Abstract

The paper presents new grain size, aggregate test, geochemical (major elements) and mineralogical data on sands in the lowers of the Gongju Geum River basin in South Korea. The properties of sand-rich stream sediments from the floodplain and riverbeds are closely linked to the structure and composition of the bedrock. However, because of the Basin’s simple bedrock assemblage, the particle size is more important than the bedrock type for sand properties evaluation. The sand samples from the floodplain of the Gongju Geum River Basin have coarser grain size, higher density, and higher quartz concentrations compared to those from the riverbed. The concentrations of SiO2 are well correlated with other major elements in the sand from the riverbed, but not in the floodplain. This suggests that weathering was a dominating process in the floodplain, while fluvial sorting dominated in the riverbed. The quality of the sand aggregates from the floodplain and riverbed of the Gongu Geum River Basin is sufficient to fit the KE standards/categories for fine aggregates.