• Journal of the Korean earth science society
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.165-175
• /
• 2009

The East Sea including the area of this study is identified as a typical back-arc sea located in the backside of the Circum-Pacific volcanic and earthquake belt. Previous studies reported that the East Sea has begun to open by tensile force and formed its current shape. In this study, we investigate the regional tectonic structure of the East Sea using ship-borne gravity, magnetic, and satellite gravity data. The result of three-dimensional depth inversion shows that Moho depth of the study area is approximately 13-25km and inversely proportional to the thickness of the crust. In addition, as approaching to the center of the Ulleung Basin (UB), the thickness of the crust of the UB becomes thinner due to the extension caused by tensile force which had opened the East Sea.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.43 no.6
• /
• pp.625-636
• /
• 2010

The geophysical characteristics and geological structure of the northeastern part of the Ulleung Basin were investigated from interpretation of geophysical data including gravity, magnetic, bathymetry data, and seismic data. Relative correction was applied to reduce errors between sets of gravity and magnetic data, obtained at different times and by different equipments. The northeastern margin of the Ulleung Basin is characterized by complicated morphology consisting of volcanic islands (Ulleungdo and Dokdo), the Dokdo seamounts, and a deep pathway (Korea Gap) with the maximum depth of -2500 m. Free-air anomalies generally reflect the topography effect. There are high anomalies over the volcanic islands and the Dokdo seamounts. Except local anomalous zones of volcanic edifices, the gradual increasing of the Bouguer anomalies from the Oki Bank toward the Ulleung Basin and the Korea Gap is related to higher mantle level and denser crust in the central of the Ulleung Basin. Complicated magnetic anomalies in the study area occur over volcanic islands and seamounts. The power spectrum analysis of the Bouguer anomalies indicates that the depth to the averaged Moho discontinuity is -16.1 km. The inversion of the Bouguer anomaly shows that the Moho depth under the Korea Gap is about -16~17 km and the Moho depths towards the Oki Bank and the northwestern part of Ulleung Island are gradually deeper. The inversion result suggests that the crust of the Ulleung Basin is thicker than normal oceanic crusts. The result of 20 gravity modeling is in good agreement with the results of the power spectrum analysis and the inversion of the Bouguer anomaly. Except the volcanic edifices, the main pattern of magnetization distribution shows lineation in NE-SW. The inversion results, the 2D gravity modeling, and the magnetization distribution support possible NE-SW spreading of the Ulleung Basin proposed by other papers.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.56 no.3
• /
• pp.277-291
• /
• 2023

To analyze the crustal velocity structures beneath 21 broadband seismic stations in Gangwon Province, South Korea, we first applied the H-κ stacking method to 139 teleseismic event data (Mw ≥ 5.8 and the epicentral distance of 30° - 90°) occurring between March 18, 2019 and December 31, 2022 to estimate the Moho depths and V_p/V_s ratios beneath each station. The Moho depths and V_p/V_s ratios from the H-κ stacking method range from 24.9 to 33.2 km depth and 1.695 - 1.760, respectively, and the estimated V_p/V_s ratios were applied to the joint inversion of receiver functions and surface wave dispersion to obtain 1-D crustal velocity models beneath each station. The resulting Moho depths range from 25.9 to 33.7 km depth, similar to the results from the H-κ stacking method. Moho depth results from the both methods are generally consistent with Airy's isostasy. The 1-D crustal velocity models confirm that the existence of 2 km thick low-velocity layers with P-wave velocities of 5 km/s or less at some stations in the Taebaeksan basin, and at the stations CHNB and GAPB in northern Gangwon Province, which are located above the Cenozoic sedimentary layer. The station SH2B, although not overlying a sedimentary layer, has a low P-wave velocity near the surface, which is probably due to various factors such as weathering of the bedrock. We also observe a velocity inversion with decreasing velocity with depth at all stations within 4 - 12 km depths, and mid-crustal discontinuities possibly due to density differences in the rocks at around 10 km depth below some stations.

