• Journal of the Korean Geophysical Society
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.57-64
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• 1999

To effectively identify near-surface faults with vertical slips from seismic refraction data, the GRM interpretation technique is tested and investigated in terms of various parameters through computer modeling. A characteristic change in shape of the velocity-analysis function near faults is noticed, and a new strategy of `Slope Variation Indicator (SVI)' is developed and tested in this study. The SVI is defined as a first horizontal derivative of the difference of velocity analysis functions for a large XY value and a small one, respectively. As the dip of refractor decreases and as the difference in XY value increases, the peak value of SVI increases and its duration decreases. Consequently, the SVI indicates accurately the location of buried fault in the test models. The SVI is believed to be an efficient tool in seismic refraction method to investigate location and distribution of shallowly buried faults.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.99-104
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• 2009

We propose a waveform inversion method for SH-wave data obtained in a shallow seismic refraction survey, to determine a 2D inhomogeneous S-wave profile of shallow soils. In this method, a 2.5D equation is used to simulate SH-wave propagation in 2D media. The equation is solved with the staggered grid finite-difference approximation to the 4th-order in space and 2nd-order in time, to compute a synthetic wave. The misfit, defined using differences between calculated and observed waveforms, is minimised with a hybrid heuristic search method. We parameterise a 2D subsurface structural model with blocks with different depth boundaries, and S-wave velocities in each block. Numerical experiments were conducted using synthetic SH-wave data with white noise for a model having a blind layer and irregular interfaces. We could reconstruct a structure including a blind layer with reasonable computation time from surface seismic refraction data.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.367-369
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• 2009

• Journal of the Korean Geophysical Society
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.41-50
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• 2002

In order to delineate distribution of the basement in the vicinity of a Quaternary fault outcrop near the Gamsansa temple in Gyeongju, we conducted a seismic refraction survey along a 188 m profile with a 4 m receiver interval. Through tomographic inversion, we define four layers with refraction velocities of approximately 350 m/s, 600 m/s, 1,100 m/s and 2,400 m/s, respectively. We depict a reversed fault at a location of 40 m apart from the base station of the profile and interpret a fracture zone related to fault movements in the NNW of the profile.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.34-40
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• 2008

Underwater seismic refraction with advanced interpretation approaches makes important contributions to shallow marine exploration and geotechnical investigations in Australia's coastal areas. A series of case studies are presented to demonstrate the recent applications of continuous and static USR methods to river crossing and port infrastructure projects at various sites around Australia. In Sydney, static underwater seismic refraction (USR) with bottom-placed receivers and borehole seismic imaging assisted the development of improved geotechnical models that reduced construction risk for a tunnel crossing of the Lane Cove River. In Melbourne, combining conventional boomer reflection and continuous USR with near-bottom sources and receivers improved the definition of a buried, variably weathered basalt flow and assisted dredging assessment for navigation channel upgrades at Geelong Ports. Sand quality assessment with continuous USR and widely spaced borehole information assisted commercial decisions on available sand resources for the reclamation phase of development at the Port of Brisbane. Buried reefs and indurated layers occur in Australian coastal sediments with the characteristics of laterally limited, high velocity, cap layers within lower velocity materials. If these features are not recognised then significant error in depth determination to deeper refractors can occur. Application of advanced refraction inversion using wavefront eikonal tomography to continuous USR data obtained along the route of a proposed offshore pipeline near Fremantle allowed these layers and the underlying bedrock refractor to be accurately imaged. Static USR and the same interpretation approach was used to image the drowned granitic regolith beneath sediments and indurated layers in the northern area of Western Australia at a proposed new berthing site where deep piling was required. This allowed preferred piling sites to be identified, reducing overall pile lengths. USR can be expected to find increased application to shallow marine exploration and geotechnical investigations in Australia's coastal areas as economic growth continues and improved interpretation methods are developed.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.357-363
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• 2010

