• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.60-68
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• 2007

Conventional analysis of spectral induced polarization (SIP) data consists of measuring impedances over a range of frequencies, followed by spectral analysis to estimate spectral parameters. For the quantitative and accurate estimation of subsurface SIP parameter distribution, however, a sophisticated and stable inversion technique is required. In this study, we have developed a two-step inversion approach to obtain the two-dimensional distribution of SIP parameters. In the first inversion step, all the SIP data measured over a range of frequencies are simultaneously inverted, adopting cross regularisation of model complex resistivities at each frequency. The cross regularisation makes it possible to enhance the noise characteristics of the inversion by imposing a strong assumption, that complex resistivities should show similar characteristics over a range of frequencies. In numerical experiments, we could verify that our inversion approach successfully reduced inversion artefacts. As a second step, we have also developed an inversion algorithm to obtain SIP parameters based on the Cole-Cole model, in which frequency-dependent complex resistivities from the first step are inverted to obtain a two-dimensional distribution of SIP parameters. In numerical tests, the SIP parameter images showed a fairly good match with the exact model, which suggests that SIP imaging can provide a very useful subsurface image to complement resistivity.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.11-20
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• 2014

To reveal shear-wave velocities ($v_s$) and site characterization of Wonju, Korea, Rayleigh waves were recorded at 78 sites of lower altitude using 12 to 24 4.5-Hz vertical geophones for 20 days during the period of February to September 2013. Dispersion curves of the Rayleigh waves obtained by the extended spatial autocorrelation method were inverted using the damped least-squares method to derive $v_s$ models. From these 1-D models, the average $v_s$ to a depth of 30 m ($v_s30$), $v_s$ of weathered rocks, depths to these basement rocks, and average $v_s$ of the overburden layer were derived to be $16.3{\pm}0.7m$, $576{\pm}8m/s$, $290{\pm}7m/s$, and $418{\pm}13m/s$, respectively, in the 95% confidence range. To determine adequate proxies for $v_s30$, we computed correlation coefficients of $v_s30$ with topographic slope (r = 0.46) and elevation (r = 0.43). An empirical linear relationship is presented as a combination of individually estimated $v_s30$ with weighting factors of 0.45, 0.45, and 0.1 for topographic slope, elevation, and mapped lithology, respectively. Due to a weak correlation between $v_s30$ obtained from inversion of dispersion curves and the proxy-based estimation (r = 0.50), however, the relatively large error range should be considered for applications of this relationship.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.291-298
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• 2006

Resistivity method is a practical and effective geophysical technique to detect leakage zones in embankment dams. Generally, resistivity survey conducted along the crest assumes that the embankment dam has a 2D structure. However, the 3D topography of embankments distorts significantly resistivity data measured on anywhere of the dam. In this study, we analyse the influence from 3D effects created by specific dam geometry through the 3D finite element modeling technique. We compared 3D effects when resistivity surveys are carried out on the upstream slope, left edge of the crest, center of the crest, right edge of the crest and downstream slope. We ensure that 3D effect is greatly different according to the location of the survey line and data obtained on the downstream slope are most greatly influenced by 3D dam geometry. Also, resistivity data are more influenced by the electrical resistivity of materials constituting reservoir than 3D effects due to specific dam geometry. Furthermore, using resistivity data synthesized with 3D modeling program for an embankment dam model with leakage zone, we analyse the possibility of leakages detection from 2D resistivity surveys performed along the embankment dam.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.299-303
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• 2006

Geologic noise, especially located at shallow depth, can be a great obstacle in the interpretation of geophysical data. Thus, it is important to suppress geologic noise in order to accurately detect major anomalous bodies in the survey area. In the inversion of geophysical data, model parameters at shallow depth, which have small size and low contrast of physical property, can be regarded as one of geologic noise. The least-squares method with smoothness constraint has been widely used in the inversion of geophysical data. The method imposes a big penalty on the large model parameter, while a small penalty on the small model parameter. Therefore, it is not easy to suppress small anomalous boies. In this study, we developed a new inversion scheme which can effectively suppress geologic noise by imposing a big penalty on the slowly varying model parameter and a small penalty on the largely varying model parameter. We call the method MTE (main-target emphasizing) inversion. Applying the method to the inversion of 2.5D small loop EM data, we can ensure that it is effective in suppressing small anomalous boies and emphasizing major anomalous bodies in the survey area.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.70-79
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• 2001

The integral equation method is a powerful tool for numerical electromagnetic modeling. But the difficulty of this technique is the size of the linear equations, which demands excessive memory and calculation time to invert. This limitation of the integral equation method becomes critical in inverse problem. The conventional Born approximation, where the electric field in the anomalous body is approximated by the background field, is very rapid and easy to compute. However, the technique is inaccurate when the conductivity contrast between the body and the background medium is large. Quasi-linear, quasi-analytical and extended Born approximations are novel approaches to 3-D EM modeling based on the linearization of the integral equations for scattered EM field. These approximation methods are much less time consuming than full integral equation method and more accurate than conventional Born approximation. They we, however, still approximate methods for 3-D EM modeling. Iterative series methods such as modified Born, quasi-linear and quasi-analytical can be used to increase the accuracy of various approximation methods. Comparisons of numerical performance against a full integral equation and various approximation codes show that the iterative series methods are very accurate and almost always converge. Furthermore, they are very fast and easy to implement on a computer. In this study, extended Born series method is developed and it shows more accurate result than that of other series methods. Therefore, Iterative series methods, including extended Born series, open principally new possibilities for fast and accurate 3-D EM modeling and inversion.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.33-38
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• 2012

