• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.22 no.8
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• pp.43-54
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• 2006

The scope of this paper covers the applications of bender element tests in consolidation, tomography, and liquefaction. Loading and unloading time during consolidation are evaluated based on shear wave velocity. As S-wave velocity is dependent on effective stress, the loading step may be determined. However, cautions are required due to the different mechanism between the settlement and effective stress criteria. The stress history may be evaluated because the S-wave shows the cement controlled regime and stress controlled regimes. A fixed frame complemented with bender elements permits S-wave tomography The tomography system is tested at low confinement within a true triaxial cell. Results show that shear wave velocity tomography permits monitoring changes in the velocity field which is related to the average effective stress. To monitor the liquefaction phenomenon, S-wave trans-illumination is implemented with a high repetition rate to provide detailed information on the evolution of shear stiffness during liquefaction. The evolution of shear wave propagation velocity and attenuation parallel the time-history of excess pore pressure during liquefaction. Applications discussed in this paper show that bender elements can be a very effective tool for the detection of shear waves in the laboratory.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.22 no.11
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• pp.47-54
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• 2006

Shear wave velocity of uncemented soil can be expressed as the function of effective stresses when capillary phenomena are negligible. However, the terms of effective stresses are divided into the direction of wave propagation and polarization because stress states are generally anisotropy. The shear wave velocities are affected by ${\alpha}$ parameters and ${\beta}$ exponents that are experimentally determined. The ${\beta}$ exponents are controlled by contact effects of particulate materials (sizes, shapes, and structures of particles) and the ${\alpha}$ parameters are changed by contact behaviors among particles, material properties of particles, and type of packing (i.e., void ratio and coordination number). In this study, consolidation tests are performed by using clay, mica and sand specimens. Shear wave velocities are measured during consolidation tests to investigate the stress-induced and inherent anisotropies by using bender elements. Results show the shear wave velocity depends on the stress-induced anisotropy for round particles. Furthermore, the shear wave velocity is dependent on particle alignment under the constant evvective stress. This study suggests that the shear wave velocity and the shear modulus should be carefully estimated and used for the design and construction of geotechnical structures.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.185-204
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• 2024

This study was conducted for evaluation the geological, physical, and chemical properties of domestic sand by analyzing about 4,800 quality data of natural sand from river and land area surveyed until 2023 through the aggregate resource survey conducted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The average depth of the Quaternary unconsolidated sedimentary layer in Korea, which includes a sand layer, is about 10m (maximum depth 66m). The thickness of the sand layer within the sedimentary layer is most dominant in the range of 0.5m to 4.0m. This accounts for about 70% of the entire sand layer. In the sand layer, the ratio of sand, gravel, and clay is 60:20:10. Regardless of the provenance or geology, the sand is mainly composed of quartz, plagioclase, and K-feldspar, and the minor minerals are muscovite, biotite, chlorite, magnetite, epidote. The sand includes in 45~75% of quartz, 5~20% of plagioclase and K-feldspar, each other. And other minor minerals are included in 10%. The average grain size of sand is 0.5mm to 1.0mm, which accounts for 44% of sand samples. The water absorption rate and soundness are estimated to be suitable for aggregate quality standard in almost all sand, and the absolute dry density is suitable for 66%.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.424-431
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• 2009

This study investigates the difference of sound velocity (compressional wave velocity) between gas hydrate-bearing sediments and nongas hydrate-bearing sediments in the Ulleung Basin, East Sea. We use a dataset measured from one site in the central part of the Ulleung Basin. Sound velocity for gas hydrate-bearing sediment shows the range from 1600 m/s to 2200 m/s. However, the value for nongas hydrate-bearing sediment is mostly around 1500 m/s, being less than 1400 m/s below 140 m subbottom depth. This trend is probably due to the presence of free gas below BSR (Bottom Simulating Reflector). Gas hydrate-bearing sediments show high value (maximum 150 Ohm-m) of resistivity. The physical properties between gas hydrate-bearing sediment and nongas hydrate-bearing sediment are characterized by the different patterns due to the presence of gas hydrate in comparison with those of marine unconsolidated sediments. Therefore, in order to investigate acoustic and physical properties for gas hydrate-bearing sediments, the study for the occurrence type and the amount of gas hydrates should be conducted simultaneously.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.242-249
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• 2008

Recently, AVO analysis has been widely used in oil exploration with seismic subsurface section as a direct indicator of the existence of the gas. In the case of the deep reservoirs like the gas reservoirs in the East-sea, it is often difficult to observe AVO responses in CMP gathers even though the bright spots are shown in the stacked section. Because the reservoir becomes more consolidated as its depth deepens, P-wave velocity does not decrease significantly when the pore fluid is replaced by the gas. Thus the difference in Poisson's ratio, which is a key factor for AVO response, between the reservoir and the layer above it does not increase significantly. In this study, we analyzed the effects of Poisson's ratio difference on AVO response with a variety of Poisson's ratios for the upper and lower layers. The results show that, as the difference in Poisson's ratio between the upper and lower layers decreases, the change in the reflection amplitude with incidence angle decreases and AVO responses become insignificant. To consider the limitation of AVO responses shown in the gas reservoir in East-sea, the velocity model was made by simulation Gorae V structure with seismic data and well logs. The results of comparing AVO responses observed from the synthetic data with theoretical AVO responses calculated by using material properties show that the amount of the change in reflection amplitude with increasing incident angle is very small when the difference in Poisson's ratio between the upper and lower layers is small. In addition, the characteristics of AVO responses were concealed by noise or amplitude distortion arisen during preprocessing. To overcome such limitations of AVO analysis of the data from deep reservoirs, we need to acquire precisely reflection amplltudes In data acquisition stage and use processing tools which preserve reflection amplitude in data processing stage.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.83-94
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• 2011

