• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.163-170
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• 2006

The shortage of proven hydrocarbon reserves has resulted in exploration progressing from the offshore into progressively deeper water of the continental shelf. Despite the success of seismic acquisition at ever greater depths, there are marine geological terrenes in which the interpretation of seismic data is difficult, such regions dominated by scattering or high reflectivity that is characteristic of carbonate reefs, volcanic cover and submarine permafrost. A marine controlled-source electromagnetic (CSEM) method has recently been applied to the oil and gas exploration thanks to its high-resistivity characteristics of the hydrocarbon. In particular, this method produces better results in terms of sensitivity under the deep water environment rather than the shallow water. Only in the last five years has the relevance of CSEM been recognized by oil companies who now use it to help them make exploration drilling decisions. Initial results are most promising and several contractors now offer magnetotelluric and CSEM services.

• Journal of the Korean Geophysical Society
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.77-90
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• 2000

Five electrical resistivity dipole-dipole and two seismic reflection surveys were performed in the southeastern margin of the Yongdong basin to delineate the shallow basin architecture. To investigate the intra-basin structure, twenty four resistivity sounding points and three dipole-dipole lines were selected especially in the vicinity of volcanic masses. The basin-fault boundaries are identified in electrical dipole-dipole resistivity section as high resistivity-contrast of approximately $1,500\;{\Omega}{\cdot}m$, characterized as a band of high standard-deviation. They are also effectively clarified in the seismic reflection data: amplitude and continuity contrasts in the common shot gather, first-arrival profiles, complex attribute plots. The intra-basin resistivity structures are constructed by interpolating vertical electrical sounding data and dipole-dipole profiles. The high-resistivity anomalies most likely originate from the northsouth-trending and northeast-dipping volcanic masses, which are to be further quantitatively investigated with geomagnetic and magnetotelluric surveys.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.118-125
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• 2002

The hydrogeologic structure in the Chojung area was evaluated from a set of geological and geophysical investigations: detailed geological survey, vertical electric sounding (VES), borehole logging, and controlled-source magnetotelluric (CSMT) survey. Among these, CSMT soundings were taken for integrated interpretation to extend hydrogeologic structure with depth. The result of CSMT survey along with VES and borehole logging provides the vertical geologic boundary connected with hydrogeologic structure, and also indicates the depth of aquifer in granite basement. To interpret the geologic boundary and aquifer characteristics using CSMT data, we adopted the technique of 1-D inversion with smoothness-constrained method and 2-D continuous profiling with 1-D Bostick inversion and spatial filtering. The methodology tested and adopted in this study would be useful and required for providing a more information to the structure of fractured aquifer system.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.268-274
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• 2007

Traditional two-dimensional (2D) interpretation of magnetotelluric (MT) data utilizes only transverse magnetic (TM)-mode data, because 2D inversion of transverse electric (TE)-mode data results in spurious features when 3D structures exist in the subsurface. The application of a 3D inversion algorithm to a single MT profile can reduce contamination due to off-profile anomalies and help us to incorporate TE-mode data in the interpretation. In this study, we conduct 2D and 3D inversions of MT data observed along two lines in Jeju Island. First, we invert apparent resistivities and phases in the TM and TE modes separately. Then, we perform 2D joint inversion of both TM- and TE-mode data and 3D inversion of both Zxy- and Zyx-mode data corresponding to TE- and TM-mode data in 2D. The resistivity images derived from all four data show that the geoelectrical structure in Jeju Island is a three-layered earth with the resistive-conductive-resistive stratigraphy within a depth of 5 km. The 3D inversion does not produce clear anomalies in the reconstructed profile image, while all of 2D do. This attributed to the possibility that 2D inversion results are distorted by exiting off-profile 3D anomalies in Jeju. With 3D inversion of 2D profile MT data, we can deduce more reliable results that are not seriously distorted by off-profile 3D anomalies.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Groundwater Environment
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.59-65
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• 1999

