• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.341-347
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• 2006

Focal mechanisms were analyzed for the seven earthquakes which occurred in the southwestern part of the Korea Peninsula from 2001 to 2005. Grid searches are performed to fit distributions of P-wave first-motion polarities and SH/P amplitude ratios for each event. The focal mechanism solutions imply that most of the events have strike-slip sense including partially thrust component. The compressional axes of the solutions are predominantly ENE-WSW or NE-SW indirections. This result is similar to the directions of the principal compressional axes for major earthquakes occurred around the Korea Peninsula.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.268-276
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• 2008

Potential tsunamis generated in Okinawa Trough were simulated for the investigation of the propagation characteristics in the southwestern sea of Korean Peninsula. Shallow waters in the continental shelf of East China Sea and deep waters in Okinawa Trough play an important role in the propagation characteristics of the tsunamis generated in this region. The propagation characteristics can be classified into two phases according to the stage of propagation. In the first phase, the tsunamis propagate both northeast and southwest along the deep water of the trough. In the second phase, the tsunamis enter the continental shelf of the East China Sea at right angles to topographic contour lines. Simulated results show that the tsunamis generated in the Okinawa Trough give a weak influence to the southern and western coasts of Korea due to the special topography of the southwestern sea of Korean Peninsula.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.17-28
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• 1979

Geodetic and geophysical quantities related to gravity data are analyzed using three-dimensional sin x/x method for the southern part of the Korean peninsula and adjacent Japan Sea. The thickness of isostatic crust is found as 26 km. The average isostatic gravity anomaly in this area is appeared to be +24.8 mgal, of which result indicates that the surface features are under-compensation or the thickness of the crust is thinner than normal. It is noteworthy that the general trend of the deflections of the vertical in direction is nearly perpendicular to the geological structure having a direction of NNE-SSW in the southern part of Korea.

• 한국해양학회지
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.324-331
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• 1992

Water masses and circulations around Korean peninsula are briefly described based on recent studies. The results of theses studies are discussed from the physical point of view. Oceanic conditions in this region are largely due to the roles played by the Tsushima Warm Current, an onshore extension of the Kuroshio, and local conditions such as wind, surface heat flux and fresh water input etc. To the south and west of Korea, the northern/western border of the Tsushima Warm Current Water is roughly the line joining Taiwan and Cheju island. In summer, it is affected by large amount of fresh water discharged from the Changjiang and in winter, an intrusion of this water into the Yellow Sea is induced by the prevailing northwesterly monsoon wind. To the east of Korea, the Tsushima Warm Current Water presents roughly south of the line joining the wast coast of Korea near 37-38$^{\circ}$N and Tsugaru-Soya Straits in the northern Japan. But this situation, together with those in deeper layers, may greatly be changed by winter atmospheric conditions (wind and surface heat flux). The seas around Korea are not yet physically well understood and many problems wait physical explanations. Some problems, along with personal views of them, are mentioned.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.59-68
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• 2013

Focal mechanism solutions in the southwestern region of the Korean Peninsula ($34^{\circ}N-36^{\circ}N$, $126^{\circ}E-128^{\circ}E$) were obtained from the analysis of the recent 22 earthquakes ($M{\geq}2.0$) occurred from January, 2005 to March, 2011. The spatial differences between the epicenters recalculated by this study and those by KMA (Korea Meteorological Administration) and KIGAM (Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources) are less than $0.05^{\circ}$, indicating a small deviation. However, they become a little bit larger in the coastal area due to a biased arrangement of seismic stations. Redetermined depths of hypocenters show a difference less than 12.7 km by comparison with the depth data announced by KIGAM. Most epicenters in inland area are located closely to the lineaments. Fault plane solutions were obtained from the analysis of P and SH wave polarities, and SH/P amplitude ratios. They show strike-slip faulting or strike-slip faulting with reverse components dominantly. The P-axes trends are mainly ENE-WSW or E-W directions. The direction of fault plane and auxiliary plane with 'NNE-SSW and WNW-ESE' or 'NE-SW and NW-SE' are dominant and almost parallel to the general trends of lineaments in the study area.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.46-54
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• 1996

A study on the concentrations of total suspended matters (TSM) and their distribution pattern was conducted off the west coast of Tae-An Peninsula during the spring season. Especially non-destructive and fine-tuned analysis for the size-distribution of suspended matters was made using SPECTREX instrument. Water masses were characterized by the typical tidal front, with vertically homogenous coastal waters and the strong thermoclines on the offshore area. Concentrations of suspended matters were generally less than 10 mg/l, but the concentrations increased up to 25 mg/l at the bottom waters and mid-depth waters. Mean particle size of the suspended matters were generally 5-6$\mu\textrm{m}$ and 8-10$\mu\textrm{m}$ for the fine-grained suspended matters and the coarse-grained suspended matters, respectively. They are considered to be composed dominantly of detrital materials. On the coastal area, landward side of tidal front, bottom sediments can be easily resuspended by the strong tidal currents, and therefore, deposition of suspended materials are thought to be rather limited. On the offshore area, however, suspended sediments mostly supplied from the northern part of the present study area near Kyunggi Bay are thought to be transported southward and/or southwestward along the mid- depth layer of strong thermocline.

