R&D Activities Geological Research Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources
First finding of impact cratering from the Jeokjung–Chogye Basin on the Korean Peninsula

 

 

 

FIRST FINDING OF IMPACT CRATERING FROM THE JEOKJUNG-CHOGYE BASIN ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA

 

 

 This year, based our investigations of a 142 m-deep core, we reported for the first time that the Jeokjung–Chogye Basin in the southeastern Korean Peninsula, well-known for its bowl-shaped geomorphology, was formed by an impact event. To confirm an impact origin, the presence of unique impact-driven metamorphic features is required. We found unique impact-driven metamorphic features, including shatter cones at 130 m and planar deformation features (PDFs) in quartz grains from the impact breccia. The Jeokjung–Chogye Basin, with its signs of impact metamorphic effects, provides a rare chance to understand shock metamorphism in a location where the tropical–temperate climate has caused significant surface weathering and erosion. The preserved subsurface laminated lacustrine sediments serve as a rare archive of high-resolution paleoclimate changes in Korea.

Contact: Jaesoo Lim (limjs@kigam.re.kr)

 

FIG.1

 

Fig. 1. Impact event on 142m deep core in the Jeokjung-Chogye Basin (Lim et al., 2021).