• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.51-62
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• 1997

In various places of drainage basins of major rivers in South Korea are distributed intermontane basins. Basin floor covered with fluvial deposits carried from the surrounding mountane area becomes alluvial plain. Its productivity is comparatively higher than anywhere else. Thus basin is a local administrative, economic, and cultural core area. Intermontane basin consists of backward mountane area, gentle hills, and alluvial lowland. The purpose of this paper is to elucidate the morpogenetic processes and development age of Angae Basin located in the sedimentary rock region. Hills with the height of a.s.l. $80{\sim}100m$ distributed in Angae Basin are residual landforms, which are the remnants of dissection of the etchplain that results from the denudation of bedrock deeply weathered along tectolineaments under the warm and moist climate, and reflect lithological differentiation of bedrock. Those hills have been comparatively higher ridges since the initial stage of the original etchplain, and they have been immune from fluvial processes. The etchplain appeared as $80{\sim}100m$ hills. the high terrace distributed in upstream reach of Nakdong River drainage basin and the old meander-cut at Seoburi in Wicheon drainage basin, are formed at the same stage when riverbed of Wicheon Stream functioned as a local base level according as the fluvial system of Wichoen arrived at dynamic equilibrium.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.38 no.4 s.173
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• pp.451-462
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• 2005

In order to examine the extent of environmental contamination at abandoned Samsanjeil Cu mines in Kosung-kun, Kyeongsangnam-do, we have investigated the contaminations and mobility of toxic trace elements from mine wastes including about 280,000 tonnages of tailings by chemical experiments (total extraction, partial extraction by 0.1N HCI and sequential extraction procedure). Total concentrations of trace elements showed that Cu, As, Co, Zn, Pb, and Cd concentrations in tailings were 14.0, 3.6, 3.1, 2.1, 2.1 and 1.6 times greater than those in background soil, respectively. From the proportion of metals bound to the exchangeable and carbonate fractions, the comparative mobility of metals decrease in order of $Zn(29.0\%)>Cu(12.3\%)Pb(9.6\%)>Cd(3.0\%)>As=Co(0.0\%)$. Based on the concentrations, chemical speciations of tailings, waste rock and nearby soil, it was revealed that Cu and Zn were the most possible elements to contaminate the surrounding environment in Samsanjeil mine area. In addition, the tailings had total trace metal concentrations below Dutch guideline values except Cu, and they might not affect adverse impact on environment.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.1-20
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• 2016

On the basis of the geological conditions of high and steep mountainous slope on which an exit portal of an express railway tunnel with a bridge-tunnel combination is to be built, the composite structure of the exit portal with a bridge abutment of the bridge-tunnel combination is presented and the stability of the slope on which the express railway portal is to be built is analyzed using three dimensional (3D) numerical simulation in the paper. Comparison of the practicability for the reinforcement of slope with in-situ bored piles and diaphragm walls are performed so as to enhance the stability of the high and steep slope. The safety factor of the slope due to rockmass excavation both inside the exit portal and beneath the bridge abutment of the bridge-tunnel combination has been also derived using strength reduction technique. The obtained results show that post tunnel portal is a preferred structure to fit high and steep slope, and the surrounding rock around the exit portal of the tunnel on the high and steep mountainous slope remains stable when rockmass is excavated both from the inside of the exit portal and underneath the bridge abutment after the slope is reinforced with both bored piles and diaphragm walls. The stability of the high and steep slope is principally dominated by the shear stress state of the rockmass at the toe of the slope; the procedure of excavating rockmass in the foundation pit of the bridge abutment does not obviously affect the slope stability. In-situ bored piles are more effective in controlling the deformation of the abutment foundation pit in comparison with diaphragm walls and are used as a preferred retaining structure to uphold the stability of slope in respect of the lesser time, easier procedure and lower cost in the construction of the exit portal with bridge-tunnel combination on the high and steep mountainous slope. The results obtained from the numerical analysis in the paper can be used to guide the structural design and construction of express railway tunnel portal with bridge-tunnel combination on high and abrupt mountainous slope under similar situations.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.521-529
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• 2018

This study was conducted to investigate the natural origin of fluorine contained in the rocks within the Eulwangsan area via petrological and mineralogical analyses. The main geology of the Yongyudo Eulwangsan area is Triassic biotite granite. Biotite granite and mylonite are the major rock types containing fluorine at high levels (up to 1,700 and 2,400 mg/kg for biotite granite and mylonite, respectively). In the case of the biotite granite, a high concentration of fluorine can be contributed to fluorite, and the results of microscopic analyses show that the fluorite was observed as small veinlets filling cleavages and micro-fractures within alkali-feldspars and plagioclases, or observed together with quartz in ore veins, indicating the secondary formation of fluorite by hydrothermal fluids. In mylonite, on the other hand, a high fluorine concentration is attributable to sericite. Microscopic analyses revealed that the boundary between sericite and surrounding quartz was not clear, the sericite occurred filling the micro-fractures of quartz and encapsulating small quartz cataclasts. These results indicate that the sericite was also formed as a result of hydrothermal alteration. Consequently, it is speculated that the high fluorine level in the rocks of the Eulwangsan area of Yongyudo is of natural origin due to hydrothermal processes.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.123-131
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• 2021

The buffer is a key component of an engineered barrier system that safeguards the disposal of high-level radioactive waste. Buffers are located between disposal canisters and host rock, and they can restrain the release of radionuclides and protect canisters from the inflow of ground water. Since considerable heat is released from a disposal canister to the surrounding buffer, the thermal conductivity of the buffer is a very important parameter in the entire disposal safety. For this reason, a lot of research has been conducted on thermal conductivity prediction models that consider various factors. In this study, the thermal conductivity of a buffer is estimated using the machine learning methods of: linear regression, decision tree, support vector machine (SVM), ensemble, Gaussian process regression (GPR), neural network, deep belief network, and genetic programming. In the results, the machine learning methods such as ensemble, genetic programming, SVM with cubic parameter, and GPR showed better performance compared with the regression model, with the ensemble with XGBoost and Gaussian process regression models showing best performance.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.19-30
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• 2022

