Industry

Title: Multi-parameter FWI imaging: high-resolution imaging directly from raw field data

Presenter: Tom Rayment, Chief Geophysicist, DUG Technology

Date: Tuesday 10th May 2022

Time: 7pm AEST

Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_CN-_WOEpTemeHTx7FF_gtA

Abstract:

Traditional seismic processing workflows can be extremely time-consuming since subsequent stages are only begun after extensive testing and QC of the current process. This linear approach takes the raw field data and passes it through a plethora of conditioning tools (such as designature, deghosting, demultiple and regularisation) to transform the data into a form that can be imaged by legacy migration algorithms, such as Kirchhoff 3D preSDM.

Full waveform inversion (FWI) imaging is a multi-scattering least-squares approach uses the raw field data to estimate many subsurface parameters, including reflectivity, simultaneously ahead of a conventional processing workflow. Since it is using the primaries, multiples and ghosts during imaging, the result is a set of higher resolution subsurface models but in a fraction of the time of a conventional processing workflow due to the fact that little to no pre-processing is required.

In this presentation we demonstrate an 85 Hz comparison between a conventional processing workflow and a novel FWI imaging technique that utilises an augmented wave equation and an advanced optimisation scheme. The FWI imaging approach is simultaneously inverting for velocity and an intercept-reflectivity vector which is fit for structural and amplitude analysis.

Title: Selling Planet Earth: Communicating Geoscience for Society

Presenters: A/Prof Heather Handley and Prof Iain Stewart

Date: Thursday 31st March

Time: 6pm AEDT

Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2noRTD4zTSmZvnFBpFoVGQ

Biographies:

Professor Iain Stewart:

Iain Stewart is the El Hassan bin Talal Research Chair in Sustainability at the Royal Scientific Society (Amman, Jordan), co-Director of the Centre for Climate Change & Sustainability at Ashoka University (India), and Professor of Geoscience Communication at the University of Plymouth. The founding director of the University of Plymouth’s ‘Sustainable Earth Institute’, Iain’s long-standing research interests are in natural hazards, sustainable geoscience, and earth science communication. 

His geo-communication work has built on a 15 year partnership with BBC television presenting geoscience programmes (notably ‘Earth: The Power of the Planet’, ‘Earth: The Climate Wars’, ‘How Earth Made Us’, ‘How To Grow A Planet’, ‘The Rise of the Continents’ and ‘Planet Oil) and recently was academic advisor on Sir David Attenborough’s acclaimed BBCseries ‘Severn Worlds, One Planet’. 

Awarded an MBE for his services to geography and geology education, he is President of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, and was Communications Lead and Evidence Chair for the Scottish Government’s Climate Citizen’s Assembly. A global champion of Earth science, Iain leads the UNESCO International Geoscience Programme project 685 on Geology and Sustainable Development and holds a UNESCO Chair in Geoscience and Society.

Associate Professor Heather Handley:

Heather Handley is a volcanologist and geochemist and has worked on some of the most active volcanoes on the planet. She uses the chemistry of volcanic rocks and their minerals to better understand how volcanoes work and what triggers volcanic eruptions in order to reduce volcanic risk. 

 Heather holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Geology from The University of Edinburgh and a PhD in Volcano Geochemistry from Durham University in the UK. She was awarded an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship in 2012 to advance our understanding of the timescales of Earth-system processes. Heather is an Associate Professor in Volcanic Hazards and Geoscience Communication at the University of Twente and Adjunct Associate Professor at Monash University. She is a member of UNESCO IGCP 685 Project Team and Governing Councillor of the Geological Society of Australia.

 Heather is driven to communicate the critical role of geoscience in our sustainable future. She is Co-Founder and Director of the Earth Futures Festival and part of an international team currently creating an atlas to highlight the many contributions of geoscientists to global sustainability challenges. Heather is a Science and Technology Australia 2021-2022 Superstar of STEM and passionate science communicator. She has led and participated in over 70 geoscience outreach events and workshops. She frequently writes for The Conversation and has given more than 90 television, radio and print interviews on volcanoes. Heather has featured in documentaries for National Geographic and Discovery Science and is currently writing a popular science book on Australia’s volcanoes.

