Hg and Sb. Variation trends of Cd, Hg and Sb are similar to those of gold content. From the result of gold content variations, gold may be transported and concentrated by mineralizing solutions ascending along the cracks like fault. Therefore, it is important to survey alunite vein and silicified zone at the conjunction of faults, and to analyze pathfinder elements such as As, Hg and Sb for geological and geochemical exploration of gold in the studied deposits.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.31 no.1
• /
• pp.69-84
• /
• 1998

A geochemical study was carried out to define how marine shore sediments are related to their terrestrial source rocks in the region of Taean and Byunsan Peninsula, western Korea. The lithology of the coastal part of the study area is composed of Pre-Cambrian granite gneiss, schist, Jurassic terrestrial sedimentary rocks, and Cretaceous plutonic intrusives. Shore sediments are transported from three drainage tributaries. The sediments consist of quatrz with clay minerals, such as illite, kaolinite, smectite, chlorite. Heavy minerals include hematite, ilmenite, rare amount of zircon and apatite. Compared to those in coastal rocks, amount of heavy minerals in the sediments is considerably low. The low content of heavy minerals is thought to be attributed to the heavy mineral detainment in the river beds and influences of tidal currents which cause heavy minerals to accumulate in specific spots. Chemical composition of the major and trace elements, trace elements, and REE chondrite normalized pattern suggest that shore sediments transported from the corresponding drainage tributary show close mineralogical and geochemical relationships with the source rocks distributed in the Taean and Byunsan Peninsula.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.53 no.6
• /
• pp.743-753
• /
• 2020

This study analyzed heavy metal concentration, mineral composition, and spectral characteristics of heavy metal contaminated soil samples of cropland and rice field located in downstream of abandoned Okdong coal mine. X-ray fluorescence analysis detected heavy metal elements including cadmium, copper, arsenic, lead, zinc and nickel in the soils. Both cropland and rice field samples were severely contaminated with arsenic showing higher concentration over the concerned standard. The pollution index of cropland samples was higher than that of rice field samples. X-ray powder diffraction analysis identified that the mineral composition of cropland and rice field samples is similar with quartz, calcite, kaolinite, illite, smectite, magnetite and hematite. The range of organic matter content were more widely distributed in cropland samples. The spectral analysis showed that the reflectance spectra and the absorption features of cropland and rice field samples were alike. The absorption features that appeared near 490nm and 900nm were attributed to the ferric iron, and clay minerals such as kaolinite and smectite caused the absorption features at 1410nm, 1910nm and 2200nm. The reflectance of the soil spectral decreased with an increase in organic content. The absorption depths of both types of soil samples decreased with higher organic matter content at 490nm and 1916nm as well as higher heavy metal concentration.