The students will learn how to apply the principles of physics to study the interior of the Earth. The course provides a general introduction to main applied geophysical methods and to their interpretation for engineering/environmental and archaeological purposes.
Curriculum
teacher profile teaching materials
2. Fundamentals of Fourier Analysis and Applications in Geophysics 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Properties of trigonometric functions 2.3 Fourier Transform 2.3.1 Basic properties and theorems of the Fourier Transform 2.4 Signal processing: sampling rate, dynamic range, and windowing 2.5 Simple applications 2.6 Correlation and autocorrelation 2.7 Two-dimensional Fourier Transform 2.8 Online resources
3. Geophysics and Computational Tools 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Software management with Conda 3.2.1 Installation 3.2.2 SimPEG 3.2.3 Additional Python libraries 3.3 Programming and working with Python 3.3.1 Environment management 3.4 Python tutorials 3.5 Additional software: Geopsy 3.6 Summary
4. Inverse Problems in Applied Geophysics 4.1 Introduction: forward and inverse problems 4.2 Fundamental properties: well-posed and ill-posed problems 4.3 Models, data, and types of determination 4.4 Solution using the generalized inverse 4.4.1 The discrete linear inverse problem 4.5 Regularization 4.5.1 Types of regularization 4.5.2 Underdetermined systems and prior information 4.5.3 Choosing the regularization parameter: the L-curve method 4.6 Practical inversion examples 4.7 Resolution and projection matrices 4.8 Summary
5. Geomagnetism 5.1 Historical background 5.2 Physics of magnetism 5.2.1 Fundamental laws 5.2.2 Magnetization 5.3 Magnetic properties of materials 5.4 Rock magnetism and thermoremanent magnetization 5.5 The Earth's magnetic field 5.6 Magnetic surveying 5.6.1 Units of measurement 5.6.2 Data acquisition: magnetometers 5.6.3 Data analysis and interpretation
6. Gravimetry 6.1 Theoretical foundations 6.1.1 Newton's law of universal gravitation 6.1.2 Gravitational potential 6.1.3 Poisson's and Laplace's equations 6.1.4 Effects of Earth's rotation: centrifugal force and the reference ellipsoid 6.1.5 Solution of Laplace's equation in spherical coordinates 6.1.6 Physical interpretation 6.1.7 Normal gravity and Clairaut's theorem 6.2 The geoid 6.2.1 Isostasy 6.2.2 Interpretation 6.3 Gravity surveying 6.3.1 Total gravity in Cartesian coordinates 6.3.2 Gravimeters 6.3.3 Planning a gravity survey 6.3.4 Gravity maps: Free-Air and Bouguer anomalies 6.3.5 Corrections for gravity anomaly computation 6.3.6 Interpretation of gravity anomaly maps 6.3.7 Processing gravity anomaly maps 6.3.8 Interpretation of gravity data: forward and inverse modeling
7. Seismic Methods: Fundamentals of Wave Propagation 7.1 The wave equation and harmonic solutions 7.2 Body waves: P and S waves 7.3 Surface waves: Rayleigh and Love waves 7.4 Attenuation and the quality factor (Q) 7.5 Seismic rays and the laws of geometrical optics
8. Reflection Seismology 8.1 Introduction and general principles 8.2 Application of Fermat's principle: derivation of the laws of reflection and refraction 8.3 Travel-time curves and Normal Moveout (NMO) 8.4 Seismic data processing in the Oil & Gas industry 8.5 Horizontal and vertical resolution: the Fresnel zone
9. Refraction Seismology 9.1 Physical principles and the critical angle 9.2 Derivation of travel-time curves 9.3 Determination of the thickness of the first layer 9.4 Dipping layers and apparent velocity 9.5 Delay-time method and multiple discontinuities 9.6 Delay-time method and multiple discontinuities 9.7 Resolution and special cases 9.8 Reconstruction of subsurface morphology 9.9 Seismic refraction tomography
10. MASW – Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves 10.1 Basic principles 10.2 Experimental estimation of the dispersion curve 10.3 Inversion of the dispersion curve 10.4 Limitations and practical considerations 10.5 MASW analysis and inversion using Geopsy