• Proceedings of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 2003.03a
• /
• pp.45-49
• /
• 2003

The velocity structure beneath the CHNB broadband station is determined by receiver function analysis using by from teleseismic P waveforms. The detailed broadband receiver functions are obtained by stacking method for source-equalized vertical, radial and tangential components of teleseismic P waveforms. A time domain inversion uses the stacked radial receiver function to determine vertical P wave velocity structure beneath the station. The crustal velocity structures beneath the stations are estimated using the receiver function inversion method in the case at the crustal model parameterized by many thin, flat-tying, homogeneous layers. The result of crust at model inversion shows the crustal velocity structure beneath the CHNB station varies smoothly with increasing depth, and there are six discontinuity around 2.5km, 6.25km, 12.5km, 22.5km and 27.5km depth, with Moho discontinuity at about 32.5km depth.

• Proceedings of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 2003.09a
• /
• pp.3-7
• /
• 2003

The velocity structure beneath the CHNB broadband station is determined by receiver function analysis using by from teleseismic P waveforms. The detailed broadband receiver functions are obtained by stacking method for source-equalized vertical, radial and tangential components of teleseismic P waveforms. A time domain inversion uses the stacked radial receiver function to determine vertical P wave velocity structure beneath the station. The crustal velocity structures beneath the stations are estimated using the receiver function inversion method in the case at the crustal model parameterized by many thin, flat-lying, homogeneous layers. Events divide into 4 groups. four azimuths corresponding to events in group a(southwest), b(south), c(southeast), d(northeast). The result of crust at model inversion shows the crustal velocity structure beneath the CHNB station varies smoothly with increasing depth. The conard discontinuity lies around 18 km and moho discontinuity lies range from 30 to 34 km.

• Journal of the Korean Geophysical Society
• /
• v.5 no.4
• /
• pp.293-303
• /
• 2002

Applying elastic plate model, we estimated elastic thickness and rigidity of the lithosphere in southern part of the Korean Peninsula($332km{\times}332km$ area of which center is $36.5^{\circ}N$ in latitude and $127.5^{\circ}E$ in longitude) by analysing terrain data and gravity data measured up to 2002. We tried to exclude the East Sea in choosing the study area because it has different tectonic environment. The mean Moho depth was estimated to be 30 km by power spectrum analysis of gravity data in the study area, Assuming one layer crust and applying elastic plate model, the loads with wavelengths of greater than 300 km are locally compensated, loads with wavelengths in the range 80-300km are partially supported by the strength of the lithosphere, and loads with wavelengths of less than 80km are almost completely supported by lithospheric strength. Assuming crustal model and rigidity, we calculated predicted coherence and compared it with observed coherence. As a result, we wert able to estimate the effective elastic thickness to be of 15 km(corresponding flexural rigidity is $3.0{\times}10^{22}Nm$). This indicates that the crust of the study area is relatively weaker than other old and stable continental regions but is similar to continental margins or oceanic area. The low rigidity could be explained by many tectonic and thermal activities such as orogenic activities, magmatic intrusions, volcanic activities, foldings, faultings, etc.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.256-267
• /
• 2010

Earthquakes in the Korean Peninsula occur along the faults formed and boundaries between major geological units ruptured due to violent tectonic activities during the Mesozoic. E-W and/or ENE-SSW compressive stress regime resulting from collisions between the Eurasian plate and neighbouring the Indian plate, the Pacific plate and the Philippine plate trigger Korean earthquakes of thrust faulting with predominant strike-slip components along the mostly NNE-SSW trending active faults. Seismicity of the Korean peninsula has been moderate to low during the past 20 centuries except for the period from the 15th to the 18th centuries of exceptionally high seismicity, showing the typical irregularity of intraplate seismicity. The structure of the Korean peninsula is rather homogeneous without the Conrad discontinuity sharply dividing the upper and lower crust. Lateral heterogeneities exist in the crust. The crust with an average thickness of about 33 km is thicker in the mountainous region than the plain due to the Airy-type isostatic equilibrium maintained in the peninsula. Crustal P-wave velocity with average of about 6.3 km/sec increases gradually from the near surface to the Moho. The upper mantle P-wave (Pn) velocity is about 7.8 km/sec.

