• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.169-179
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• 2015

To understand the transport pathways of muddy sediment of the Kunsan basin in Yellow Sea, grain sizes and clay mineral of 32 surface sediments and a sediment core were analyzed. In the study area, illite is predominant (63.4~71.9%), followed by chlorite (15.1~20.2%), kaolinite (10.3~17.2%) and smectite (2~6.9%), According to the spatial distribution of the clay minerals, illite, kaolinite+chlorite and smectite show relatively higher contents in the center of the north, northeast, and the south of the study area, respectively. Considering the spatial distribution of clay mineral contents the sand ridge alignments and tidal current pathways, the smectite particles were probably derived from the south of the study area, but kaolinite and/or chlorite particles were mainly transported from the Korean coastal zone. Meanwhile, down-core variation in the contents of clay minerals of the core revealed a distinct change in fine-grained muddy sediment provenance: muddy sediment input from the Korean coastal areas has increased while the input from China has decreased since the last 5,000 year ago, by showing the amount decrease of smectite and the increase of kaolinite+chlorite at the top layer of the late Holocene muddy sediment unit of the core.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.35-48
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• 2010

The purpose of this study is to investigate paleoenvironmental conditions of the shallow sea around Jeju Island during the Late Holocene using geochemical contents of the bivalve (Glycymeris albolineata) collected from the Sangmori Shell Mound. The bivalve shell used shows the archaeological age of 2,300 yr BP. Stable carbon and oxygen isotope compositions show that growth rates decreased with aging. Coeval trends of both isotope compositions can be observed: heavier values during winters and lighter values summers except for their young and old growth stages. The seasonality of bivalve shell appear to reflect seasonal variations of paleotemperature as well as paleosalinity. Especially China Coastal Water with low salinity was transported into the southern Jeju Strait from Changjiang River during summer periods. Heavier carbon isotope values during winter indicate higher productivity, and this is supported by high density of phytoplanktons and higher chlorophyll contents during winter time. For accurate interpretation, monitoring of present-day conditions of shallow marine water as well as additional geochemical analysis of the same Recent bivalve may be necessary.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.24-36
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• 2019

In the mid-eastern Yellow Sea, glacio-eustatic sea-level fluctuations and a regional tectonic subsidence have combined to represent an aggradational stacking pattern of sedimentary units during late Pleistocene-Holocene. The accumulated sediments are divisible into two-type units of Type-A and Type-B in high-resolution air-gun seismic profiles and the deep-drilled core of YSDP-105. Type-A unit largely comprises clast-rich coarse-grained sediments of non-marine to paralic origin, whereas Type-B unit consists mostly of tidal fine-grained sediments. Based on a bottom model of the sedimentary units, this study suggested a geoacoustic model of long-coring bottom layers at the YSDP-105 drilling site of the mid-eastern Yellow Sea. The geoacoustic model of 64-m depth below the seafloor with four-layer geoacoustic units was reconstructed in continental shelf strata at 45 m in water depth. For actual modeling, the geoacoustic property values of the models were compensated to in situ depth values below the seafloor using the Hamilton modeling method. We suggest that the geoacoustic model will be used for geoacoustic and underwater acoustic experiments of mid- and low-frequency reflecting on the deep bottom layers in the mid-eastern Yellow Sea.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.38 no.6 s.175
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• pp.633-642
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• 2005

We present the sedimentary sequence and distribution pattern of the late Holocene muddy deposits in the northern East China Sea shelf using the high-resolution 'Chirp' profiles. The seismic sedimentary sequence overlying acoustic basement (basal reflector-B) can be divided into two depositional units (Unit 1 and 2) bounded by erosional bounding surface (mid reflector-M). The lower Unit 1 above basal reflector-H is characterized by the acoustically parallel to subparallel reflections and channel-fill facies. The upper Unit 2, up to 7 m in thickness, shows seismically semi-transparent seismic facies and lenticular body form. On the base of sequence stratigraphic concept, these two sediment units have developed during transgression and highstand period, respectively, since the last sea-level lowstand. The transgressive systems tract (Unit 1) lie directly on the sequence boundary (reflector B) that have farmed during the last glacial maximum. The transgressive systems tract in this study consists mostly of complex of delta, fluvial, and tidal deposits within the incised valley estuary system. The maximum flooding surface (reflector M) corresponding to the top surface of transgressive systems tract is obviously characterized by erosional depression. The highstand systems tract (Unit 2) above maximum flooding surface is made up of the mud patch filled with the erosional depression. The high-stand mud deposits showing a circle shape just like a typhoon symbol locates about 140 km off the south of Cheju Island with water depth of $60\~90m$. Coverage area and total sediment volume of the mud deposits are about $3,200km^2$ and $10.7\times10^9\;m^3$, respectively. The origin of the mud patch is interpreted as a result of accumulating suspended sediments derived from the paleo-Yellow and/or Yangtze Rivers. The circular distribution pattern of the mud patch appears to be largely controlled by the presence of cyclonic eddy in the northern East China Sea.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.305-319
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• 2000

