• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.29-36
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• 2010

Several mines including Namil, Solim and Jungbong which are located in the Gyeonggi and Kangwon province have been abandoned and closed since 1980 due to "The promotion policy of mining industry". An enormous amount of mining wastes was disposed without proper treatment, which caused soil pollution in tailing dam and ore-dressing plant areas. However, any quantitative assessment was not performed about soil and water pollution by transporting mining wastes such as acid mine drainage, mine tailing, and rocky waste. In this research, heavy metals in mining wastes were analyzed according to leaching method which used 0.1 N HCl and total solution method which used Aqua-regia to recognize the ecological effect of distance from hot spot. We sampled tailings, rocky wastes and soils around the abandoned mine. Chemical and physical parameters such as pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total organic carbon (TOC), soil texture and heavy metal concentration were analyzed. The range of soil's pH is between 4.3 and 6.4 in the tailing dam and oredressing plant area due to mining activity. Total concentrations of As, Cu, and Pb in soil near ore dressing plant area are 250.9, 249.3 and 117.2 mg/kg respectively, which are higher than any other ones near tailing dam area. Arsenic concentration in tailing dams is 31.0 mg/kg, which is also considered as heavily polluted condition comparing with the remediation required level(RRL) in "Soil environment conservation Act".

• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.31-35
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• 2019

Andong-dam was built up in 1967 and it is one of the biggest dams in Korea. Previous studies showed that the sediments are highly contaminated with heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, and lead. Many research projects are going on to find out the source of the contamination, to evaluate the toxicities to ecosystem, to estimate the volume of sediment to be treated and to find out a good remediation method. Reports show that the sediment is highly contaminated and the main contamination source is supposed to be abandoned mines and a zinc refinery located upper stream of the river. A magnetic separation has been tested as a treatment method for the dredged sediment. Lab scale test showed that the magnetically captured portion is about 10% in weight but the contamination of heavy metal is much higher than the contamination of the passed portion. This indicates that a magnetic separation could be applied for the purpose of reduction of sediment to be treated and for increasing the volume of low toxic sediments which can be dumped as general waste. A magnetic separation using a HGMS has been tested for the sediment with variable magnetic field and the results showed the higher magnetic field increase the captured portion but the concentrating effect of heavy metal was weakened. Further study is needed to establish a useful technology and optimization between decontamination and reduction of sediment volume.

• Explosives and Blasting
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.29-38
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• 2022

Electronic detonators are now widely used in various construction sites and quarry mines. Including the sites where safety-thing is located nearby, Cases of using electronic detonators are increasing to maximize operational efficiency by improving blast fragmentation or reducing the cost of secondary blasting. This case study is about applying for electronic detonators on zone 00 construction site, which is the part of urban area metropolitan express rail A line project. Although the project was initially planned to utilize non-electric detonators, Electronic detonators are considered as the solution not only for safe and fast excavation, but also to minimize civil complaint and the damage of safety-thing. By applying electronic detonators, we were able to satisfy environmental regulations standards and prevent nearby safety-thing from getting damaged.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Groundwater Environment
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.148-154
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• 1998

Gubong gold-mine, previously one of the largest gold mines in Korea, is located at the mid-west of the South Korea. In the areas nearby the mine, the shallow groundwater was the major source for domestic and farming water-supply. Soil contamination by Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn was previously known in this area. This study is objected to identify quality of the shallow groundwater, possibly affected by the mine tailings. Samples were collected from a nearby stream, shallow groundwater and seepage from the tailings. Chemical analysis for the water quality includes major cations such as Na, K, Ca, and Mg, anions as F, Cl, NO$_3$, SO$_4$, HCO$_3$, and trace elements as Al, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, Se, As, Hg. Water types could be drawn into four groups from the plots of Piper, Stiff diagrams and cluster analysis. SAR-Conductivity plot indicates the water does not pose either alkalinity or salinity hazards for irrigation. Major contaminant in groundwater appeared to be arsenic, released from arsenopyrites in tailings by oxidation. Dredging of buried railing materials could stimulate the release of arsenic from the sediments to the groundwater.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.293-306
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• 2024

Influenced by the alternating effects of dynamic and static pressure during the mining process of close range coal seams, the surrounding rock support of cross mining roadway is difficult and the deformation mechanism is complex, which has become an important problem affecting the safe and efficient production of coal mines. The paper takes the inclined longwall mining of the 10304 working face of Zhongheng coal mine as the engineering background, analyzes the key strata fracture mechanism of the large inclined right-angle trapezoidal mining field, explores the stress distribution characteristics and transmission law of the surrounding rock of the roadway affected by the mining of the inclined coal seam, and proposes a segmented and hierarchical support method for the cross mining roadway affected by the mining of the close range coal seam group. The research results indicate that based on the derived expressions for shear and tensile fracture of key strata, the ultimate pushing distance and ultimate suspended area of a right angle trapezoidal mining area can be calculated and obtained. Within the cross mining section, along the horizontal direction of the coal wall of the working face, the peak shear stress is located near the middle of the boundary. The cracks on the floor of the cross mining roadway gradually develop in an elliptical funnel shape from the shallow to the deep. The dual coupling support system composed of active anchor rod support and passive U-shaped steel shed support proposed in this article achieves effective control of the stability of cross mining roadways, which achieves effective control of floor by coupling active support and preventive passive support to improve the strength of the surrounding rock itself. The research results are of great significance for guiding the layout, support control, and safe mining of cross mining roadways, and to some extent, can further enrich and improve the relevant theories of roof movement and control.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.1-15
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• 2014

