• Proceedings of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea Conference
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• 1999.10a
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• pp.58-63
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• 1999

In and around the Korean Peninsula 22 intraplate earthquake mechanisms since 1936 were analyzed to understand the regional stress orientation and tectonics. These 22 earthquakes are largest ones in this century and may represent the characteristics of earthquake in the region. Focal mechanism of earthquakes in the region show predominant strike-slip faulting with small amount of thrust components. The average P-axis is almost horizontal ENE- WSW. Studied data are compared with neighboring intraplate region in order to understand the tectonic regime in far est Asia. In northeastern China strike-slip faulting is dominant and nearly horizontal average P-axis in ENE- WSW is very similar with the Korean Peninsula. On the other hand in the eastern part of East Sea thrust faulting is dominant and average P-axis is horizontal with ESE- WSW This indicate that not only the subducting Pacific Plate in east but also the indenting Indian Plate controls earthquake mechanism in the far east of the Eurasian Plate.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.198-202
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• 2010

In and around the Korean Peninsula, 18 intraplate earthquake focal mechanisms since 1936 were analyzed to understand the characteristic of focal mechanism and regional stress orientation and tectonics. These earthquakes are largest ones from the last century and may represent the characteristics of earthquake in this region. Focal mechanism of these earthquakes show predominant strike-slip faulting with small amount of thrust components. The average P-axis is almost horizontal ENE-WSW direction. This mechanism pattern and the direction of maximum stress axis is very similar with northeastern part of China and southwestern part of Japan. However they are quite different with the eastern part of East Sea. This indicate that not only the subducting Pacific Plate from east but also the indenting Indian Plate controls focal mechanism in the far east of the Eurasian Plate.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.473-490
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• 2007

Strata of the Kachi-1 well, Kunsan Basin, offshore western Korea, were analyzed by using integrated stratigraphy approach. As a result, five distinct unconformity-bounded units are recognized in the well: Triassic, Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous, Early Cretaceous, Late Cretaceous, and Middle Miocene units. Each unit represents a tectono-stratigraphic unit that provides time-sliced information on basin-forming tectonics, sedimentation, and basin-modifying tectonics of the Kunsan Basin. In the late Late Jurassic, development of second- or third-order wrench faults along the Tan-Lu fault system probably initiated a series of small-scale strike-slip extensional basins. Continued sinistral movement of these wrench faults until the Late Cretaceous caused a mega-shear in the basin, forming a large-scale pull-apart basin. However, in the Early Tertiary, the Indian Plate began to collide with the Eurasian Plate, forming a mega-suture zone. This orogenic event, namely the Himalayan Orogeny, continued by late Eocene and was probably responsible for initiation of right-lateral motion of the Tan-Lu fault system. The right-lateral strike-slip movement of the Tan-Lu fault caused the tectonic inversion of the Kunsan Basin. Thus, the late Eocene to Oligocene was the main period of severe tectonic modification of the basin. After the Oligocene, the Kunsan Basin has maintained thermal subsidence up to the present with short periods of marine transgressions extending into the land part of the present basin.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.200-220
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• 2014

This study reexamines the old concept and reviews prevalent statements on Cenozoic vertical motions of the peninsula that have been uncritically repeated in our academia. The contents of this paper are redefinition of the notion, tilted flexure or warping, and a suggestion for a new time set and properties of the deformation, followed by a new model on its influencing factors and processes. In conclusion, the Cenozoic vertical motion of the Korean peninsula can be reified further with an epeirogenic movement of uplift in the east side-subsidence in the west side of the peninsula since the Neogene (23 Ma). However, the regional boundary for areas of uplift and subsidence is not likely in the Korean peninsula but broader farther to East China and the southern part of Russia. It can be best understood that mantle convection produced by subducting activities in the Western Pacific Subduction Zone causes the uplift and subsidence of earth surface around NE Asia. In addition, faultings in the upper lithosphere induced by in-situ plate boundary stresses accelerate regional uplift in the peninsula since the Quaternary. Controversies that are still standing such as current uplift movements along the western coast of the peninsula during the late Quaternary could be precisely discussed with future research providing detailed information on it.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.149-169
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• 2022

Indonesia coal is widely consumed as a major energy source in Asian countries, such as China, India, and Korea. In the paper, the characteristics of the coal-bearing basin and coal deposits in Indonesia are comprehensively reviewed using the exploration data accumulated through the coal exploration projects supported by Korean government subsidy. Cenozoic coal bearing sedimentary basins in Indonesia extensively contain coal deposits and are most productive in East Asia. Properties of coal deposits are variable depending on stratigraphy, depositional histories and tectonics. Eocene coal deposits tend to have thinner coal thickness and fewer numbers of coal seams, but have been major exploration targets due to higher calorific value and good coal quality. Late Oligocene-Early Miocene coal deposits occur in small scales, but are suitable enough for small to medium-sized coal mines. Miocene-Pliocene coal deposits, which are widely distributed across East Kalimantan and Sumatra, are being actively mined by taking advantage of thick coal thickness and abundant reserves in spite of their lower calorific values. The experience of various exploration informs that we need to have an overall understanding on geological conditions for successful coal exploration. The details on coal-bearing basin and coal deposits in Indonesia provided through the paper will be useful data for up-coming exploration activities by Korean companies.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.159-168
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• 2019

The western Gyeonggi Massif, where records evidence of Phanerozoic subduction/collision tectonics, is an important area to understand the crustal evolutionary history of the Korean Peninsula. This study presents geometric and kinematic characteristics of the geological structures of the Taean Formation in the Gomseom area, southwestern Gyeonggi Massif. We interpreted the geometric relationships between structural elements, and conducted stereographic and down-plunge projections for structural domains. As a result, at least three different deformational events ($D_1$, $D_2$ and $D_3$) are recognized in the study area. In the first deformational event ($D_1$), regional foliations being well defined by the preferred orientation of muscovite and biotite were formed. In the second deformational event ($D_2$), NNE-trending low-angle contractional faults and related crenulation lineations/cleavages were formed. The crenulation lineations shallowly plunge toward SSW~SSE or NNW~NNE. In the third deformational event ($D_3$), SE-plunging folds and NE-trending high-angle faults were formed as 'fault-related fold' and 'fold-accommodation fault', indicating that the $D_3$ folds and faults are genetically linked to each other. This contribution provides important insights into the structural evolution of the Taean Formation along western Gyeonggi Massif, where had evolved as subduction/collisional orogenic belts in the East Asia.