Data from: Continent-side uplifted mantle and geological imprints along a paleo rift in the western East Sea (Sea of Japan)

Recent public concern about potential seismic risk in the central Korean
Peninsula has provoked preparedness for seismic hazard mitigation. We
investigate the seismic velocity structures of the lithosphere in the
central Korean Peninsula using ambient noise tomography and
earthquake-based Eikonal tomography based on dense seismic networks. We
determine Rayleigh-wave group velocities at periods of 1-15 s from ambient
noise tomography and Rayleigh-wave phase velocities at periods of 20-80 s
from earthquake-based Eikonal tomography. We determine a 3-D shear-wave
velocity model in the lithosphere from the Rayleigh wave velocities. The
model exhibits high lateral variations ranging from ∼-9 % to ∼8 %,
depending on depth. The shear-wave velocities at shallow depths (≤ 2 km)
are relatively high in mountain regions and low in coastal and basin
regions. Strong velocity contrasts are observed around major earthquake
hypocenters at depths of 3-20 km, which may be due to the presence of
seismogenic faults. Shear-wave velocities at depths of ∼30-40 km are high
along the east coast, suggesting uplifted mantle that is responsible for
the opening of the East Sea (Sea of Japan). High velocity structures
beneath Moho around the coast may suggest solidified underplated magma
caused by the paleo rifting. The root of coast-parallel high-mountain
range (Taebaek Mountain Range) is bounded by the uplifted mantle,
presenting mountain range development in rift flank along paleo-rift axis.
Low shear-wave velocities along the coast at depths ≥ 60 km may imply
elevated temperature beneath the solidified underplated magma. The
continent-side paleo rift affects the geological, thermal, and
seismological properties around the continental margin at present.