11. Site Effects and the Horizontal-to-Vertical Spectral Ratio (HVSR) Method 11.1 Introduction: local amplification and site response 11.2 Transfer function and the HVSR method (Nakamura, 1989) 11.3 Interpretation and limitations of the HVSR method 11.4 Topographic and morphological effects 11.5 Practical applications 11.6 HVSR analysis using Geopsy
12. Electrical Methods – Electrical Resistivity 12.1 Physical principles: electrostatics 12.2 Ohm's law and resistivity in a half-space 12.3 Four-electrode arrays and apparent resistivity 12.4 Optical analogy and the method of images 12.5 Classical acquisition arrays 12.6 Depth of investigation and current distribution in a half-space 12.7 Processing and inversion of resistivity data 12.8 Practical aspects and induced polarization effects
Appendix A. Mathematical Background (Brief Review)
The course material is based on multiple sources, including: Lowrie, Fundamentals of Geophysics, Cambridge, 2002, Kearey et al., An introduction to Geophysical Exploration, Blackwell Publishing, 2002, Telford et al., Applied Geophysics, Cambridge, 1990
Programme
1. Introduction to Applied Geophysics 1.1 Historical background 1.2 The inverse problem: diffusive and propagative methods 1.3 The importance of multi-method geophysical surveys and data quality 1.4 Planning a geophysical survey 1.5 Course overview2. Fundamentals of Fourier Analysis and Applications in Geophysics 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Properties of trigonometric functions 2.3 Fourier Transform 2.3.1 Basic properties and theorems of the Fourier Transform 2.4 Signal processing: sampling rate, dynamic range, and windowing 2.5 Simple applications 2.6 Correlation and autocorrelation 2.7 Two-dimensional Fourier Transform 2.8 Online resources
3. Geophysics and Computational Tools 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Software management with Conda 3.2.1 Installation 3.2.2 SimPEG 3.2.3 Additional Python libraries 3.3 Programming and working with Python 3.3.1 Environment management 3.4 Python tutorials 3.5 Additional software: Geopsy 3.6 Summary
4. Inverse Problems in Applied Geophysics 4.1 Introduction: forward and inverse problems 4.2 Fundamental properties: well-posed and ill-posed problems 4.3 Models, data, and types of determination 4.4 Solution using the generalized inverse 4.4.1 The discrete linear inverse problem 4.5 Regularization 4.5.1 Types of regularization 4.5.2 Underdetermined systems and prior information 4.5.3 Choosing the regularization parameter: the L-curve method 4.6 Practical inversion examples 4.7 Resolution and projection matrices 4.8 Summary
5. Geomagnetism 5.1 Historical background 5.2 Physics of magnetism 5.2.1 Fundamental laws 5.2.2 Magnetization 5.3 Magnetic properties of materials 5.4 Rock magnetism and thermoremanent magnetization 5.5 The Earth's magnetic field 5.6 Magnetic surveying 5.6.1 Units of measurement 5.6.2 Data acquisition: magnetometers 5.6.3 Data analysis and interpretation
6. Gravimetry 6.1 Theoretical foundations 6.1.1 Newton's law of universal gravitation 6.1.2 Gravitational potential 6.1.3 Poisson's and Laplace's equations 6.1.4 Effects of Earth's rotation: centrifugal force and the reference ellipsoid 6.1.5 Solution of Laplace's equation in spherical coordinates 6.1.6 Physical interpretation 6.1.7 Normal gravity and Clairaut's theorem 6.2 The geoid 6.2.1 Isostasy 6.2.2 Interpretation 6.3 Gravity surveying 6.3.1 Total gravity in Cartesian coordinates 6.3.2 Gravimeters 6.3.3 Planning a gravity survey 6.3.4 Gravity maps: Free-Air and Bouguer anomalies 6.3.5 Corrections for gravity anomaly computation 6.3.6 Interpretation of gravity anomaly maps 6.3.7 Processing gravity anomaly maps 6.3.8 Interpretation of gravity data: forward and inverse modeling
7. Seismic Methods: Fundamentals of Wave Propagation 7.1 The wave equation and harmonic solutions 7.2 Body waves: P and S waves 7.3 Surface waves: Rayleigh and Love waves 7.4 Attenuation and the quality factor (Q) 7.5 Seismic rays and the laws of geometrical optics
8. Reflection Seismology 8.1 Introduction and general principles 8.2 Application of Fermat's principle: derivation of the laws of reflection and refraction 8.3 Travel-time curves and Normal Moveout (NMO) 8.4 Seismic data processing in the Oil & Gas industry 8.5 Horizontal and vertical resolution: the Fresnel zone
