EEPS 448/648 Exploration Geophysics

Instructor: Colin A. Zelt
Department of Earth, Environmental & Planetary Sciences, Rice University
Houston, Texas, USA

CANVAS course page

Textbook:
Introduction to Applied Geophysics by Burger, Sheehan and Jones (2006)

1. Introduction
(differences between geology and geophysics, main differences between common geophysical methods)

2. Data analysis
(sampling, spectral analysis, waveform processing, filtering)

3. Seismic
(wave terminology, elasticity, seismic waves, seismic velocities, ray paths, Snell's law, wave amplitude and shape, attenuation, seismic sources and recording equipment)

4. Seismic refraction
(horizontal layers, dipping layers, low-velocity layer, thin layer, laterally varying velocity, vertical offset, ray tracing, traveltime inversion/tomography, wavefield inversion, field procedures, data corrections)

5. Seismic reflection
(horizontal layers, dipping layers, normal moveout, RMS velocity, multiples, diffractions, field operations, CMP profiling, marine acquisition, noise problems, crooked-line acquisition, processing flow, vibroseis correlation, source arrays, CMP sort, statics, velocity analysis, amplitude correction, NMO correction, stacking, reflection sections, velocity effects, migration, resolution, interpretation, depth sections, seismic stratigraphy, structural analysis)

6. Ground penetrating radar
(applicability, acquisition modes, electrical properties, conduction currents, displacement currents, electrical properties of geological materials, EM waves, wave parameters, reflection coefficient, instrumentation, frequency and bandwidth, signal processing, antenna pattern, survey design, data processing, interpretation, case studies)

7. Gravity
(gravitational acceleration, measuring gravity, latitude correction, free-air correction, Bouguer correction, terrain correction, drift and tidal corrections, reduction density, rock densities, ideal shapes, gravity modeling, regionals and residuals, upward continuation, filtering, interpretation)

8. Magnetics
(Magnetic force, field, moment, susceptibility, potential, magnetization, magnetic units, earth's magnetic field, inclination, declination, dipoles, magnetometers, total field anomalies, field procedures, rock susceptibilities, magnetic effect of simple bodies, 2D modeling, simple interpretation techniques, applications)

9. Electrical resistivity
(basic electricity, ohm's law, current in homogeneous medium, point current source, two current electrodes, two electrode potentials, apparent resistivity, horizontal layers, electrode arrays, resistivity of geological materials, modeling and inversion techniques, applications)

10. Electromagnetic methods
(EM waves, wavelengths, AC/DC, electrical properties, resistivity and conductivity, attenuation, frequency domain EM, time domain EM, profiling versus sounding, interpretation, case studies)

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