• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.541-552
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• 2010

Geochemical and physical investigations such as ${\delta}^{13}C$ isotope ratio, carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio, magnetic susceptibility (MS), and particle size analyses were carried out on the estuarine tidal flat sediments from the west coast of Korea in order to reconstruct the East Asian summer monsoon variability during the late Pleistocene and Holocene Our results indicated that the summer monsoon probably peaked around 7,700-7,800 yr BP and then started to decline about 7,400 yr BP in the Korean peninsular, and that the monsoon was relatively weak between 24,000-24,500 yr BP but relatively strong between 18,500-19,500 yr BP during the Last Glacial Maximum. Our estuarine geochemical data have proven to be valuable as a new proxy for detecting the shifts in monsoon strength. This new evidence will be helpful, especially for Korean paleoenvironmental studies with few proxy data archives.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.18 no.2 s.23
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• pp.3-3
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• 2004

One short core with length of 146cm(HB-107, at coordinates of $N51^{\circ}$11'37.5";$E100^{\circ}$24'45.6", from 229m water depth was subject of the present study. The sub-samples of the core were analyzed for the water contents (WC%), biogenic silica, identification of the main phases, grain size distribution, geochemistry and some physical properties of sediment(Wet density and Magnetic susceptibility) with aims of recording palaeo-environmental changes in Northem Mongolia. The evaluation of the geochemical and mineralogical proxies on palaeo-climated and palaeo-environmental changes are based on comparison to the behvior of biogenic silica through core, as later one had been showed itself, as good indicator of the climate and environmental fluctuation. Age model of the investigating core based on previously C 14 dated core HB105 taken from the central part of the Hobsgol Lake and the result had been published elsewhere. The core consists of two litological varieties : upper diatomaceous silt, lower clay. According to the age model the upper diatomaceous silt formed during the Holocene, lower caly-during the late Pleistocene glacial period. The geochemistry and phase identification analysis on the core samples are resulted in determining main minerals that form the bottom sediments and their geochemistry. The main include quartz, felspar, muscovite, clinochlore, amphibole and carbonate phase(dolomite and calcite). Through the core not only occur the relative quantitative changes of the main phases, but also happen that the carbonate phase completely disappear in diatomaceous silt. This is believed to be related to the lake water salinity changes, which occurred during the trassition period from Pleistocene glacial-to the Holocene interglacial. These abrupt changes of the mineralogy have been clearly traced in geochemistry of sediments, specially in calcium concentration, which is high in lower clay and low in upper diatomaceous silt. That means, geochemistry and mineralogy of the bottom sediments can be used as proxy data on palaeo-climate and palaeo-environmental changes.

• Journal of the korean society of oceanography
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.185-195
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• 1998

Two piston cores (94PC-2 and 95PC-4) taken from the East Sea (Sea of Japan) are studied to evaluate the paleoceanographic changes and its interaction with climatic variation. The bulk geochemistry of the non-biogenic fractions of 54 sediment samples is determined using X-ray fluorescence. Four geochemical stratigraphic units at both core sediments are recognized based on the variations in major element concentration. These chemical stratigraphic units correspond well with the sedimentological and paleontological facies. Source materials are considered as basic and/or intermediate rocks judging from silica content. A distinctive boundary around 11 kyr may correspond to Younger Dryas event. The switch of most major elements at this level and the distinctive changes in concentration of typical terrigenous elements (TiO$_2$ and Al$_2$O$_3$) are the strong evidence for the difference in sources of terrigenous materials. The weathering indices exhibit high degree in Core 94PC-2 and low degree in Core 95PC-4. The changes in weathering degree can be distinguished by the lowest value occurred at 11 kyr in Core 94PC-2 and by a gradual decrease from top to bottom in Core 95PC-4. The profiles of potassium and sodium exhibit specific excursions between the Holocene and the late Pleistocene. This implies that sediments of the two cores originating from different sources with different weathering degrees. The distinct two-group distributions in K$_2$O/CaO vs. Na$_2$O/K$_2$O also support the difference in provenance of aluminosilicate materials at the boundary of 11 kyr. Thus, supply patterns of terrigenous materials are stable in Holocene and more complicated in the last glacial period.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.57-68
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• 1997