9. Refraction Seismology 9.1 Physical principles and the critical angle 9.2 Derivation of travel-time curves 9.3 Determination of the thickness of the first layer 9.4 Dipping layers and apparent velocity 9.5 Delay-time method and multiple discontinuities 9.6 Delay-time method and multiple discontinuities 9.7 Resolution and special cases 9.8 Reconstruction of subsurface morphology 9.9 Seismic refraction tomography
10. MASW – Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves 10.1 Basic principles 10.2 Experimental estimation of the dispersion curve 10.3 Inversion of the dispersion curve 10.4 Limitations and practical considerations 10.5 MASW analysis and inversion using Geopsy
11. Site Effects and the Horizontal-to-Vertical Spectral Ratio (HVSR) Method 11.1 Introduction: local amplification and site response 11.2 Transfer function and the HVSR method (Nakamura, 1989) 11.3 Interpretation and limitations of the HVSR method 11.4 Topographic and morphological effects 11.5 Practical applications 11.6 HVSR analysis using Geopsy
12. Electrical Methods – Electrical Resistivity 12.1 Physical principles: electrostatics 12.2 Ohm's law and resistivity in a half-space 12.3 Four-electrode arrays and apparent resistivity 12.4 Optical analogy and the method of images 12.5 Classical acquisition arrays 12.6 Depth of investigation and current distribution in a half-space 12.7 Processing and inversion of resistivity data 12.8 Practical aspects and induced polarization effects
Appendix A. Mathematical Background (Brief Review)
Core Documentation
- Lecture notes and presentation slides will be provided at the beginning of the courseThe course material is based on multiple sources, including: Lowrie, Fundamentals of Geophysics, Cambridge, 2002, Kearey et al., An introduction to Geophysical Exploration, Blackwell Publishing, 2002, Telford et al., Applied Geophysics, Cambridge, 1990
Reference Bibliography
Lowrie, Fundamentals of Geophysics, Cambridge, 2002, Kearey et al., An introduction to Geophysical Exploration, Blackwell Publishing, 2002, Telford et al., Applied Geophysics, Cambridge, 1990Type of evaluation
Knowledge and understanding will be assessed through an oral examination teacher profile teaching materials
2. Fundamentals of Fourier Analysis and Applications in Geophysics 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Properties of trigonometric functions 2.3 Fourier Transform 2.3.1 Basic properties and theorems of the Fourier Transform 2.4 Signal processing: sampling rate, dynamic range, and windowing 2.5 Simple applications 2.6 Correlation and autocorrelation 2.7 Two-dimensional Fourier Transform 2.8 Online resources
3. Geophysics and Computational Tools 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Software management with Conda 3.2.1 Installation 3.2.2 SimPEG 3.2.3 Additional Python libraries 3.3 Programming and working with Python 3.3.1 Environment management 3.4 Python tutorials 3.5 Additional software: Geopsy 3.6 Summary
4. Inverse Problems in Applied Geophysics 4.1 Introduction: forward and inverse problems 4.2 Fundamental properties: well-posed and ill-posed problems 4.3 Models, data, and types of determination 4.4 Solution using the generalized inverse 4.4.1 The discrete linear inverse problem 4.5 Regularization 4.5.1 Types of regularization 4.5.2 Underdetermined systems and prior information 4.5.3 Choosing the regularization parameter: the L-curve method 4.6 Practical inversion examples 4.7 Resolution and projection matrices 4.8 Summary
5. Geomagnetism 5.1 Historical background 5.2 Physics of magnetism 5.2.1 Fundamental laws 5.2.2 Magnetization 5.3 Magnetic properties of materials 5.4 Rock magnetism and thermoremanent magnetization 5.5 The Earth's magnetic field 5.6 Magnetic surveying 5.6.1 Units of measurement 5.6.2 Data acquisition: magnetometers 5.6.3 Data analysis and interpretation
