Highly accurate surface velocity estimation using modern geodetic techniques plays very important role in the geological and geophysical interpretation. Researches with GPS are ongoing in many countries of the world. This study aims to estimate the amount of crustal deformation and the direction of deformation in the Korean Peninsula and in its neighbor. We used GAMIT that is a comprehensive GPS analysis package developed at MIT. Then, a Global Kalman filter called GLOBK is used to combine the results from GAMIT and to estimate the relative and absolute velocity vector for the crustal deformations. To estimate station velocity accuracy and reliably, it is extremely important to pay great attention to the reference frame. Firstly, using the Suwon (SUWN) of Eurasian plate as main frame, we estimate the relative amount of crustal deformation and a direction of Eurasian plate and North American plate, Secondly, using ITRF 2000 as main frame, we estimate the absolute crustal deformation of Eurasian plate and North American plate. The continent of Eurasian where has the Korean Peninsula deforms 33.36 mm per year to East-Southeast (ESE), and Japanese Tsukuba (TSKB) in North American plate deforms to South-Southwest (SSW). Finally, the Korean Peninsula is approaching the Japanese Island and the rate of horizontal crustal deformation between the Suwon and the Tsukuba is about 31.98 mm per year in the moving direction of N85.9oW (274.1o) for the past three years.

A GDS (Geomagnetic Depth Sounding) method, one of extremely low-frequency EM methods, has been carried out to examine conductivity anomalies in and around the Korean Peninsula. In this study, new GDS data acquired at the five sites in south-eastern area of the peninsula were incorporated into the previous GDS data. In order to quantitatively interpret observed induction arrows, the 3-D MT modeling considering the surrounding seas of the Korean Peninsula has been performed to evaluate sea effect at each GDS site. The modeling results revealed that the observed real induction arrows were not explained by solely sea effects, consequently two conductive structures that are responsible for the discrepancies between observed and calculated induction arrows were proposed. The first one is the Imjingang Belt, which is thought as an extension of Quiling-Dabie-sulu continental collision belt. The effects of the Imjingang Belt clearly appear at the site YIN and ICHN. The second one is the HCL (Highly Conductive Layer), which is considered as a conductive anomaly by mantle upwelling produced in back-basin region. The effects of the HCL are seen at the site KZU, KMT101, and KMT 107 in the south-eastern region of the Korean Peninsula.

Predictive equations of ground motions are one of the most important factors in the seismic hazard analysis. Unfortunately, studies on predictive equations of ground motions in Korea had been hampered due to the lack of seismic data. To overcome the lack of data, seismologists adopted the stochastic method based on the seismological model. Korean predictive equations developed by the stochastic method show large differences in their predictions. It was turned out through the analysis of the existing studies that the main sources of the differences are the uncertainties in the (Brune) stress drop and spectral decay rate . Therefore, it is necessary to focus the future research on the reduction of the uncertainties in the two parameters.

The data, methodology, and the resulting accurate gravimetric geoid model for the Korean Peninsula (latitude from 32˚ N to 40˚ N and longitude from 124˚ E to 131˚ E) are presented in this study. The types of used data were a high degree geopotential model (the EGM96 spherical harmonic coefficient set), a set of 12,615 land gravity observations, 1,056,075 shipborne gravity observations, and KMS2002 gravity anomalies from satellite altimetry. The remove-restore technique was successfully applied to combining the above mentioned data sets using up to degree and order 112 of the EGM96 coefficient. The residual geoid was calculated with residual Free-Air anomaly values using the spherical Stokes' formula with a 37-km integration cap radius. The geoid model was referred to WGS84 geodetic system and was tested using a set of GPS/levelling geoid undulations. The absolute accuracy is 0.132 m and some improvement compared to the PNU95 geoid model was found.

The Korea Plateau is a continental fragment rifted and partially segmented from the Korean Peninsulaat the initial stage of the opening of the East Sea (Japan Sea). We interpreted marine seismic profiles from the South Korea Plateau in conjunction with swath bathymetric to investigate processes of con-tjnental rifting and separation of the southwestern Japan Arc. The SouU-i Korea Plateau preserves funda-mental elements of rift architecture comprising a seaward succession of a rift basin and an uplifted rift flank passing into the slope, typical of a passive continental margin. Two distinguished rift basins (Onnuri and Bandal Basins) in the South Korea Plateau are bounded by major synthetic and smaller antithetic faults, creating wide and symmetric profiles. The large-offset border fault zones of these basins have convex dip slopes and demonstrate a zig-zag arrangement along strike. Rifting was primarily controlled by normal faulting resulting from extension orthogonal to the inferred line of breakup along the base ofthe slope rather U-ian strike-slip deformation. Two extension direcdons for rifdng are recog-nized; U-ie Onnuri Basin was rifted in U-ie EW direction; U-ie Bandal Basin in U-ie EW and NW-SE directions, suggesting two rift stages. We interpret that the E-W direction represents initial rifting at the inner margin; while the Japan Basin widened, rifting propagated repeatedly from the Japan Basin to the southeast toward the Korean margin but could not penetrate the strong continental lithosphere of the Korean Shield and changed direction to the south, resulting in E-W extension to create the rift basins at the Korean margin. The Hupo Basin to the south of the Korea Plateau is estimated to have formed in this process. The NW-SE direction probably represents the direction of rifting orthogonal to the inferred line of breakup along the base of the slope of the South Korea Plateau; after breakup the southwestern Japan Arc separated in the SE direction, indicating a response to tensional tectonics associated with the subduction of the Pacific Plate in the NE direction. We suggest that structural evolution of the eastern Korean margin can be explained by the processes occurring at the passive continental margin.

