• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.27-32
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• 2009

In this study, we examined the applicability of a 3D electrical resistivity technique for the probing of underground cavities at a field test site in a karst area in Yongweol-ri, Muan-gun, in the south-western part of the Korean peninsula. At the test site, where the ground has subsided in the past, underground cavities are commonly found in the limestone bedrock, which is overlain with alluvial deposits. The limestone cavities at the test site are mostly filled with groundwater and clay; hence, they show levels of electrical resistivity that are significantly lower than those of the surrounding host bedrock. The results of this study demonstrate that the zones of low resistivity correspond to the zones of the cavities identified in the boreholes at the site, and that our 3D electrical resistivity survey is a very effective tool for detecting and mapping underground cavities in a karst area.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.82-93
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• 2018

Resistivity monitoring data at embankment dams are affected by the seasonal temperature variation. Especially when the seasonal temperature variation is large like Korea, the temperature effects may not be ignored in the longterm resistivity monitoring. Therefore, temperature effects can make it difficult to accurately interpret the resistivity monitoring data. In this study, through analyzing the time series of ground temperature collected at an embankment dam, ground temperature variations are calculated approximately. Then, based on the calculated temperature profile with depth, the inverted resistivity model of the embankment dam is corrected to remove the temperature effects. From these corrections, it was confirmed that the temperature effects are significant in the upper, superficial part of the dam, but can be ignored at depth. However, temperature correction based only on the temperature distribution in the dam body cannot remove the temperature effect thoroughly. To overcome this problem, the effect of temperature variation in the reservoir water seems to be incorporated together with the air temperature variation.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.9-13
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• 2015

All the resistivity data contain various kinds of noise. The major sources of noise in DC resistivity measurement are high contact resistance, measurement errors, and sporadic background noise. Thus, it is required to measure data noise to accurately interpret resistivity data. Reciprocal measurements can provide a measure of data precision and noise. In this study, we proposed a data-weighting method from reciprocity measurement. Furthermore, a data-weighting method using both the reciprocity error and data-misfit in the inversion process was studied. Applying the data-weighting method to the inversion of 3D resistivity data, it was confirmed that local anomalies are slightly suppressed in the final inversion results.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.139-149
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• 2018

The resistivity monitoring is a practical method to resolve changes in resistivity of underground structures over time. With the advance of sophisticated automatic data acquisition system and rapid data communication technology, resistivity monitoring has been widely applied to understand spatio-temporal changes of subsurface. In this study, a new 4D inversion algorithm is developed, which can effectively emphasize significant changes of underground resistivity with time. To overcome the overly smoothing problem in 4D inversion, the Lagrangian multipliers in the space-domain and time-domain are determined automatically so that the proportion of the model constraints to the misfit roughness remains constant throughout entire inversion process. Furthermore, a focusing model constraint is added to emphasize significant spatio-temporal changes. The performance of the developed algorithm is demonstrated by the numerical experiments using the synthetic data set for a time-lapse model.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.218-223
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• 2005

This study considers to electrical resistivity characteristics for clay minerals types and contents in fractured and fault zone. The electrical resistivity is measured for an artificial agar specimen with clay minerals instead of a natural rock. The artificial agar specimen with clay minerals was special worked in study. The clay minerals used are Kaolinite and Montmorillonite in test, the clay mineral contents increases until $0\~40\%$ to the same specimen. As results, the electrical resistivity of the specimen decreased gradually as the clay mineral contents increases for all types of clay minerals. Montmorillonite shows remarkably lower resistivity than Kaolinite, although its clay content is fewer than that of Kaolinite. Also, a proposed experimental expression shows a good correlation coefficient as high as 0.89 or more in all clay minerals.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.525-539
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• 2020

A site containing buried solid waste and treated water and oil storage containers from a leather manufacturing plant was studied through soil and groundwater pollution and electrical resistivity surveys with the aim of identifying areas polluted by leachate generated by landfilling with leather waste and leakage wastewater. It was found that TPH and Zn exceeded environmental standards for soil pollution and, for leachate and groundwater, Cr(VI) concentrations exceeded standard levels for groundwater quality. An electrical resistivity survey was used to elucidate soil and groundwater pollution characteristics and diffusion pathways. Ten survey lines were set up with an electrode spacing of 5 m in a dipole-dipole array. The hydraulic characteristics of soil determined by groundwater contamination surveys matched well the low-resistivity-anomaly zones. Electrical resistivity surveys of areas containing contaminated soil and groundwater that have irregular strata due to waste reclamation are thus useful in highlighting vertical and horizontal pollutant diffusion pathways and in monitoring contaminated and potentially contaminated areas.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.58 no.9
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• pp.1778-1783
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• 2009

