• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.109-115
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• 2008

It is very important to estimate the physical properties of survey area and delineate the geological basement in marine site survey for the design of offshore structures. For the purpose of providing high quality data by means of engineering site survey, it is necessary to apply several survey techniques and carry out the integrated interpretation to each other. In this study, we applied single channel seismic reflection method and OBC (Ocean Bottom Cable) type seismic refraction method at shallow marine. We used a dual boomer-single channel streamer as a source-receiver in seismic reflection survey and airgun source-the developed OBC type streamer in seismic refraction survey. We made 24 channels OBC type streamer which has 4m channel interval and each channel is composed of single hydrophone and preamplifier. We tested the field applicability of the proposed method and applied the typical seismic data processing methods to the obtained reflection data in order to enhance the data quality and image resolution. In order to estimate the geological velocity distribution from refraction data, seismic refraction tomography technique was applied. Therefore, we could successfully perform time-depth conversion using the velocity information as an integrated interpretation. The proposed method could provide reliable geologic information such as sediment layer thickness and 3D basement depth map.

• The Korean Journal of Petroleum Geology
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• v.7 no.1_2 s.8
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• pp.1-6
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• 1999

Natural gas hydrate, a solid compound of natural gas (mainly methane) and water in the low temperature and high pressure, is widely distributed in permafrost region and deep sea sediments. Gas hydrate stability field (GHSF), which corresponds to the conditions of a stable existence of solid gas hydrate without dissociation, depends on temperature, pressure, and composition of gas and interstitial water. Gas hydrate-saturated sediment are easily recognized by the bottom simulating reflector (BSR), a strong-amplitude sea bottom-mimic reflector in seismic profiles. It is known that BSR is associated with the basal boundary of the GHSF, The purpose of this study is to define the GHSF and its occurrence in the southwestern part of Ulleung Basin, East Sea. The hydrothermal gradient is measured using the expandable bathythermograph (XBT) and the geothermal gradient data are utilized from previous drilling results for the adjacent area. By the laboratory work using methane and NaCl $3.0 wt{\%}$ solution, it is shown that the equilibrium pressures of the gas hydrate reach to 2,920.2 kPa at 274.15 K and to 18,090 kPa at 289.95 K for the study area. Consequently, it is interpreted that the lower boundary of the GHSF is about 210 m beneath 400-m-deep sea bottom and about 480 m beneath 1,100-m-deep sea bottom. The resultant boundary is well matched with the depth of the BSR obtained from the seismic data analysis for the study area.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.15-25
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• 2008

Ocean-bottom seismometer (OBS) positions are one of the key parameters in an OBS-airgun seismic survey for crustal structure study. To improve the quality of these parameters, we have developed a new method of determining OBS positions, using airgun shot data and bathymetric data in addition to available distance measurements by acoustic transponders. The traveltimes of direct water waves emitted by airgun shots and recorded by OBSs are used as important information for determining OBS locations, in cases where there are few acoustic transponder data (<3 sites). The new method consists of two steps. A global search is performed as the first step, to find nodes of the bathymetric grid that are the closest to explaining the observed direct water-wave traveltimes from airgun shots, and acoustic ranging using a transponder system. The use of precise 2D bathymetric data is most important if the bottom topography near the OBS is extremely rough. The locations of the nodes obtained by the first step are used as initial values for the second step, to avoid falling into local convergence minima. In the second step, a non-linear inverse method is executed. If the OBS internal clock shows large drift, a secondary correction for the OBS internal clock is obtained, as well as the OBS location, as final results by this method. We discuss the error and the influence of each measurement used in the determination of OBS location.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.148-152
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• 2008

Multichannel seismic profiles reveal a strong bottom simulating reflector (BSR) occurring below the seafloor in the plain of the Ulleung Basin, East Sea (Japan Sea). The essential characteristics of the BSR include its cross-cutting relationship to strata, strong amplitude, and reverse polarity with respect to the seafloor reflection, representing the base of the gas hydrate stability zone (BHSZ). The BSR reflection coefficient ranging from -0.23 to -0.26 is 1.5${\sim}$1.7 times that of the seafloor reflection and interval velocities decrease to less than 700 m/s below the BSR. These features indicate the existence of free gas beneath the GHSZ. Heat flow, estimated from the BSR depth as $95{\sim}98mW/m^2$, is in good agreement with measured values. Therefore, the BSR can be efficiently used to estimate regional distribution of heat flow in the Ulleung Basin.