Fukuoka earthquake on March 20, 2005 showed the potential hazard of large events out of S. Korea. From the viewpoint of seismic hazard, seismic amplitude decrease Q-1 is very important. Related to the crustal cracks induced by the earthquakes, the value of Q-1- high Q-1 regions are more attenuating than low Q-1 regions - shows a correlation with seismic activity; relatively higher values of Q-1 have been observed in seismically active areas than in stable areas. For the southeastern and central S. Korea, we first simultaneously estimated QP-1 and QS-1 by applying the extended coda-normalization method to KIGAM and KNUE network data. Estimated QP-1 and QS-1 values are 0.009 f-1.05 and 0.004 f-0.70 for southeastern S. Korea and 0.003 f -0.54 and 0.003 f -0.42 for central S. Korea, respectively. These values agree with those of seismically inactive regions such as shield. The low QLg-1 value, 0.0018f -0.54 was also obtained by the coda normalization method. In addition, we studied QLg-1 by applying the source pair/receiver pair (SPRP) method to both domestic and far-regional events. The obtained QLg-1 for all Fc is less than 0.002, which is reasonable value for a seismically inactive region.

The major continental blocks in NE-Asia are the North China Block and the South China Blo, which have collided, starting from the Korean peninsula. The suture zone in NE China between two blocks is well defined from the QinIing-Dabie-Orogenic Belt to the Jiaodong (Sulu) Belt by the geological and geophysical interpretation. The discovery of high pressure metamorphic rocks in the Hongsung area of the Korean peninsula can be used to estimate the suture zone. This indicates that the suture zone in the Jiaodong Belt might be extended to Hongsung area. However, due to the lack of geological and geophysical data over the Yellow sea, the extension of the suture zone to the Korean peninsula across the Yellow Sea is obscure. To find out the tectonic relationship between NE China and the Korean peninsula it is necessary to complete U-ie homogeneous geophysical dataset of NE Asia, which can be provided by satellite observations. The CHAMP lithospheric magnetic field (MF3) and CHAMP-GRACE gravity field, combined with surface measured data, allow a much more accurate in-ference of tectonic structures than previously available. The CHAMP magnetic anomaly map reveals significant magnetic lows in the Yellow Sea near Nanjing and Hongsung, where are characterized by gravity highs on U-ie CHAMP-GRACE gravity anomaly map. To evaluate the depth and location of poten-tial field anomaly causative bodies, the Euler Deconvolution method is implemented. After comparing the two potential field solutions with the simplified geological map containing tectonic lines and the distribution of earthquakes epicenters, it is found that the derived structure boundaries of both are well coincident with the seismic activities as well as with the tectonic lineaments. The interpretation of the CHAMP satellite magnetic and GRACE satellite gravity datasets reveal two tectonic boundaries in U-ie Yellow Sea and the Korean peninsula, indicating U-ie norttiern and southern margins of the suture zone between the North China Block and the South China Block. The former is extended from the Jiaodong Belt in East China to the Imjingang Belt on the Korean peninsula, the later from Nanjing, East China, to Hongsung, the Korean peninsula. The tectonic movement in or near the suture zone might be responsible for the seismic activities in the western region of the Korean Peninsula and the development of the Yellow Sea sedimentary basin.

