• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.131-146
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• 2014

High-resolution seismic profiles coupled with sediment sampling were analyzed to investigate the acoustic characters and distribution patterns of the late Holocene sediments in Gamak Bay of the South Sea, Korea. The mean grain size of surficial sediment lies around $6.3{\sim}9.7{\Phi}$. Sediments in the bay consist of silt and clay with progressive decrease toward the inner bay. The seismic sedimentary sequence overlying the acoustic basement can be divided into two sedimentary units (GB I and II) by a prominent mid-reflector (Maximum Flooding Surface; MFS). The acoustic basement occurs at the depth between 20 m and 40 m below the sea-level and deepens gradually southward. The GB I, mostly occupying the channel-fill, is characterized by reflection-free seismic facies. It can be formed as late Transgressive System Tract (TST), interpreted tidal environment deposits. MFS appears at the depth of about 15~28 m below the sea-level and is well defined by even and continuous reflectors on the seismic profile. The GB II overlying MFS is composed of acoustically transparent to semitransparent and parallel internal reflectors. GB II is interpreted as the Highstand System Tract (HST) probably deposited during the last 6,000 yrs when the sea level was close to the present level. Especially, it is though that the GB II was subdivided into two layers (GB II-a and II-b) by a HST-reflector and this was classified by wind, sea water flux, and tidal current.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.369-379
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• 2003

Analysis of high-resolution seismic profiles and sediment data from the southeastern continental shelf of Korea reveals that the late Quaternary deposits consist of a set of lowstand (LST), transgressive (TST), and highstand systems tracts (HST) that corresponds to the sea-level change after the Last Glacial Maximum. LST (Unit I) above the sequence boundary consists of sandy mud or muddy sand deposited during the last glacial period and is confined to the shelf margin and trough region. TST (Unit II) between transgressive surface and maximum flooding surface consists of sandy sediments deposited during the postglacial transgression (15,000-6,000 yr BP). Although TST is widely distributed on the shelf, it is much thinner than LST and HST. On the basis of distribution pattern, TST can be divided into three sub-units: early TST (Unit IIa) on the shelf margin, middle TST (Unit IIb) on the mid-shelf, and late TST (Unit IIc) on the inner shelf, respectively. These are characterized by a backstepping depositional arrangement. HST(Unit III) above the maximum flooding surface is composed of the fine-grained sediments deposited during the last 6000 yrs when sea level was close to the present level and its distribution is restricted to the inner shelf along the coast.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.24-36
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• 2019

In the mid-eastern Yellow Sea, glacio-eustatic sea-level fluctuations and a regional tectonic subsidence have combined to represent an aggradational stacking pattern of sedimentary units during late Pleistocene-Holocene. The accumulated sediments are divisible into two-type units of Type-A and Type-B in high-resolution air-gun seismic profiles and the deep-drilled core of YSDP-105. Type-A unit largely comprises clast-rich coarse-grained sediments of non-marine to paralic origin, whereas Type-B unit consists mostly of tidal fine-grained sediments. Based on a bottom model of the sedimentary units, this study suggested a geoacoustic model of long-coring bottom layers at the YSDP-105 drilling site of the mid-eastern Yellow Sea. The geoacoustic model of 64-m depth below the seafloor with four-layer geoacoustic units was reconstructed in continental shelf strata at 45 m in water depth. For actual modeling, the geoacoustic property values of the models were compensated to in situ depth values below the seafloor using the Hamilton modeling method. We suggest that the geoacoustic model will be used for geoacoustic and underwater acoustic experiments of mid- and low-frequency reflecting on the deep bottom layers in the mid-eastern Yellow Sea.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.513-523
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• 2012

