Proceedings of the 12th International INQUA meeting on paleoseismology, active tectonic and archaeoseismology

54 PATA Days 2024 However, very little attention has been given to detailed active fault mapping and paleoseismic investigations in the southwestern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. This may be due to the lack of active fault- related landscapes,which is attributedtohighdenudationratesbyclimates, extensive humaninduced landscape modifications for agricultural purposes,andthickvegetationcover.Nevertheless,geologicalmapsindicate that the central parts of the Korean Peninsula are intersected by several NE-SW trending sinistral strike-slip fault systems dating back to the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous. These include the Gwangju Fault (GF), Injae Fault (IF), Jeonju Fault (JF), Gongju-Geumwang Fault Systems (GFS), and Yeongdong Fault (YF) (Lee, 1999; Chough et al., 2000; Chough and Sohn, 2010;WonandLee, 2018) (Fig. 2a). Some of the very recent studies reported completely new active faults whose earthquake behavior was completely unknown so far (Kimet al., 2022; Lee et al., 2023). Central part of the Korea has also recently experienced two moderate magnitude earthquakes (Mw 3.5 and Mw 4.1) (KMA 2022). The presence of several crustal faults and the occurrence of large magnitude earthquakes with intensities of VII-IX in the southwestern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula underscore the importance of detailed active fault mapping and paleoseismic studies in this area. Consideringthesefactors,detailedactivefaultmappingandpaleoseismic studieshavebeenconductedalongtheYF,aNE-SWtrendingstrike-slipfault (Fig. 2b). The fault trace and precise trench locations were identified using high-resolution LiDAR DEM, aerial photos, and subsurface geophysical mapping. Comprehensive paleoseismic investigations, including trenching and microstructure analysis, were carried out to understand the faulting pattern, earthquake behavior, and timing of past earthquakes along the YF. This is crucial for the seismic hazard analysis of the central Korean Peninsula.Although todetermine advancedpaleoseismological parameters such as slip rate and recurrence intervals are limited, this study provides a framework for employing multidisciplinary in slow tectonic/intraplate regimes toproperly characterize active faults and their past activity. Fig. 2: (a) Tectonic map of the region in the vicinity of the Korean Peninsula. (b) Elevation overlain on a hillshaded DEM showing istribution of lineaments and the traces of Yeongdong Fault (YF).