6. Gravimetry 6.1 Theoretical foundations 6.1.1 Newton's law of universal gravitation 6.1.2 Gravitational potential 6.1.3 Poisson's and Laplace's equations 6.1.4 Effects of Earth's rotation: centrifugal force and the reference ellipsoid 6.1.5 Solution of Laplace's equation in spherical coordinates 6.1.6 Physical interpretation 6.1.7 Normal gravity and Clairaut's theorem 6.2 The geoid 6.2.1 Isostasy 6.2.2 Interpretation 6.3 Gravity surveying 6.3.1 Total gravity in Cartesian coordinates 6.3.2 Gravimeters 6.3.3 Planning a gravity survey 6.3.4 Gravity maps: Free-Air and Bouguer anomalies 6.3.5 Corrections for gravity anomaly computation 6.3.6 Interpretation of gravity anomaly maps 6.3.7 Processing gravity anomaly maps 6.3.8 Interpretation of gravity data: forward and inverse modeling
7. Seismic Methods: Fundamentals of Wave Propagation 7.1 The wave equation and harmonic solutions 7.2 Body waves: P and S waves 7.3 Surface waves: Rayleigh and Love waves 7.4 Attenuation and the quality factor (Q) 7.5 Seismic rays and the laws of geometrical optics
8. Reflection Seismology 8.1 Introduction and general principles 8.2 Application of Fermat's principle: derivation of the laws of reflection and refraction 8.3 Travel-time curves and Normal Moveout (NMO) 8.4 Seismic data processing in the Oil & Gas industry 8.5 Horizontal and vertical resolution: the Fresnel zone
9. Refraction Seismology 9.1 Physical principles and the critical angle 9.2 Derivation of travel-time curves 9.3 Determination of the thickness of the first layer 9.4 Dipping layers and apparent velocity 9.5 Delay-time method and multiple discontinuities 9.6 Delay-time method and multiple discontinuities 9.7 Resolution and special cases 9.8 Reconstruction of subsurface morphology 9.9 Seismic refraction tomography
10. MASW – Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves 10.1 Basic principles 10.2 Experimental estimation of the dispersion curve 10.3 Inversion of the dispersion curve 10.4 Limitations and practical considerations 10.5 MASW analysis and inversion using Geopsy
11. Site Effects and the Horizontal-to-Vertical Spectral Ratio (HVSR) Method 11.1 Introduction: local amplification and site response 11.2 Transfer function and the HVSR method (Nakamura, 1989) 11.3 Interpretation and limitations of the HVSR method 11.4 Topographic and morphological effects 11.5 Practical applications 11.6 HVSR analysis using Geopsy
12. Electrical Methods – Electrical Resistivity 12.1 Physical principles: electrostatics 12.2 Ohm's law and resistivity in a half-space 12.3 Four-electrode arrays and apparent resistivity 12.4 Optical analogy and the method of images 12.5 Classical acquisition arrays 12.6 Depth of investigation and current distribution in a half-space 12.7 Processing and inversion of resistivity data 12.8 Practical aspects and induced polarization effects
Appendix A. Mathematical Background (Brief Review)
The course material is based on multiple sources, including: Lowrie, Fundamentals of Geophysics, Cambridge, 2002, Kearey et al., An introduction to Geophysical Exploration, Blackwell Publishing, 2002, Telford et al., Applied Geophysics, Cambridge, 1990
Programme
1. Introduction to Applied Geophysics 1.1 Historical background 1.2 The inverse problem: diffusive and propagative methods 1.3 The importance of multi-method geophysical surveys and data quality 1.4 Planning a geophysical survey 1.5 Course overview2. Fundamentals of Fourier Analysis and Applications in Geophysics 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Properties of trigonometric functions 2.3 Fourier Transform 2.3.1 Basic properties and theorems of the Fourier Transform 2.4 Signal processing: sampling rate, dynamic range, and windowing 2.5 Simple applications 2.6 Correlation and autocorrelation 2.7 Two-dimensional Fourier Transform 2.8 Online resources
3. Geophysics and Computational Tools 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Software management with Conda 3.2.1 Installation 3.2.2 SimPEG 3.2.3 Additional Python libraries 3.3 Programming and working with Python 3.3.1 Environment management 3.4 Python tutorials 3.5 Additional software: Geopsy 3.6 Summary
4. Inverse Problems in Applied Geophysics 4.1 Introduction: forward and inverse problems 4.2 Fundamental properties: well-posed and ill-posed problems 4.3 Models, data, and types of determination 4.4 Solution using the generalized inverse 4.4.1 The discrete linear inverse problem 4.5 Regularization 4.5.1 Types of regularization 4.5.2 Underdetermined systems and prior information 4.5.3 Choosing the regularization parameter: the L-curve method 4.6 Practical inversion examples 4.7 Resolution and projection matrices 4.8 Summary