Climatic change of the late-Quaternary period has been record-ed in the loess deposits of the central Great plains and the record of such change is extractable using a number of approaches and parameters. The stratigraphy of loess deposits which have been investigated on Fort Riley exhibits the same sequence of loess units and intercalated buried soils as is found elsewhere in the re-gion but adds detail unique to the reservation Upland late-Qua-ternary composite stratigraphy preserved on the reservation con-sists of the basal Sangamon soil of the Last interglacial(c. 120-110ka), Gilman Canyon Formation(c. >40 -20ka), Peoria loess(c. 20 -10ka) Brady soil(c. 11 -10ka) Bignell loess(c. 9-\ulcornerka). and mod-ern surface soil. Application of magnetic analyses has provided proxy data sets that represent a time series of climatically regulated pedogenesis/weathering and botanical composition. magetic data have yielded an impression of the variation in climate from Sangamon time to the late Holocene through a reconstruction of the history of pedogenesis/weathering. Sangamon soil formation dominated the reservation durin the Last interglacial as indicated by magnetic parameters. During Gil-man Canyon time loess influx was usually sufficiently slow as to permit pedogenesis which appears to have been at a maximum twice during that time. Warm season grasses were important dur-ing soil formation but diminished in importance during the peri-ods of more rapid loess fall which were cooler and perhaps wet-ter. Peoria loess fall a function of the deterioration of climate during the last Glacial Maximum thinly blanketed the reservation with thickest accumulations occurring to the north-west(Bala Cemetery site)proximal to the source region. Long-term surface stability did not apparently occur within Peoria time but short-term stability may be indicaed by the presence of thin weathering zones(incipient soils) in the Peoria loess. Re-gional landscape stability prevailed during the environmental shift at the Pleistocene/Holocene transition resulting in forma-tion of the well expressed Brady soil. One or more weak soils developed in the Bignell loess as it ac-cumulated. A notable feature of the Bignell loess is the appear-ance of the Altithermal dry period: the loess experienced little weathering and was dominated by warm season grasses until the latter of the Holocene.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2006

Analyses of sedimentological and geochemical parameters from two radiocarbon-dated sediment cores (JM98-845-PC and JM98-818-PC) retrieved from the central part of Isfjorden, Svalbard, in the Arctic Sea, reveal detailed paleoclimatic and paleoceanographic histories over the last 15,000 radiocarbon years. The overconsolidated diamicton at the base of core JM98-845-PC is supposed to be a basal till deposited beneath pounding glacier that had advanced during the LGM (Last Glacial Maximum). Deglaciation of the fjord commenced after the glacial maximum, marked by the deposition of interlaminated sand and mud in the ice-proximal zone by subglacial meltwater discharge, and prevailed between 13,700 and 10,800 yr B.P. with enriched-terrigenous organic materials. A return to colder conditions occurred at around 10,800 yr B.P. with a drop in TOC content, which is probably coincident with the Younger Dryas event in the North Atlantic region. At this time, an abrupt decrease of TOC content as well as an increase in C/N ratio suggests enhanced terrigenous input due to the glacial readvance. A climatic optimum is recognized between 8,395 and 2,442 yr B.P., coinciding with 'a mid-Holocene climatic optimum' in Northern Hemisphere sites (e.g., the Laurentide Ice sheet). During this time, as the sea ice receded from the fjord, enhanced primary productivity occurred in open marine conditions, resulting in the deposition of organic-enriched pebbly mud with evidence of TOC maxima and C/N ratio minima in sediments. Fast ice also disappeared from the coast, providing the maximum of IRD (ice-rafted debris) input. Around 2,442 yr B.p. (the onset of Neoglacial), pebbly mud, characterized by a decrease in TOC content, reflects the formation of more extensive sea ice and fast ice, which might cause decreased primary productivity in the surface water, as evidenced by a decrease in TOC content. Our results provide evidence of climatic change on the Svalbard fjords that helps to refine the existence and timing of late Pleistocene and Holocene millennial-scale climatic events in the Northern Hemisphere.

