• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.191-202
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• 2010

In this study, the relationship between the settlements and the horizontal displacements according to embankment was analyzed at the marine sedimentary grounds for preparation of a site, and then the empirical equations of both the settlement and the horizontal displacement considering the embankment load and the thickness were proposed. To do this, the field and laboratory tests were performed at the improvement section where the pre-loading method was applied, and the field monitoring was performed using various sensors. Based on the results of the tests and monitoring, the ground deposits, soil characteristics and engineering properties were analyzed and the settlements and lateral movements were estimated by the Regression analysis. The ground deposits from the ground surface were composed of reclaimed soils, sedimentary soils and based rocks. The thickness of clay in the sedimentary soils layer was ranged from 3.9 m to 44.5 m. The embankment heights to improve the ground during pre-loading were constructed from 4.7 m to 7.8 m in each section. The settlements during embankment were ranged from 0.959 m to 2.217 m and the lateral movements were ranged from 0.048 m to 0.313 m. As the result of regression analysis, the equations of settlements and horizontal displacements according to embankments may be proposed as $s=0.02h^2+0.11h$ and ${\delta}=0.01e^{0.37h}$, respectively. The proposed empirical equations of the settlements and the horizontal displacements according to embankment on the marine sedimentary ground may be applied to the site where has a similar condition of study area.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.548-559
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• 2011

3-D Multi-geophysical surveys were carried out around the Hwasan caldera at the Euisung Sub-basin. To overcome the limitations of resolutions in previous studies, dense gravity data and magnetotelluric (MT) data were obtained and analyzed. In this study, the independent inversion models from gravity and MT data were integrated using correlation and classification approaches for 3-D imaging of the geologic structures. A Structure Index (SI) method was proposed and applied to the integration and classification analyses. This method consists of Type Angle (TA) and Type Intensity (TI) values, which are estimated by the spatial correlation and abnormality of the physical properties. The SI method allowed the classification analysis to be effectively performed. Major findings are as follows: 1) pyroclastic rocks around the central area of the Hwasan caldera with lower density and resistivity than those of neighboring regions extended to a depth of around 1 km, 2) intrusive igneous rocks with high resistivity and density were imaged around the ring fault boundary, and 3) a basement structure with low resistivity and high density, at a depth of 3-5 km, was inferred by the SI analysis.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.1-18
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• 2009

A series of three-dimensional numerical simulations using a generalized multidimensional hydrodynamic dispersion numerical model is performed to simulate effectively and to evaluate quantitatively impacts of urbanization on density-dependent groundwater flow and salt transport in a coastal aquifer system, Suyeong-Gu, Busan, Korea. A series of steady-state numerical simulations of groundwater flow and salt transport before urbanization with material properties of geologic formations, which are established by numerical modeling calibrations considering all the urbanization factors, is performed first without considering all the urbanization factors. A series of transient-state numerical simulations of groundwater flow and salt transport after urbanization is then performed considering the urbanization factors individually and all together. Finally, the results of both numerical simulations are compared with each other and analyzed. The results of the numerical simulations show that density-dependent groundwater flow, salt transport, and seawater intrusion in the coastal aquifer system are intensively and extensively impacted by the urbanization factors. Especially, these urbanization factors result in the changes of the total groundwater volume and salt mass in the coastal aquifer system. However, such impacts of each urbanization factor are not spatially uniform but locally different.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.71-79
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• 2011

In this study, the variation of wetting front and ground water level at the embankment constructed in the Saemangeum area were predicted considering rainfall duration times and the slope stability analysis of the embankment was carried out according to prediction results of wetting front and ground water level. The embankment was formed by dredging soils. A suction stress, a cohesion and a frictional angle of dreding soils measured by soil tests were applied to estimate the unsaturated soil properties. According to the analysis results of the wetting front and the ground water level for various rainfall duration time, the wetting front began to descend from the upper part of embankment at the beginning time of rainfall and after 1 hour of rainfall duration time. After that, the ground water level continued to ascend as the rainfall duration time was getting longer. After rainfall, the ground water level was distributed at a certain depth, and the ground water level was gradually descending as time goes by. According to the slope stability analysis of the embankment considering the variation of the wetting front and the ground water level, the safety factor of slope was rapidly reduced as the rainfall began to infiltrate into the ground, and the minimum safety factor of slope was estimated after 24 hours of rainfall duration time. Meanwhile, the safety factor of slope was increased with regaining the matric suction in the ground after rainfall.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.432-439
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• 2009

For more reliable estimation of seismic source, attenuation properties and dynamic ground property, site amplification function should be considered. Among various estimation methods, this study used the Nakamura's method (1989) for estimating site amplification characteristics. This method was originally applied to the surface waves of background noise and therefore there are some limitations in applying to general wave energy. However, recently this method has been extended and applied to the S wave energy successfully. This study applied the method to S wave and Coda wave energy, which is equivalent to the backscattered S wave energy. We used more than 60 observed ground motions from 5 earthquakes which were occurred recently, with magnitude range from 3.6 to 5.1. Each station showed characteristic site amplification property in low-, high- and resonance frequencies. Some of the stations showed as high as 4 times of site amplification in the range of specific frequencies, which may imply abnormal small scale geologic strata below the station or development of various trapped modes in the basin structure. Moreover, removal of site amplification can give us more reliable seismic source and attenuation parameters, addition to the seismic hazard estimation.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.230-242
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• 2017