The upper sedimentary layer of the Ulleung Basin in the East Sea shows stacked mass-flow deposits such as slide/slump deposits in the upper slope, debris-flow deposits in the middle and lower slope, and turbidites in the basin plain. Shallow gases or gas hydrates are also reported in many area of the Ulleung Basin, which are very important in terms of marine resources, environmental changes, and geohazard. This paper aims at studying acoustic characteristics and distribution pattern of gas-related structures such as acoustic column, enhanced reflector, dome structure, pockmark, and gas seepage in the upper sedimentary layer, by analysing high-resolution chirp profiles. Acoustic column shows a transparent pillar shape in the sedimentary layer and mainly occurs in the basin plain. Enhanced reflector is characterized by an increased amplitude and laterally extended to several tens up kilometers. Dome structure is characterized by an upward convex feature at the seabed, and mainly occurs in the lower slope. The pockmark shows a small crater-like feature and usually occurs in the middle and lower slope. Gas seepage is commonly found in the middle slope of the southern Ulleung Basin. These gas-related structures seem to be mainly caused by gas migration and escape in the sedimentary layer. The distribution pattern of the gas-related structures indicates that formation of these structures in the Ulleung Basin is controlled not only by sedimentary facies in upper sedimentary layer but also by gas-solubility changes depending on water depth. Especially, it is interpreted that the chaotic and discontinuous sedimentary structures of debris-flow deposits cause the facilitation of gas migration, whereas the continuous sedimentary layers of turbidites restrict the vertical migration of gases.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.81-92
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• 2001

According to analyses of high-resolution seismic profiles (air gun, sparker, and SBP) and a deep-drill core(YSDP 105) in the mid-eastern Yellow Sea, stratigraphic and geoacoustic models have been established and seismo-acoustic modeling has been fulfilled using ray tracing of finite element method. Stratigraphic model reflects seismo-, litho-, and chrono-stratigraphic sequences formed under a significant influence of Quaternary glacio-eustatic sea-level fluctuations. Each sequence consists of terrestrial to very-shallow-marine coarse-grained lowstand systems tract and tidal fine-grained transgressive to highstand systems tract. Based on mean grain-size data (121 samples) of the drill core, bulk density and P-wave velocity of depositional units have been inferred and extrapolated down to a depth of the recovery using the Hamilton's regression equations. As goo-acoustic parameters, the 121 pairs of bulk density and P-wave velocity have been averaged on each unit of the stratigraphic model. As a result of computer ray-tracing simulation of the subsurface strata, we have found that there are complex ray paths and many acoustic-shadow zones owing to the presence of irregular layer boundaries and low-velocity layers.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.142-151
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• 2001

Detailed interpretation of some high-resolution seismic profiles in Yosu Strait reveals that Late Quaternary deposits consist of three allostratigraphic units (UH, LH, PL) formed by fluvial and tidal controls. The top mud unit, UH, thins onshore, and overlies the backstepping modem Seomjin delta deposits, which is interpreted as a transgressive systems tract (757) related to Holocene relative sea-level rise. The unit LH below the unit UH is composed of delta, valley- and basin-fill facies. The delta facies (Unit $LH_1$) occurs only in Gwangyang Bay and shows two prograding sets retrogradationaly stacked, thus it is also interpreted as a transgressive systems tract(757). On the contrary, the valley- and basin-fill facies (Unit $LH_2$), interpreted as 757, occur between the units UH and PL (Pleistocene deposits) in Yosu Strait. The bounding surface between UH and $LH_2$ can be interpreted as a tidal ravinement surface on the basis of trends thinning toward inner bay and becoming young landward. Furthermore its geomorphological pattern is similar to that of recent tidal channels. This allostratigraphy in'ffsu Strait suggests that two 757 deposits (UH and $LH_2$), divided by tidal ravinement surface, have been formed in Yosu Strait, whereas in Gwangyang Bay backstepping delta deposits ($LH_1$) without tidal ravinement surface have been formed during Holocene sea-level rise. These characteristics indicate that different stacking patterns could be formed in these two areas according to different increasing rate of accommodation space caused by different geomorphology, sediment supply and tidal-current patterns even in the same period of Holocene sea-level rise.