• 한국지구물리탐사학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2002.09a
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• pp.46-66
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• 2002

High-resolution multichannel seismic data were collected in the coastal area near the Gori nuclear power plant to investigate Quaternary fault pattern and timing. A 12 channel streamer, a sparker, and a portable recorder were used for data acquisition. Because the group interval of the streamer was 6.25 m and the sparker can generate acoustic waves with the frequency content of up to 500 Hz, the data show a significant improvement both in horizontal and vertical resolution. The area surveyed is covered with 30-40 m thick Holocene sediments that constitute the mud belt along the southeastern coast of Korea. The survey area is characterized by the well discriminated Pleistocene and Holocene boundary and shallow gas-charged zones. A number of Quaternary faults were found in the sediment column, that are nearly vertical and extend north-south. The Quaternary faults, arranged at a spacing of a few hundred meters, suggest that they were formed in response to compression, although some of them reveal extensional characteristics. Locally, faults disrupt Incised-channel fills that are interpreted to have formed in the early stage of transgression after the beginning of the Holocene. Seismic sections suggest that shallow gas in the mud belt sediments made its way upward through the fractured fault planes. The tectonism responsible for the opening of the East Sea has not persisted since the late Miocene, but vigorous Quaternary faulting activity in the vicinity of the southeastern Korean Peninsula indicates that tectonic stability has yet to be achieved in this region underlain by the hotter than normal mantle.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 1995

One of the oldest fossil of conifers and taxads in the Korean peninsula includes Elatocladus, Ullmannia, Walchia and dates back to the Permian period of the Palaeozoic era. The only conifer which successfully survived since the Cretaceous period is Pinus and still thrives in Korea. The extinction of Miocene conifers, such as Sciadopitys, Taxodiaceae, Metasequoia and Cryptomeria may due to the climatic deteriorations during the late Pleistocene period. However, the cryophilous conifers and taxads, e.g..Pinus, Juniperus, Abies, Picea, Cupressaceae, Larix and Taxus continued to exist from the Miocene to the late Pleistocene and became major vegetational elements in the mountainous areas of Korea. As the temperature ameliorates in the late Holocene period, thermophilous Pinus (Diploxylon) gradually had increased in numbers and became a dominant vegetation in the lowland and montane areas since 2,000 years B.P. in korea. Out of various Korean conifers and taxads, Pinus which surviving since the Cretaceous period of Mesozoic era, ranges spatially from southern coastal area to northern alpine belt of the Korean peninsula. Pinus which contains largest species number in conifers is one of the most well-adapted genus to the Korean environment. The next important conifer Juniperus dates back to the Miocene period of Cenozoic era and continuously maintains speciation and expansion of distributional range. Other major conifers and taxads of Korea include Picea, Abies, Lorix and Taxus. The restriction of distributional range of Cephralotaxus and Tsuga may due to the climatic deterioration during the Pleistocene period of Cenozoic era. The patterns of the temporal and spatial distribution of Korean conifers and taxads may provide invaluable informations for the better understanding of present-day distributional range and ecology.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.126-134
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• 2001

