Introduction to the ways that geophysics contributes to our understanding of the Earth, and the key concepts and principles of widely used geophysical methods. Emphasis is on physical basis, data acquisition, processing, interpretation of each method, and their application to hydrocarbon exploration, ground water exploration as well as engineering and archaeological applications.
Introduction to applied and solid-earth geophysics; the gravitational, seismic, magnetic, thermal, and radioactive properties of rocks and earth materials; methods of measurement and their applications to the exploration of the Earth's interior. Physical properties of the earth's interior. Some field trips are required.
Pre-Requisites: MATH102 And PHYS102
Basic seismological theory, relationship of earthquakes to plate tectonics, causes and effects of earthquakes, source parameters, earthquake location, determination of earthquake magnitude. Interpretation of seismograms, earthquake statistics, seismic hazard and risk assessment, earthquake prediction, seismometers and seismological networks. At least one field trip to a seismic station is required.
Pre-Requisites: GEOP102
Elements of geophysical data inversion, linear systems theory, basic digital signal processing, statistics, error propagation, numerical differentiation, matrix calculus, linear parameter estimation, data fitting, spectral analysis, convolution, deconvolution, and filter design, analysis and implementation.
Pre-Requisites: MATH201 And ICS104 And GEOP102
Seismic waves (elasticity, wave equation, anisotropy, body and surface waves, propagation and interface effects, reflection coefficients), time-distance curves (NMO, DMO), seismic velocity (sedimentary rock model, velocity types, velocity determination), seismic signal and noise (primary reflections, direct, air, surface, and head waves, diffractions, multiples, random noise), seismic equipment (positioning, sources, receivers, recording), field procedures (spreads, arrays, CMP method, survey parameter selection), 3-D seismic exploration (terminology, swath shooting, marine 3-D).
Pre-Requisites: GEOP102 Or GEOP202
Physics of gravity, description of the Earth's gravity field, its temporal variations, and the small-scale perturbations that are the signal of gravity exploration methods, field procedures, data acquisition, correction and processing, basic interpretation techniques, estimation of source parameters for simple anomalies by manual methods and by data inversion and case histories. Physics of magnetism and description of the Earth's magnetic field and its variations in space and time, rock magnetism, instrumentation, survey procedure, interpretation and case histories. Matlab is used for computation and modeling.
Pre-Requisites: GEOP205 And PHYS305
Principles of the seismic method; exploration objectives and requirements of seismic data acquisition; the seismic pulse - its generation and transmission; partition of seismic energy at an interface; seismic energy reflection, refraction, attenuation, and travel time - distance functions; reflection time corrections; field testing and procedures with emphasis on multiple coverage and design of source and receiver arrays for signal enhancement; well velocity survey; the synthetic seismogram and the convolutional model. The laboratory work includes seismic field demonstrations, computational exercises using software packges. A field trip to a seismic crew is required.
Objectives of seismic data processing, basic data processing sequence, Fourier transform, delta and sinc functions, convolution, correlation, wavelet phase, frequency filtering and aliasing, amplitude gain, deconvolution (spiking, optimum, predictive), velocity analysis (velocity spectrum, constant velocity stacks), static corrections (elevation, residual), NMO correction and stacking, migration (2D, 3D, poststack, prestack, time, depth, algorithms including Kirchhoff, finite difference, and FK. Students will apply basic data processing sequence on a real seismic data set using a seismic data processing package.
Pre-Requisites: GEOP205 And GEOP215
Introduction to downhole geophysical well logging and borehole seismics (VSP; cross-hole methods), key concepts and techniques utilized to identify geological formations and to characterize rock units of interest using data gathered from wells, physical and mathematical foundations to conceptual and practical understanding of varieties of borehole data and properly using them in reservoir characterization and Earth modeling. Basic logging and VSP principles, theory of tool operation, analysis of open-hole logs to estimate rock and fluid properties via integration of different log data and calibration with other data types such as core samples and seismic data, techniques of tying log depths to seismic times and rock property extraction from wells and seismic data.
Pre-Requisites: GEOP102 Or GEOP202
The basic theory of electrical and electromagnetic exploration, electrical properties of minerals and rocks. Natural-source methods (self-potential and magnetotelluric,) and artificial-source methods (direct current resistivity, induced polarization, ground penetrating radar, electromagnetic induction) are studied in terms of field acquisition procedures, data processing, and data interpretation. One data inversion and modeling software will be utilized during the course to get hands on experience in forward and inverse modeling techniques used in interpretation of electrical and electromagnetic data.
Pre-Requisites: GEOP205 And PHYS305
A continuous period of eight weeks of summer working in the exploration industry to gain practical experience in the field of geophysics. The student is required to submit a written report and give an oral presentation in a seminar at the department about his experience and the knowledge he gained during his summer work.
Pre-Requisites: ENGL214 And CPG199
Topics will depend on student's and instructor's interest. They may vary from acquisition and interpretation of geophysical data from the field or the laboratory to computer models and simulation of theoretical problems of interest in geophysics, or a mixture of both. Weekly consultations with the instructor as well as a written report are required.
The course is devoted to the gravity and magnetic exploration methods, starting with a survey of the theory of potential, the coverage will include field instruments and procedures, methods for the acquisition, reduction and processing of data. Special emphasis is placed on data analysis and computer modeling.
Weekly discussion and presentation of research topics of geophysical interest. The theme of the seminar varies from year to year depending on the interest of the coordinator of the seminar. Participants are expected to make presentations and lead discussions on the subject of interest.
