WA

ASEG WA February 2021- Student Tech Night

Venue: The Shoe Bar
Tuesday 23  February 2021
5:30 pm start, 6-7 pm presentation
The Shoe Bar
Shop GSO7 Yagan Square
376 - 420 Wellington St
Perth CBD

The WA Branch of the Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists is excited to invite you to our first face-to-face live ASEG WA Tech Night in 2021. We are trying out a new venue in CBD at Yagan Square, but still with the usual snacks and drinks provided. Note that there is plenty of public transportation, and, if need-be, paid parking is available at nearby Wilson Parking - 427 Murray St - Google Maps. - Also, for those of you who missed 2021's AGM bash and its handouts, your 50th Anniversary baseball caps will be available to take back home with you. And, once again, we'd like to thank our sponsors for their continued support for 2021 and the future.

For this meeting, we are hosting our upcoming Student Tech Night presented by local WA Honours, Masters or PhD Students from UWA and Curtin.
       Four students will give short presentations on their recent work in the field of geophysics at this annual student night. Attendees will be asked to vote on the best presentation, and one student will be awarded a prize courtesy of the WA branch.

Speakers:

1) Partha Pratim Mandal
Title: Geomechanical characterization of unconventional gas shale - Example from Goldwyer shale formation
 
Bio: Partha Pratim Mandal is a PhD student at Western Australia School of Mines, Curtin University and currently works on geomechanical characterization of unconventional gas shale in the onshore Canning Basin. His research work focuses on in experimental design and assessment of geomechanical properties under in-situ condition, viscoelastic creep response, ultrasonic recording, computation of elastic anisotropy, geomechanical modelling (1D and 3D) and hydraulic fracturing of unconventional gas shale. He is recipient of several student awards from PESA, AAPG and AIG.
 
2) John Shepherd
Title: Quantitative 3D seismic stratigraphy of the Bight Basin, southern Australian margin: Preliminary findings
 
Bio: John Shepherd is currently undertaking a petroleum-based PhD in quantitative seismic stratigraphy at the Centre for Energy Geoscience, UWA. His research focusses on investigating shelf-margin architecture and deep-water sand delivery in the Bight Basin. He is employed part-time as a geology tutor and swims competitively.
 
3) Sofya Popik
Title: P-Wave Anisotropy Estimation from 3D VSP Data Acquired with Geophones and DAS at Otway Site.
 
Bio: Sofya Popik is a PhD candidate in Exploration Geophysics at Curtin University, Australia. She completed her BSc and MSc degrees in Geophysics at Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia. Sofya's PhD is in seismic monitoring. It focuses on integration of borehole and surface seismic monitoring techniques in CO2 geosequestration projects. This research project proposes to optimize acquisition of the monitor surveys using collaborative analysis of borehole seismic and surface seismic data. 
 
 4) Muhammad Atif Iqbal
Title: Petrophysical rock typing integrated with mechanical stratigraphy to identify producible and brittle layers in gas shale plays.
 
Bio: Mr. Muhammad Atif Iqbal is currently a PhD candidate in Western Australia School of Mines (WASM), Curtin University. His PhD research is focused on heterogeneity understanding through high-resolution multiscale (analytical and machine learning-based) rock typing to identify producible and brittle layers in gas shale plays. He has more than six years of industry and research experience as a Geoscientist with petroleum and mineral exploration companies. His expertise lies in core logging, formation evaluation, petrophysics and reservoir characterisation

Please rsvp in the link here to get a spot as seats are limited. We are looking forward to see you there.

Presenter: Ain Nadrah Noor Sazali, Iraya Energies

Title: CASE STUDY :  Efficient exploration in the Bonaparte Basin Using Unstructured Data Analytics with ElasticDocs

Abstract:

Mining and Oil and Gas companies are awash with data from many different disciplines, the amount of data is growing exponentially and is estimated to double every 12 to 18 months. The diversity of the available data is such that it is impossible for any single user to efficiently access this information and knowledge. In recent years, these industries have been turning to finding new ways of tackling this challenge, using Big Data and Machine Learning technologies. In Iraya, we have developed ElasticDocs^TM,  an intuitive knowledge container, capable of automatically ingesting and structuring reports, images and presentation using machine learning.

We will present a case study covering the entire Bonaparte Basin for Play Based Exploration (here, for Oil and Gas potential).The technology will be used to address the five most common potential challenges during a geological study: (i) Discrepancies in formation tops, (ii) Limited understanding of lithology distribution, (iii) Limited mineral composition understanding, (iv) Fluid distribution, (v) Pressure/temperature patterns. We will demonstrate how such analysis can be conducted in ElasticDocs and how much time and resources are saved by the geoscientist mining these vast amounts of unstructured data such as reports (G&G, drilling, production), presentations (studies, analysis, summaries), images (cores, thin sections), spreadsheets and tables.

