• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.268-276
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• 2008

Potential tsunamis generated in Okinawa Trough were simulated for the investigation of the propagation characteristics in the southwestern sea of Korean Peninsula. Shallow waters in the continental shelf of East China Sea and deep waters in Okinawa Trough play an important role in the propagation characteristics of the tsunamis generated in this region. The propagation characteristics can be classified into two phases according to the stage of propagation. In the first phase, the tsunamis propagate both northeast and southwest along the deep water of the trough. In the second phase, the tsunamis enter the continental shelf of the East China Sea at right angles to topographic contour lines. Simulated results show that the tsunamis generated in the Okinawa Trough give a weak influence to the southern and western coasts of Korea due to the special topography of the southwestern sea of Korean Peninsula.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.543-554
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• 2004

Analysis of multi-channel seismic reflection and well data serves to detail the structural evolution of the northern Okinawa Trough, southern offshore Korea. The overall structural style of the area is characterized by a series of half grabens and tilted fault blocks bounded by basement-involved listric normal faults. Most half grabens and tilted fault blocks developed in the direction of NNE-SSW, parallel to the axis of the Okinawa Trough. Orientation and distribution of the listric faults also suggest the development of transfer faults in NW-SE direction. The rifting phase of the northern Okinawa Trough have been established on the basis of structural and stratigraphic analyses of depositional sequences and their seismic expressions. Major phase of rifting probably started in the Late Miocene and the most active rifting occurred during the Early Pliocene. The rifting produced a series of half grabens and tilted fault blocks bounded by listric normal faults. It appears that the rifting activity has become weaker since the Late Pliocene, but the Pleistocene sediments faulted by listric faults bounding tilted fault blocks suggest that the rifting activity is probably still in progress.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.491-499
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• 2003

The Okinawa Trough is a rift basin formed by extension. Analysis of multichannel seismic reflection profiles from the northwestern margin of the northern Okinawa Trough reveal that the trough is characterized by a series of tilted fault blocks bounded by listric normal faults and half-grabens developed between blocks, showing typical rifted structures. The trough display three kinds of sedimentary sequences with different seismic reflection characteristics: prerift, synrift and postrift sediments. The prerift sequence develops parallel to the dip direction of tilted fault blocks. The synrift sediments, mostly deposited in the half-grabens between tilted fault blocks, are generally well characterized by divergence of the reflectors towards the blocks indicating contemporaneous deposition during tilting. The postrift sediments are featured by continuous and parallel reflectors. The width of the half-graben and the throw-displacement rate of the basin bounding fault are closely connected. The throw-displacement rate is the maximum when the rifting event is the most active and the width of the half-graben is proportional to the rate.

• 한국방재학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2008.02a
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• pp.451-454
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• 2008

Potential tsunamis which may occur near Ryukyu Islands were simulated. Propagation characteristics of the potential tsunamis over the southwestern sea and the influence of tsunamis on the southwestern coast of Korean Peninsula were analyzed. The shallow water area in the east sea of China and the deep water Okinawa Trough play an important role in wave transformation and propagation of the potential tsunamis. The propagation characteristics of the potential tsunamis generated near Ryukyu Islands can be described as in followings : In the first stage after generation, the tsunamis propagate with high speed both northeastward and southwestward along the Okinawa Trough. As a result the waves are elongated and the tsunami height is significantly reduced. The elongated crest of tsunamis spans the whole distance of the Okinawa Trough and lines up toward the edge of the continental shelf of East China Sea. Then, the tsunamis are propagating towards the southeast coast of China. Thus, the influence of tsunamis on the Korean coasts becomes weak.

• The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.48-55
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• 2009

To investigate the paleoceanographic environmental changes around the Okinawa Trough, Japan, a piston core (RN88-PC5) was conducted on benthic foraminiferal species composition, assemblage, sedimentological and geochemical analyses. Trubidite sediment intercalated in studied core contains different benthic foraminiferal species, dwelling in shallow coral reef species, from normal hemipelagic sediment. These different benthic foraminiferal species and its assemblage are interpreted as reworked sediment when turbidite current occurred, synchronically. Grain size analysis clearly showed that mean grain size difference occurred between trubidite and hemipelagic sediments. Geochemical analysis also showed the difference of chemical composition between two sedimentary facies. Results of the foraminiferal oxygen isotope analysis showing global surface water warming records since the last 10 ka. The geochemcial analysis and previous works showed that turbidite sediment of studied core indicating sporadic occurrence of regional paleoceanographic events. Assemblage of shallow coral reef benthic foraminifera especially occurred with turbidite layer clearly support the sporadic occurrence of paleoceanographic events such as regional earthquake.

• Proceedings of the KSEEG Conference
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• 2007.04a
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• pp.415-417
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• 2007

• 한국해양학회지
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.69-76
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• 1995

A turbidite core sediment (RN88-PC5) from 2051 m on the deep-sea floor at the southern margin of Okinawa Trough was examined. Sedimentological characteristics were quite different between sandy sediments and hemipelagic sediments and hemipelagic sediments in terms of benthic foraminiferal assemblage, grain-size and chemical composition. All turbidite sandy sediments were clearly transported from shallow area as they include typical coral reef dwelling benthic foraminifera which were not found in the background hemipelagic sediments. These layers also suggest that the sediments were transported by turbidity-related currents and implies that sedimentological mechanisms were different between sandy sediments and hemipelagic sediments. The result of the /SUP 14/ C age dating and the stable oxygen isotopic fluctuation of planktonic foraminifera show a gradual warming trend of the surface water from about 10 Ka to present. Also Termination lb as well as two fresh water input events were recognized at ca2 and 7 ka.

• Journal of the korean society of oceanography
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 1997

Surface current fields in the eastern East China Sea (ECS) were constructed by analyzing trajectories of 58 satellite-tracked surface drifters released during 1991-1996. Composite trajectories and 20-minute-by-20-minute box-averaged current vectors show that the basic current pattern composes of: the Kuroshio main stream, which turns eastward toward the Tokara Strait; a northward branch current of the Kuroshio on the ECS outer shelf deeper than 100 m; and an anticyclonic circulation in the northern Okinawa Trough west of Kyushu. The northward branch current sharply changes its direction to the northeast when it crosses a line connecting Cheju Island, Korea and Goto Islands, Japan. The basic pattern of current field changes slightly from winter to summer, and the main axis of the Tsushima Current in the Korea Strait is found to shift seasonally. The drifter experiment does not support the claim that the Yellow Sea Warm Current is separated from the northward branch current on the outer shelf southeast of Cheju Island. We suggest that the use of the term 'Tsushima Current' be limited to the northeast channel flow in the Korea Strait. The new term 'Kuroshio Branch Current' is suggested for the northward branch current on the outer shelf south of Cheju-do, which is separated from the Kuroshio.