A resistivity method has been applied to wide range of engineering and environmental problems with the help of automatic and precise data acquisition. Thus, more accurate modeling and inversion of time-lapse monitoring data are required since resistivity monitoring has been introduced to quantitatively find out subsurface changes With respect to time. Here, we used the finite element method (FEM) for 3D resistivity modeling since the method is easy to realize complex topography and arbitrary shaped anomalous bodies. In the FEM, the linear elements, also referred to as first order elements, have certain advantages of simple formulation and narrow bandwidth of system equation. However, the linear elements show the poor accuracy and slow convergence of the solution with respect to the number of elements or nodes. To achieve the higher accuracy of finite element solution, high order elements are generally used. In this study, we developed a 3D resistivity modeling program using high order Serendipity elements. Comparing the Serendipity element solutions for a cube model with the linear element solutions, we assured that the Serendipity element solutions are more accurate than the linear element solutions in the 3D resistivity modeling.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.16-22
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• 2012

In this study, we setup a ground-based scatterometer using an antenna of which the center frequency is 9.5 GHz (X-band), and measured radar backscatterings from air/ice and ice/water interfaces to extract ice thickness. Both of air/ice and ice/water interfaces make strong radar backscatterings and so we can clearly identify two peaks in measured data by scatterometer. By using the distance of two peaks and refractive index of ice, we confirmed that it is possible to measure ice thickness. Field survey was performed at the downstream of Jiam River flowing into Chuncheon Lake. We measured radar backscattering from river ice along a survey path and extracted ice thickness. The ice thickness map of the downstream of Jiam River was produced by using kriging which is one of well known interpolation methods. The ice thickness was about 50 cm along the mainstream while ice was thin as 30 ~ 40 cm at a fast-flowing meander. Ice thickness was particularly thinner at some locations than that of surrounding areas even in the mainstream region of constant flow. This was because of impurities in ice or artificially formed refrozen holes after fishing. We expect that this study helps to expand utilization field of X-band SAR and airborne scatterometer system.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2012

To evaluate methods of determining near-surface shear-wave velocities (${\nu}_s$), we derived dispersion curves of Rayleigh waves generated by both passive and active sources in Chuncheon, Korea. Microtremors were recorded for 5 minutes in each of four triangular arrays with radii of 5 ~ 40 m. Those data were analyzed using the Spatial Autocorrelation method. Rayleigh waves were also generated by a hammer source and recorded in the same area for 2 s using 24 4.5-Hz geophones. Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves was applied to those data. Velocity spectra were derived with relatively high signal-to-noise ratios in the frequency ranges of 7 ~ 19 and 11 ~ 50 Hz for the microtremors and synthetically generated Rayleigh waves, respectively. The resultant dispersion curves were combined as one and then input to inversion to derive shear wave velocities that were compared with a lithology log from a nearby well. Shearwave velocities in the top soil and soft-rock layers are almost constant with values of 221 and 846 m/s, respectively; while the inverse-modeled ${\nu}_s$ increases linearly in the gravelly sand, cobbles, and weathered-rock layers. If rock type is classified based on shear-wave velocity, the inversion-derived boundary between weathered-rock and soft rock may be about 5 m deeper than in the well log.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.35-44
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• 2021

As the execution speed of Python is slower than those of other programming languages (e.g., C, C++, and FORTRAN), Python is not considered to be efficient for writing numerical geodynamic code that requires numerous iterations. Recently, many computational techniques, such as the Just-In-Time (JIT) compiler, have been developed to enhance the calculation speed of Python. Here, we developed two-dimensional (2D) numerical geodynamic code that was optimized for the JIT compiler, based on Python. Our code simulates mantle convection by combining the Particle-In-Cell (PIC) scheme and the finite element method (FEM), which are both commonly used in geodynamic modeling. We benchmarked well-known mantle convection problems to evaluate the reliability of our code, which confirmed that the root mean square velocity and Nusselt number obtained from our numerical modeling were consistent with those of the mantle convection problems. The matrix assembly and PIC processes in our code, when run with the JIT compiler, successfully achieved a speed-up 30× and 258× faster than without the JIT compiler, respectively. Our Python-based FEM-PIC code shows the high potential of Python for geodynamic modeling cases that require complex computations.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.262-269
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• 2005

Since the buried cultural relics are three-dimensional (3-D) objects in nature, 3-D survey is more preferable in archeological exploration. 3-D Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey based on very dense data in principle, however, might need much higher cost and longer time of exploration than other geophysical methods commonly used for the archeological exploration, such as magnetic and electromagnetic methods. We developed a small-scale continuous data acquisition system which consists of two sets of GPR antennas and the precise positioning device tracking the moving-path of GPR antenna automatically and continuously. Since the high cost of field work may be partly attributed to establishing many profile lines, we adopted a concept of data acquisition at arbitrary locations not along the pre-established profile lines. Besides this hardware system, we also developed several software packages in order to effectively process and visualize the 3-D data obtained by the developed system and the data acquisition concept. Using the developed system, we performed 3-D GPR survey to investigate the possible historical remains of Baekje Kingdom at Buyeo city, South Korea, prior to the excavation. Owing to the newly devised system, we could obtain 3-D GPR data of this survey area having areal extent over about $17,000m^2$ within only six-hours field work. Although the GPR data were obtained at random locations not along the pre-established profile lines, we could obtain high-resolution 3-D images showing many distinctive anomalies, which could be interpreted as old agricultural lands, waterways, and artificial structures or remains. This cast: history led us to the conclusion that 3-D GPR method is very useful not only to examine a small anomalous area but also to investigate the wider region of the archeological interests.