• 한국지구물리탐사학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2005.05a
• /
• pp.103-107
• /
• 2005

In order to investigate the velocity structure of the southern part of the Korean peninsula, exploded seismic signals were recorded for 120 s along a 294-km WNW-ESE line and 150 s along a 335-km NNW-SSE line in 2002 and 2004, respectively. Velocity tomograms were derived from inverting first arrival times. One-dimensional velocity models derived by joint analyses of teleseismic receiver functions and surface wave dispersion at several stations near the profiles were uesd to build initial models. The raypaths indicate several midcrust interfaces including ones at approximate depths of 2.0 and 14.9 km with refraction velocities of approximately 6.0 and 7.1 km/s, respectively. The deepest significant interface varies in depth from 30.8 km to 36.1 km. The critically refracting velocity varies from 7.8 to 8.1 km/s along this interface which may correspond to the Moho discontinuity. The velocity tomograms show (1) existence of a low-velocity zone centered at 6-7 km depth under the Okchon fold belt, (2) extension of the Yeongdon fault down to greater than 10 km, and (3) existence of high-velocity materials under the Gyeongsan basin whose thickness is less than 4.2 km.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
• /
• v.20 no.1
• /
• pp.12-17
• /
• 2017

We construct 3D SV-wave velocity structure of the crust and the upper mantle beneath East Asia from Rayleighwave group-velocity measurements. For the construction of the SV-wave velocity model at 10 ~ 100 km depth, we used seismic data recorded at 321 broadband stations in Korea, Japan, and China. Rayleigh-wave group-velocity dispersion curves were obtained by using the multiple filtering technique in the period range from 3 to 150 s. High SV-velocity anomalies are imaged beneath the East Sea from 10 km depth to deeper depth, implying that the Moho beneath the East Sea is between at 10 ~ 20 km depth. We estimated the Moho beneath the Korean peninsula to be around 35 km based on the depth where a high-velocity anomaly is observed. The SV-wave velocity model shows prominent fast S-velocity anomalies near northeastern Japan, associated with the subducting Pacific plate. Low-velocity anomalies are found beneath the east coast of the Korean peninsula at 100 km depth, which may play a role in the formation of the Ulleungdo and the Ulleung basin. We observed low-velocity anomalies beneath the Yamato basin at 100 km depth as well, which may indicate the upwelling of fluid from the Pacific plate via dehydration at deeper depth.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
• /
• v.20 no.1
• /
• pp.25-32
• /
• 2017

We present a 3D SH-wave velocity model of the crust and uppermost mantle and seismic radial anisotropy beneath East Asia. The SH-wave velocity structure model was built using Love-wave group-velocity dispersion data from earthquake data recorded at broadband seismic networks of Korea, Japan, and China. Love-wave group-velocity dispersion curves were obtained by using the multiple filtering technique in the period range of 3 to 150 s for 3,369 event-station pairs. The inverted model using these data sets provides a crust and upper mantle SH-wave velocity structure down to 100 km depth. At 10 ~ 40 km depths SH-wave velocity beneath the East Sea is higher than beneath the Japanese island region. We estimated the Moho beneath the East Sea to be between 10 ~ 20 km depth, while Moho beneath the Korean Peninsula at around 35 km based on the depth where high-velocity anomalies are detected. We estimated the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary beneath the East Sea to be at around 50 km based on the depth where strong low-velocity anomalies are observed. Widespread low-velocity anomalies are found between 50 ~ 100 km depth in the study region. Positive radial anisotropy ($V_{SV}$ > $V _{SH}$) is observed down to 35 km depth, while negative radial anisotropy ($V_{SV}$ > $V _{SH}$) is observed for deeper depth.