• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.36 no.4 s.105
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• pp.434-446
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• 2003

The fate and transport of many trace metals, metalloids, and radionuclides in porous media is closely linked to the biogeochemical reactions that occur as a result of organic carbon being sequentially degraded by different microorganisms using a series of terminal electron acceptors. The spatial distribution of these biogeochemical reactions is affected by processes that are often unique and/or characteristic to a specific environment. Generic model formulations have been developed and applied to simulate the fate and transport of arsenic in two hydrologic settings, permanently flooded freshwater sediments, namely non-vegetated wetland sediments and vegetated wetland sediments. The key physical processes that have been considered are sedimentation, effects of roots on biogeochemistry, advective transport, and differences in mixing processes. Steady-state formulations were applied to the sedimentary environments. Results of numerical simulations show that these physical processes significantly affect the chemical profiles of different electron acceptors, their reduced species, and arsenate as well as arsenite that will result from the degradation of an organic carbon source in the sediments. Even though specific biological transformations are allowed to proceed only in zones where they are thermodynamically favorable, the results show that mixing as well as abiotic reactions can make the profiles of individual electron acceptors overlap and/or appear to reverse their expected order.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.331-344
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• 2009

Large landslides occurred since 1990 on natural terrain, Korea were reviewed with the existing data to characterize them in terms of the condition of rainfall, geology and geometry. Ten landslide areas over the nationwide are selected for this study. Among them, five areas consist of granite basement, four areas of granite and metamorphic rocks and the remaining an area of gabbro. The basement lithology on which landslides most dominantly occurred is granite, on which 58% of landslides among the total 3,435 are taken place, the next dominant one is metamorphic rocks where 24% of landslides are occurred, and the remaining 18% are on the areas of volcanic and sedimentary rocks which are partly distributed in some areas. The landslide occurrences may depend on the rainfall intensities rather than durations. We applied the theories of Caine's threshold and Olivier's final response coefficient to the Korean cases. The rainfall conditions at the landslide areas were all satisfied enough with the landslide triggering conditions suggested by Caine and Olivier. The triggering mechanism and type of landslides may largely depend on the weathering and geomorphic characteristics of basement lithology. The granite areas are characterized by being relatively shallow but consistent weathering profiles and almost no outcrop, and therefore, shallow translational slides are dominant. Whereas metamorphic areas are characterized by consisting of steep slope, weathered outcrops on ridges and partly on flanks and irregular weathering profiles, and relatively large debris flows are dominant.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.83-94
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• 2006

The objective of this paper is to extract and analyze the sediment environment change information in the Sachencheon, Gangneung, Korea that was seriously damaged as a result of typhoon Rusa aftermath early in September, 2002 using multi-temporal remote sensing data. For the extraction of change information, an unsupervised approach based on the automatic determination of thresholding values was applied. As the change detection results, turbidity changes right after typhoon Rusa, the decrease of wetlands, the increase of dry sand and channel width and changes of relative level in the stream due to seasonal variation were observed. Sedimentation in the cultivated areas and restoration works also affected the change near the Sacheoncheon. In addition to the change detection analysis, several environmental thematic maps including microtopographic map, distributions of estimated amount of flood deposits and flood hazard landform classification map were generated by using remote sensing and field survey data. In conclusion, multi-temporal remote sensing data can be effectively used for natural hazard analysis and damage information extraction and specific data processing techniques for high-resolution remote sensing data should also be developed.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.32-44
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• 2005

314 pumping test data of the National Groundwater Monitoring Wells (NGMWs) are analyzed to present statistical properties of fractured-rock and alluvial aquifers of Korea such as distribution of hydraulic conductivity, empirical relations between transmissivity and specific capacity, and time-drawdown patterns of pumping and recovery test. The mean hydraulic conductivity of alluvial aquifers (1.26 m/day) is 17 times greater than that of fractured-rock aquifers (0.076 m/day). Hydraulic conductivity of fracture-rock aquifers ranges in value over 4 orders of magnitude which coincide with representative values of fractured crystalline rocks and shows distinctive differences among rock types with the lowest values for metamorphic rocks and the highest values for sedimentary rocks. In consideration of the estimated transmissivity with some simplifying assumptions, it Is likely that $32\%$ of groundwater flow for NGMWs would occur through fractured-rock aquifers and $68\%$ through alluvial aquifers. Based on 314 pairs of data, empirical relations between transmissivity and specific capacity are presented for both fractured-rock and alluvial aquifers. Depending on time-drawdown patterns during pumping and recovery test, NGMWs are classified into $4\~5$ types. Most of NCMWs $(83.7\%)$ exhibit the recharge boundary type, which call be attributed to sources of water supply such as streams adjacent to the pumping well, the vertical groundwater flux between fractured-rock and the alluvial aquifers, and the delayed yield associated with gravity drainage occurring in unconfined aquifers.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.697-706
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• 2002

