Thermal history of the Cretaceous Sindong Group, Gyeongsang Basin, Korea based on fission track analysis

ABSTRACT Apatite and zircon fission track (FT) analyses were carried out to reconstruct the thermal history of the Lower Cretaceous Sindong Group, which is the lowermost stratal unit of the Gyeongsang Basin, Korea. Zircon FT central ages show a wide range from 83 ± 5 to 157 ± 18 Ma, and single-grain age spectra have multiple age populations, whereas all apatites have very consistent FT ages of c . 60 Ma, suggesting a totally reset cooling age. Co-existence of both older and younger ages compared with the depositional age and relatively short mean track length indicate that the Sindong zircons were partially annealed. The Sindong Group was heated into the zircon partial annealing zone (ZPAZ) around 80 Ma, and cooled below the apatite closure temperature at c . 60 Ma. Based on the zircon FT results combined with vitrinite reflectance data, the maximum palaeotemperature to which the Sindong Group had been subjected can be inferred to be about 260 °C. Zircon FT data from a granite body that is in contact with the Sindong Group and sandstones close to the granite body indicate that thermal influence caused by Upper Cretaceous intrusive rocks was limited in close vicinity of the intrusion and that the major heat source of the Sindong Group was burial. The thickness of uplifted and eroded section is estimated to be about 7 km.     

Seismic response of base-isolated liquid storage tanks considering fluid–structure–soil interaction in time domain

The seismic response analysis of a base-isolated liquid storage tank on a half-space was examined using a coupling method that combines the finite elements and boundary elements. The coupled dynamic system that considers the base isolation system and soil–structure interaction effect is formulated in time domain to evaluate accurately the seismic response of a liquid storage tank. Finite elements for a structure and boundary elements for liquid are coupled using equilibrium and compatibility conditions. The base isolation system is modeled using the biaxial hysteretic element. The homogeneous half-space is idealized using the simple spring-dashpot model with frequency-independent coefficients. Some numerical examples are presented to demonstrate accuracy and applicability of the developed method.Consequently, a general numerical algorithm that can analyze the dynamic response of base-isolated liquid storage tanks on homogeneous half-space is developed in three-dimensional coordinates and dynamic response analysis is performed in time domain.     

Propagation characteristics of historical tsunamis that attacked the east coast of Korea

In this study, a numerical modeling system based on the dispersion–correction finite difference scheme equipped with a grid-nesting scheme is constructed. The model is applied to simulate the propagation of three historical tsunami events that attacked the east coast of Korea. The calculated free-surface displacements for the cases of the 1983 Akita and the 1993 Okushiri tsunamis are compared with the observations at four tidal stations along the east coast of Korea. The comparison shows that the results agree well with the observations. The analyses of the simulated results show that underwater topography, such as submerged rises and ridges, plays an important role in the propagation of tsunamis in this region.     

Field study on influence of root characteristics on soil suction distribution in slopes vegetated with Cynodon dactylon and Schefflera heptaphylla

Vegetation evapotranspiration (ET) induced soil water suction reduces hydraulic conductivity and increases shear strength of slopes. Several field studies have been conducted to investigate suction distribution in vegetated slopes. However, these studies were conducted on natural slopes, which are prone to heterogeneity in vegetation and soil conditions. Moreover, studies quantifying the effect of different vegetation species, root characteristics (root depth and root area index) and transpiration reduction function (T_rf) on suction in slopes under natural variation are rare. This study investigated the suction distribution and root characteristics in recompacted slopes vegetated with two different species, i.e. Cynodon dactylon (Bermuda grass) and Schefflera heptaphylla (ivy tree). Bare slope served as a control. Suction distributions during different seasons and rainfall events were monitored. It is found that during the dry season, slope vegetated with young Schefflera heptaphylla seedlings have substantially higher suction within the root zone compared with bare slope and slope vegetated with Cynodon dactylon. This is because Schefflera heptaphylla has a higher root biomass, T_rf and ET than Cynodon dactylon. It was also found that suctions within root zones of vegetated slopes and bare slope were completely destroyed under rainfall events corresponding to 2 years and 20 years return period. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sandstone diagenesis of the Lower Cretaceous Sindong Group, Gyeongsang Basin, southeastern Korea: Implications for compositional and paleoenvironmental controls