Seismic velocities measured from in-situ tests (n=177) and through rock core samples (n=1,035) are reviewed in light of construction standards, widely used standards as a first-hand approximation of rock classification solely based on seismic velocities. In-situ down hole tests and refraction survey for soft rocks showed seismic velocities of 1,400~2,900 m/s which is faster than those specified in construction standards. For moderate~ hard rocks, in-situ down hole tests and refraction survey showed 2,300~3,800 m/s which roughly corresponds with the range specified in the construction standards. A similar trend is also observed for seismic velocities measured from rock core samples. The observed differences between construction standards and seismic velocities can be explained in two ways. If construction standards are correct the observed differences may be explained with seismic velocities affected by underlying fast velocities and also possibly with selection of intact cores for velocity measurement. Alternatively, construction standards may have intrinsic problems, namely artificial discrete boundaries between soft rocks and moderate rocks, application of foreign standards without consideration of geologic setting and lack of independent verification steps. Therefore, we suggest a carefully designed verification studies from a test site. We also suggest that care must be exercised when applying construction standards for the interpretation and accessment of rock mass properties.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.569-580
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• 2013

Co-rich ferromanganese crusts (Fe-Mn crusts) distributed on the seamounts in the western Pacific are potential economic resources for cobalt, nickel, platinum, and other rare metals in the future. Regulations for prospecting and exploration of Fe-Mn crusts in the Area, which enables the process to obtain an exclusive exploration right for blocks of the fixed size, were enacted recently by the International Seabed Authority, which led to public attention on its potential for commercial development. Evaluation and selection of a mining site can be established based on abundance and grade of Fe-Mn crusts in the site as well as topography that should be smooth enough for mining efficiency. Therefore, acquisition of shipboard echo-sounding and acoustic backscatter data are prerequisite to select potential mine sites in addition to visual and sampling operations. Acoustic backscatter data can be used to locate crust-covered areas in a regional scale with the understanding of acoustic properties of crust through its correlation with visual and sampling data. KIOST had collected the topographic and geologic data to assess the resources potential for Fe-Mn crusts in the west Pacific region from 1994 to 2001. However, they could not obtain acoustic backscatter data that is crucial for the selection of prospective mining sites. Therefore, additional exploration surveys are required to carry out side scan sonar mapping combined with seafloor observation and sampling to decide the blocks for application of an exclusive exploration right.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.241-249
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• 2006

Due to the long tectonic history and the very complex geologic formations in Korea, the anisotropic characteristics of subsurface material may often change very greatly and locally. The algorithms commonly used, however, may not give sufficiently precise computational results of traveltime data particularly for the complex and strong anisotropic model, since they are based on the two-dimensional (2D) earth and/or weak anisotropy assumptions. This study is intended to develope a three-dimensional (3D) modeling algorithm to precisely calculate the first arrival time in the complex anisotropic media. Considering the complex geology of Korea, we assume 3D TTI (tilted transversely isotropy) medium having the arbitrary symmetry axis. The algorithm includes the 2D non-linear interpolation scheme to calculate the traveltimes inside the grid and the 3D traveltime mapping to fill the 3D model with first arrival times. The weak anisotropy assumption, moreover, can be overcome through devising a numerical approach of the steepest descent method in the calculation of minimum traveltime, instead of using approximate solution. The performance of the algorithm developed in this study is demonstrated by the comparison of the analytic and numerical solutions for the homogeneous anisotropic earth as well as through the numerical experiment for the two layer model whose anisotropic properties are greatly different each other. We expect that the developed modeling algorithm can be used in the development of processing and inversion schemes of seismic data acquired in strongly anisotropic environment, such as migration, velocity analysis, cross-well tomography and so on.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.109-115
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• 2008

It is very important to estimate the physical properties of survey area and delineate the geological basement in marine site survey for the design of offshore structures. For the purpose of providing high quality data by means of engineering site survey, it is necessary to apply several survey techniques and carry out the integrated interpretation to each other. In this study, we applied single channel seismic reflection method and OBC (Ocean Bottom Cable) type seismic refraction method at shallow marine. We used a dual boomer-single channel streamer as a source-receiver in seismic reflection survey and airgun source-the developed OBC type streamer in seismic refraction survey. We made 24 channels OBC type streamer which has 4m channel interval and each channel is composed of single hydrophone and preamplifier. We tested the field applicability of the proposed method and applied the typical seismic data processing methods to the obtained reflection data in order to enhance the data quality and image resolution. In order to estimate the geological velocity distribution from refraction data, seismic refraction tomography technique was applied. Therefore, we could successfully perform time-depth conversion using the velocity information as an integrated interpretation. The proposed method could provide reliable geologic information such as sediment layer thickness and 3D basement depth map.

• 한국지구물리탐사학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1999.08a
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• pp.48-64
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• 1999

For quantitative evaluation of geotechnical engineering properties such as rippability and diggability, clear interpretation on the subsurface velocity structures should be preceded by figuring out top soil, weathered and soft rock layers, shape of basement, fracture zones, geologic boundary and etc. from the seismic refraction data. It is very important to set up suitable field parameters, which are the configuration of profile and its length, spacings of geophones and sources and topographic conditions, for increasing field data quality Geophone spacing of 3 to 5m is recommended in the land slope area for house land development and 5 to 10m in the tunnel site. In refraction tomography technique, the number of source points should be more than a half of available channel number of instrument, which can make topographic effect ignorable. Compared with core logging data, it is shown that the velocity range of the soil is less than 700m/s, weathered rock 700${\~}$1,200m/s, soft rock 1,200${\~}$1,800m/s. And the upper limit of P-wave velocity for rippability is estimated 1,200 to 1,800m/s in land slope area of gneiss. In case of tunnel site, it is recommended in tunnel design and construction to consider that tunnel is in contact with soft rock layer where three lineaments intersecting each other are recognized from the results of the other survey.