• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.98-104
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• 2011

Numerical simulation in exploration geophysics provides important insights into subsurface wave propagation phenomena. Although elastic wave simulations take longer to compute than acoustic simulations, an elastic simulator can construct more realistic wavefields including shear components. Therefore, it is suitable for exploration of the responses of elastic bodies. To overcome the long duration of the calculations, we use a Graphic Processing Unit (GPU) to accelerate the elastic wave simulation. Because a GPU has many processors and a wide memory bandwidth, we can use it in a parallelised computing architecture. The GPU board used in this study is an NVIDIA Tesla C1060, which has 240 processors and a 102 GB/s memory bandwidth. Despite the availability of a parallel computing architecture (CUDA), developed by NVIDIA, we must optimise the usage of the different types of memory on the GPU device, and the sequence of calculations, to obtain a significant speedup of the computation. In this study, we simulate two- (2D) and threedimensional (3D) elastic wave propagation using the Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) method on GPUs. In the wave propagation simulation, we adopt the staggered-grid method, which is one of the conventional FD schemes, since this method can achieve sufficient accuracy for use in numerical modelling in geophysics. Our simulator optimises the usage of memory on the GPU device to reduce data access times, and uses faster memory as much as possible. This is a key factor in GPU computing. By using one GPU device and optimising its memory usage, we improved the computation time by more than 14 times in the 2D simulation, and over six times in the 3D simulation, compared with one CPU. Furthermore, by using three GPUs, we succeeded in accelerating the 3D simulation 10 times.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.105-108
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• 2004

Immersive virtual reality has been used in areas of oil and gas exploration for visualization and analysis of various spatial data, such as wireline logs, 3-dimensional seismic data volume, formational boundaries, fault, and some other reservoir characteristics. Although virtual reality is a valuable tool in this area, in most cases, it requires a large budget. This paper describes the construction of a single screen, passive stereo, virtual reality, display system based on commodity, or otherwise, low-cost components. The core elements of the system are a PC with a two-channel 3-D graphics, two projects, and a polarized stereo. There are many options available for the major elements of such a system, and the basic system can be modified or adapted to many different styles of use.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.6-17
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• 2002

Refraction tomography was developed to interpret subsurface velocity structure easily in topographic conditions. It was applied to synthetic refraction data to find the factors for optimization of applicability of refraction tomography such as configuration of profiling and its length, spacing of geophones and sources and topographic conditions. Also, low velocity layer near VSP hole could be detected by joint inversion with refraction and VSP data. Continuity of subsurface velocity structure in two different spread lines for area of house land development was good in case of applying our algorithm and velocity structure was classified quantitatively to evaluate rippability for engineering works.

• 한국지구물리탐사학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2004.08a
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• pp.138-156
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• 2004

GPR(Ground Penetrating Radar) was used for imaging the interior of the historical masonry such as stone pagoda in order to provide the basic information of safely inspection. The scope of the imaging was restricted to the foundation part of stone pagoda that transferred the load of the pagoda to the ground. Kirchhoff migration and traveltime tomography was used for imaging the outer stone and the inside of stone pagoda, respectively. From the migrated images, we could measure the thickness and the shape of the boundaries of the outer stone in the foundation part. From the reconstructed tomograms for the physical model, we could get the GPR propagation velocity distribution and exactly find the position of the air in the model and calculate the average velocity with respect to the different filling materials. The properties and the shape of the interior materials of stone pagoda can be basic informations for the safety inspection.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.357-363
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• 2010

In this study, we investigated the geologic structure of the basement and overlying sediments of the construction site of the dinosaur egg fossil museum in Hwasung, Gyeonggi Province through refraction seismology, drilling, and downward seismic velocity measurements in the drill holes. The construction site ($350{\times}750\;m^2$) is located in the reclaimed area south of Sihwa Lake, Gojeong-ri. About 6,950 m of seismic refraction data consisting of 11 lines were acquired using a sledge hammer source. Drilling to the basement was performed at five sites. Sediment samples from drilling were analysed for grain-size distribution and age dating. At two drill holes, seismic velocity was measured with depth using a hammer as a seismic source. The geological structure of the study area consists of, from top to bottom, a tidal flat layer (5 ~ 12 m thick), a weathered soil layer (2 ~ 8 m thick), and the basement. The basement is interpreted as Cretaceous sedimentary rocks that tend to be shallow eastward. The volume of the tidal flat sediments and weathered soil in the study area is estimated as $1.4{\times}10^6\;m^3$, weighing $3.5{\times}10^6$ tons. The rate of sea level rise since 8,000 yrs BP is estimated to be 0.1 ~ 0.15 cm/yr.

