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Late Pleistocene sedimentary environment and reverse faulting along the Chugaryung Fault in the central Korean Peninsula: a case study on the Cheorwon Basin

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Abstract

The Cheorwon area of South Korea has several records of the Quaternary faulting along the Chugaryung fault system and volcanic activity (Hantangang River Basalt). The most recent faulting event occurred along a segment of the Wangsukcheon fault (ca. 210 ka). In this study, a 5-m-deep trench was examined at the northern end of the Cheorwon Plain. The formation mechanism(s) and characteristics of local sediments as well as the timing of the Quaternary faults observed in the lower sections were analyzed. The sediments are very fine-grained, with a sand content of less than 5%. Soil wedge structures indicate that the sediments were affected by an ice-age environment. Some stratification and our analyses suggest that the sediments were formed on a floodplain. The ages of the sediments range from 150 to 130 ka, based on quartz optically-stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating. The absence of sediments younger than 100 ka is likely attributable to a change to sedimentary environments where erosion processes are dominant, with sediments being removed to the Hantangang River area. Meanwhile, a N-S-striking fault, dipping 30° eastward, cut across the sediments during 140–130 ka. This study provides important information on Quaternary sedimentary environment nearby the Hantangang River area, but also the introduction of the Quaternary fault into Chugaryung fault system, which has been lacking to data.

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Acknowledgments

This research study was supported by a grant 20-3111-1 from the Geological survey in the Korean Peninsula and publication of the geological maps and a grant 20–3116 from the Research in Active Tectonics and Development of Fault Segment Model for Intraplate regions from Basic Research Project of the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) funded by the National Research Foundation of Korea. The study was also partly supported by a grant 2017-MOIS31-006 from the Research and Development of Active fault of Korea Peninsula from Research Project of the Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI) funded by the Korean Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geology Division, Korea Institute of Geosciences and Mineral resources, Daejeon, 34132, Republic of Korea

    Seungwon Shin, Youngbeom Cheon & Hankyung Bae

  2. Research Center for Geochronology and Isotope Analysis, Korea Basic Science Institute, Chungbuk, 28119, Republic of Korea

    Jeong-Heon Choi

  3. Division of Geology and Geophysics, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, 24341, Republic of Korea

    Daekyo Cheong & Hee-Kwon Lee

  4. Gangwon Research Institute of Cultural Properties, Chuncheon, 24341, Republic of Korea

    Seung-Yup Choi

  5. Department of Geological Sciences, Pusan National University, Busan, 46241, Republic of Korea

    Hyoun Soo Lim

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  1. Seungwon Shin
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Correspondence to Hee-Kwon Lee.

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Shin, S., Cheon, Y., Choi, JH. et al. Late Pleistocene sedimentary environment and reverse faulting along the Chugaryung Fault in the central Korean Peninsula: a case study on the Cheorwon Basin. Geosci J 24, 615–623 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12303-020-0026-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12303-020-0026-7

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