Both the groundwater changes due to different pumping rates and the geochemistry of thermal waters in the Suanbo area are considered in this study. The observation of groundwater level change since 1991 shows that the change is directly correlated with pumping rates of thermal waters and reveals the retardation of ca. 5 weeks after pumping. The hydrogeological aquifer in the area is under reducing condition. The thermal waters are of Na-HCO$_3$ type. and are alkaline (pH=8.5∼8.7) with low TDS values (274∼284 mg/l) and high concentrations of Na (68∼72 mg/l). F (6.4∼8.9 mg/l), and HCO$_3$(136∼146 mg/l). Oxygen and hydrogen isotope ratios of thermal water indicate a meteoric water origin. The activities of Rn-222 and Ra-226 in both thermal water and local groundwater were determined to delineate possible geochemical controls on the Rn-222 and Ra-226. The Rn-222 concentrations are several orders of magnitude greater than the Ra-226 concentrations. The concentrations of Rn-222 range from 190 to 7.490 pCi/1 with an average of 2,522 pCil/l. and those of Ra-226 average 0.32 pCi/1 with the range from 0.25 to 0.42 pCi/1. The concentrations of Rn-222 and Ra-226 are inversely correlated with EC and alkalinity. The pH it positively correlated with Ra-226. The correlation between Rn-222 and Ra-226 is poor. Thermal waters in the study area are produced from highly fractured phyllite. The thermal water qualify. CSAMT (controled-source audiofrequency magnetotelluric) prospecting, and petrological evidences, however, indicate that the heat is possibly transmitted through deep normal faults reaching a deep granite batholith, and the phyllite acts only as a groundwater pathway.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.145-155
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• 2005

A two-dimensional (2-D) interpretation of MT data has been performed for the purpose of fracture detection for geothermal development. Remote stations have been operated in Kyushu, Japan (480 km apart) as well as in Korea (60 km and 165 km apart in 2002 and 2003 data set, respectively). Apparent resistivity and phase curves calculated by remote processing with the Japan remote data showed enough quality for 2-D inversion for the whole frequency range. Remote reference processing with Korea remote reference data also showed quite good continuity in apparent resistivity and phase curves except some noisy frequency bands; around the power frequency, 60 Hz, and around the dead band $10^{-1}Hz\;Hz\;\~1\;Hz$, where the natural EM signal is known to be very weak. Even though the subsurface showed severe three-dimensional (3-D) characteristics in the survey area so that 2-D inversion by itself could not give enough information for deep geological structures, the 2-D inversion for the 5 survey lines showed several common features. The conductive semi-consolidate mudstone layer is dipping from north to south (about 500 m depth on the south and 200 m on the north most part of the survey area). The boundary between the low (L-2) and high (H-2) resistivity anomalies can be thought as a major fault with strike $N15^{\circ}E$, passing through the sites 206, 112 and 414. The shallow (< 1 km) conductive anomalies (L-4) seem to be fracture zones having strike E-W (at site 105) and $N60^{\circ}W$ (at site 434). And there exists a conductive layer in the western and west-southern part of the survey area in the depth below $2\~3\;km$, for which further investigation is to be needed.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.164-173
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• 2004

To delineate geothermal water movement at the Pohang geothermal development site, Self-Potential (SP) survey and monitoring were carried out during pumping tests. Before drilling, background SP data have been gathered to figure out overall potential distribution of the site. The pumping test was performed in two separate periods: 24 hours in December 2003 and 72 hours in March 2004. SP monitoring started several days before the pumping tests with a 128-channel automatic recording system. The background SP survey showed a clear positive anomaly at the northern part of the boreholes, which may be interpreted as an up-flow Bone of the deep geothermal water due to electrokinetic potential generated by hydrothermal circulation. The first and second SP monitoring during the pumping tests performed to figure out the fluid flow in the geothermal reservoir but it was not easy to see clear variations of SP due to pumping and pumping stop. Since the area is covered by some 360 m-thick tertiary sediments with very low electrical resistivity (less than 10 ohm-m), the electrokinetic potential due to deep groundwater flow resulted in being seriously attenuated on the surface. However, when we compared the variation of SP with that of groundwater level and temperature of pumping water, we could identify some areas responsible to the pumping. Dominant SP changes are observed in the south-west part of the boreholes during both the preliminary and long-term pumping periods, where 3-D magnetotelluric survey showed low-resistivity anomaly at the depth of $600m\~1,000m$. Overall analysis suggests that there exist hydraulic connection through the southwestern part to the pumping well.