Bio:

Ain Nadrah Noor Sazali is a Digital Earth Scientist in Iraya Energies. With her diverse background of domain expertise (geology, petrophysics) and  also in Data Science, she designs and deploys innovative machine learning and artificial intelligence solutions for unstructured data using ElasticDocs to support the geoscientists and engineers decision making. She holds a MSc in Petroleum Geology, a BSc in Industrial andComputational Mathematics, and a Diploma in Science Physics.

Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5ncAhPosQSiGWO-b-JP8Vw

On Tuesday 2 February, 3:30pm AEDT FedEx is bringing you a talk by Dr Mehdi Tork Qashqai from the CSIRO on Seismic imaging of the crust using Bayesian joint Inversion of teleseismic P-wave coda autocorrelation waveforms.

Deep crustal-scale structures are critical for controlling and development of a wide range of mineral deposits. Incoming seismic waves generated from teleseismic earthquakes can be used to image the deep crustal structures. Traveltimes of the teleseismic P and mode-converted S-waves and their reverberations place a tight constraint on the Vp/Vs ratio, and their amplitude ratio provides tight bounds on the P and S wave velocity jumps across the main discontinuities/boundaries in the subsurface structure below a seismic receiver. Teleseismic P-to-S converted waveforms have been used for decades to estimate the shear-wave velocity of the subsurface and depths of major discontinuities below a seismic receiver through a method known as the P receiver functions. In this presentation, a new and alternative approach is presented. Waveforms associated with the P and all mode-converted shear waves are extracted by the autocorrelation of the teleseismic P-wave coda recorded on the radial and vertical component of a three-component receiver. Then, these waveforms are jointly inverted using a probabilistic joint inversion framework to simultaneously estimate seismic properties of the crust (Vp, Vs and Vp/Vs). This approach is particularly useful when there are no high-quality and reliable receiver function waveforms. This approach is cost-effective and can be used in conjunction with the inversion of receiver function, or the deep active seismic reflection profiling to obtain additional/complementary information on the subsurface structure, especially at middle and lower crustal depths where the deep seismic reflection method has penetration problem. In this presentation, I will show some synthetic and real data examples to confirm the feasibility of this imaging technique and also to encourage further application of this approach.

Bio:

In November 2012, Mehdi joined the PhD program at Geodynamic and Geophysics group at Macquarie university in Sydney, Australia. His research focused on the development and implementation of a multi-parameter geophysical inverse modelling tool known as “LitMod”. In August 2016, Mehdi completed his PhD thesis entitled “Multi-observable Probabilistic Inversion for the Thermochemical Structure of the Lithosphere". Prior to his doctoral study, he was working in the oil and gas exploration industry for 6 years as a seismic processing and team leader geophysicist, delivering processing, imaging, and quantitative interpretation of seismic data. He joined the CSIRO Deep Earth Imaging Future Science Platform (DEI FSP) in July 2017 as a postdoctoral fellow. He is currently a research scientist at CSIRO DEI FSP and his main research in the “Geoscience Imaging” pillar of the DEI research is focused on the developing and application of new passive seismic imaging approaches to obtain better tomographic models of subsurface structure across multiple scales (e.g., from exploration-scale to lithospheric-scale). 

Register now: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_JKe1Im6oSTmmBSh9h7EnSg

The WA Branch of the Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists is excited to invite you to our first person-to-person live ASEG WA Tech Night since March!
We are hosting our upcoming 2020 Student Tech Night presented by WA Honours, Masters or PhD Students from UWA and Curtin.

Three or four students will present their recent work in the field of geophysics at this annual student night. Attendees will be asked to vote on the best presentation, and one student will be awarded a prize courtesy of the WA branch.
Be assured that the Celtic Club is honouring all current Covid restrictions and chairs will be spaced for social distancing. We therefore will have to limit attendance, so first come first served!
 
Mahtab Rashidifard (UWA)
Sofya Popik (Curtin)
Partha Pratim Mandal (Curtin)
TBA

Please rsvp in the below link to get a spot as seats are limited. We are looking forward to see you there.

Register Here!

Pre-stack Depth Imaging: Challenges in exploration-scale volcanic geobody model-building in the Potiguar Basin, Brazil

Rich Bartlett, Shearwater GeoServices

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_PRBuo4cySDixmFf5QwTLMQ

The Potiguar Basin includes the largest oil-producing region in Equatorial Brazil, where production is from the syn-rift to transitional successions. The Pitu well in the deep-water offshore part of the basin found oil, gas and condensate at depths of 4,300m in Upper Aptian sands of the Alagamar and Pescada Formations.

