• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.30 no.7
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• pp.810-823
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• 2009

One of the critical factors in accurate determination of earthquake source parameters, and in prediction of seismic hazards is the detailed information related to the site amplification characteristics. The site amplification characteristics of the broad-band seismic stations in Korea were estimated as a function of frequency in the range of 0.2 to 20 Hz. A total of 1275 seismograms recorded from 43 earthquakes observed from 2003 to 2008 in the southern Korean Peninsula were used. It was found that the site amplification ratios for 28 stations estimated from the inversion of the ground motion model were approximately concordant with those obtained from the horizontal-to-vertical (H/V) spectral ratio except for some stations. The spectral site amplification characteristics obtained in this study did not show any considerable spatial distribution. It revealed to be largely correlated with the degree of weathering rather than the basement rock type. Considering the spectral site amplification ratio, 28 broad-band stations were classified into four groups and the characteristics of each group were described in the text.

• Journal of the Korean Geophysical Society
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.193-200
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• 2000

The attenuation characteristics($Q^{-1}$) are important factors representing the physical properties of the Earth interiors, and are essential for the quantitative prediction of strong ground-motion. Based on 156 earthquakes including 76 single-station record on the seismic station located Deok-jung Ri, southeastern Korea, we made the simultaneous measurement of P and S wave attenuation($Q_P^{-1}\;and\;Q_S^{-1}$) by means of extended coda-normalization method. Estimated $Q_P^{-1}\;and\;Q_S^{-1}$ decreased from $1{\times}10^{-2}\;and\;9{\times}10^{-3}$ at 1.5 Hz to $6{\times}10^{-4}\;and\;5{\times}10^{-4}$ at 24 Hz, respectively. This can be expressed by $Q_P^{-1}=0.01\;f^{-1.07}\;and\;Q_S^{-1}=0.01\;f^{-1.03}$ which indicate strong frequency dependence.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.5-19
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• 2009

Most of earthquake-induced geotechnical hazards have been caused by the site effects relating to the amplification of ground motion, which is strongly influenced by the local geologic conditions such as soil thickness or bedrock depth and soil stiffness. In this study, an integrated GIS-based information system for geotechnical data, called geotechnical information system (GTIS), was constructed to establish a regional counterplan against earthquake-induced hazards at an urban area of Daejeon, which is represented as a hub of research and development in Korea. To build the GTIS for the area concerned, pre-existing geotechnical data collections were performed across the extended area including the study area and site visits were additionally carried out to acquire surface geo-knowledge data. For practical application of the GTIS used to estimate the site effects at the area concerned, seismic zoning map of the site period was created and presented as regional synthetic strategy for earthquake-induced hazards prediction. In addition, seismic zonation for site classification according to the spatial distribution of the site period was also performed to determine the site amplification coefficients for seismic design and seismic performance evaluation at any site in the study area. Based on this case study on seismic zonations in Daejeon, it was verified that the GIS-based GTIS was very useful for the regional prediction of seismic hazards and also the decision support for seismic hazard mitigation.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.17-35
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• 2016

Earthquake-induced disasters are often more severe in locations with soft soils than firm soils or rocks due to differences in ground motion amplification. On a regional scale, such differences can be estimated by spatially predicting subsurface soil thickness over the entire target area. In general, soil deposits are generally deeper in coastal or riverside areas than in inland regions. In this study, a coastal metropolitan area, Incheon, was selected to assess site effects and provide information on seismic hazards. Spatial prediction of geotechnical layers was performed for the entire study area within the GIS framework. Approximately 7,000 existing borehole drilling data in the Incheon area were gathered and archived into the GIS Database (DB). In addition, surface geotechnical data were acquired from a walkover survey. Based on the built geotechnical DB, spatial zoning maps of site-specific seismic response parameters were created and presented for use in a regional seismic strategy. Site response parameters were performed to determine site coefficients for seismic design over the entire target area and compared with each other. Site classifications and subsequent seismic zoning were assigned based on site coefficients. From this seismic zonation case study in Incheon, we verified that geotechnical GIS-DB can create spatial zoning maps of site-specific seismic response parameters that are useful for seismic hazard mitigation particularly in coastal metropolitan areas.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.57-66
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• 2015

Empirical seismic displacement equations based on the Newmark sliding block method are widely used to develop seismic landslide hazard map. Most proposed equations have been developed for embankments and landfills, and do not consider the dynamic response of sliding block. Therefore, they cannot be applied to Korean mountain slopes composed of thin, uniform soil-layer underlain by an inclined bedrock parallel to the slope. In this paper, a series of two-dimensional dynamic nonlinear finite difference analyses were performed to estimate the permanent seismic slope displacement. The seismic displacement of mountain slopes was calculated using the Newmark method and the equivalent acceleration time history. The calculated seismic displacements of the mountain slopes were compared to a widely used empirical displacement model. We show that the displacement prediction is significantly enhanced if the slope is modeled as a flexible sliding mass and the amplification characteristics are accounted for. Regression equation, which uses PGA, PGV, Arias intensity of the ground motion and the fundamental period of soil layer, is shown to provide a reliable estimate of the sliding displacement. Furthermore, the empirical equation is shown to reliably predict the hazard category.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.15-23
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• 2020

Ground motion models predicting intensity measures on surface use a time-averaged shear wave velocity, V_S30, as a key variable simulating site effect. The V_S30 can be directly estimated from V_S profiles if the profile depth (z) is greater than or equal to 30 m. However, some sites have V_S profiles with z < 30 m. In this case V_S30 can be predicted using extension models. This study proposes new coefficient sets for existing prediction equations using 297 Korea V_S profiles. We have collected V_S profiles from KMA and Geoinfo database. Fitting six existing methods to data, we suggest new coefficients for each method and evaluate their performance. It turns out that if z ≥ 15 m, the standard deviation (σ) of residual in log₁₀ is 0.061, which indicates that the estimated V_S30 is nearly accurate. If z < 15 m, the σ keeps increasing up to 0.1 for z = 5 m, so we caution the use of models at very low z. Nonetheless, we recommend investigating up to 30 m depth for V_S30 calculation if possible.