The Yeongam mineralized zone is located in the southwestern part of the Korean peninsula, including the Sangeun, Eunjeok and Baramjai mines. This zone is located in the northeastern part of the Mokpo-Haenam-Yeongam volcanic circular structure. The 13 sites of quartz vein with mineralization are developed in the Sangeun-Eunjeok-Baramjai area, within rhyolitic welded tuff, showing N-S or NNW trend with highly dipping to the west. The quartz veins occur as a single vein or a bundle of veins with width of 1-5 cm in each. The existence of faults parallel to the quartz veins indicates that the faulting occurred before and after the development of quartz veins and mineralization. The quartz veins and mineralized zone are displaced by NW-trending sinistral strike-slip faults. The extension of the Sangeun-Eunjeok mineralized belt is traced to the south, following a NNW-trending tectonic line, and the Au-Ag contents are analysed in the 12 sites of quartz veins. Contents of gold and silver are 12.3 g/t and 1,380.0 g/t in Eunjeok mine, 2.7 g/t, 23.5g in Sangeun mine, and <0.1 g/t, 5.7 g/t in Baramjai mine respectively. Therefore, a highly Ag-Au mineralized zone is not developed in the southern part of the studied area.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2009

The Haman mineralized area is located within the Cretaceous Gyeongsang Basin along the southeastern part of the Korean peninsula. Almost all occurrences in the Haman area are representative of copper-bearing polymetallic hydrothermal vein-type mineralization. Within the area are a number of fissure-filling hydrothermal veins which contain tourmaline, quartz and carbonates with Fe-oxide, base-metal sulfide and sulfosalt minerals. The Gunbuk, Jeilgunbuk and Haman mines are each located on such veins. The ore and gangue mineral paragenesis can be divided into three distinct stages: Stage I, tourmaline + quartz + Fe-Cu ore mineralization; Stage II, quartz + sulfides + sulfosalts + carbonates; Stage III, barren calcite. Equilibrium thermodynamic data combined with mineral paragenesis indicate that copper minerals precipitated mainly within a temperature range of $350^{\circ}C$ to $250^{\circ}C$. During early mineralization at $350^{\circ}C$, significant amounts of copper ($10^3$ to $10^2\;ppm$) could be dissolved in weakly acid NaCl solutions. For late mineralization at $250^{\circ}C$, about $10^0$ to $10^{-1}\;ppm$ copper could be dissolved. Equilibrium thermodynamic interpretation indicates that the copper in the Haman-Gunbuk systems could have been transported as a chloride complex and the copper precipitation occurred as a result of cooling accompanied by changes in the geochemical environments ($fs_2$, $fo_2$, pH, etc.) resulting in decrease of solubility of copper chloride complexes.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.337-350
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• 1995

The Hwacheon-ri mineralized area is located within the Cretaceous Gyeongsang Basin of the Korean peninsula. The mineralized area includes the Hwacheon, Daeweon, Kuryong and Cheongryong mines. Each of these mines occurs along copper-bearing hydrothermal quartz veins that crosscut late Cretaceous volcanic rocks, although some disseminated ores in host rocks also exist locally. Mineralization can be separated into three distinct stages (I, II, and III) which developed along preexisting fracture zones. Stage I is ore-bearing, whereas stages II and III are barren. The main phase of ore mineralization, stage I, can be classified into three substages (Ia, Ib and Ic) based on ore mineral assemblages and textures. Substage Ia is characterized by pyrite-arsenopyrite-molybdenite-pyrrhotite assemblage and is most common at the Hwacheon deposit. Substage Ib is represented by main precipitation of Cu, Zn, and Pb minerals. Substage Ic is characteristic of hematite occurrence and is shown only at the Kuryong and Cheongryong deposits. Some differences in the ore mineralization at each mine in the area suggest that the evolution of hydrothermal fluids in the area varied in space (both vertically and horizontally) with respect to igneous rocks relating the ore mineralization. Fluid inclusion data show that stage I ore mineralization mainly occurred at temperatures between ${\approx}350^{\circ}$ and ${\approx}200^{\circ}C$ from fluids with salinities between 9.2 and 0.5 wt.% eq. NaCl. In the waning period of substage Ia, the high temperature and salinity fluid gave way to progressively cooler, more dilute fluids of later substage Ib and Ic (down to $200^{\circ}C$, 0 wt.% NaCl). There is a systematic decrease in the calculated ${\delta}^{18}O_{H2O}$ values with paragenetic time in the Hwacheon-ri hydrothermal system from values of ${\approx}2.7$‰ for substage Ia, through ${\approx}-2.8$‰ for substage Ib, to ${\approx}-9.9$‰ for substage Ic. The ${\delta}D$ values of fluid inclusion water also decrease with decreasing temperature (except for the Daeweon deposit) from -62‰ (substage Ia) to -80‰ (substage Ic and stage III). These trends are interpreted to indicate the progressive cooler, more oxidizing unexchanged meteoric water inundation of an initial hydrothermal system which is composed of highly exchanged meteoric water. Equilibrium thermodynamic interpretation of the mineral assemblages with the variation in amounts of chalcopyrite through the paragenetic time, and the evolution of the Hwacheon-ri hydrothermal fluids indicate that the solubility of copper chloride complexes in the hydrothermal system was mainly controlled by the variation of temperature and $fo_2$ conditions.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.330-337
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• 2015