Abstract The Gyeongsang Basin is a non‐marine sedimentary basin formed by extensional tectonism during the Early Cretaceous in the southeastern Korean Peninsula. The sediment fill starts with the Sindong Group distributed along the western margin of the basin. It consists of three lithostratigraphic units: the Nakdong (alluvial fan), Hasandong (fluvial) and Jinju (lacustrine) formations with decreasing age. Sindong Group sandstones are classified into four petrofacies (PF) based on their detrital composition: PF‐A consists of the lower Nakdong Formation with average Q₇₃F₁₂R₁₅; PF‐B the upper Nakdong and lower Hasandong formations with Q₆₆F₁₅R₁₈; PF‐C the middle Hasandong to middle Jinju formations with Q₄₉F₂₉R₂₂; and PF‐D the upper Jinju Formation with Q₂₆F₃₄R₄₁. The variations of detrital composition influenced the diagenetic mineral assemblage in the Sindong Group sandstones. Illite and dolomite/ankerite are important diagenetic minerals in PF‐A and PF‐B, whereas calcite and chlorite are dominant diagenetic minerals in PF‐C and PF‐D. Most of the diagenetic minerals can be divided into early and late diagenetic stages of formation. Early diagenetic calcites occur mostly in PF‐C, probably controlled by arid to semiarid climatic conditions during the sandstone deposition, no early calcite being found in PF‐A and PF‐B. Late‐stage calcites are present in all Sindong Group sandstones. The calcium ions may have been derived from shale diagenesis and dissolution of early stage calcites in the Hasandong and Jinju sandstones. Illite, the only diagenetic clay mineral in PF‐A and lower PF‐B, is inferred to be a product of kaolinite transformation during deep burial, and the former presence of kaolinite is inferred from the humid paleoclimatic conditions during the deposition of the Nakdong Formation. Chlorites in PF‐C and PF‐D are interpreted to be the products of transformation of smectitic clay or of precipitation from alkaline pore water under arid to semiarid climatic conditions. The occurrence of late‐stage diagenetic minerals largely depended on the distribution of early diagenetic minerals, which was controlled initially by the sediment composition and paleoclimate.     

Seasonal variations in the community structures of macrobenthic fauna and their health status in an estuarine bay,Gwangyang Bay in Korea

Macrobenthic fauna in an estuarine Gwangyang Bay, southern Korean coast, were investigated to uncover recent variations in their community structures. In the study area, macrobenthic faunal communities were mainly composed of polychaete worms which were the most abundant faunal group with the highest values in species number and density, while mollusks accounted for the highest proportion in total biomass. There was no clear seasonal difference in species richness during the two year period of the investigation, but the mean density and biomass increased every spring and summer due to the mass recruitment of Theora fragilis. The Shannon’s diversity index (H') was more than 2.0 during most sampling seasons and did not show any significant seasonal difference except for the data in August, 2011 when azoic conditions occurred. The community structures of macrobenthos in Gwangyang Bay did not show any remarkable change in the dominance of the two top dominant species, Scoletoma longifolia and Heteromastus filiformis, which abundantly occurred in all seasons, except for the abundance peaks associated with high occurrence of T. fragilis and Paraprionospio cordifolia, especially in spring and summer and in autumn, respectively. These fauna changes reflected the changes in the macrobenthic community health status in Gwangyang Bay, where stable conditions and a healthy status prevailed in winter, but a slightly disturbed status prevailed from spring to autumn.     

Widely separated binary systems of very low‐mass stars

In this paper we review some recent detections of wide binary brown dwarf systems and discuss them in the context of the multiplicity properties of very low‐mass stars and brown dwarfs. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Bioremediation of oil-contaminated sediments on an inter-tidal shoreline using a slow-release fertilizer and chitosan

A 95-day field trial on the bioremediation of oil in beach sediment using Osmocote and chitosan was conducted on an inter-tidal foreshore in Singapore. Osmocote was the key factor in enhancing nutrient levels in sediments, the metabolic activity of the indigenous microbial biomass, and the biodegradation of aliphatics and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with ring number of 2 and 3. In contrast, chitosan did not enhance these parameters in the presence of Osmocote. However, the addition of chitosan to Osmocote amended sediments significantly enhanced biodegradation of recalcitrant 4–6-ring PAHs. This is most likely due to the high oil adsorbancy capacity of chitosan, which enhances the bioavailability of high ring number PAHs to the microbial biomass.     

ISO LWS Observations of H2O from R Cas: A Consistent Model For Its Circumstellar Envelope

We present an ISO LWS 43-197 μm grating spectrum of the oxygen-rich AGB star R Cas. The spectrum is rich of isolated and blended H2O lines. For their identification and in order to determine the physical parameters of the circumstellar envelope, we have constructed a model which treats radiative transfer, chemical exchange and photodissociation reactions, and various heating and cooling processes in a consistent manner. By fitting the observed line fluxes and using stellar parameters based upon the Hipparcos distance, we derived a mass-loss rate of M = 1 10-6 M⊙ yr-1 which is close to the value 6 10-7 M⊙ yr-1 previously derived for W Hya, another oxygen-rich AGB star. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.