Glauconite grains in continental shelf sediments around the Korean Peninsula and their depositional implications

Glauconite grains are an important component of the surficial sediments on the Korean continental shelf. Relatively high glauconite contents (>20%) occur near Huksan Island in the Yellow Sea and on the outer shelf of the southern East Sea where they are associated with relict, sandy sediments. By contrast, glauconite grains are rare (<1%) in clay-dominated sediments. The grains can be classified into four major categories: (1) very abundant, green to dark green, spheroidal and lobate grains displaying bulbous and honeycomb exteriors with well-developed surface cracks; (2) dark green, discoidal grains with poorly defined cracks; (3) scarce, moderately dark green, accordion-shaped grains characterized by series of closely spaced, parallel surface ridges; (4) scarce, green to dark green, foraminifer-shaped grains. Microprobe analyses as well as optical microscopy and SEM observations show that most grains are composed of mineral mixtures (e.g., quartz, mica, feldspar) rather than a single mineral species. The mineralogy, morphology, and textural properties suggest that the grains may have formed mainly by replacement of fecal pellets, and the alteration of mica and clays which have filled foraminifera tests. The high potassium contents, rosette-shaped clay structures, and bulbous shapes reflect an “evolved” (mature) stage of glauconitization. Glauconite grains in Korean shelf sediments are presumably relict, and have been produced by the reworking of older glauconitic sediments during the Holocene sea-level transgression. Received: 4 October 1999 / Revision accepted: 18 May 2000