• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.43 no.5
• /
• pp.437-446
• /
• 2011

Siting criteria for nuclear power plants require that faults be characterized as to their potential for generating earthquakes, or that the absence of the potential for these occurrences be demonstrated. Because the definition of active faults in Korea has been applied by the deterministic method, which depends on the numerical age of fault movement, the possibility of inherent uncertainties exists in determining the maximum earthquake from the fault sources for seismic design. In an attempt to overcome these problems this study suggests new criteria and a probabilistic quantitative diagnostic procedure that could estimate whether a fault is capable of generating earthquakes in the near future.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.411-429
• /
• 2017

A Spectral Element Method for 3D seismic wave propagation simulation is derived based on the three-dimensional fluctuating elastic dynamic equation. Considering the 3D real terrain and the attenuation characteristics of the medium, the topographic effect of Wenchuan earthquake is simulated by using the Spectral Element Method (SEM) algorithm and the ASTER DEM model. Results show that the high PGA (peak ground acceleration) region was distributed along the peak and the slope side away from the epicenter in the epicenter area. The overall distribution direction of high PGA and high PGV (peak ground velocity) region is parallel to the direction of the seismogenic fault. In the epicenter of the earthquake, the ground motion is to some extent amplified under the influence of the terrain. The amplification effect of the terrain on PGA is complicated. It does not exactly lead to amplification of PGA at the ridge and the summit or attenuation of PGA in the valley.

• Earthquakes and Structures
• /
• v.17 no.6
• /
• pp.591-598
• /
• 2019

The most recent shaking experiences have demonstrated that the predictions of the seismic models are not always in agreement with the registered responses, especially in the face of extreme earthquakes. Records collected from 1960 to 2011 at a rock-like site are used to develop a neural network that permits to estimate peak ground accelerations via the magnitude, the focal depth, the site-source distance and a seismogenic zone. The neural model is applied to the 8th and 19th September 2017 events that hit Mexican territory and the obtained results show that the network is flexible enough to work appropriately to various conditions of intensity and sites-sources with remarkably predictive capacity. The neural-attenuation curves are compared with those obtained from Ground Motion Prediction Equations and their performance is assessed for events, in addition to the devastating Mexican events, from Japan, Taiwan, Chile and USA.

• Proceedings of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 2006.03a
• /
• pp.33-40
• /
• 2006

Since early 1990's, several Quaternary faults have been found in the southeastern part of the Korean peninsula with reference to fault activity. Because some of these faults could be considered a capable fault, it is a very delicate matter, which need to be deal with carefully in assessing the seismic hazard. In determining whether or not a faults are capable, because of the low rate of seismicity and insufficient relationship between instrumental macro-seismicity and fault, there has been considerable debate among geologists and geophysicists in Korea. In this study, we discuss the criteria and probabilistic approaches that are used to assess whether or not a fault is seismogenic. And, we preliminarily also suggest the probability of fault activity from the spatial association between faults and earthquake epicenters, fault slip and tectonic stress, and geological evidence for multiple episodes of reactivation.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
• /
• v.28 no.2
• /
• pp.202-213
• /
• 2007

The Odaesan earthquake $(M_L=4.8)$ occurred near Mt. Odae, Jinbu-Myon, Pyongchang-Gun, Kangwon Province on January 20, 2007. It has a shallow focal depth about 10 km. Its felt area covers most of the southern peninsula except some southern and western inland area. The maximum MM intensity was VI in the areas including Jinbu, Doam, Kangreung, Jumunjin, and Pyongchang. In these areas, there was a very strong shaking that caused several cracks on the walls of buildings and houses, slates falling off the roof, tiles being off the wall, things falling off the desk, and rock falling from the mountains. In order to get fault plane solutions, grid searches were performed by fitting distributions of P-wave first-motion polarities and SH/P amplitude ratios for each event. The results showed that the main shock represented right-lateral strike-slip sense and two aftershocks, reverse sense. It seems that the seismogenic fault may be the NNE-SSW trending Weoljeongsa fault near the epicenter based on the distribution of epicenters (foreshock, main shock, and aftershocks), damage area, and fault plane solution. The distribution of the epicenters indicates that the length of the subsurface rupture is estimated to be about 2 km.