• Journal of the Korean Geophysical Society
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.207-215
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• 2004

As the sea connecting with the East Sea, the Sea of Okhotsk is the most potential area of gas hydrates in the world. In other to examine geophysical structures of gas hydrate-bearing sediments in the Sea of Okhotsk, the CHAOS (hydro-Carbon Hydrate Accumulation in the Okhotsk) international research expedition was carried out in August 2003. In the expedition, high-resolution seismic and geochemical survey was also conducted. Sparker seismic profiles show only diffusive high-amplitude reflections without BSRs at BSR depth. It means that BSR appears to be completely different images on seismic profiles obtained using different frequencies. Many gas chimneys rise up from BSR depth to seafloor. The chimneys can be divided into two groups with different seismic characteristics; wipe-out (WO) and enhanced reflection (ER) chimneys. Different seismic responses in the chimneys would be caused by amount of gas and gas hydrates filling in the chimneys. In hydroacoustic data, a lot of gas flares rise up several hundreds meters from seafloor to the water column. All flares took placed at the depths within gas hydrate stability zone. It is interpreted that gas hydrate-bearing sediments with low porosity and permeability due to gas hydrate filling in the pore space make good pipe around gas chimneys in which gas is migrating up without loss of amount. Therefore, large-scale gas flare at the site on gas chimney releases into the water column.

• Journal of the Korean Geophysical Society
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.191-200
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• 1999

Analysis of chirp high-resolution seismic profiles from the central Yellow Sea reveals that depositional environments in this area can be divided into three distinctive zones from west to east: (1) subaqueous delta system near the Shandong Peninsula, (2) erosional zone in the central Yellow Sea, and (3) tidal sand ridges and sand waves near the Korean Peninsula. The Shandong subaqueous delta, extending southward from the Shandong Peninsula, changes gradually into prodelta southeastward. The sediments originated from the Yellow River are transported southward along the Chinese coastal area. The erosional zone in the central Yellow Sea contains numerous paleochannels and shows linear erosional features trending northwest-southeast. The erosional zone would be dominated by non-depositional or erosional processes during the Holocene. Tidal sand ridges and sand waves are well developed along the western coast of Korea. The residual sands, which were originally fluvial sediments at the sea-level lowstand, are interpreted as the result of winnowing process during the sea-level rise. Modern sand ridges generally migrates in a northeast-southwestern direction, which coincide with dominant tidal current direction.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.220-226
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• 2011

In the elastic wave equations, both horizontal and vertical displacements are defined. Since we can measure both the horizontal and vertical displacements in field acquisition, these displacements compose a displacement vector. In this study, we propose a frequency-domain elastic waveform inversion technique taking advantage of the magnitudes of displacement vectors to define objective function. When we apply this displacement-vector objective function to the frequency-domain waveform inversion, the inversion process naturally incorporates the back-propagation algorithm. Through the inversion examples with the Marmousi model and the SEG/EAGE salt model, we could note that the RMS error of the solution obtained by our algorithm decreased more stably than that of the conventional method. Particularly, the density of the Marmousi model and the low-velocity sub-salt zone of the SEG/EAGE salt model were successfully recovered. Since the gradient direction obtained from the proposed objective function is numerically unstable, we need additional study to stabilize the gradient direction. In order to perform the waveform inversion using the displacementvector objective function, it is necessary to acquire multi-component data. Hence, more rigorous study should be continued for the multi-component land acquisition or OBC (Ocean Bottom Cable) multi-component survey.

