• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.565-582
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• 2018

We investigated the hydrochemical properties of ChusanYongchulso Spring located in Buk-myeon, Ulleung Island, focusing on the formation and characteristics of aquifers in and around the Nari caldera. Abundant pumice with high permeability and numerous fractures (including faults and joints) that formed as a result of caldera subsidence are widely distributed in the subsurface, favoring the formation of aquifers. Because of the presence of porous pyroclastic rocks with a high internal surface area, the water type of the springs is characterized by $NaHCO_3$, with upper stream waters and the upper spring being characterized by $NaHCO_3$ and NaCl, respectively. Components with a high coefficient of determination with EC are $HCO_3$, Na, F, Ca, Mg, Cl, $SiO_2$, and $SO_4$. The high concentrations of Na and Cl might be attributable to the main lithologies in the area, given that alkaline volcanic rocks are distributed extensively across Ulleung Island. Eh and pH, which are considered to be important indicators of water-rock interaction, are unrelated to most components. According to the results obtained from factor analysis, the variance explained by factor 1 is 54% and by factor 2 is 25.8%. Components with a high loading on factor 1 are F, Na, EC, Cl, $HCO_3$, $SO_4$, $SiO_2$, Ca, $NO_3$, and Mg, whereas components with a high loading on factor 2 are Mg and Ca, along with K, $NO_3$, and DO with negative loadings. It is suggested that the high concentrations of Na, Cl, F, and $SO_4$ are closely related to the presence of fine-grained alkaline pyroclastic rocks with high permeability and porosity, which favorintensewater-rock interaction. However, a wide-ranging investigation that encompasses methods such as geophysical prospecting and geochemical analysis (including isotope, trace-element, and tracer techniques) will be necessary to gain a better understanding of the groundwater chemistry, aquifer distribution, and water cycling of Ulleung Island.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.271-283
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• 2021

The Imjingang Belt in the middle-western Korean Peninsula has tectonically been correlated with the Permo-Triassic Qinling-Dabie-Sulu collisional belt between the North and South China cratons in terms of collisional tectonics. Within the belt, crustal-scale extensional ductile shear zones that were interpreted to be formed during collapsing stage with thrusts and folds were reported as evidence of collisional events by previous studies. In this study, we tried to understand the nature of deformation along the southern boundary of the belt in the Munsan area based on the interpretations of recently conducted structural analyses. To figure out the realistic geometry of the study area, the down-plunge projection was carried out based on the geometric relationships between structural elements from the detailed field investigation. We also conducted kinematic interpretations based on the observed shear sense indicators from the outcrops and the oriented thin-sections made from the mylonite samples. The prominent structures of the Munsan area are the regional-scale ENE-WSW striking thrust and the N-S trending map-scale folds, both in its hanging wall and footwall areas. Shear sense indicators suggest both eastward and westward vergence, showing opposite directions on each limb of the map-scale folds in the Munsan area. In addition, observed deformed microstructures from the biotite gneiss and the metasyenite of the Munsan area suggest that their deformation conditions are corresponding to the typical mid-crustal plastic deformation of the quartzofeldspathic metamorphic rocks. These microstructural results combined with the macro-scale structural interpretations suggest that the shear zones preserved in the Munsan area is mostly related to the development of the N-S trending map-scale folds that might be formed by flexural folding rather than the previously reported E-W trending crustal-scale extensional ductile shear zone by Permo-Triassic collision. These detailed examinations of the structures preserved in the Imjingang Belt can further contribute to solving the tectonic enigma of the Korean collisional orogen.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.737-760
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• 2022

For the geological disposal of high-level radioactive wastes (HLW), an understanding of deep subsurface environment is essential through geological, hydrogeological, geochemical, and geotechnical investigations. Although South Korea plans the geological disposal of HLW, only a few studies have been conducted for characterizing the geochemistry of deep subsurface environment. To guide the hydrogeochemical research for selecting suitable repository sites, this study overviewed the status and trends in hydrogeochemical characterization of deep groundwater for the deep geological disposal of HLW in developed countries. As a result of examining the selection process of geological disposal sites in 8 countries including USA, Canada, Finland, Sweden, France, Japan, Germany, and Switzerland, the following geochemical parameters were needed for the geochemical characterization of deep subsurface environment: major and minor elements and isotopes (e.g., ³⁴S and ¹⁸O of SO₄^2-, ¹³C and ¹⁴C of DIC, ²H and ¹⁸O of water) of both groundwater and pore water (in aquitard), fracture-filling minerals, organic materials, colloids, and oxidation-reduction indicators (e.g., Eh, Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺, H₂S/SO₄^2-, NH₄⁺/NO₃^-). A suitable repository was selected based on the integrated interpretation of these geochemical data from deep subsurface. In South Korea, hydrochemical types and evolutionary patterns of deep groundwater were identified using artificial neural networks (e.g., Self-Organizing Map), and the impact of shallow groundwater mixing was evaluated based on multivariate statistics (e.g., M3 modeling). The relationship between fracture-filling minerals and groundwater chemistry also has been investigated through a reaction-path modeling. However, these previous studies in South Korea had been conducted without some important geochemical data including isotopes, oxidationreduction indicators and DOC, mainly due to the lack of available data. Therefore, a detailed geochemical investigation is required over the country to collect these hydrochemical data to select a geological disposal site based on scientific evidence.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.311-330
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• 2023