Pre-monsoon dynamics of zooplankton community were investigated in Yongwol West River tributary; wetland shaped Korean Peninsula. Zooplankters were collected at three sites (stn 1: Yongwol West River, stn 2: Pyungchang River, stn 3: Jucheon River) monthly during the period between March and July 2014 except April. Totally 58 taxa of zooplankton occurred, consisting of 27 species of rotifer, 18 species of cladoceran, eight species of copepod, four kinds of aquatic insect larvae and one nematod. Lotic cladocerans of Alona spp. belonging to Chydoridae occurred frequently while typical lentic ones of Bosmina spp. and Daphnia spp. were not distributed, then sampling sites may be located in lotic waters. Zooplankton abundance recorded as $4,451-8,011indiv{\cdot}m^{-3}$ in Jucheon River but never exceeded $500indiv{\cdot}m^{-3}$ in other rivers. In Yongwol West River, dominant taxa were aquatic insect larvae from March through June and succeeded to cladocerans and copepods in July. Similar succession was observed in Jucheon River where aquatic insect larvae dominated in March and changed to cladocerans and copepods from May with high abundance. No such succession of zooplankton community was detected in Pyunchang River. Species diversity indices were the highest in Yongwol West River except in March. High values of dissolved oxygen ($9.0-11.0 mg{\cdot}liter^{-1}$) may show the characteristics of mountain streams. Water temperature increased gradually from $10.1^{\circ}C$ to $27.9^{\circ}C$ and pH varied within generally high range between 7.9-8.9, respectively. High value of pH seems to be derived from lime stone mines and cement factories around the studied area.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.91-100
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• 2000

It has been more than ten years since Dukun mine was abandoned. Tailings of waste deposits and slime dumps in the abandoned Dukum mine have been left to be deserted for fifty years. The results of fifty years of neglecting are nothing short of major environmental problems. Slime dumps have been exposed to air and water in the mine over ten years and then soil profile has been formed well. Soil in the upper layer (A horizon) is the light gray color due to the leaching of cations. Soil in the lower layer (A2 horizon, 0.2∼0.3m)is tinted with reddish brown and yellowish brown color due to the development of iron oxides and iron hydroxides. Soil in the lower part of B horizon of (1.0∼3.0m) with the growth of copper and zinc oxides exposes to the bluish green, light blue, and dark gray. Ranging from 3m to 8m in depth, 85 samples were taken from 22 sampling sites with 50m intervals located on the slime dump area with hand auger and trench (open cut). As tailings was distributed, heavy metal elements extracted by the process of surface water and ground water move and disperse in to the hydrosphere. Waste dumps were distributed in and around the mine and water draining from those dumps be a potential source of contamination. Soils, thus, can be dispersed into downslope and downstream through wind and water by clastic movement. These materials may be deposited in another horizon if the water is withdrawn, or if the materials are precipitated as a result of differences in pH, or other conditions in deeper horizons. These were primarily associated with acid mine drainage. The characteristics and rate of release of acid mine drainage are influenced by various chemical and biological reactions at the source of acid generations. Prolonged extration of heavy metal elements has a detrimental effect on the agricultural land and residental area. Twenty soil samples were collected from the agricultural land in the area (0∼30 cm). Seventeen samples were also taken from the sediment in the stream running alongside the dumps. The dispersion patterns of heavy metal elements are as follows: The content of As ranged 2∼6 ppm in a horizon, 20∼125 ppm in B horizon with large amount of clay mineral is concentrated and the content of Cd ranged 1∼2 ppm in A horizon, 4∼22 ppm in B horizon. Like Cd, the content of As, Cu, Zn, Pb in B horizon is higher than that in A horizon (approximately 5∼100 times). When soil formation proceeds in stages, it is necessary to investicate the B horizon with the concentration of heavy metal and preventive measures will have to established.