5. Geomagnetism 5.1 Historical background 5.2 Physics of magnetism 5.2.1 Fundamental laws 5.2.2 Magnetization 5.3 Magnetic properties of materials 5.4 Rock magnetism and thermoremanent magnetization 5.5 The Earth's magnetic field 5.6 Magnetic surveying 5.6.1 Units of measurement 5.6.2 Data acquisition: magnetometers 5.6.3 Data analysis and interpretation
6. Gravimetry 6.1 Theoretical foundations 6.1.1 Newton's law of universal gravitation 6.1.2 Gravitational potential 6.1.3 Poisson's and Laplace's equations 6.1.4 Effects of Earth's rotation: centrifugal force and the reference ellipsoid 6.1.5 Solution of Laplace's equation in spherical coordinates 6.1.6 Physical interpretation 6.1.7 Normal gravity and Clairaut's theorem 6.2 The geoid 6.2.1 Isostasy 6.2.2 Interpretation 6.3 Gravity surveying 6.3.1 Total gravity in Cartesian coordinates 6.3.2 Gravimeters 6.3.3 Planning a gravity survey 6.3.4 Gravity maps: Free-Air and Bouguer anomalies 6.3.5 Corrections for gravity anomaly computation 6.3.6 Interpretation of gravity anomaly maps 6.3.7 Processing gravity anomaly maps 6.3.8 Interpretation of gravity data: forward and inverse modeling
7. Seismic Methods: Fundamentals of Wave Propagation 7.1 The wave equation and harmonic solutions 7.2 Body waves: P and S waves 7.3 Surface waves: Rayleigh and Love waves 7.4 Attenuation and the quality factor (Q) 7.5 Seismic rays and the laws of geometrical optics
8. Reflection Seismology 8.1 Introduction and general principles 8.2 Application of Fermat's principle: derivation of the laws of reflection and refraction 8.3 Travel-time curves and Normal Moveout (NMO) 8.4 Seismic data processing in the Oil & Gas industry 8.5 Horizontal and vertical resolution: the Fresnel zone
9. Refraction Seismology 9.1 Physical principles and the critical angle 9.2 Derivation of travel-time curves 9.3 Determination of the thickness of the first layer 9.4 Dipping layers and apparent velocity 9.5 Delay-time method and multiple discontinuities 9.6 Delay-time method and multiple discontinuities 9.7 Resolution and special cases 9.8 Reconstruction of subsurface morphology 9.9 Seismic refraction tomography
10. MASW – Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves 10.1 Basic principles 10.2 Experimental estimation of the dispersion curve 10.3 Inversion of the dispersion curve 10.4 Limitations and practical considerations 10.5 MASW analysis and inversion using Geopsy
11. Site Effects and the Horizontal-to-Vertical Spectral Ratio (HVSR) Method 11.1 Introduction: local amplification and site response 11.2 Transfer function and the HVSR method (Nakamura, 1989) 11.3 Interpretation and limitations of the HVSR method 11.4 Topographic and morphological effects 11.5 Practical applications 11.6 HVSR analysis using Geopsy
12. Electrical Methods – Electrical Resistivity 12.1 Physical principles: electrostatics 12.2 Ohm's law and resistivity in a half-space 12.3 Four-electrode arrays and apparent resistivity 12.4 Optical analogy and the method of images 12.5 Classical acquisition arrays 12.6 Depth of investigation and current distribution in a half-space 12.7 Processing and inversion of resistivity data 12.8 Practical aspects and induced polarization effects
Appendix A. Mathematical Background (Brief Review)
Core Documentation
- Lecture notes and presentation slides will be provided at the beginning of the courseThe course material is based on multiple sources, including: Lowrie, Fundamentals of Geophysics, Cambridge, 2002, Kearey et al., An introduction to Geophysical Exploration, Blackwell Publishing, 2002, Telford et al., Applied Geophysics, Cambridge, 1990
Reference Bibliography
Lowrie, Fundamentals of Geophysics, Cambridge, 2002, Kearey et al., An introduction to Geophysical Exploration, Blackwell Publishing, 2002, Telford et al., Applied Geophysics, Cambridge, 1990Type of evaluation
Knowledge and understanding will be assessed through an oral examination