Development of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technique is becoming increasingly important as a method to mitigate the strengthening effects of global warming, generated from the unprecedented increase in released anthropogenic CO₂. In the recent years, the characteristics of basaltic rocks (i.e., large volume, high reactivity and surplus of cation components) have been recognized to be potentially favorable in facilitation of CCS; based on this, research on utilization of basaltic formations for underground CO₂ storage is currently ongoing in various fields. This study investigated the feasibility of underground storage of CO₂ in basalt, based on the examination of the CO₂ storage mechanisms in subsurface, assessment of basalt characteristics, and review of the global research on basaltic CO₂ storage. The global research examined were classified into experimental/modeling/field demonstration, based on the methods utilized. Experimental conditions used in research demonstrated temperatures ranging from 20 to 250 ℃, pressure ranging from 0.1 to 30 MPa, and the rock-fluid reaction time ranging from several hours to four years. Modeling research on basalt involved construction of models similar to the potential storage sites, with examination of changes in fluid dynamics and geochemical factors before and after CO₂-fluid injection. The investigation demonstrated that basalt has large potential for CO₂ storage, along with capacity for rapid mineralization reactions; these factors lessens the environmental constraints (i.e., temperature, pressure, and geological structures) generally required for CO₂ storage. The success of major field demonstration projects, the CarbFix project and the Wallula project, indicate that basalt is promising geological formation to facilitate CCS. However, usage of basalt as storage formation requires additional conditions which must be carefully considered - mineralization mechanism can vary significantly depending on factors such as the basalt composition and injection zone properties: for instance, precipitation of carbonate and silicate minerals can reduce the injectivity into the formation. In addition, there is a risk of polluting the subsurface environment due to the combination of pressure increase and induced rock-CO₂-fluid reactions upon injection. As dissolution of CO₂ into fluids is required prior to injection, monitoring techniques different from conventional methods are needed. Hence, in order to facilitate efficient and stable underground storage of CO₂ in basalt, it is necessary to select a suitable storage formation, accumulate various database of the field, and conduct systematic research utilizing experiments/modeling/field studies to develop comprehensive understanding of the potential storage site.

• Journal of the Korean Geophysical Society
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.337-344
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• 2002

The alluvial deposits along meandering rivers can be used as an artificial aquifer for infiltration of river waters. Internal heterogeneity of the alluvial deposits is a prerequisite information for the development of alluvial groundwater because vortical and lateral movement of alluvial ground water depends on the internal heterogeneity The internal heterogeneity due to variations in channel behavior can be delineated using GPR survey, GPR profiles for the point bar deposits near Buyeo county reveals two different stratigraphic units: the lower inclined heterogeneous strata and the upper horizontally stratified strata. The upper unit is largely indicative of vertical accumulation by overbank floods within a floodplain, whereas the lower one represents typical point bar deposits formed by lateral accretion. The stratigraphic variation in the heterogeneity shows that GPR survey is a useful and necessary investigation method for the development of alluvial ground water.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.193-207
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to analyze trends in conceptual change research in the field of Earth Science education conducted in Korea and to provide them as basic data of future concept change research. The trends of conceptual change research were analyzed in terms of keywords, year of publication, source of research, purpose of research, subject, area of research, and research method. This study was carried out on a total of 126 conceptual change papers of Earth Science education published from 1989 to July 2017. This study showed the following conclusions: First, the conceptual change research papers used more the term 'conceptual change' than 'misconceptions' and 'preconceptions'. Second, the conceptual change paper has achieved a large amount of growth in the 2000s. Third, conceptual change research tended to proceed to the subject of master's dissertation. Fourth, there were a lot of researches to find out the misconceptions and change them into the right concept, the conceptual change paper used free response test for misconceptions, and cognitive conflict instruction model and CAI (Computer Assisted Instruction) teaching strategy for misconceptions. Fifth, elementary school students were studied the most. Sixth, the study of conceptual changes in the field of Earth Science was high in the astronomical and atmospheric areas. Finally, although quantitative analysis methods were used in the early days of research, in the 2010s, qualitative analysis methods were widely used. In this paper, we proposed research on conceptual change for pre- and in-service teachers, expansion of research on conceptual changes in various fields such as geology, oceanography, atmosphere in Earth Science, investigation of causes of misconception in Earth Science and research on individual's affective factors, and so on.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Hazard Mitigation
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• v.2 no.2 s.5
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• pp.73-83
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• 2002