In this study, we investigated the geologic structure of the basement and overlying sediments of the construction site of the dinosaur egg fossil museum in Hwasung, Gyeonggi Province through refraction seismology, drilling, and downward seismic velocity measurements in the drill holes. The construction site ($350{\times}750\;m^2$) is located in the reclaimed area south of Sihwa Lake, Gojeong-ri. About 6,950 m of seismic refraction data consisting of 11 lines were acquired using a sledge hammer source. Drilling to the basement was performed at five sites. Sediment samples from drilling were analysed for grain-size distribution and age dating. At two drill holes, seismic velocity was measured with depth using a hammer as a seismic source. The geological structure of the study area consists of, from top to bottom, a tidal flat layer (5 ~ 12 m thick), a weathered soil layer (2 ~ 8 m thick), and the basement. The basement is interpreted as Cretaceous sedimentary rocks that tend to be shallow eastward. The volume of the tidal flat sediments and weathered soil in the study area is estimated as $1.4{\times}10^6\;m^3$, weighing $3.5{\times}10^6$ tons. The rate of sea level rise since 8,000 yrs BP is estimated to be 0.1 ~ 0.15 cm/yr.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.255-261
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to obtain a large amount of saline groundwater around coastal aquaculture farms. Thus, we have proposed a method for evaluating the potential amount of saline groundwater resources through the combined analysis of geophysical methods. Refraction seismic survey and electrical resistivity survey were conducted in the vicinity of fish farm at Hadong, Gyeongnam Province. As the result, the velocity of layer in the range of 900 ~ 2,400 m/s was found to be saltwater aquifer with high water content. Geological drilling investigation and analysis of soil samples also showed that the soil at study area was the same as the texture of sandy loam layer in agricultural radial collector wells installed by KRC (Korea Rural Community Corporation). Futhermore, the study area turned out to be quite possible to develop saline groundwater from the coastal shallow aquifer. Therefore, parallel analysis of refraction seismic surveys and electrical resistivity surveys at coastal area are expected to be very useful for the detection of the aquifer composed of sand and gravel layers with high porosity in sandy sedimentary layers along the coastal area.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.153-162
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• 2019

Rapid variations in the geometry (i.e., thickness) of the refractor and low velocities affect greatly the imaging of the reflectors of land seismic data. Conventional solutions to obtain the weathering models utilizes first break picking method, which requires time consuming steps and causes the human error in picking the first arrivals. A new interferometric approach (interferometric refraction statics, IRS) which utilizes the first arrival signal (S/N enhanced by refraction convolution stack) instead of first break picking, is tested in this study to the synthetic data from the velocity structure provided by surface geophysics (refraction, MASW) and borehole geophysics (tomography, SPS logging) for the Cheongju granitic bodies. The results of IRS approach are found to be better than the ones from conventional first break picking in terms of continuities and horizontal resolution of the reflectors. The unresolved long-wavelength statics in brute stack are much removed by IRS weathering correction and the overlying refractors (the base of shallow weathering zone) are incidentally delineated in the refraction convolution stack.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.615-623
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• 2010

Seismic refraction survey is a geophysical method that delineates subsurface velocity structure using direct wave and critically refracted wave. The generalized reciprocal method(GRM) is an inversion technique which uses travel-time data from several forward and reverse shots and which can provide the geometry of irregular inclined refractors and structures underlain by hidden layer such as low velocity zone and thin layer. In this study, a simple Excel-GRM routine was tested for fast mapping of the interface between weathering layer and bedrock during the survey, with employing a pair of forward and reverse shots. This routine was proved to control the maximum dip of approximately $30^{\circ}C$ and maximum velocity contrast of 0.6, based on the panel tests in terms of dipping angle and velocity contrast for the two-layer inclined models. In contrast with conventional operation of five to seven shots with sufficient offset distance and indoor data analysis thereafter, this routine was performed in the field shortly after data acquisition. Depth to the bedrock provided by Excel-GRM, during the field survey for Cheongju granite area, correlates well with the elevation of the surface of soft rock from the drill core and SPS logging data. This cost-effective routine developed for quickly delineating the bedrock surface in the field survey will be readily applicable to mapping of weathering zone in narrow zone with small variation of elevation of bedrock.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.481-485
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• 1995

This paper presents a new approaching method to determine the velocity and geometry of shallow subsurface from seismic refraction events. After picking the first breaks from seismic refraction data, we assume that field refraction seismogram can be replaced by the unit delta function having time shift of first break. Time curves are generated by shooting ray tracing. The partial derivatives seismogram for a damped least squares method is computed analytically at each step of the forward ray tracing. The technique is successfully tested on synthetic and real data. It has the advantage of real full waveform inversion, which is robust at low frequency band even if the initial guess is far from the true model.