• 한국해양학회지
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 1991

A multi-disciplinary geophysical study including gravity, magnetic, and seismic reflection profiling was carried out in the area between the Clarion fracture zone and the Clippertone fracture zone o the northeastern equatorial Pacific basin. There are small free-air gravity anomalies of less than 20 mgal over seamounts and the east-west trending abyssal hills. The negative residual gravity anomalies over seamounts may indicate the existence of low density seamount roots compared to surrounding oceanic crust. Non-existence of magnetic lineations and the magnetic anomalies of small smplitude with no polarity change in the east-west direction support that the study area belongs to the Cretaceous magnetic quite zone. Positive magnetic anomalies over seamounts offset 100 km in the east-west direction in the southern part of the study area suggest a possibility of left-lateral movement of those seamounts along unknown fractures. The sedimentary section in the study area can be divided into three units (Unit I, unit IIA, and Unit IIB) n the basis of reflection characteristics. the total thickness of sedimentary section varies from 200 to 400 meters and the sedimentary section is thicker in the southern area of rough topography near the seamount belt than in the northern flat area. Manganese nodules are abundant in the southern part of the study area where the ridges are developed and the Unit I layer is thicker than 100 meters.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.40-52
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• 2003

Despite the various opening models of the southwestern part of the East Sea (Japan Sea) between the Korean Peninsula and the Japan Arc, the continental margin of the Korean Peninsula remains unknown in crustal structure. As a result, continental rifting and subsequent seafloor spreading processes to explain the opening of the East Sea have not been adequately addressed. We investigated crustal and sedimentary velocity structures across the Korean margin into the adjacent Ulleung Basin from multichannel seismic reflection and ocean bottom seismometer data. The Ulleung Basin shows crustal velocity structure typical of oceanic although its crustal thickness of about 10 km is greater than normal. The continental margin documents rapid transition from continental to oceanic crust, exhibiting a remarkable decrease in crustal thickness accompanied by shallowing of Moho over a distance of about 50 km. The crustal model of the margin is characterized by a high-velocity (up to 7.4 km/s) lower crustal (HVLC) layer that is thicker than 10 km under the slope base and pinches out seawards. The HVLC layer is interpreted as magmatic underplating emplaced during continental rifting In response to high upper mantle temperature. The acoustic basement of the slope base shows an igneous stratigraphy developed by massive volcanic eruption. These features suggest that the evolution of the Korean margin can be explained by the processes occurring at volcanic rifted margins. Global earthquake tomography supports our interpretation by defining the abnormally hot upper mantle across the Korean margin and in the Ulleung Basin.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.146-162
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• 2017

Multibeam and seismic data in the northwestern part of the Ulleung Basin were analyzed to study stratigraphy and evolutionary history of submarine canyon. A detailed analysis reveals that the sedimentary sequences in this area consist of four stratigraphic units separated by erosional unconformities. On the continental slope, these units are dominated by well-stratified facies with some slope failures, whereas these units show well-stratified and chaotic facies toward the basin floor. Generally, the sediment thickness is relatively thin on the slope, whereas thick sediment accumulation occurs on the base of slope and basin floor. Based on seismic characteristics and distribution, the deposition of each units are well correlated with the evolutionary history of the submarine canyon. Unit 1 directly overlying the acoustic basement has thin sediment layer on the slope, whereas its thickness gradually increase toward the basin floor. Compared to other units, Unit 2 is relatively thick accumulations on the slope and contains some slope failures related to faults systems. The mass transport sediments due to slope failures, mainly deposited on the base of slope as a submarine fan. The width and depth of submarine canyon increase due to dominant of the erosional process rather than the sediment deposition. Unit 3 is thin accumulation on the slope around the submarine canyon. Toward the basin floor, its thickness gradually increases. Unit 4 is characterized by thin layers including slides and slumps on the slope, whereas it formed thick accumulations at the base of slope as a submarine fan. The increase in the width and depth of submarine canyon results from the dominant of the erosional process and slope failures around the submarine canyon. Consequently, the formation of sedimentary units combined with the development of submarine canyon in this area is largely controlled by the amounts of sediment supply originated from slope failures, regional tectonic effects and sea-level fluctuations.