고생태학(Paleoecology) 연구실에서는 퇴적암에 기록된 과거 지구의 환경 변화와 그에 따른 생물의 진화 양상을 연구합니다. 주 관심 대상은 한반도 및 동아시아 일대에 나타나는 전기 고생대(캄브리아기–오르도비스기) 퇴적층입니다.
Jeong-Hyun Lee (李政炫)
Professor in Carbonate Sedimentology and Invertebrate Paleontology
Department of Geological Sciences
Chungnam National University
99 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34134, South Korea
Phone: [+82] 42-821-6425
Fax: [+82] 42-822-7661
E-mail: jeonghyunlee @ cnu.ac.kr
Website: https://paleoecology.cnu.ac.kr
RESEARCH INTERESTS
1. Origins and Evolution of Reef Ecosystems
We investigate how microbes and early animals built reefs and how their ecological roles changed through time. Our research focuses on Cambrian–Silurian reef communities, particularly sponges, stromatoporoids, and their associations with microbes. We examine the emergence of skeletal reef builders, including phosphatic stromatoporoids, and the biological and environmental factors that shaped early reef ecosystems.
2. Microbial Carbonates and Environmental Records
We study how stromatolites, thrombolites, and oncoids form and preserve information about past environments. Petrography and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) help distinguish carbonate precipitation, sediment trapping, and subsequent alteration. Current projects examine the incorporation of fine-grained carbonate sediment into oncoids and combine microscale and bulk stable-isotope analyses of lacustrine stromatolites to investigate environmental variability and the processes that modify its record.
3. Fossil Recognition and Preservation Bias
We investigate how fossilization and preservation influence interpretations of ancient life. Petrographic analysis and machine-learning classification help identify fossil keratose sponges and distinguish their structures from other carbonate fabrics. At larger scales, we combine fossil occurrence data and stratigraphy to evaluate how erosion, unconformities, and uneven preservation affect apparent patterns of reef diversification.
4. Depositional Environments, Provenance, and Stratigraphy
We reconstruct the development of carbonate and siliciclastic successions through fieldwork, facies analysis, and stratigraphic correlation. Major research themes include the early Paleozoic successions of the Sino-Korean Block, the Taebaek Group, and the Great Unconformity. Detrital zircon and geochemical data provide further constraints on sediment sources and the relationships between depositional change and regional geological history.
EDUCATION
Ph.D., School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul National University, 2014
M.S., School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul National University, 2010
B.S., double major in Earth and Environmental Sciences (Geology) and Biology, Seoul National University, 2008
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
Professor. Chungnam National University Daejeon, Republic of Korea (Mar. 2016–present)
Full publication list: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=siOMho4AAAAJ
PUBLICATIONS
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS (2022~)
1. Lee, J.-H., Kim, S.-S., and Luo, C. (2026). Recognition of fossil keratose sponges in carbonates using petrographic and machine-learning classification. Sedimentology, 73, 2246–2280.
https://doi.org/10.1111/sed.70132
2. Lee, J.-H. and Riding, R. (2026). Classic Cambrian thrombolite reveals a 2.5 Ga history of ministromatolites and their ‘ghost’ clots. Journal of Sedimentary Research, 96, 452–463.
https://doi.org/10.2110/jsr.2025.105
3. Jeon, J., Li, Q.-J., and Lee, J.-H. (2025). Preservation bias obscures gradual Ordovician reef evolution. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122, e2511406122.
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2511406122
4. Jeon, J., Simonet Roda, M., Chen, Z.-Y., Luo, C., Kershaw, S., Kim, D., Ma, J.-Y., Lee, J.-H., and Zhang, Y.-D. (2025). Phosphatic stromatoporoid sponges formed reefs ~480 Mya. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122, e2426105122.
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2426105122
5. Lee, J.-H., Park, J., Seo, J., Choi, T., Park, S.-I., Lee, Y.-J., and Lee, G.-J. (2025). The Great Unconformity in the eastern Sino-Korean Block: A synthesis of Taebaek Group stratigraphy, fault controls, and global correlations. Earth-Science Reviews, 270, 105244.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2025.105244
6. Simonet Roda, M., Kim, D., Brasier, A., Griesshaber, E., and Lee, J.-H. (2024). Exploring electron backscatter diffraction analysis as a tool for understanding stromatolite: Quantitative description of Cretaceous lacustrine stromatolite reveals formative processes and high-resolution climatic cycles. Sedimentology, 71, 2448–2469.
https://doi.org/10.1111/sed.13222