Authigenic siderite grains, ranging 100 to 250-${\mu}$m in diameter, are abundant in an about 8,600-year-old sediment layer in Namyang Bay, west coast of Korea. The siderites exhibit the aggregated spherulitic morphology with well-developed rhombs on the grain surfaces. They consist mostly of FeCO$_3$ (average, 65%) and MnCO$_3$ (average, 22%) with low Mg/Ca ratio (less than 0.4) in their bulk composition. A series of compositional ternary discrimination diagrams, together with high Mn and low Mg contents, show that only meteoric porewater was involved in siderite precipitation, assuming that depositional environment of host sediment is an organic-rich freshwater system. Considering a series of results such as radiocarbon age, authigenic Mn-rich siderite and lithological features, siderite-hosting sediment (unit Tl) is interpreted as freshwater swamp or bog deposition, infilling the topographic depressions that locally existed before the formation of mid-to-late Holocene tidal deposits. Center-to-margin compositional variation within individual grain is very systematic; Mn and Ca decrease towards the margin of a siderite grain, while Fe and Mg increase. It suggests that the spherulitic siderites were precipitated in this sedimentary layer in a series during the early diagenesis of MnOx-FeOx reduction under steady-state.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2004.04a
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• pp.473-476
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• 2004

In this study, hydrochemical studies of thermal waters in the Bugok and Magumsan areas showing geothermal anomalies were carried, and the applicability of ion seothermometers and multiple mineral equilibrium approach was examined to estimate their potential deep reservoir temperatures. Typical thermal waters of the two areas are clearly grouped into two major types, according to water chemistry: Na-Cl type (group A) and Na-SO4 type (group D). Compared to group A, group B and C waters show some modifications in chemistry. Group E waters show the modified chemistry from group D. Geothermal waters from the two areas showed some different chemical characteristics. The thermal waters of group A and B in Magumsan area are typically neutral to alkaline (pH=6.7 to 8.1) and Cl-rich (up to 446.1 mg/L), while the waters of group D and E in Bugok area are alkaline (pH=7.6 to 10.0) and SO$_4$-rich (up to 188.0 mg/L). The group A (Na-Cl type) and group D (Na-SO$_4$ type) waters correspond to mature or partially immature water, whereas the other types are immature water. The genesis of geothermal waters are considered as follows: group A and B waters were formed by seawater infiltration into reservoir rocks along faults and fracture zones and possibly affected by fossil connate waters in lithologic units through which deep hot waters circulate; on the other hand, group D and E waters were formed by the oxidation of sulfide minerals (mainly pyrite) in surrounding sedimentary rocks and/or hydrothermal veins occurring along restricted fracture channels and were possibly affected by the input and subsequent oxidation of S-bearing gases (e.g. H2S) from deep thermal reservoir (probably, cooling pluton). The application of quartz, Na-K, K-Mg geothermometers to the chemistry of representative group A and D waters yielded a reasonable temperature estimate (99-147$^{\circ}C$ and 90-142$^{\circ}C$) for deep geothermal reservoir. Aqueous liquid-rich fluid inclusions in fracture calcites obtained from drillcores in Bugok area have an average homogenization temperature of 128$^{\circ}C$, which corresponds to the results from ion geothermometers. The multiple mineral equilibrium approach yielded a similar temperature estimate (105-135$^{\circ}C$ and 100-14$0^{\circ}C$). We consider that deep reservoir temperatures of thermal waters in the Magumsan and Bugok areas can be estimated by the chemistry of typical Na-Cl and Na-SO$_4$ type waters and possibly approach 105-135$^{\circ}C$ and 100-14$0^{\circ}C$.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Groundwater Environment
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.33-50
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• 1994

