Geochemical Evidence For K-Metasomatism Related To Uranium Enrichment in Daejeon Granitic Rocks Near The Central Ogcheon Metamorphic Belt, Korea

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Article
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12303-018-0053-9
pISSN 1226-4806 eISSN 1598-7477 Geosciences Journal
Geochemical evidence for K-metasomatism related to

uranium enrichment in Daejeon granitic rocks near
the central Ogcheon Metamorphic Belt, Korea
Jeong Hwang1 and Sang-Ho Moon2*
1
Department of Geotechnical Disaster Prevention Engineering, Daejeon University, Daejeon 34520, Republic of Korea
2
Geologic Environment Division, Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, Daejeon 34132, Republic of Korea
ABSTRACT: A new type of uranium occurrence in Korea was identified in pegmatitic and hydrothermally altered granite in the Dae-
jeon area. The U-bearing parts typically include muscovite, pink-feldspar and sericite as alteration minerals. In this study, the geo-
chemical characteristics and alteration age of the granitic rocks were examined to provide evidence for hydrothermally-enriched
uranium. The K-Ar ages of muscovite coexisting with U-bearing minerals were determined as 123 and 128 Ma. The U-bearing rocks
have relatively low (CaO + Na2O), high K2O contents, and high alteration index values by major element geochemistry. The trace ele-
ment geochemistry shows that the uraniferous rocks have significantly low Th/U ratios and strongly differentiated features. The rare
earth element patterns indicate that the uraniferous rocks have a low total REE and LREE contents with depletion of Eu. Considering
the geochemical variation of the granitic rock major, trace and rare earth elements, it can be concluded that uranium enrichment in
pegmatites and altered granite should be genetically related to post-magmatic hydrothermal alteration of K-metasomatism after
emplacement of the two-mica granite. This is the first report for geochemical characteristics of Mesozoic granite-related U-occurrences
in South Korea. This study will help further research for uranium deposits with similarities in geological setting, mineralogy and age
data between South China and Korea, and can also be expected to help solve the source problems related to high uranium concen-
trations in some groundwater occurring in the granitic terrane.
Key words: two-mica granite, uraniferous rock, geochemical characteristics, pegmatite, hydrothermal alteration, K-metasomatism
Manuscript received January 21, 2018; Manuscript accepted July 24, 2018
1. INTRODUCTION Cretaceous continental sedimentary were also reported in Korea

