gas hydrate - CCOP

Figure 1. Physiographic and crust maps of the Ulleung Basin and South Korea Plateau, East
Sea. Physiographic map modified after Lee (2001). Crust map modified after Chough et al.
(2000). HB: Hupo Bank, HT: Hupo Trough, NUT: Northern Ulleung Trough, NUE: Northern
Ulleung Eascarpment, UIG: Ulleung Interplain Gap, UIS: Ulleung Interplain Seamount, JB:
Japan Basin, UB: Ulleung Basin, YB: Yamato Basin, KP: Korea Plateau, OB: Oki Bank, YR:
Yamato Ridge.
GEOLOGIC SETTING
The East Sea consists of three deep basins, the Japan, Yamato, and Ulleung basins, and
several complicated topographic highs, the Korea Plateau, Oki Bank and Kita-Yamato Ridge
(Figure 1). The Japan Basin occurs in the northeastern part of the East Sea, ranging in water
depth from 3,500 to 3,700 meters. The Yamato Basin, in the southeastern part of the East Sea,
is surrounded by high-standing blocks, and ranges in water depth from 2,500 to 3,000 meters.
The Ulleung Basin in the southwestern part of the sea has a more rugged morphology than the
other basins, approximating a bowl-shaped depression, 2,000-2,300 meters deep. Except for a
few seamounts, the floor of the basin is flat and smooth, gently deepening northward and
connected to the Japan Basin through the Ulleung Interplain Gap between the Korea Plateau
and Oki Bank.
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New Energy Resources in the CCOP Region - Gas Hydrates and Coalbed Methane