Since the key issue that 'the Yangsan fault is seismically an active fault" was raised in 1983, thegeological and geomorphological studies of active fault have been made by many researchers. These studies are mainly focused on the Yangsan fault system(YFS) and Ulsan fault system(UFS) due to many historical earthquakes occurred in this area. There are two different types of active faultings under the ENE-WSW horizontal stress field in the southeastern part of the Korean Peninsula. The NNE-trending YFS is the most prominent right-lateral strike-slip fault and has a continuous trace about 200 km long. Some part of this system has been active during the late Quaternary with evidences clearly recognized on both the northern (Yugyeri and Tosung-ri areas) and southern parts (Eonyang to Tongdosa area) of the YFS. in the southern part, the estimated vertical slip rate is about 0.02 - 0.07 mm/yr, and the lateral slip rate may be several times larger than the vertical rate. The most recent event occurred prior to deposition of Holocene alluvium, in the northern part, the fault trend locally changes to almost N-S, dips to the east and has reverse movement. The average vertical slip rate is estimated to be less than 0.1 mm/yr. The most recent event probably occurred after 1314 years BP (AD 536). The NNW-SSE (or N-S) trending UFS is a predominantly reverse fault that built up U-ie eastern mountain and has been active during U-ie late Quaternary. The fault trace is not straight but irregularly undulates along the foot of the mountain on the east. From the disturbed terraces along U-ie fault, the average vertical slip rate on U-iis system is estimated to be about 0.08.13mm/yr. The latest event is not well studied, but seems to have occurred after the last glacial maximum in the Malbang fault and 14,000 years BP in the Kalgok fault of the UFS. However, important issues such as fault segmentation, recurrence interval, age of Quaternary deposits need further studies.

The crustal structure of the Korean Peninsula was investigated by analyzing phase velocity dispersion data of Rayleigh waves. Earthquakes recorded by three component broad-band velocity seismographs during 1999-2004 in South Korea were used in this study. The fundamental mode Rayleigh waves were extracted from vertical components of seismograms by multiple filter technique and phase match filter method. Phase velocity dispersion curves of the fundamental mode signal pairs for 14 surface wave propagation paths on the great circle in the range 10 to 80 sec were computed by two-station method. Treating the shear velocity of each layer as an independent parameter, phase velocity data of Rayleigh wave were inverted. All the result models can be explained by a rather homogeneous crust of shear-wave velocity increasing from 2.8 to 3.25 km/sec from top to about 33 km depth without any distinctive crustal discontinuities and an uppermost mantle of shear-wave velocity between 4.55 and 4.67 km/sec. Our results turn out to agree well with recent study of Cho et al. (2006 b) based on the analysis of seismic background noises to recover short-period (0.5-20 sec) Rayleigh- and Love-wave group velocity dispersion characteristics.

In this study, we applied the teleseismic receiver function technique to determine the crustal thicknesses and ratios for 31 broadband stations of the Korean Peninsula and map out the lateral variation of Moho depth in the Peninsula. The estimated depths to Moho range from 26 to 35 km except for an island station ULL (17 km). The Moho is turned out to be deeper in the south-western part of the Peninsula and western Gyeongsang basin, and shallower in the off-shore region close to East Sea (Sea of Japan). The ratio varies from 1.69 to 1.89 with the average of 1.77, which is close to global average (1.78) in the crust.

The 29 May 2004 offshore Uljin, Korea earthquake was predominantly thrust-faulting at a depth of approximately 12 (±2) km. The mainshock attained the seismic moment of M0 =5.41 (±1.87)  1016 N m (Mw = 5.1). The focal mechanism indicates a subhorizontal P-axis trending 264° and plunging 2°. The orientation of P- and T-axis is consistent with the direction of absolute plate motion generally observed within the plates, hence the cause of the May 29 shock is the broad-scale stress pattern from the forces acting on the downgoing slab along the Japan trench and inhibiting forces balancing it. The 29 May 2004 earthquake occurred along a deep seated (~12 km), pre-existing feature that is expressed on the surface as the basement escarpment along the western and southern slopes of the Ulleung basin. The concentrated seismicity along this basement escarpment suggests that this feature may qualify as a seismic zone - the Ulleung basement escarpment seismic zone (UBESZ).

Since the paleomagnetic study was introduced in Korea about 40 years ago, its scientific findings contributed to the understanding of geologic settings and tectonic processes of the Korean Peninsula and eventually to the escalation of geology and geophysics in Korea. It is worth summarizing and introducing the up-to-date paleomagnetic results produced by the representative paleomagnetic working groups in Korea, such as K. D. Min, I. S. Kim, S. J. Doh, Y. S. Lee, D. W. Suk, the late K. H. Kim and others.

The Kyongsang Basin is the most representative Cretaceous basin in the Korean Peninsula where extensive crustal deformation and non-marine sedimentation took place in the early Cretaceous period. The lithology of the basement of the basin and adjacent areas is comprised of mainly Precambrian gneiss complex and Mesozoic granite intrusions. We have carried out magnetotelluric (MT) surveys to investigate the deep geoelectric structure around the Kyongsang Basin. The MT data were collected in the frequency range from 0.00042 to 320 Hz at 24 sites along a profile across the northern part of Kyongsang Basin. The results of MT inversion show that the thickness of sediments is estimated about 3 km to 9 km and the depth to base of granite intrusion is about 20 km. A remarkable discovery in this study is the highly conductive layer beneath the basin, having the resistivity of 1 ohm-m to 30 ohm-m and the thickness of about 3 km to 4 km or more. Although we are not able to reveal the nature of this layer, the result of this study could provide some basic information with respect to the formation process and deposit environment of the proto-Kyongsang Basin.