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Research Article

Occurrence of Radioactive Minerals and U-Th Geochemistry of the Weolaksan and Sokrisan Granite in the Central Ogcheon Belt

중부 옥천대 월악산과 속리산 화강암의 방사성 광물 산출상태와 U-Th 지구화학

Jeong Hwang1*
황 정1*
1Full Professor, Department of Construction Safety Engineering, Daejeon University
1대전대학교 건설안전공학과 교수
*Corresponding Author
30 June 2022. pp. 295-310
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Abstract

The Weolaksan and Sokrisan granites yield high SiO2 and alkali (Na2O+K2O) contents and low CaO and P2O5 contents. The Al saturation index is ≥1.3, which indicates that the granites are peraluminous. The mean U and Th contents are 8.3 and 39.3 ppm, respectively, higher than typical Mesozoic granites in South Korea and about twice the global mean for granitic rocks. The causes of such high radioelement contents are related to high degrees of fractionation and the crustal origin of the granites. U- and Th- bearing radioactive minerals occur in the granites include zircon, thorite, monazite, xenotime, fergusonite and uraninite. The fact that the mean Th/U ratio of the granites (5.4) is similar to the global average crustal value suggests that the radioelement contents of granite were controlled by the crustal source material. Given the correlation of Zr, Y, and heavy rare earth elements for U and Th, radioelements are more likely hosted by xenotime than zircon and monazite.

Keywords
mesozoic granite
U-Th geochemistry
Th/U ratio
radioactive minerals

월악산-속리산 화강암은 SiO2와 알카리(Na2O+K2O) 함량이 높고 CaO와 P2O5는 결핍된 원소 특성을 보인다. 또한 화강암의 알루미나 포화지수는 1.3 이상으로 과알루미나질 특성을 보인다. U과 Th의 평균 함량은 각각 8.3과 39.3 ppm으로서 국내 중생대 화강암 중에서 가장 높은 방사성 원소 함량을 보이며, 화강암의 세계 평균보다 약 2배 정도로 높다. 이러한 높은 방사성 원소 함량 특성은 화강암의 고분화 특성과 대륙지각 기원의 암석 성인에 기인한다. U 또는 Th을 함유하는 방사성 광물은 저어콘, 토라이트, 모나자이트, 제노타임, 퍼구소나이트, 우라니나이트 등이다. 화강암의 Th/U 비 평균값이 5.4로서 지각 평균값과 유사하다는 것은 방사성 원소의 화강암 내 분포가 지각 기원 물질의 마그마 작용에 조절되었음을 의미한다. U과 Th에 대한 Zr, Y, HREE 간의 상관관계로 보아, 방사성 원소는 저어콘이나 모나자이트보다는 주로 제노타임에 포함되어 산출되는 것으로 해석된다.

키워드
중생대 화강암
U-Th 지구화학
Th/U 비
방사성 광물
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Information
  • Publisher :Korean Society of Engineering Geology
  • Publisher(Ko) :대한지질공학회
  • Journal Title :The Journal of Engineering Geology
  • Journal Title(Ko) :지질공학
  • Volume : 32
  • No :2
  • Pages :295-310
  • Received Date : 2022-06-14
  • Revised Date : 2022-06-27
  • Accepted Date : 2022-06-28
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.9720/kseg.2022.2.295
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