Several angular sandstone fragments (about 7 cm in longest diameter) occur in two piston cores, obtained from the submarine trough in the northeastern part of Korea Strait. The origin of the sandstone fragments and the paleoenvironment of trough sediment could be suggested from sedimentary facies analysis of cores and identification of ostracod within sandstone fragments. Echo characteristics around two core sites in submarine trough represent the prolonged bottom echoes with diffuse or no subbottom reflectors. The cores consist of a lower bioturbated mud and an upper gravelly sand sediments with sandstone/shell fragments. The bioturbated mud sediments show low water contents (27-44%) and high shear strength (19.2->37 kPa) compared with those of Holocene sediments (60-219% and 1.0-2.7 kPa, respectively) in the inner shelf and continental slope. However, clay contents (48-56%) of the bioturbated mud sediments are similar to those of fluviatile Holocene sediments in the inner shelf. The mean grain size of gravelly sand sediments ranges from 2.3 to 3.0 ${\phi}$ and shows coarsening upward with sandstone/shell fragments. The Holocene palimpsest in the continental shelf are composed of muddy sand sediments or sandy mud sediments (mean grain size: 4.6-7.6 ${\phi}$). Those suggest that two core sediments might be formed from Paleofluvial and paleocoastal deposits during sea-level lowstand. However, sandstone fragments mainly consist of quartz grains and bioclasts, with carbonate matrix, hollow pore, and glauconite. Two extinct ostracod species, Normanicythere sp. and Kotoracythere sp., are recovered in the sand-stone fragments of core EP-7, and they continued to exist from late Pliocene to early Pleistocene in cold water environment of this area. Thus, the sandstone fragments are interpreted to be formed at the paleocoastal environment derived from the Plio-Pleistocene outcrops exposed around the submarine trough during the LGM (Last Glacial Maximum) period.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.142-151
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• 2001

Detailed interpretation of some high-resolution seismic profiles in Yosu Strait reveals that Late Quaternary deposits consist of three allostratigraphic units (UH, LH, PL) formed by fluvial and tidal controls. The top mud unit, UH, thins onshore, and overlies the backstepping modem Seomjin delta deposits, which is interpreted as a transgressive systems tract (757) related to Holocene relative sea-level rise. The unit LH below the unit UH is composed of delta, valley- and basin-fill facies. The delta facies (Unit $LH_1$) occurs only in Gwangyang Bay and shows two prograding sets retrogradationaly stacked, thus it is also interpreted as a transgressive systems tract(757). On the contrary, the valley- and basin-fill facies (Unit $LH_2$), interpreted as 757, occur between the units UH and PL (Pleistocene deposits) in Yosu Strait. The bounding surface between UH and $LH_2$ can be interpreted as a tidal ravinement surface on the basis of trends thinning toward inner bay and becoming young landward. Furthermore its geomorphological pattern is similar to that of recent tidal channels. This allostratigraphy in'ffsu Strait suggests that two 757 deposits (UH and $LH_2$), divided by tidal ravinement surface, have been formed in Yosu Strait, whereas in Gwangyang Bay backstepping delta deposits ($LH_1$) without tidal ravinement surface have been formed during Holocene sea-level rise. These characteristics indicate that different stacking patterns could be formed in these two areas according to different increasing rate of accommodation space caused by different geomorphology, sediment supply and tidal-current patterns even in the same period of Holocene sea-level rise.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.333-341
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• 2010

Fluvial sediments are widely distributed in present and old river-beds of the mid-Keum River, the tributaries of which are the Yugu and Jeongan Rivers. The basement of the mid-Keum River area consists of Mesozoic granites which are easily eroded compared to Precambrian gneisses, which are exposed in the upper-Keum River area. The provenance of the fluvial sediments includes both the Precambrian gneisses and Mesozoic granites, which occur in the catchment of the mid-Keum River. The coarse-grained sediments were probably transported from the river-beds and the overbank floodings of the main Keum River and its tributaries when the climate was warm and wet. The oldest mud deposits were dated at ca. 9,400 yr BP by the radiocarbon method. It has been estimated that the sand deposits below the dated muds were formed in a period from the Late Pleistocene to the Early Holocene. However we have revealed that the major part of the present river-bed sediments was formed at ca. 3,000-6,000 yr BP, i.e., in the mid- to late Holocene, when summer monsoon was very strong due to climatic changes. We have calculated fluvial sedimentation rates of 0.12-0.16 cm/yr and 0.02-0.09 cm/yr for borehole KJ-29 river-bed sediments and borehole KJ-28 floodplain deposits, respectively. We conclude that the sedimentation rate is higher near the present stream channel than near the floodplain.