The Hydrogeologic data of 455 water wells comprising geologic log and aquifer test were analyzed to determine hydrogeologic characteristics of the Cheju island. The groundwater. of the Cheju island is occurred in unconsolidated pyroclastic deposits and crinker interbedded in highly jointed basaltic and andesic rocks as high level, basal and parabasal types under unconfined condition. The average transmissivity and specific yield of the aquifer are at about 29,300㎡/day and 0.12 respectively, The total storage of groundwater is estimated about 44 billion cubic meters. Average annual precipitation is about 3,390 million ㎥ among which average recharge is estimated for 1,494 million ㎥ being equivalent 44.1% of total annual precipitation with 638 million ㎥ of runoff and 1,256 million ㎥ of evapotranspiration. Based on groundwater budget analysis, the sustainable yield is about 620 million ㎥(41% of annual recharge)and rest is discharging into the sea. The geologic logs of recently drilled thermal water wells indicate that very low-permeable marine sediments(Sehwa-ri formation) composed of loosely cemented sandy silt derived from mainly volcanic ashes at the 1st stage volcanic activity of the area is situated at the 120${\pm}$68m below sea level. Another low-permeable sedimentary rock called Seogipo-formation which is deemed younger than the former marine sediment is occured at the area covering north-west and western part of the Cheju island at the ${\pm}$70m below sea level. If these impermeable beds art distributed as a basal formation of fresh water zone of the Cheju island, the most of groundwater in the Cheju island will be para-basal type. These formations will be one of the most important hydrogeologic boundary and groundwater occurences in the area.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.120-129
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• 2001

A sand shoal (1300 m long and 400 m wide) with an orientation of north-south is formed on the lower tidal flat of Gomso Bay, southwestern coast of Korea. Surface bedforms, sedimentary structures, sedimentation rate, grain size distribution and can-corer sediments have been measured and analysed along the sand shoal proper zone B and its offshore zone A and onshore zone C during the period of 14 months. These three zones can be differentiated based on sedimentological characteristics: A zone - fine sand (3${\varphi}$ mean), linguoid-type ripples, 70 mm/month in sedimentation rate and no bioturbation, B zone - medium sand (2.5${\varphi}$ mean), dunes (4${\sim}$5 m in wavelength), 30 mm/month in sedimentation rate and no bioturbation, and C zone - coarse silt (5${\varphi}$ mean), sinuous-type ripples, 10 mm/month in sedimentation rate and well-developed bioturbation. These characteristics indicate that the zone C represents a relatively low-energy regime environment whereas the zone A corresponds to a relatively high-energy environment. The zone B would play an important role for a barrier to dissipate the approaching wave energy, resulting in maintaining of low-energy conditions in the inner part of Gomso-Bay intertidal flat behind.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.683-694
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• 2000

Abstrace: The palaeodepositional environment and age of the Cretaceous Hampyeong Basin (southwestern Korea) are reassessed based on new geochemical, lithological, sedimentological, and palaeobotanical data. Results indicate that the Hampyeong Basin was a tectonically active basin comprising predominantly fluvial and lacustrine sediments. Four distinctive facies types have been identified (acidic tuff, black shales/sandstones, red beds, intermediate tuff with tuffaceous conglomerate) and these reflect periods of significant environmental change within the basin and its neighbouring terrains. Volcanism driven by tectonic events provides a source for much of the sediment. The sedimentary sequences compare well with those in the neighbouring Haenam Basin. Sediments of volcanic origin are similar to those of the Neungju Formation of the Yuchon Group. The widespread occurrence of black shales is indicative of extended periods of deposition under anoxic conditions. Measurements of total organic carbon show that the values for the black shales (0.81% to 1.75%) are the average for petroleum source shales. Fossil plants occurred in the black shales and sandstones. The occurrence of platanoid leaves places these sediments in Oishi's angiosperm series, which is consistent with an Aptian/Albian or younger age.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.179-192
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• 2012

Paleo-environments such as vegetation and climate changes from the Last Glacial Maximum to the Holocene are reconstructed by the results of pollen analysis in the floodplain of Cheonan River, Seongjeong-dong, Cheonan-si, Chungnam Province. In the pollen zone I (approximately 23,000-15,000 yr BP), the area studied was covered by the extensive grassland with sparse wood. The climatic conditions were very cold, but it might not be so severe compared to the intermontane area in the Yeongnam area. This zone corresponds to the 'very cold' stage of Woldstedt(1962) and Yoon and Jo(1996). No pollen horizon(pollen zone II) deposited between approximately 15,000 and 10,000 yr BP corresponds to the transitional stage from the Last Glacial Maximum to the Holocene. The horizon consists of the dark gray brown sand deposits different from the other horizons dominated by the silty deposits and these sedimentary properties may be attributed to the dramatic climate changes between the very cold stage and warm stage. The pollen zone III formed between approximately 10,000 and 6,000 yr BP shows clearly different pollen compositions indicative of temperate climate conditions.