Extra heavy oil reservoirs are distributed over the world but most of them is deposited in the northern part of the Orinoco River in Venezuela, in the area of 5,500 $km^2$, This region, which has been commonly called "the Orinoco Oil Belt", contains estimated 1.3 trillion barrels of original oil-in-place and 250 billion barrels of established reserves. The Venezuela extra heavy oil has an API gravity of less than 10 degree and in situ viscosity of 5,000 cP at reservoir condition. Although the presence of extra heavy oil in the Orinoco Oil Belt has been initially reported in the 1930's, the commercial development using in situ cold production started in the 1990's. The Orinoco heavy oil deposits are clustered into 4 development areas, Boyaco, Junin, Ayachoco, and Carabobo respectively, and they are subdivided into totally 31 production blocks. Nowadays, PDVSA (Petr$\'{o}$leos de Venzuela, S.A.) makes a development of each production block with the international oil companies from more than 20 countries forming a international joint-venture company. The Eastern Venezuela Basin, the Orinoco Oil Belt is included in, is one of the major oil-bearing sedimentary basins in Venezuela and is first formed as a passive margin basin by the Jurassic tectonic plate motion. The major source rock of heavy oil is the late Cretaceous calcareous shale in the central Eastern Venezuela Basin. Hydrocarbon materials migrated an average of 150 km up dip to the southern margin of the basin. During the migration, lighter fractions in the hydrocarbon were removed by biodegradation and the oil changed into heavy and/or extra heavy oil. Miocene Oficina Formation, the main extra heavy oil reservoir, is the unconsolidated sand and shale alternation formed in fluvial-estuarine environment and also has irregularly a large number of the Cenozoic faults induced by basin subsidence and tectonics. Because Oficina Formation has not only complex lithology distribution but also irregular geology structure, geological evolution and characteristics of the reservoirs have to be determined for economical production well design and effective oil recovery. This study introduces geological formation and evolution of the Venezuela extra heavy oil reservoirs and suggest their significant geological characteristics which are (1) thickness and geometry of reservoir pay sands, (2) continuity and thickness of mud beds, (3) geometry of faults, (4) depth and geothermal character of reservoir, (5) in-situ stress field of reservoir, and (6) chemical composition of extra heavy oil. Newly developed exploration techniques, such as 3-D seismic survey and LWD (logging while drilling), can be expected as powerful methods to recognize the geological reservoir characteristics in the Orinoco Oil Belt.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.221-234
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• 2013

Laboratory experiments for the reaction with supercritical $CO_2$ under the $CO_2$ sequestration condition were performed to investigate the mineralogical and geochemical weathering process of the sandstones and mudstones in the Pohang basin. To simulate the supercritical $CO_2$-rock-groundwater reaction, rock samples used in the experiment were pulverized and the high pressurized cell (200 ml of capacity) was filled with 100 ml of groundwater and 30 g of powdered rock samples. The void space of the high pressurized cell was saturated with the supercritical $CO_2$ and maintained at 100 bar and $50^{\circ}C$ for 60 days. The changes of mineralogical and geochemical properties of rocks were measured by using XRD (X-Ray Diffractometer) and BET (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller). Concentrations of dissolved cations in groundwater were also measured for 60 days of the supercritical $CO_2$-rock-groundwater reaction. Results of XRD analyses indicated that the proportion of plagioclase and K-feldspar in the sandstone decreased and the proportion of illite, pyrite and smectite increased during the reaction. In the case of mudstone, the proportion of illite and kaolinite and cabonate-fluorapatite increased during the reaction. Concentration of $Ca^{2+}$ and $Na^+$ dissolved in groundwater increased during the reaction, suggesting that calcite and feldspars of the sandstone and mudstone would be significantly dissolved when it contacts with supercritical $CO_2$ and groundwater at $CO_2$ sequestration sites in Pohang basin. The average specific surface area of sandstone and mudstone using BET analysis increased from $27.3m^2/g$ and $19.6m^2/g$ to $28.6m^2/g$ and $26.6m^2/g$, respectively, and the average size of micro scale void spaces for the sandstone and mudstone decreased over 60 days reaction, resulting in the increase of micro pore spaces of rocks by the dissolution. Results suggested that the injection of supercritical $CO_2$ in Pohang basin would affect the physical property change of rocks and also $CO_2$ storage capacity in Pohang basin.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.11 no.3_4
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• pp.200-213
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• 2002

