Fast Delineation of the Depth to Bedrock using the GRM during the Seismic Refaction Survey in Cheongju Granite Area

Seismic refraction survey is a geophysical method that delineates subsurface velocity structure using direct wave and critically refracted wave. The generalized reciprocal method(GRM) is an inversion technique which uses traveltime data from several forward and reverse shots and which can provide the geometry of irregular inclined refractors and structures underlain by hidden layer such as low velocity zone and thin layer. In this study, a simple Excel-GRM routine was tested for fast mapping of the interface between weathering layer and bedrock during the survey, with employing a pair of forward and reverse shots. This routine was proved to control the maximum dip of approximately 30 degrees and maximum velocity contrast of 0.6, based on the panel tests in terms of dipping angle and velocity contrast for the two-layer inclined models. In contrast with conventional operation of five to seven shots with sufficient offset distance and indoor data analysis thereafter, this routine was performed in the field shortly after data acquisition. Depth to the bedrock provided by Excel-GRM, during the field survey for Cheongju granite area, correlates well with the elevation of the surface of soft rock from the drill core and SPS logging data. This cost-effective routine developed for quickly delineating the bedrock surface in the field survey will be readily applicable to mapping of weathering zone in narrow zone with small variation of elevation of bedrock.