A 10,500 km² 3D survey was acquired in 2019 and seismic processing through PSDM imaging was initiated. The presence of high velocity volcanics in the sedimentary sequence presents unique imaging challenges for Pre-Stack Depth Migration (PSDM). By their nature, volcanic geobodies have a varying thickness, velocity fill and extent, and require detailed interpretation to be represented accurately in a PSDM anisotropic model. This talk will present an iterative and efficient methodology to interpret and refine volcanic geobodies with examples from this exploration-scale PSDM survey.

Rich Bartlett, Depth Imaging Manager from Shearwater GeoServices. Rich graduated in 2002 from the University of Leeds UK and Queen's University Canada with a Masters In Geophysics. He spent his early career as a Geophysicist at Veritas DGC with various roles in the Depth Imaging teams in both London and Calgary offices, moving through the various incarnations of CGGVeritas and CGG. This was followed by 3 years consulting with Monarch Geophysical Services on a range of marine and land acquisition and processing projects before moving back to the frontline with Dolphin Geophysical in 2013, and latterly with Shearwater GeoServices. Rich has helped build Shearwater's Depth Imaging capabilities from scratch, with Shearwater now offering a wide range of inversion and imaging services behind its vessels and to the open proprietary market.

Title and Summary:

Grayscale representative elementary volumes: An innovative approach to investigate pore-scale REVs from raw micro-CT images

Representative Elementary Volumes (REVs) are at the foundation of measuring rock properties that capture local heterogeneities of the rock structure at a particular length-scale for upscaling purposes. High-resolution micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) images of rocks have allowed a full 3D characterization of rock structures at pore-scale. These micro-CT images store information about rock structure as variations in the gray-level intensities or CT numbers. However, the direct use of these information-rich raw micro-CT images for rock characterization has not been possible due to a limited number of rock properties that can be calculated from them. In this study, we implement a novel texture characterization technique called the Gray-level Size Zone Matrix (GLSZM) to analyze the raw micro-CT images. We apply the GLSZM approach to homogeneous and heterogeneous sandstones and carbonates and show that this method highlights important rock features such as mineralogical heterogeneities and sub-resolution porosity. Considering these features, we calculate GLSZM statistics, that serve as proxies to porosity and permeability, which are crucial petrophysical properties. Comparing the trends of these proxies to petrophysical properties at various scales and spatial locations of the rock sample, we then infer Grayscale REVs (GREVs) and validate it using existing literature. Finally, we show that using the GLSZM-based approach, we can infer GREVs in a robust, reproducible, and fast manner. These GREVs can then serve as a priori for further petrophysical characterization of rock samples. 

Bio:

Ankita Singh is a Ph.D. student at the School of Minerals and Energy Resources Engineering at UNSW, Sydney. Her work focusses on implementing texture analysis techniques for rock characterization by directly using raw x-ray images. Her Ph.D. work has been published in reputed journals such as Water Resources Research and Geophysical Research Letters. She also won the 'Best Engineering/Environmental Student Paper' at AEGC 2019 in Perth and was the 2019 Finalist at the UNSW Three Minute Thesis Competition. 

Register now: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_gYxzak7oQ_y6-AE_JwdXEQ

Geoscience Society/AGC – Webinar: Iron-Oxide Copper-Gold (IOCG) Deposits: Definition, Nature, Tectonic Setting and Magmatic-Hydrothermal Origin

Participants will gain an insight into the iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) group of deposits, discussing the temporal distribution and tectonic environments of the various subtypes.

Date: Tuesday 11th August 2020

Time: 5.00 pm – 6.00 pm AWST

Presenter: Professor David I Groves – Recipient of AGC’s National Geoscience Champion Award in 2018

Cost:

AusIMM Member – Free

Member of an AGC Member Society (AIG, GSA, ASEG etc.) – Free

Non Member – $20.00

To register, go to this link

Digital Tech Talk Overview

This talk has a closer look at iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) group of deposits, discussing the temporal distribution and tectonic environments of the various subtypes. The sub-classes include low-Ti iron oxide-associated deposits that include iron oxide (P), iron oxide (F, REE), skarn Fe or Cu-Au and high-grade Au ± Cu.

It appears most likely that formation and preservation of giant IOCG deposits was largely a Precambrian phenomenon related to heightened activity of mantle plumes that impacted on buoyant  metasomatized SCLM at that stage in Earth history, with Phanerozoic IOCG deposits forming only rarely in tectonic settings where conditions similar to those in the Precambrian were replicated.

