• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.19 no.spc
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• pp.163-173
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• 1986

Black and graphite slates from the Okcheon metamorphic belt contain enriched values of uranium (average 200~250ppm) and molybdenum (average 150~200ppm). Uranium mineralization is closely associated with quartz and sulfide veinlets which are formed diagenetically in graphite slate. The uranium minerals were concentrated in outer part of graphite nodules. The ${\delta}^{13}C$ values of organic carbon from the metasediments including uranium bearing graphite slate range from -15.2 to -26.1‰ with a mean of -23.5‰. Meanwhile, ${\delta}^{13}C$ values of coal and coaly shale from some Paleozoic coal fields of South Korea vary from -19.4 to -23.9‰ with an average of -22.5‰. Isotopic compositions of vein calcite in uranium bearing slate range from -13.4 to -15.4‰ in ${\delta}^{13}C$ and +11.3 to +15.1‰ in ${\delta}^{18}O$ could indicate a reduced organic carbon source isotopically exchanged with a graphite of biogenic origin. Metamorphic temperature determined by a calcite-graphite isotope geothermometer was 383~$433^{\circ}C$ which corresponded to greenschist facies by Miyashiro (1973) and is consistent with metamorphic facies estimated by mineral assemblages (Lee, et al., 1981, and Kim, 1971). The fixation of uranyl species by carbonaceous matter in marine epicontinental environment, and remobilization of organouranium by diagenetic processes have attributed to the enrichment of uranium and heavy metals in the graphite slate of Okcheon metamorphic belt.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.377-393
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• 2010

Pumiceous tuffs occurring in the Beomgockri Group are examined applied-mineralogical characteristics and their controling factors to evaluate their potentials as the adsorption-functional mineral resources. The pumiceous tuffs are diagenetically altered to low-grade zeolitcs and bentonites in the Janggi area. Compositional specialty due to the presence of pumice fragments induces the altered tuffs to exhibit the characteristic adsorption property combined with cation exchange capacity, specific surface area, and acidic pH. Unusual lower pH in the adsorption-functional mineral substances is turned out to be originated from the presence of H-smectite having $H^+$ in the interlayer site of the sheet structure. On account of disordered crystallinity resulting from the exchanged $H^+$ in the interlayer site, the smectite commonly forms crenulated edges in the planar crystal form and exhibits characteristic X-ray diffraction patterns showing comparatively lower intensities of basal spacings including (001) peak than conventional Ca-smectite. Based on the interpretation of paragenetic relations and precursor of the H-smectite, a genetic model of the peculiar clay mineral was proposed. The smectite formation may be facilitated resulting from the precipitation of opal-CT at decreasing pH condition caused by the release of H+ during diagenetic alteration of pumice fragments. Because of the acidic smectite, the low-grade mineral resources from the Beomgockri Group may be applicable to the adsorption industry as the raw materials of acid clays and bed-soil.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.85-100
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• 2010

Devonian Cairn Formation is one of the important hydrocarbon reservoirs in Alberta, Canada. However, the Cairn Formation, outcropped in the study area, is not prospective reservoir with poor porosity and permeability by some late diagenetic processes. In this study, geochemical characteristics of the Cairn Formation were studied to use these preliminary results for advanced geological and geophysical petroleum explorations in the near future. Rock-Eval pyrolysis showed that total organic carbon content is less than 0.3 wt.%, indicating a minor amount of bitumen and/or other hydrocarbons. The carbonates in the Cairn Formation are mainly composed of subhedral and anhedral dolomites. Pore sizes in the carbonate are various, ranging from nanometer to micrometer. Clastic sediments increase in the upper and lower parts of the Cairn Formation, probably due to changing its depositional conditions. The Cairn Formation can also be divided into several intervals based on Ca/Mg ratio in dolomite and degree of amount of calcite. These could be formed by different sedimentary environment, degree of cementation and recrystallization, different saline/fresh water, etc.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.33-47
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• 2020