• 한국해양학회지
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.357-365
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• 1994

The sediments on the continental shelf off the west coast (middle part) of Korea are divided into northern sandy deposits and southern muddy sediments, respectively. The sandy sediments consist dominantly of quartz and feldspar grains, representing mature-stage sediment in composition. Further-more, the presence of iron-stained quartz grain and glauconite does indicate that the sediments are similar to the relict sediments on the outer shelf of Yellow Sea and East China Sea. These sandy sediments are interpreted as a basal sands that were deposited during the transgression period due to sea-level rise after to last glacial maximum (LGM). The tidal deposits in the Namyang Bay, the west coast of Korea are divided vertically into the upper layer of muddy sediments and the lower layer of sandy sediments. the upper layer sediments contain abundant rock fragments, and are interpreted as the modern tetragenous sediments. The lower layer sediments, on the other hand, are rich in quartz and feldspar grains, representing high index of sediment maturity ratio. the lower layer sandy deposits show the presence of iron-stained.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.37 no.11
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• pp.1121-1130
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• 2009

In order to investigate the offshore wind resources, the measured data from the QuikSCAT satellite was analyzed from Jan 2000 to Dec 2008. QuikSCAT satellite is a specialized device for a microwave scatterometer that measures near-surface wind speed and direction under all weather and cloud conditions. Wind speed measured at 10 m above from the sea surface was extrapolated to the hub height by using the power law model. It has been found that the high wind energy prevailing in the south sea and the east sea of the Korean peninsula. From the limitation of seawater depth for piling the tower and archipelagic environment around the south sea, the west and the south-west sea are favorable to construct the large scale offshore wind farm, but it needs efficient blade considering relatively low wind speed. Wind map and monthly variation of wind speed and wind rose using wind energy density were investigated at the specified positions.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.230-249
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• 2000

Southeastern Korean Peninsula has undergone the polyphase deformations according to the changes of regional tectonic settings during the Cenozoic. Through analyses of more than 600 fault-slip data gathered in the study area, five tectonic events are revealed as the followings: (I) NW-SE transtension, (II) NW-SE transpression, (III) NE-SW pure or radial extension, (IV) NNE-SSW transpression, (V) NE or ENE-WSW transpression. Event I was induced by the pull-apart type extension of the East Sea during 24-16 Ma, which resulted in the NW-SE extension of the Tertiary Basins in SE Korea. Event II was resulted from the collision of SW Japan and Izu-Bonnin Arc (or Kuroshio Paleoland) on the Philippine Sea Plate at ${\sim}$ 15 Ma, which stopped the extension of the Tertiary Basins and originated the uplift of fault blocks in and around SE Korean Peninsula. It was continued until ${\sim}$ 10 Ma. Event III is interpreted as the post-tectonic event after the block-uplifts due to the event II, which indicates a temporal lull in activity of the Philippine Sea Plate since 10 Ma. Event IV was originated from the resumption in activity of the Philippine Sea Plate which was restarted to move toward north at ${\sim}$ 6 Ma. The event made the EW compressional structures behind SW Japan as well as in the Korea Straits, and thus the block-uplifts in SE Korea was resumed again. Lastly, event V was resulted from the gradual decrease in influence of the Philippine Sea Plate and the cooperative compression due to the subduction of the Pacific Sea Plate and the collision of the Indian Plate since 5-3.5 Ma, which generated the NS compressional structures in the offshore along the eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula and thrust up the fault-blocks toward west. This event is continuing so far, and thus is making the active faultings resulting in the present earthquakes of the Korean Peninsula.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.722-735
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• 2002

In order to reveal sedimentary facies and geochemical characteristics on sediments distributed in upper intertidal zone, the southwestern coast of Korea, grain size and metal content analyses to the sediments were carried out. The grain size distribution of sediments shows very wide range from gravel to mud. The sediments are very well sorted to very poorly sorted and mostly positively skewed. Geochemical behavior of metals in the sediments is dependant on grain size, in part, but might be much controlled by complex submarine topography, highly varied tidal currents and surrounding land geology in the study area. Igeo (index of geoaccumulation) representing metal condensation in the sediments moderately/strongly polluted in Co and Cr and moderately polluted in Cu and Ni. But notable metal condensations are not found in the study area. So, it might be interpreted that grain size and metal content distribution tendencies in the sediments are considerably influenced by complex submarine topography, highly varied tidal currents and surrounding land geology.