• The Korean Journal of Petroleum Geology
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• v.6 no.1_2 s.7
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• pp.1-7
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• 1998

A multichannel seismic profile from the southwestern margin of the Ulleung Basin, East Sea, was analysed in detail to interpret the middle to late Miocene sequence stratigraphic evolution of the area. A regressive package is overlying a transgressive package which, in turn, is underlain by older uplifted and deformed sedimentary layers. A prominent condensed section separates the regressive and transgressive packages. The transgressive package is characterized by onlapping onto the underlying uplifted and deformed strata. The regressive package contains six prograding sequences composed of seismically resolvable lowstand, highstand, and transgressive systems tracts. Most of the depositional sequences comprise lowstand systems tracts consisting of basin-floor fan, slope fan, and prograding complex. Potential reservoirs in the regressive package are turbidite sands in basin-floor fans, channel-fill sands and overbank sand sheets in slope fans, and incised valley-fill sands in the shelf. The shallow marine sands in transgressive packages are another type of reservoir. Detailed sequence stratigraphic analysis, seismic data reprocessing, and 3-D seismic survey are suggested for the successful hydrocarbon exploration in the study area.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.16 no.2 s.48
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• pp.161-169
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• 2006

A short seismic reflection survey was performed to map the basement and the upper units in the Gomso Bay. This research was mainly aimed at clarifying the basement by improving the signal-to-noise ratio in data processing steps. The strategies employed in this research included enhancement of the signal interfered with large-amplitude noise, through pre- and post-stack processing such as time-variant filtering, bad trace edit, careful muting after f-k filter and NMO correction. The subsurface structure mapped from this survey mainly consists of the top of basement and the upper three units, which were well correlated to the result from the previously conducted MT survey. Furthermore seismic section clarifies approximately 30m deep subhorizontal event of the top of the basement, which was not shown in the central portion of the MT section due to data qualify.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2008

We present a method for interpreting seismic records with arrivals and waveforms having characteristics which could be generated by extremely inhomogeneous velocity structures, such as non-typical oceanic crust, decollement at subduction zones, and seamounts in oceanic regions, by comparing them with synthetic waveforms. Recent extensive refraction and wide-angle reflection surveys in oceanic regions have provided us with a huge number of high-resolution and high-quality seismic records containing characteristic arrivals and waveforms, besides first arrivals and major reflected phases such as PmP. Some characteristic waveforms, with significant later reflected phases or anomalous amplitude decay with offset distance, are difficult to interpret using only a conventional interpretation method such as the traveltime tomographic inversion method. We find the best process for investigating such characteristic phases is to use an interactive interpretation method to compare observed data with synthetic waveforms, and calculate raypaths and traveltimes. This approach enables us to construct a reasonable structural model that includes all of the major characteristics of the observed waveforms. We present results here with some actual observed examples that might be of great help in the interpretation of such problematic phases. Our approach to the analysis of waveform characteristics is endorsed as an innovative method for constructing high-resolution and high-quality crustal structure models, not only in oceanic regions, but also in the continental regions.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.50-57
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• 2011

For effective and accurate prediction of overpressure in the Efomeh field, located in the Niger delta basin of Nigeria, integrated seismic and borehole analyses were undertaken. Normal and abnormal pore pressure zones were delineated based on the principle of normal and deviation from normal velocity trends. The transition between the two trends signifies the top of overpressure. The overpressure tops were picked at regular intervals from seismic data using interval velocities obtained by applying Dix's approximation. The accuracy of the predicted overpressure zone was confirmed from the sonic velocity data of the Efomeh 01 well. The variation to the depth of overpressure between the predicted and observed values was less than 10mat the Efomeh 01 well location, with confidence of over 99 per cent. The depth map generated shows that the depth distribution to the top of the overpressure zone of the Efomeh field falls within the sub-sea depth range of 2655${\pm}$2m (2550 ms) to 3720${\pm}$2m (2900 ms). This depth conforms to thick marine shales using the Efomeh 01 composite log. The lower part of the Agbada Formation within the Efomeh field is overpressured and the depth of the top of the overpressure does not follow any time-stratigraphic boundary across the field. Prediction of the top of the overpressure zone within the Efomeh field for potential wells that will total depth beyond 2440m sub-sea is very important for safer drilling practice as well as the prevention of lost circulation.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.501-510
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• 2003

Several geophysical surveys(electrical resistivity, electromagnetic, seismic refraction, CPR) were conducted to primarily investigate the gallery and the geomembrane at an abandoned mine(Imcheon mine). The subsurface structure mapped from seismic refraction survey mainly consists of three velocity layers(>1000 m/s, 1000∼2000 m/s,＜2000 m/s). Top of the bedrock, whose velocities exceed 2000 m/s, appears to be at depth of 7.5∼10m. Higher resistivities (of ten thousands-hundred of thousands ohm-m) are interpreted to be associated with a open(cavities) gallery. The events at depth of approximately 0.5∼0.7m in GPR sections are probably caused by high-density-poly-ethylene geomembrane. Taking into consideration of the differences in the spatial resolution between georadar and electrical surveys, the events of geomembrane correspond to the top of the high resistivities at depth of about 2m. The segments, characterized with the higher conductivities in the electromagnetic data and the lower resistivities in the electrical resistivity data, are probably associated with surface water or tear zone of geomembrane.