The bulk and partition geochemistry was studied in two sediment cores collected from the axial valley of the north-central Fonualei Rift and Spreading Center (FRSC), Lau back-arc Basin, southwest Pacific. The sediments consist of mostly volcanic ash, although minor amounts of biogenic and other components were present in some intervals. The major element composition of bulk sediments recalculated to a carbonate-free basis was in good agreement with the magma compositions of the adjacent Tofua Arc and the FRSC, with only significant difference in Mn content. The enrichment of Mn and other associated elements (e.g. Cu, Co, Ni, and P) is attributed to hydrothermal input to the sediments, as evidenced by their significant partitioning in the non-detrital phases according to the partition geochemistry. Hydrogenetic and diagenetic inputs were assessed to be relatively insignificant. Estimated hydrothermal Mn fluxes during the Holocene ranged between 5.0 and 37.1 mg cm^-2 kyr^-1, with the higher values in younger sediments, suggesting enhanced hydrothermal activity. The hydrothermal Mn fluxes comparable to or higher than those reported from other spreading centers with strong hydrothermal activities may indicate the presence of unknown hydrothermal vent sites and/or topographic restriction on the dispersal of hydrothermal plumes in the northern part of the FRSC.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.135-145
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• 2004

A zeolitic bentonite, which exhibits whitish appearance and contains considerable amounts (nearly 〉 5%) of zeolites, frequently occurs as thin beds less than 1 m in Yeongil area. The bentonites are mostly found in closely association with zeolite beds in the Nuldaeri Tuff and Coal-bearing formations of the Janggi Croup. A discordant occurrence of the bentonite against the bedding plane is also locally found. Montmorillonite, the major mineral constituent of the bentonite, is mostly associated with clinoptilolite as a zeolite. However, instead of clinoptilolite, mordenite is sometimes included in the case of more silicic bentonite, and heulandite in the less silicic one. It is characteristic that the mordenite is accompanied by lots of opal-CT in the silicic bentonite. SEM observations characteristically indicate that these authigenic phases, especially the montmorillonite and zeolite, nearly coexist as mixtures not forming a fine-scale zoning. The zeolitic bentonite seems to be formed in the comparatively silicic pore fluid at the alkaline condition accompanying pH fluctuation Compared to the zeolite-free normal bentonite, the zeolitic types exhibit somewhat higher REE abundance. These chemical characteristics, together with modes of occurrences and authigenic mineral associations, may suggest that the zeolitic bentonite is not merely diagenetic products and a possible hydrothermal alteration could not be excluded in the bentonite genesis.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.219-227
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• 2017

Manganese (Mn) nodules in the Arctic Sea have been founded in the Kara Sea and Barents Sea, but mineral and chemical compositions have been rarely investigated. In this study, mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of Mn nodules obtained during the Arctic Expedition ARA07C in northern East Siberian Sea were identified, and then genesis of Mn nodules were estimated by using these characteristics. Main manganese oxide minerals constituting the manganese nodule were buserite, birnessite, and vernadite. The Mn nodules generally represent radiated and massive texture, and the layered texture was developed restrictively. The radiated texture, main feature of the manganese nodule in the East Siberian Sea, is mainly composed of cuspate-globular microstructure. Compared with the Mn nodules in Pacific and Indian Oceans, Mn nodules of the East Siberian Sea are abundant in Mn, but Fe is too scarce. There was no difference in the chemical composition and microstructures between outer and inner part of nodule. Therefore, nodules are most likely to have only one genesis during their growth, and all of nodules indicate the diagenetic in $Mn-Fe-(Cu+Ni+Co){\times}10$ ternary diagram. It is considered that the manganese nodules in the East Siberian Sea are characterized by high Mn contents because manganese contents in the Arctic Ocean were mainly resulted from river or coastal erosion and most of them are trapped in the Arctic Ocean.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.151-160
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• 2021

2:1 clay minerals such as smectite incorporating ammonium were extracted to investigate the ammonium behavior and nitrogen isotope characteristics for two different sediment cores which were collected from shimmering sites on seafloor of the Wakamiko crater, southwestern Japan. Inorganic nitrogen contents in clay fraction were estimated by calibration curve based on consistently decreasing carbon and nitrogen ratio during the treatment to decompose organic materials, after removing inorganic carbon. The results show that the proportions of inorganic nitrogen for total nitrogen in clay fraction of SWS site(Core#1094MR: av. 18.2%) are higher than those in SES site(Core#1093MG: av. 11.5%). Relatively good crystallinity of the former suggests that exchangeable ammonium was transformed to non-exchangeable ammonium during more evolving diagenetic process. Nitrogen isotope variance of clay fraction(SES site: Core#1093MG: -4.4 ~ +0.2 ‰, av. -2.4 ‰; SWS site: Core#1094MR: -0.7 ~ +3.0 ‰, av. +1.5 ‰) during sequential decomposition of exchangeable ammonium suggests that heat flow derived from deep magma led to nitrogen isotope fractionation between dissolved ammonium and ammonia in the fluids involved in the formation of 2:1 clay mineral incorporating ammonium with local temperature variation.

• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.409-421
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• 2022

Achieving a highly resolved spatial distribution of Mn-bearing minerals and elements in the natural ferromanganese nodules can provide detailed knowledge of the temporal variations of geochemical conditions affecting the formation processes of nodules. While a recent study utilizing Raman spectroscopy has reported the changes in the manganate mineral phases with growth for spherical nodules from the Arctic Sea, the distributions of minerals and elements in the nodules from the shallow Arctic Sea with non-spherical forms have not yet fully elucidated. Here, we reported the micro-laser Raman spectra with varying data acquisition points along three different profiles from the center to the outermost rim of the non-spherical ferromanganese nodules collected from the East Siberian Sea (~73 m). The elemental distributions in the nodule (such as Mn, Fe, etc.) were also investigated by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis to observe the internal structure and mineralogical details. Based on the microscopic observation, the internal structures of a non-spherical nodule can be divided into three different regions, which are sediment-rich core, iron-rich substrate, and Mn-Fe layers. The Raman results show that the Mn-bearing mineral phases vary with the data acquisition points in the Mn-Fe layer, suggesting the changes in the geochemical conditions during nodule formation. In addition, we also observe that the mineral composition and structural characteristics depend on the profile direction from the core to the rim. Particularly, the Raman spectra obtained along one profile show the lack of Fe-(oxy)hydroxides and the noticeably high crystallinity of Mn-bearing minerals such as birnessite and todorokite. On the other hand, the spectra obtained along the other two profiles present the presence of significant amount of amorphous or poorly-ordered Fe-bearing minerals and the low crystallinity of Mn-bearing minerals. These results suggest that the diagenetic conditions varied with the different growth directions. We also observed the presence of halite in several layers in the nodule, which can be evidence of the alteration of seawater after nodule formation. The current results can provide the opportunity to obtain detailed knowledge of the formation process and geochemical environments recorded in the natural non-spherical ferromanganese nodule.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.54-63
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• 2007

The sedimentary sequence of the non-marine Cretaceous Jinju Formation from Sacheon, Korea, contains a number of rod-shaped stromatolites (RSS) characterized by concentric lamination with curd-shaped, stratiform, and small columnar stromatolites. Unlike the world trend, a massive distribution of rod-shaped stomatolite was discovered in the region. The mineral composition, diagenetic alteration, and weathering process of the kind were analyzed by EPMA. The gross morphology of RSS is almost identical to broken plant twigs or stems formed by microbial activity onto which it grew. RSSs are interpreted as stromatolitic algae over plant twigs, which formed through concentric carbonate precipitation by epiphytic algal photosynthesis. The distribution of localities and horizons of the stromatolite imply that RSS is allochthonous and autochthonous. Two types of cyanobacterial filaments and one type of peen algal filament were discovered. The size frequency distribution of calcified filamentous microfossils found in stromatolite was $2.2{\mu}m\;and\;7.8{\mu}m$ in mean diameter of the former, $32.3{\mu}m$ in mean diameter of the latter. The cyanobacterial fossils played a key role in the formation of stromatolite, while the green algal filament was auxiliary stromatolite-builder stromatolites. The filamentous microfossils including trichome were found within the stromatolitic laminae.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.477-490
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• 2003

Bottom sediments from Youngil Bay, East Coast of Korea, were analyzed for grain composition as well as elemental compositions and total organic carbon (TOC) content in order to investigate the spatial variability and content of metal elements. Grain size distribution of the sediments seems to be controlled by anticlockwise current pattern with bottom topography of the study area. Spatial variability of TOC and all elemental contents reflects those of grain size, but an exception was found in the harbor area (Old-Port): their contents are high in the central part of the bay with the muddy sediment and decrease toward the sand-dominated coastal zone. However, contents of Ca, Sr, K are high in the sand-dominated coastal zone and contents of some heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Zn) are high in the Old-Port area and the mouth of Hyeongsan River. The correlation matrix and R-mode factor analyses reveal that four important factors controlling the distribution of metals in the bay are sediment grain size (or quartz dilution effect), the formation of sulfide minerals associated with decomposition of organic matters under anoxic geochemical environment, calcium carbonate (mainly shell fragments) and coarse-grained feldspar mineral. According to the metal content of labile fraction an CER (concentration enrichment ratio) value, high accumulation of some heavy metals in the harbor area seems to result not formed by early diagenetic processes under anoxic environment.