Ground impedance for the large grounding system is measured according to the IEEE Standard 81.2 which is based on the revised fall-of-potential method of installing auxiliary electrode at a right angle. When the auxiliary electrodes are located at an angle of $90^{\circ}$, the ground impedance inevitably includes the error due to earth mutual resistance. In this paper, in order to accurately measure the ground impedance of vertically-driven ground electrodes, error rates due to earth mutual resistance are evaluated by ground resistance and ground impedance measuring devices and compared with calculated values. As a result, the measured results are in good agreement with the computed results considering soil layer with different resistivity. The error rates due to earth mutual resistance decrease with increasing the length of ground electrode in the case that the ratio of the distance between the ground rod to be measured and the auxiliary electrodes to the length of ground electrode(D/L) is same. The ground impedance should be measured at the minimum distance between the auxiliary electrodes that will have an estimated measurement accuracy due to earth mutual resistance.

• Journal of the Korean Geophysical Society
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.217-224
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• 1999

Although faults can be found by geological surveys, the surface traces of faults are not easily discovered by traditional geological surveys due to alluvia. In and around faults and fracture zones, the electrical resistivity appears to be lower than that of the surroundings due to the content of groundwater and clay minerals. Therefore, electrical resistivity surveys are effective to search buried faults and fracture zones. The dipole-dipole array electrical resistivity surveys, which could show the two dimensional subsurface electrical resistivity structure, were carried out in two areas, Yongdang-ri, Woongsang-eup, Yangsan-si, Kyungsangnam-do and Malbang-ri, Woedong-eup, Kyungju-si, Kyungsangpook-do. The one was next to the Dongrae Fault and the other near the Ulsan Fault was close to the region in which debatable quaternary fault traces had been found recently. From each measured data set, the electrical resistivity cross-section was obtained using the inversion program the reliability of which was analyzed using analytic solutions. A low resistivity zone was found in the inverted cross-section from the Yongdang-ri area survey data, and two low resistivity zones were found in that from the Malbang-ri area survey data. They were almost vertical and were 15∼20 m wide. Accounting the shape and the very low resistivity values of those zones (<100 Ωm)in the inverted section, they were interpreted as fracture zones although they should be proven by trenching. The reliability of the interpretation might be improved by adding some more parallel resistivity survey lines and interpreting the results in 3 and/or adding other geophysical survey.

• Journal of the Korean Geophysical Society
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.75-88
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• 1999

A recent major subject of geophysical exploration is research into 3-D subsurface imaging with a composite information from the various geophysical data. In an attempt to interpret Schlumberger sounding data for the study area in 2-D and 3-D view, resistivity imaging was firstly performed and then pseudo-3-D resistivity volume was reconstructed by interpolating several 1-D resistivity plots. Electrical resistivity discontinuities such as fracture zone were successfully clarified in pseudo-3-D resistivity volume. The low resistivity zone mainly associated with fracture zone appears to develop down to granitic basement in the central part of the study area. Seismic velocity near the lineament is estimated to be approximately as small as 3,000 m/s, and weathering-layer for the southeastern part is interpreted to be deeper than for the northwestern part. Geophysical attributes such as electrical resistivity, seismic velocity, radioactivity for the Chojeong Area were analysed by utilizing a GIS software Arc/Info. The major fault boundaries and fracture zones were resolved through image enhancement of composite section (electrical resistivity and seismic refraction data) and were interpreted to develop in the southeastern part of the area, as characterized by low electrical resistivity and low seismic velocity. However, radioactivity attribute was found to be less sensitive to geological discontinuities, compared to resistivity and seismic velocity attributes.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.193-201
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• 1981

The problem of automatic inversion of apparent resistivity sounding curves resulting from horizontally layered earth models is solved using the least-squares technique. This method, which makes use of damped least-squares algorithm in conjunction with digital filtering technique, is found to be speedier and more accurate than the conventional curve-matching method. Four sounding curves were chosen to test the inversion scheme. The analysis of the theoretical sounding data associated with a three-layer model illustrates clear advantages over the conventional curve-matching method. The usefulness of the inversion method is also shown when applied to the actual field data. It was found that the best fit earth models coincide with the subsurface structures confirmed by drilling.