Presenter Bio

David Groves was born in Brighton, England, and migrated to Tasmania where he was educated at Hobart High School and at the University of Tasmania, completing a PhD on the giant Mt Bischoff tin deposit under the mentorship of Mike Solomon. After a period with the Geological Survey of Tasmania, where he learned mapping and field skills, David was appointed Lecturer in Economic Geology at the University of Western Australia (UWA) in 1972. In 1987, he was awarded a Personal Chair at UWA and formed the Centre for Strategic Mineral Deposits, which morphed into the Centre for Global Metallogeny, with him as Director, and which became the Centre for Exploration Targeting after his retirement as Emeritus Professor. He had a very successful academic career in terms of approximately 500 highly-cited published papers and book chapters, many keynote and invited lectures, and mentorship of many outstanding postgraduates, being awarded 12 medals and prizes, including the SEG Silver and Penrose Gold Medals and the SGA-Newmont Gold Medal, and being inducted into the Australian Academy of Sciences as a Fellow. He has been President of GSA, SEG and SGA during his career and represented Australia on UNESCO committees.

Helitem²: New Technology in Airborne TEM for Deep and Covered Targets with Western Australia Examples

Adam Smiarowski, Chief Geophysicist at CGG

Date & Time: 20^thAugust 2020; 12 – 1PM AWST

Please register here https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_x4nG-nqoRiqRmsGyXj485g

Abstract:

Exploration for targets at depth or targets obscured by conductive overburden have historically been a challenge with airborne EM methods. Although modern systems have been improved with greater primary transmitter moments, noise levels from receiver coil motion in the Earth’s ambient field has limited the detection of secondary target signals, especially at late times, and has limited the use of lower base frequencies. The new Helitem² system uses a patented low-noise receiver, a 50% duty cycle square pulse transmitter waveform, and low Tx base frequency, to achieve increased signal detectability for deep and covered targets.

Modeling and a series of demonstration surveys compared several helicopter-borne time-domain system configurations, including high-moment halfsine waveforms and low base frequency (15 Hz and 7.5 Hz)  50% duty cycle square waveforms.

Using a thin-plate, modelling showed that a low base frequency square pulse will have a significantly larger response than a half sine pulse at standard 30 Hz base frequency for a wide range of target conductances. At early times, the sharper (quicker) turn off of the square wave results in much more high-frequency energy, and therefore better signal, for weakly conductive targets, and better near-surface resolution. At the other extreme, the response from very conductive targets is determined by the area under the transmitter curve, so the low frequency square waves with 16 and 33 ms widths produces more than twice the signal as the half sine.

Demonstration survey line profiles and decay curves over the target and background locations confirmed this modelling for a 400 m deep target and variable overburden. The combination of pulse width, power, and low noise enabled the Helitem² system to be effective at low base frequencies, where very late time data is beneficial for detecting strong and deep targets. The survey demonstrated that the redesigned Rx suspension system was able to reduce coil motion noise, enabling acquisition of high quality low base frequency data useful for detection of deep targets to very late times. The wide-pulse waveform was effective at energizing a moderately-conductive target, increasing signal level by a factor of 2 above a 6 ms pulse. This will be even more beneficial when exploring for strong conductive targets at depth. Prior to this Rx re-design, noise levels at low base frequencies was too high, and the data was not useful for target detection.

Examples from Western Australian are provided, illustrating data improvements of Helitem² operating at 12.5Hz, over a previous survey at 25Hz.

Biography:

Adam has been involved with electrical methods for environmental and exploration applications for 15 years. Adam completed an MSc in Geophysics at RMIT University and PhD in Physics and Geology at the University of Toronto.  He has been involved with airborne EM research, both in frequency and time-domain, with CGG MultiPhysics for the past 9 years. has worked on applications related to reservoir modeling, seismic inversion and machine learning. 

Title: End-to-end seismic inversion of geostatistically complex reservoir facies models with deep convolutional neural networks

Anshuman Pradhan, Stanford University

Date & Time: 6th August 2020; 12 – 1PM AWST

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-3DqbXyKRuuQL88cngGFBg

Summary:

We present a framework for performing end-to-end seismic inversion of reservoir facies models under complex geostatistical models of prior uncertainty. In our methodology, we directly learn the end-to-end inverse mapping between 3D seismic data and reservoir facies using deep 3D convolutional neural networks. Our training dataset is simulated from the forward generative model comprising of the geostatistical prior on facies and geophysical model relating seismic to facies through elastic properties. To ensure reliability during prediction with real data, a method for performing data-based falsification of prior uncertainty is presented. Using a real case study from an offshore deltaic reservoir, we demonstrate the efficacy of our approach by inverting a large-scale facies model from 3D post and partial stack seismic data.

Biography:

Anshuman Pradhan is a PhD candidate in the department of Energy Resources Engineering at Stanford University. He is a research assistant associated with the Stanford Center for Earth Resources Forecasting, Stanford Rock Physics and Borehole Geophysics project and the Stanford Basin and Petroleum System Modeling consortia. Anshuman obtained his M.S. and B.S. degrees in Applied Geophysics from Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad, India. Anshuman has several industry and academic internship experiences where he has worked on applications related to reservoir modeling, seismic inversion and machine learning.