Sang-Mook Lee is a professor at Seoul National University, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, specializing in global Geodynamics and Geophysics. He heads both the undergraduate and graduate computational sciences programs and recently managed the much-coveted 10-10 Initiative (Planet A Program). Sang-Mook is an Associate Member of the Korean Academy of Science and Technology, the President of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) Korea Committee, and was the Chair of InterRidge. In July 2027, Sang-Mook will host the twenty-ninth General Assembly of IUGG in Incheon, Korea.
New Insights into the Formation of the Continent along the Continental Margin as Seen from the Variations in Seismic Velocity Profiles
The Asian continent is composed of numerous diverse geological blocks and cratons that have formed over time. Understanding the formation of the continent is a perennial issue. In this presentation, I explore the addition of new oceanic blocks to the continent along continental margins by examining the tectonic history of Korea and analyzing recently acquired seismic profile data. The deep seismic data used in this study were collected over the years by scientists in Korea and Japan. The East Sea/Sea of Japan is a classic example of a back-arc spreading region, comprising three basins: the Japan Basin, Yamato Basin, and Ulleung Basin. Except for the Japan Basin, which represents a mid-ocean-ridge-like structure with magnetic anomalies, the structures and nature of the other two basins remain a mystery. Recent studies, including seismic and gravity investigations, reveal that they are closer to a forearc basin, and thus they should not be referred to as a mid-ocean ridge-style back-arc basin. By collectively interpreting the geophysical results of basins, it is inferred that oceanic blocks accumulate along the continental margin and eventually form continental blocks.