Climate change has increased the average air temperature. Rising air temperature are absorbed by water bodies, leading to increasing water temperature. Increased water temperature will cause eutrophication and excess algal growth, which will reduce water quality. In this study, long-term trends of air and water temperatures in the Han-river basin over the period of 1997-2020 were discussed to assess the impacts of climate change. Future (~2100s) levels of air temperature were predicted based on the climate change scenarios (Representative concentration pathway (RCP) 2.6, 4.5, 6.0, and 8.5). The results showed that air and water temperatures rose at an average rate of 0.027℃ year^-1 and 0.038℃ year^-1 respectively, over the past 24 years (1997 to 2020). Future air temperatures under RCP 2.6, 4.5, 6.0, and 8.5 increased up to 0.32℃ 1.18℃, 2.14℃, and 3.51℃, respectively. An increasing water temperature could dissolve more minerals from the surrounding rock and will therefore have a higher electrical conductivity. It is the opposite when considering a gas, such as oxygen, dissolved in the water. Water temperature also governs the kinds of organisms that can live in rivers and lakes. Fish, insects, zooplankton, phytoplankton, and other aquatic species all have a preferred temperature range. As temperatures get too far above or below this preferred range, the number of individuals of the species decreases until finally there are none. Therefore, changes of water temperature that are induced by climate change have important implications on water supplies, water quality, and aquatic ecosystems of a watershed.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.449-466
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• 2022

The establishment of a complete geological model that includes information about all the various components at a site (such as underground structures and the compositions of rock and soil underground space) is difficult, and geological modeling is a developing field. This study uses commercial software for the relatively easy composition of geological models. Our digital modeling process integrates a model of Jeju Island's 3D geological information, models of cave shapes, and information on the state of a road at the site's upper surface. Among the numerous natural caves that exist in Jeju Island, we studied the Jaeamcheon lava tube near Hallim town, and the selected site lies below a road. We developed a digital model by applying the principles of building information modeling (BIM) to the cave (CaveBIM). The digital model was compiled through gathering and integrating specific data: relevant processes include modeling the cave's shape using a laser scanner, 3D geological modeling using geological information and geophysical exploration data, and modeling the surrounding area using drones. This study developed a global-scale model of the Hallim region and a local-scale model of the Jaeamcheon cave. Cross-validation was performed when constructing the LSM, and the results were compared and analyzed.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.157-171
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• 2022

Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) is a traditional and representative geophysical method for determining the resistivity distributions of surrounding soil and rock volumes. Depth resolution profiles and sensitivity distribution sections of the resistivities with respect to various electrode configurations are calculated and investigated using numerical model data. Shallow vertical resolution decreases in the order of Wenner, Schlumberger, and dipole-dipole arrays. A high investigable depth in homogeneous medium is calculated to be 0.11-0.19 times the active electrode spacing, but is counterbalanced by a low vertical resolution. For the application of ERT depth resolution profiles and sensitivity distributions, we provide subsurface structure models for two types of land-creping failure (planar and curved), subvertical fracture, and weathered layer over felsic and mafic igneous rocks. The dipole-dipole configuration appears to be most effective for mapping land-creeping failure planes (especially for curved planes), whereas the Wenner array gives the best resolution of soil horizons and shallow structures in the weathered zone.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.197-208
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• 2022

The existence of shallow bedrock and the desire to use underground space necessitate the use of blasting methods. The standard blasting method under water after drilling is associated with certain technical difficulties, including reduced detonation power, the use of a fixed charge per delay, and decoupling. However, there is no blasting method to replace the existing blasting method. In this paper, a dry hole charged with ANFO blasting is assessed while employing a dry hole pumping system to remove water from the drill borehole. Additional standard blasting is also utilized to compare the blasting performances of the two methods. The least-squares linear regression method is adopted to analyze the blasting vibration velocity quantitatively using the measured vibration velocity for each blasting method and the vibration velocity model as a function of the scaled distance. The results show that the dry hole charged with ANFO blasting will lead to greater damping of the blasting vibration, more energy dissipation to crush the surrounding rock, and closer distances for the allowable velocity of the blasting vibration. Also, standard blasting shows much longer influencing distances and a wider range of the blasting pattern. The pilot test confirms the blasting efficiency of dry hole charged with ANFO blasting.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.113 no.3
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• pp.271-281
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• 2024

The purpose of this study is to establish baseline data on the habitat status of Dracocephalum argunense Fisch. ex Link by identifying its vegetation structure and correlating environmental factors. A total of 9 vegetation plots (10 m×10 m) were surveyed. Cluster analysis revealed a total of three clusters: Quercus aliena (Group 1), Pinus thunbergii-Rubus parvilolius (Group 2), and Indigofera kirilowii-Zanthoxylum piperitum (Group 3). The importance value of D. argunense was the highest in Group 2, with a value of 6.19. Diversity analysis indicated a range of 2.747-3.166, but differences among the groups was not statistically significant (p>0.05). In the areas surrounding sedimentary rock zones, invasive plants were identified as indicator species, emphasizing the need for monitoring invasive species in the future. Although D. argunense exhibits good adaptability to moisture and atmospheric conditions due to its diverse habitats (forest and coast), there is a risk of decline due to interspecific competition and human activities, as analyzed in this study.