Topics covered include: seismic resolution; types of events on seismic sections; characteristics of events; vertical seismic profiling; geologic aspects of velocity; seismic response of various stratigraphic and structural features; direct hydrocarbon indicators; 2-D and 3-D seismic exploration technique; introduction to seismic stratigraphy.
Seismic resolution, types of events on seismic sections, characteristics of events, vertical seismic profiling, geologic aspects of velocity, and seismic response of various stratigraphic and structural features. Direct hydrocarbon indicators, 2-D and 3-D seismic exploration techniques will also be covered along with an introduction to seismic stratigraphy.
A seminar-style course, taught by various members of the department. Faculty members discuss about their own research in the broader context of cutting-edge geophysical research. Prerequisite: Senior Standing
Introduction to microwave & optical remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and their application to geosciences. Aerial photography and other remote sensing techniques, principles of photogrammetry and image interpretation for geological information. Electromagnetic (EM) Properties of natural earth materials. Fundamentals of ground-penetrating radar (GPR) systems. Design, processing, interpretation, and applications of EM and GPR methods.
Pre-Requisites: PHYS305
Introduction to general aspects of well logging, drilling mud, compositional properties of rocks, porosity, permeability, and fluids content. Logging techniques – resistivity, self-potential, gamma ray, neutron, density, sonic, calipers, and dipmeters will be studied to determine formation factor, water saturation, oil and gas zones, shaliness, and permeability. The course will also cover well log patterns of known rock units, the geological interpretation of well logs, correlation between wells, and tying wells to seismic sections. Note: Not to be taken for credit with PETE 313
Pre-Requisites: GEOP102 Or GEOP202
Electrical properties of minerals and rocks. Principles of resistivity, self potential, induced polarization, and electromagnetic methods. Emphasis on physical bases, instrumentation, field procedures, and interpretation using electrical software packages.
Basic physical principles applied to the study of the Earth’s material properties and the Earth dynamical processes. A variety of geological phenomena such as heat and fluid flow, rock rheology and deformation, lithospheric flexure and isostatic equilibrium, and mechanics of plate tectonics will be discussed too.
Pre-Requisites: GEOP102 And PHYS210
Methods and techniques of paleomagnetism and their application to a variety of geological problems in regional and global tectonics, geochronology, paleogeography, rock fabric analysis, etc. Students conduct a small-scale study as a term project.
Pre-Requisites: GEOP102 Or GEOP202
The practical and theoretical aspects of seismic refraction and electrical resistivity methods as applied for the siting and control of engineering projects such as dams, tunnels, highway cuts and water supply. Correlation between parameters of field data and rock mechanics, such as joint frequency, rock quality designation, strength and solution cavities will be covered. Interpretation techniques and fieldwork constitute the main part of the course.
Pre-Requisites: GEOP202 Or GEOP102
An introductory course on the atmosphere, weather, and climate. Discussion topics cover: an overview of the Earth's atmosphere, energy in the atmosphere, general atmospheric circulation, atmospheric physics and dynamics, clouds and precipitation, storms, air masses and fronts, weather analysis and forecasting, remote sensing in meteorology, general climatology, climatic classification, climatic change, climate dominated by different air masses, climate and water resources, applied climatology, and weather modification and climate.
Application of geophysical methods to environmental problems such as impact-assessment, clean-up, city planning, and siting of civic, industrial, and military critical facilities. Techniques include seismic, electrical and electromagnetic sounding, ground-penetrating radar, magnetics, gravity, and borehole geophysics are used in such environmental problems.
Pre-Requisites: GEOP202 Or GEOP102
Basic concepts and techniques of inverse theory and its application to geophysical problems. Focus is on linear inverse problems in gravity, magnetic, seismic, and electrical data modeling and interpretation.
Pre-Requisites: (GEOP202 Or GEOP102) And (MATH202 Or MATH208)
The topic of this course is determined based on mutual agreement and interest of the instructor and the students.
Introduction to basic petrophysical properties of permeability, porosity, and acoustical impedance. Laboratory measurement of porosity, permeability, capillary pressure, wettability, fluid saturation and relative permeability, principles of acoustic, electric, electromagnetic, and nuclear measurements and their applications to exploration and production of hydrocarbons. Lab topics also include measurement instruments and techniques, analysis and uncertainty of measured data.
Four weeks of geological and geophysical field training and geophysical data acquisition followed by four weeks of data processing, interpretation and scientific communication. Students spend four weeks in the field learning basic geological and geophysical field techniques, participating in designing geophysical surveys, acquiring field data using different geophysical techniques such as gravity, seismic and geoelectrics. Then, they process, analyze and interpret the acquired data. Completion of weekly reports and final report and oral presentations are requried.
Pre-Requisites: GEOP320
Reservoir modeling using software tools for statistical analysis of reservoir data, cluster analysis, semivariogram analysis and modeling, spatial interpolation (Kriging), tools for data integration in Kriging, stochastic simulation of rock‐types (lithology), pay thickness, porosity, and permeability, use of geological models in flow simulation, and uncertainty assessment.
This course introduces the undergraduate students to research projects during the junior and/or senior years. It will provide, at an early stage, an appreciation of research and real‐world problem solving. Students may take either a well‐defined role in an ongoing research project or initiate a project of their own in consultation with a faculty advisor. Prerequisites: ENGL 214, Junior Standing, Approval of the Department
Pre-Requisites: ENGL214
This course requires weekly discussion and presentation of research topics of geophysical interest. The theme of the seminar varies from year to year depending on the interest of the coordinator of the seminar. Participants are expected to make presentations and lead discussions on the subject of interest. Prerequisite: Senior Standing