A total of 50 diatom species and 1 subspecies belonging to 31 genera except Chaetoceros resting spores were identified in the 45 sediments subsampled from a gravity core GH98-1223 collected from the western Hokkaido Island located in the northeastern East Sea (Sea of Japan). The most dominant species is Thalassionema nitzschioides (Grunow) Hustedt, ranging 29 to 59% of the total assemblages, and most species including Denticulopsis seminae (Simonsen and Kanaya) Simonsen and Pseudoeunotia doliolus (Wallich) Grunow were less than 5% in average. Frequencies of cold-water species are generally higher than those of warm-water species and the vertical distribution of cold-water species was largely opposite to that of warm-water species in spite of ecological habitat difference. Frequency of cold-water species, D. seminae is reverse to that of P. doliolus, an indicator of the Tsushima Warm Current, which is consistent with diatom temperature value (T$_{d}$ value). The variation of T$_{d}$ values shows that the upper part of core with greater-than-average T$_{d}$ values represents postglacial warming trend. These T$_{d}$ values clearly demonstrate that the study area located in the northern part of the East Sea is gradually influenced by Tsushima Warm Current. In addition, the zig-zag variation in the lower part reflects the unstable seawater for diatom habitat. Chaetoceros resting spores indicating productivity and upwelling was 5.3 to 40%, with maximum peak at 80 cm. Chaetoceros resting spores/Chaetoceros vegetative cells, an indicator of relative amounts of biogenic material in the sediments was high at the upper 80 cm level, corresponding to the change of T$_{d}$ values. On the basis of diatom assemblages, the northeastern part of East Sea has experienced the effects of Tsushima Warm Current during the postglacial period of Holocene, which is similar to the modem climatic environment. However, the variation of P. doliolus reflects that the intensity of Tsushima Warm Current has been oscillated in the East Sea.

• The Korean Journal of Petroleum Geology
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• v.3 no.1 s.4
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• pp.1-15
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• 1995

Seismic reflection profiles and exploratory drilling well samples from the southern marginal-continental shelf basin of Korea delineate that the Tertiary sedimentary sequences can be grouped into five sequences (Sequence A, Sequence B, Sequence C, Sequence D and Sequence E, in descending order). Paleontologic data, K-Ar age datings, correlation with tuff layers and sequence stratigraphic analysis reveal that the sequences A, B, C, D and E can be considered as the deposits of Holocene $\~$ Pleistocene, Pliocene, Late Miocene, Early $\~$ Middle Miocene and Oligocene, respectively. The sequence stratigraphic and structural analyses suggest that the southern part of the Cheju Basin had experienced severe folding and faulting. NE-SW trending strike-slip movement is responsible for the deformation. The sinistral movement of strike-slip fault ceased before the deposition of Sequence B. Age dating and rare-earth elements analysis of volvanic rocks reveal+ that the Sequence D was deposited during the Early $\~$ Middle Miocene and the Sequence I was deposited earlier than the deposition of the Green Tuff Formation. Sedimentary petrological studies indicate that sediments of the Sequence I came from the continental block provenance. After the deposition of the Sequence E, uplift of the source area resulted in increase of sediment supply, subsidence and volcanic activities. The Sequence D show these factors and the sediments of the Sequence D are considered to be transported from the recycled orogenic belt.

• Journal of Marine Life Science
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.8-31
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• 2023

To understand the distribution and formation mechanism of benthic foraminiferal assemblages, grain size analysis, ¹⁴C radiocarbon dating, and benthic foraminifera analysis were conducted on thirty-two surface sediments collected from the continental shelf of the northern East China Sea, respectively. Surface sediment was composed of sandy mud~muddy sand facies with an average of 52.04% of sand, 13.72% of silt, and 34.20% of clay. These sedimentary facies are palimpsest sediment. Benthic foraminifera was classified into a total of 48 genera and 104 species, including agglutinated foraminifera, calcareous-hyaline, and calcareous-porcelaneous foraminifera. The production rate of agglutinated foraminifera increased toward the Yangtze River area while that of planktonic foraminifera increased toward Jeju Island. Dominant species are Ammonia ketienziensis, Bolivina robusta, Eggella advena, Eilohedra nipponica, Pseudorotalia gamardii, Pseudoparrella naraensis. ¹⁴C radiocarbon datings of Bolivina robusta and Pseudorotalia gamardii with the highest production rate were 2,360±40 yr B.P. and 2,450±40 yr B.P., respectively. In the result of cluster analysis, three assemblages composed of P. gaimardii, B. robusta, and A. ketienziensis-P. naraensis were classified broadly. P. gaimardii assemblage is thought to be formed from about 2.5 yr B.P. at the sea area of the Yangtze River to 50 m in water depth affected by fresh water. B. robusta assemblage is thought to be formed from about 2.4 yr B.P. at the sea area of Jeju Island to 50~100 m affected by offshore water. And then, A. ketienziensisP. naraensis assemblage was formed in the northwest sea area (Central Yellow Sea Mud). These distributions and composition of benthic foraminiferal assemblages formed from about 2.5 yr B.P. in the northern East China Sea are thought to be due to the change of benthic ecology environment that occurred by the sea level increase during the late Holocene.