HAZUS developed by FEMA is applied to estimation on seismic hazard in Chung-Nam Province using basic data on general building, population, and geology of well-logging. Through the investigation on historical and instrumental earthquakes in Korean Peninsula seismic hazard is estimated in Chung-Nam Province in two ways for calculation of acceleration, deterministically and probabilistically. In deterministic method seismic hazard in Chung-Nam Province is estimated by generation of the maximum event that occurs in Hongsung and has magnitude of 6.0. According to the result, Hongsung Gun, Yesan Gun, and Boryung City are the most severe in building damage. The expected number of people who need hospitalization in Hongsung Gun and Yesan Gun due to the earthquake are 1.1 and 0.4, respectively. In probabilistic(return period of 5,000 year) method seismic hazard in Chung-Nam Province is estimated. According to the result, Gongju City is the most severe in building damage. The expected number of people who need hospitalization in Gongju City and Nonsan City due to the earthquake are 0.1 and 0.15, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.645-655
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• 2006

Apsan, as part of the main ecosystem of Daegu city, plays an important role for maintaining the environmental sustainability of the large city. Especially varieties of valuable resources, which are cultural, historical, biological, geomorphological and geological, are distributed around Apsan. Therefore the positive preservation plan is required. This paper aims to examine the environmental characteristics of Apsan and then suggests the following ideas for the environmental preservation and sustainable use of Apsan. 1) 'The New Map of Apsan' that includes more exact information needs to be produced. 2) The Apsan ecosystem management plan should be made under the precision natural ecology investigation. 3) For the protection of inanimate object resources, such as geographical feature and geology, the Geotourism Department needs to be established within Daegu metropolitan office of education or the tourism division of Daegu city government. 4) An effective environmental-impact-assessment system should be officially established. 5) the positive administrative and financial support system led by local NGOs is required for the Apsan environmental protection activities and education. 6) It is necessary to bring out into the open prayer sites to prevent forest fire. 7) 'The nature rest year system' enforcement is required to restore the damaged ecological space of Apsan.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.19 no.4 s.50
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• pp.311-324
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• 2006

In the Pohang-Gampo area, several diatomite beds occurred in mostly thinner than 1 m are embedded in the Pohang Formation of marine environment and the pyroclastic Eoil Formation. The diatomite from the Eoil Formation is constituting the high-grade ore altered slightly by diagenesis. In contrast, the diatomite intercalated within the upper horizon of the Yeonil Group is comparatively low-grade and highly altered in places. During diagenesis, an increasing of crystallinity of opal, i.e., the original mineral component of diatom, results in ultimately the mineral transition to quartz with accompanying a drastic change in morphology and texture of the altered diatomite. The diagenetic alteration appears to have undergone by way of the chemical diagenesis, which is largely controlled by degree of fluid contact, rather than burial diagenesis. For the diatomite from the Pohang-Gampo area, careful SEM observations, XRD, chemical analyses, and determination of specific surface area were done to identify the fossil species, mineral and chemical composition, and other physical properties in the view of assesment of grade and quality. The domestic diatomite ores are evaluated to be not good in grade and quality, compared to those of famous foreign localities. However, some diatomite deposits of marin,: origin from the Pohang Formation is constituting a peculiar clay-rich type, i.e., moler applicable to the special usage such as a manufacturing of lightweight brick. Because such a diatomite is frequently intercalated relatively as a thicker bed in the upper part of the Yeonil Group, a systematic and careful investigation should be done for the exploitation and development of an economic diatomite deposit of the moler type.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.280-287
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• 1997

This study was carried out to investigate agricultural status and soil fertility of Bonghwang-cheon watershed area which is located at Chodong-myeon, Milyang-si. The acreage of arable land was about 1,209ha, and the population was 3,706 people. Out of total arable land, paddy was 64.4%, upland 19.6% and orchard 16.0%. Chicken was the largest in the number of livestock and poultry, but pig seems to contribute most severly to water pollution. The geology in the lower stream was alluvium but andesite and derivated materials from it were occupied most upland areas. Tuff was scattered in the small area near by the alluvium of Nakdong river, and diorite and granodiorite were located at the low hill and mountains respectivately. The principal paddy soils in the area were Geumgog, Jisan and Imgog series etc of fine loamy on sloped valleys and fans. The Pyeongtaeg series, fine silty family of imperfectly drained on plain was irrigated by Chodong reservoir. The clayey Honam series on alluvium was distributed along the low hill while Gyuam series, coarse silty alluvial soil way close to Nakdong river. In chemical properties of soils, the vinyl house soils were higher in EC, and orchard soils in OM, $P_2O_5$, exchangeable canons than other soils.