• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.20-30
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• 2001

The science and technology of seismic hazard mitigation are increasingly being shared among scientists and policy makers around the world. Administrative expertise is also being shared. While there is still tremendous unevenness in technical and administrative capacities and resources, a global community of emergency managers is developing and there is a globalization of expertise. Hazards are better understood, tools for risk assessment are improving, techniques for hazard mitigation are being perfected, and communities and states are implementing more comprehensive disaster preparedness, response, and recovery programs. Priorities are also emerging and hazard mitigation has emerged as the priority of choice in North America and Europe. An increasingly important component of hazard mitigation is resilience, in terms of increased capacities for disaster mitigation and recovery at the community and even individual levels. Each year, more is known about the locations and natures of seismic hazards, although there are still unknown and poorly understood fault lines and limited understanding of related disasters such as tsunamis and landslides. More is known about the impact of earthquakes on the built environment, although nature still provides surprises to confound man's best extorts to reduce risk. More is known about human nature and how people respond to uncertain risk and when confronted by certain catastrophe. However, despite the increased understanding of seismic phenomena and how to protect people and property, there is much that needs to be done to reduce the risk, particularly in major metropolitan areas.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.253-260
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• 2016

A moment magnitude 3.1 earthquake occurred in the Seoul metropolitan region (SMR), Korea, on 9 February 2010. The unexpected shaking attracted much attention and raised concerns about the seismic hazards and risks in the SMR, which was regarded as an area safe from any earthquake hazard. The SMR has a population of 25 million and is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world. A shakemap for a scenario earthquake with magnitude 6.5 and focal depth 12 km implies that the SMR will be exposed to serious risk because of its large population and the high vulnerability of its buildings. Although the instrumentally recorded earthquakes discussed in this article cannot be classified as major events, they should not be discounted as insignificant. Considering the low seismicity, micro-earthquakes below the magnitude of a conventional seismic network can achieve would be used to estimate background information in the evaluation of earthquake hazards and risks.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.17-35
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• 2016

Earthquake-induced disasters are often more severe in locations with soft soils than firm soils or rocks due to differences in ground motion amplification. On a regional scale, such differences can be estimated by spatially predicting subsurface soil thickness over the entire target area. In general, soil deposits are generally deeper in coastal or riverside areas than in inland regions. In this study, a coastal metropolitan area, Incheon, was selected to assess site effects and provide information on seismic hazards. Spatial prediction of geotechnical layers was performed for the entire study area within the GIS framework. Approximately 7,000 existing borehole drilling data in the Incheon area were gathered and archived into the GIS Database (DB). In addition, surface geotechnical data were acquired from a walkover survey. Based on the built geotechnical DB, spatial zoning maps of site-specific seismic response parameters were created and presented for use in a regional seismic strategy. Site response parameters were performed to determine site coefficients for seismic design over the entire target area and compared with each other. Site classifications and subsequent seismic zoning were assigned based on site coefficients. From this seismic zonation case study in Incheon, we verified that geotechnical GIS-DB can create spatial zoning maps of site-specific seismic response parameters that are useful for seismic hazard mitigation particularly in coastal metropolitan areas.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.17-27
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• 2015

Recently, Korean government has tried out to set up earthquake hazards prevention system. In the system, several geotechnical hazard maps including liquefaction hazard map and landslide hazard map for the whole country have drawn to consider the domestic seismic characteristics. To draw the macro liquefaction hazard map, big data of site investigations in metropolitan areas and provincial areas has to be verified for its application. In this research, we carried out site response analyses using 522 borehole site investigation data in S city during a desirable earthquake. The soil classification was separately compared to shear wave velocity considering the uncertainty of site investigation data. Probability distribution and statistical analysis for the results of site response analyses was applied to the feasibility study. Finally, we suggest a new site amplification coefficient, hereby presented with the similar results of liquefaction hazard mapping using the calculated liquefaction potential index by the site response analyses. Above-mentioned study will be expected to help to follow research and draw liquefaction hazard map in moderate seismic region.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.272-282
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• 2019

Although the knowledge of current seismicity is a critical information for making and implementing effective earthquake-related policy, the detailed seismicity information of the metropolitan areas with high-population density has been largely underestimated due to the high-level of cultural noise and small earthquake magnitude. This study presents 12 earthquakes including 2 earthquakes previously known and 10 additional earthquakes occurred from 2010 to 2017 in Busan, but they were unreported by the Korea Meteorological Administration. Matched filter technique is used to detect micro-earthquakes. Although the epicenters of micro-earthquakes though present a distinguished linearity, a correlation with faults in the area is unknown. A repeated micro-seismicity suggests that there are subsurface structures responsible for observed events. If large earthquakes occur along the fault in Busan, they may cause catastrophic natural disasters. Given the fact that the recent earthquakes did not accompany any surface signatures, it is highly recommended that the current micro-seismicity be investigated, and updated seismicity information be incorporated into establishing active fault maps in Korea.