Pediment Morphology in Korea

Abstract

In the present article, the writer studied pediment morphology in Korea using topographic maps and geological ones. The results are summarized as follows: 1) In Kora pediments are mostly found on granite areas with hardrock cover, where local base-leve is rather stable and relief is rather high. So pediments develop in Central and South Korea, especially in South. 2) In South Korea pediments develop in direction of northeast to southwest. This owes much to the bedrock structures which have the same direction. 3) The pediments are classified into two levels. The upper level pediments are correlated to the middle level erosion surface, and lower level pediments are correlated to the lower level erosion surface. 4) The pediments develop in basins, at the lower margins of steep slopes dividing three levels of erosion surfaces and around the residual mountains on the erosion surfaces. The first belong to the early stage of pedimentation, the second to the middle stage and the third to the last stage. 5) Pedimentation has already stopped and they have been dissected by streamlets. These facts indicate that the landform and geological character of the pediments in Korea resemble much to those in Chugoku Mountains of south-western Japan, but they are larger in scale than those in Chugoku Mountains.