• Journal of Advanced Navigation Technology
• /
• v.22 no.6
• /
• pp.616-622
• /
• 2018

Energy which is released by a huge earthquake can reach the ionosphere and induce disturbances. Those disturbances can detected by analyzing the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) satellite's signal. For detecting those disturbances, band-pass filter is generally used. Therefore, it is important to select proper pass band that can contain disturbance's frequency. In this paper, we analyzed a frequency of the ionospheric disturbances which are induced by earthquake by using GNSS signal. For analyzing seismogenic ionospheric disturbances, we calculated a geometry free combination of carrier phase to obtain a ionospheric delay. After that, the fast Fourier transform was applied to the 1 mHz high-passed ionospheric delay. As a result of analyzing disturbances, the frequency band of earlier disturbances was 4.5 mHz~11mHz and the representative frequency was 5.7 mHz. The frequency band of subsequent disturbances was 6 mHz~10 mHz and the representative frequency was 7.3 mHz.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.125-131
• /
• 2018

2017 Pohang earthquake (M 5.4) was more disastrous than 2016 Gyeongju earthquake (M 5.8), partly because of its shallow focal depth. However, precise focal depth of Pohang earthquake is still controversial. Close crustal model showed 6 ~ 11.5 km in relocation depth, whereas other models showed almost surface range. Geothermal study indicated temperature of $300^{\circ}C$ at depth of 7.5 km. Related with observations of seismogenic layer, the focal depth of Pohang earthquake seems to be 7 km depth as obtained by close model.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
• /
• v.34 no.4
• /
• pp.251-256
• /
• 2017

The electric coupling between the lithosphere and the ionosphere is examined. The electric field is considered as a timevarying irregular vertical Coulomb field presumably produced on the Earth's surface before an earthquake within its epicentral zone by some micro-processes in the lithosphere. It is shown that the Fourier component of this electric field with a frequency of 500 Hz and a horizontal scale-size of 100 km produces in the nighttime ionosphere of high and middle latitudes a transverse electric field with a magnitude of ~20 mV/m if the peak value of the amplitude of this Fourier component is just 30 V/m. The time-varying vertical Coulomb field with a frequency of 500 Hz penetrates from the ground into the ionosphere by a factor of ${\sim}7{\times}10^5$ more efficient than a time independent vertical electrostatic field of the same scale size. The transverse electric field with amplitude of 20 mV/m will cause perturbations in the nighttime F region electron density through heating the F region plasma resulting in a reduction of the downward plasma flux from the protonosphere and an excitation of acoustic gravity waves.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
• /
• v.23 no.7
• /
• pp.137-144
• /
• 2019

For the structures near the seismogenic fault, the evaluation of seismic performance against near-fault ground motions is important as well as for design ground motions. In this study, characteristics of seismic behaviors and seismic performance of the pile-bent bridge constructed on the thick soft soil site with various weak soil layers were analyzed. The input ground motions were synthesized by the directivity pulse parameters for intra-plate regions. The ground motion acceleration histories of each layer were obtained by one-dimensional site response analysis. Each soil layer was modeled by equivalent linear springs, and multi-support excitations with different input ground motions at each soil spring were applied for nonlinear seismic analyses. The analysis result by the near-fault ground motions and ground motions matched to design spectra were compared. In case of the near fault ground motion input, the bridge behaved within the elastic range but the location of the maximum moment occurred was different from the result of design ground motion input.

• Geosciences Journal
• /
• v.22 no.6
• /
• pp.871-880
• /
• 2018

During and shortly after the 2017 Pohang Earthquake ($M_w$ 5.4), sand blows were observed around the epicenter for the first time since the beginning of instrumental seismic recording in South Korea. We carried out field surveys plus satellite and drone imagery analyses, resulting in observation of approximately 600 sand blows on Quaternary sediment cover in this area. Most were observed within 3 km of the epicenter, with the farthest being 15 km away. In order to investigate the ground's susceptibility to liquefaction, we conducted a trench study of a 30 m-long sand blow in a rice field 1 km from the earthquake epicenter. The physical characteristics of the liquified sediments (grain size, impermeable barriers, saturation, and low overburden pressure) closely matched the optimum ground conditions for liquefaction. Additionally, we found a series of soft sediment deformation structures (SSDSs) within the trench walls, such as load structures and water-escaped structures. The latter were vertically connected to sand blows on the surface, reflecting seismogenic liquefaction involving subsurface deformation during sand blow formation. This genetic linkage suggests that SSDS research would be useful for identifying prehistoric damage-inducing earthquakes ($M_w$ > 5.0) in South Korea because SSDSs have a lower formation threshold and higher preservational potential than geomorphic markers formed by surface ruptures. Thus, future combined studies of Quaternary surface faults and SSDSs are required to provide reliable paleoseismological information in Korea.