(Dahlkamp, 2009). However, recently, another type of uranium
The wide distribution of low-grade uranium (U) occurrences occurrence was first reported by Hwang et al. (2014). This was
has been reported in the meta-sedimentary rocks of the Ogcheon the first finding for U-occurrence spatiotemporally associated
metamorphic belt in central South Korea. These U-mineralized with Jurassic granitic rocks in Korea. These types of U-occurrences
zones are known to be coaly black shale type, and they are tens might be responsible for the highly elevated uranium concentration
of meters thick and hundreds of meters long. Their grade is up in some Korean groundwater.
to 0.11%, but there has not been any metal mining to date (Lee This study is focused on examining the geochemical
et al., 1986; Jeong, 2006). This type of uranium accumulation is characteristics related to the new U-occurrence in Korean
controlled by cyclic sedimentation and submarine hydrothermal Jurassic granitic rocks. The study area is located in the Daejeon
activity (Kim, 1989; Jo et al., 2013). Except for this black shale type, granitic region near the central Ogcheon metamorphic belt and
minor U-occurrences in Proterozoic metamorphic terrane and has been paid attention to for quite a while because of abnormally
high uranium concentrations in the groundwater. The dissolved
*Corresponding author: uranium in groundwater can originate from U-minerals or U-
Sang-Ho Moon
Geologic Environment Division, Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral
bearing accessory minerals in granite. Although close inspections
Resources, 124 Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34132, Republic of Korea of host rock geology and uranium content were continuously
Tel: +82-10-5455-6599, Fax: +82-42-868-3414, E-mail: msh@kigam.re.kr conducted (NIER and KIGAM, 2008, 2009), the exact U-bearing
The Association of Korean Geoscience Societies and Springer 2018 minerals and uraniferous host rocks responsible for groundwater
2 Jeong Hwang and Sang-Ho Moon
chemistry were not reported until 2014 (Hwang et al., 2014). grouped as age-unknown in this study (Fig. 1). Park et al. (1977)
Moon et al. (2013) reported that a great part of the U-mineralized reported that biotite granite and the two-mica granite have a
zone of the Ogcheon metamorphic belt near Daejeon might gradational boundary, and inferred that they had the same
have been assimilated into granitic melt during Mesozoic time, source of magma. So, the two granites are grouped into the
and suggested the necessity of determining the exact U-bearing same Jurassic granite body in this study. On the other hand, Lee
minerals in the granite body itself. In this respect, Hwang et al. et al. (1996) reported gneissose/schistose granites and biotite/
(2014) tried to find the uraniferous host rocks as the source of two-mica granites as Jurassic in age, but pink feldspar granite,
dissolved uranium in groundwater and finally reported the granophyre and quartz porphyry as Cretaceous in age, respectively,
occurrences of U-bearing minerals in the study area. based on age data from their own research and several other
The geochemistry of granite-related U-occurrence in Mesozoic references. Also, Kim et al. (2010) grouped the age-unknown
time has not been previously studied in Korea. The aim of this gneissose/schistose granites and biotite/two-mica granites into
study is to provide some geochemical evidence for the hydrothermal the single body of Jurassic biotite granites and reported two
uranium enrichment process in Jurassic granites from the Daejeon TIMS sphene U-Pb ages for the biotite granite occurring around
area, South Korea, especially with respect to the geochemical and in the Daejeon area as 174 Ma. Cheong and Kim (2012)
differences between barren and uraniferous granitic rocks. For reviewed previous age data for 98 sites of Phanerozoic granitoids
this purpose, the major, trace and rare earth element (REE) in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and grouped the
geochemistry of the granitic rocks was examined and K-Ar age age-unknown gneissose/schistose granites and biotite/two-
dating was applied to alteration products. mica granites in this study area as Middle Jurassic (176~161 Ma)
granitoids in their geologic map. However, direct age data on
2. STUDY AREA gneissose/schistose granites in the study area have not been
reported.
2.1. Geological Setting The Jurassic granite occurs as leucocratic batholiths widely
intruded into the Precambrian rocks, Ogcheon group and age-
The geology in the study area consists of Precambrian unknown granite. Among them, the two-mica granite is the
metamorphic rocks, age-unknown Ogcheon meta-sedimentary most widely distributed in this area. Furthermore, two-mica
rock groups, and age-unknown and Mesozoic granite (Fig. 1). granite can also be seen partly within the age-unknown gneissose/
The granite-related U-occurrence can be found in the northern schistose granite body along the cutting plane of newly developed
part of Daejeon, which is tectonically situated in the central part roads (J5 and J6 in Fig. 1). In this case, some pegmatites and
of the Ogcheon metamorphic belt (OB in Fig. 1). altered parts occur along with the two-mica granite (P3, P4, P5,
The Precambrian metamorphic rock is dominated by mica- H4, and H5 in Fig. 1). The Rb/Sr whole rock age of two-mica
schist and granitic gneiss, which crops out in the northwestern granite occurring in the Daejeon area has been dated as 190 Ma
part of the study area. They can be found as xenoliths in the (Choo et al., 1982). Lee et al. (1980) reported that Jurassic granitic
Jurassic granite. Near the border with granite, mica-schist was magma in Korea was generated by crustal partial melting of
frequently intruded by pegmatite (Hwang et al., 2014). meta-sediments. The S-type feature is consistent with the field
The age-unknown Ogcheon meta-sedimentary rock groups observation that two-mica granite is occasionally associated
are developed in the southeastern part of study area and consist with relics of mica-schist. Park et al. (1977) also described the
of slate, phyllite and marble (Lee et al., 1996). A black shale layer pink feldspar granite, granophyre, and quartz porphyry as having
of 20–40 m thickness is intermittently found in these groups a co-magmatic origin based on their field textures and occurrences.
and has rich amounts of Ba, V, Mo and U (Jeong, 2006). The The Rb/Sr whole rock age of biotite granites (Muamsa granite,
Ogcheon groups were remarkably intruded by Jurassic granite Weolaksan granite, Sokrisan granite) from another area in the
in the southeastern part of the study area. Although there have Ogcheon Belt that has pink alkali feldspar (Yun et al., 2005) and
been several conflicting arguments regarding the age of the therefore can be correlated with the study area pink-feldspar
Ogcheon groups, most current studies report a Paleozoic age granite dated as 88 Ma to 94 Ma by Lee et al. (2010). The Cretaceous
(Choi et al., 2013). pink feldspar granite, granophyre and quartz porphyry occur as
Park et al. (1977) classified Daejeon granite into several rock stocks or dykes in the western side of the study area with shallow
units including age-unknown gneissose or schistose granite, intrusion features of micrographic and drusy structures (Park et
Mesozoic biotite or two-mica granite, pink feldspar granite and al., 1977; Lee et al., 1980). The Cretaceous granitic magma in
quartz porphyry. Gneissose or schistose granite occurs near the Korea is known to be of I-type mantle origin.
border with Precambrian rocks in the northwestern part and is
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12303-018-0053-9 http://www.springer.com/journal/12303

Geochemical Evidence For K-Metasomatism Related To Uranium Enrichment in Daejeon Granitic Rocks Near The Central Ogcheon Metamorphic Belt, Korea

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Geochemical evidence for K-metasomatism related to

1. INTRODUCTION Cretaceous continental sedimentary were also reported in Korea

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