The Andong granitoid batholith represents five temporally distinct episodes (phases) of igneous activity. The batholith represents a plutonic complex of five pulsatively emplaced distinct intrusive multiphases. The petrochemical data show that the plutons fall into calc-alkaline series except for the Yean pluton, and plot within the diaenostic range for I-type origin and continental arc orogenic tectonic setting. Each pluton reveals systematic compositional variations of major and trace elements with $SiO_2$ or MgO, but different variation trends for some elements and considerably different REE patterns. Thus discontinuous, inconsistent variations in the elements indicate that the five plutons can not be explained by simple fractional crystallization from the same primary magma, but were intruded and solidified from the independent magmas of chemically heterogeneous origin. In the Andong, Dosan and Pungsan plutons, high values of molar CaO/(MgO+$FeO^{t}$ ) combined with low $Al_2$$O_3$/(MgO+$FeO^{t}$ ) and $K_2$O$Na_2$O ratios suggest a magma originated by dehydration melting of a metabasaltic to metatonalitic protolith. Whereas the Imha pluton show similar values of CaO/(MgO+$FeO^{t}$ ), but significantly higher ratios of $Al_2$$O_3$/(MgO+$FeO^{t}$ ) and $K_2$O$Na_2$O implying to a metagreywacke protolith.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.293-308
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• 2003

New results about the crustal structure down to a depth of 60 km beneath North Korea were obtained using the seismic tomography method. About 1013 P- and S-wave travel times from local earthquakes recorded by the Korean stations and the vicinity were used in the research. All earthquakes were relocated on the basis of an algorithm proposed in this study. Parameterization of the velocity structure is realized with a set of nodes distributed in the study volume according to the ray density. 120 nodes located at four depth levels were used to obtain the resulting P- and S-wave velocity structures. As a result, it is found that P- and S-wave velocity anomalies of the Rangnim Massif at depth of 8 km are high and low, respectively, whereas those of the Pyongnam Basin are low up to 24 km. It indicates that the Rangnim Massif contains Archean-early Lower Proterozoic Massif foldings with many faults and fractures which may be saturated with underground water and/or hot springs. On the other hand, the Pyongyang-Sariwon in the Pyongnam Basin is an intraplatform depression which was filled with sediments for the motion of the Upper Proterozoic, Silurian and Upper Paleozoic, and Lower Mesozoic origin. In particular, the high P- and S-wave velocity anomalies are observed at depth of 8, 16, and 24 km beneath Mt. Backdu, indicating that they may be the shallow conduits of the solidified magma bodies, while the low P-and S-wave velocity anomalies at depth of 38 km must be related with the magma chamber of low velocity bodies with partial melting. We also found the Moho discontinuities beneath the Origin Basin including Sari won to be about 55 km deep, whereas those of Mt. Backdu is found to be about 38 km. The high ratio of P-wave velocity/S-wave velocity at Moho suggests that there must be a partial melting body near the boundary of the crust and mantle. Consequently we may well consider Mt. Backdu as a dormant volcano which is holding the intermediate magma chamber near the Moho discontinuity. This study also brought interesting and important findings that there exist some materials with very high P- and S-wave velocity annomoalies at depth of about 40 km near Mt. Myohyang area at the edge of the Rangnim Massif shield.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.89-97
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• 2007

A three-dimensional (3D) magnetotelluric (MT) survey has been carried out to delineate subsurface structures and possible fractures, for development of low-temperature geothermal resources in Pohang, Korea. Quite good quality MT data could be obtained throughout the survey region by locating the remote reference in Kyushu, Japan, which is ${\sim}480\;km$ from the centre of the field site. 3D modelling and inversion are performed taking into account the sea effect in MT measurements near the seashore. The nearby sea in the Pohang area affects MT data at frequencies below $1\;Hz{\sim}0.2\;Hz$, depending on the distance from the seashore. The most severe sea effects were observed in the south-east parts of the survey area, closer to Youngil Bay. 3D inversion with and without the seawater constraint showed very similar results at shallow depths, roughly down to 2 km. At greater depths, however, a strong sea effect seems to form a fictitious conductive structure in ordinary 3D inversion, especially in the south-eastern part of the survey region. Comparison between drilling results and the resistivity profiles from inversions showed that five layered structures can be distinguished the subsurface beneath the target area. They are: (a) semi-consolidated mudstones with resistivity less than $10\;{\Omega}m$, which are ${\sim}300\;m$ thick in the northern part and ${\sim}600\;m$ thick in the southern part of the survey area; (b) occasional occurrence of trachybasalt and lapilli tuff within the mudstone layer has resistivity of a few tens of${\Omega}m$, (c) intrusive rhyolite ${\sim}400\;m$ thick has resistivity of several hundreds of ${\Omega}m$, (d) alternating sandstone and mudstone down to 1.5 km depth shows resistivity of ${\sim}100\;{\Omega}m$, (e) a conductive structure was found at a depth of ${\sim}3\;km$, but more geological and geophysical study should be carried out to identify this structure.