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A multidisciplinary approach to characterization of the mature northern Yangsan fault in Korea and its active faulting

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Abstract

Some parts of the Yangsan Fault, a prominent mature intraplate fault on the Korean Peninsula, are still active. However, structural and paleoseismic investigations are limited because a large portion of the fault zone is covered by Quaternary sediments. To characterize the northern Yangsan Fault (NYF) and its paleoseismic features, we conducted topographic analyses, geological mapping, electrical resistivity surveys, borehole drilling, SHRIMP U–Pb age dating, a trench survey, and optically-stimulated-luminescence age dating (OSL). This multidisciplinary approach shows that the NYF is expressed as a nearly straight incised valley and a ridge-disrupting topographic lineament with anastomosing multiple core zones at outcrops. The NYF in Yeonghae area exhibits a NNE-striking eastern strand and a NNW- to N–S-striking western strand. Between these, a Jurassic granite (> 300-m-wide) is distributed as an enclosed lens, bounded by Precambrian metamorphic rocks to the east and Cretaceous sedimentary rocks to the west. The eastern strand likely passes S–N through the offshore area (East Sea) to onshore Pyeonghae area. A trench survey identified faults transecting Quaternary strata, providing the first paleoseismic record along the NYF. Stratigraphic features and OSL ages show that the most recent rupture occurred after 97 ± 7 ka, with the rupture along the western boundary of the mature fault core. Although older structures are prominent, paleoseismic records are few—a limitation for our onshore investigations. To reveal YF neotectonic activities under the East Sea, we need further information about off-fault damage (landslide, turbidite, tsunami records) within marine deposits as well as on-fault damage.

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Fig. 1

(modified from Cheon et al. 2020a). c Detailed geological map of the Northern Yangsan Fault (modified from Kang et al. 2018)

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Acknowledgements

The study was supported by a grant from the Study on Submarine Active Faults and Evaluation of Possibility of Submarine Earthquakes in the Southern Part of the East Sea, Korea (PJT201079) funded by the Korean Ministry of Ocean and Fisheries, South Korea, and by a grant from the Basic Research Project (GP2020-014: Research in Active Tectonics and Development of Fault Segmentation Model for Intraplate regions) of the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) funded by the Korean Ministry of Science and ICT. We thank two anonymous reviewers for valuable reviews of the manuscript and associate editor for constructive editorial guidance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geology Division, Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, Daejeon, 34132, South Korea

    Kyoungtae Ko & Sung-Ja Choi

  2. Geologic Hazards Division, Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, 124 Gwanhak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34132, South Korea

    Tae-Ho Lee, Chang-Min Kim & Youngbeom Cheon

  3. School of Earth System Science, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 41556, South Korea

    Yong Sik Gihm

  4. BEarth Incorporation, Chuncheon, 24341, South Korea

    Kiju Kim

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  1. Kyoungtae Ko
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Supplementary file1 (DOCX 156 kb) The supplementary information consisting of methods (M1 to M3), Table S1, and Figure S1 are available on the Open Science Framework at https://osf.io/a4hjn.

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Ko, K., Choi, SJ., Lee, TH. et al. A multidisciplinary approach to characterization of the mature northern Yangsan fault in Korea and its active faulting. Mar Geophys Res 43, 21 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11001-022-09486-w

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