 Heather strongly advocates for Women in STEM, diversity and inclusion and is Co-Founder and Inaugural President of the Women in Earth and Environmental Science Australasia (WOMEESA) Network. Heather received an AIPS NSW Young Tall Poppy Award in 2014 and the Geological Society of Australia’s Beryl Nashar Medal in 2021. Heather is also mum to two very curious young girls. 

Title: Surface wave tomography in engineering: Move over MASW, FTAN is here.

Presenter: Dr Craig O’Neil

Date: Wednesday 16th March 2022

Time: 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm AEDT

Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_cAHHIn2YQDe9VOWKmH-T6Q

Abstract:

Many large scale civil works, such as dams and foundations, require a detailed knowledge of the shear-wave velocity and elastic properties of the underlying bedrock. These properties determine the earthquake risk and ground acceleration of a dam, or the vibrational response of built structures. Over recent years, multichannel analysis of seismic waves (MASW) has been widely adopted to provide this information, and has been incorporated into engineering guidelines such as ANCOLD.  However, these methods are time intensive, and a high level of interpreter skill is needed to identify phase velocity modes within noisy data, and misinterpretation of fundamental modes can lead to unrealistic geological models.  Here we develop an approach from the research seismology realm - frequency time analysis (FTAN) - to provide an alternative approach. Field acquisition can co-opt existing refraction surveys, and uses a Gaussian-band filtering to identify fundamental and higher group velocity modes in the data, which can be inverted for vertical S-wave velocity structure. I show a number of field examples, and highlight the approache's ability to discern site-specific engineering information such as rock-mass classification, degree of weathering, and earthquake risk to structures. An explosion of development in renewable infrastructure, from wind onshore and offshore wind turbines and foundation characterisation, pumped hydroelectricity schemes, and geothermal reservoir development, is being seen recently, and the FTAN approach offers a reliable and affordable way of characterising local geotechnical properties

Bio:

Dr Craig O’Neill has over 17 years’ experience in geophysics, engineering geology, and computational geoscience. He has utilised geophysical techniques and geological approaches to deliver on diverse projects from groundwater exploration in remote communities, archaeological excavations in Italy, electromagnetics for copper mineralisation, and geothermal characterisation of deep sedimentary basins. He has supervised projects in slope stability and landslide risk in developing countries, drone photogrammetry, and rock mechanics. He developed a geotechnical laboratory and teaching program at Macquarie University, where he was also director of a major Research Centre. He also has a long experience with computational geoscience and machine learning. He has over 74 highly cited Earth Science papers, and was a member of the Australian Academy of Science’s National Committee for Earth Science, where he helped draft the National Decadal Plan

Title: A Bayesian Re-appraisal of Australian Heat Flow: insights on science questions and inverse modelling

Presenter: Dr Marcus Haynes, Geoscience Australia

Date: 28-July-22

Time: 12:30 (ACT)

Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hntBrADWS963cOBcMF81ng

Short abstract: Geothermal data offers a unique perspective from which to image the Earth. However, geothermal data is difficult to collect and this has necessitated a reliance on industrial data collection during the exploration for mineral and petroleum resources. Resulting data quality issues have limited previous studies in their ability map the information contained in the data into robust model inferences. In this presentation, I will reflect on aspects of my PhD research where I employed a Bayesian statistical framework to address the above issues, predominantly through the re-appraisal of Australian crustal heat flow data. A novel inverse model will be discussed and used to infer the surface heat flow field across Australia. Alongside insights into Australia’s heat flow field, I will also reflect on my own personal insights into the nature and application of Bayesian inverse methods in geophysics.

Bio:

Dr Marcus Haynes is the module leader for the Lithospheric Geophysics and Economic Fairways projects under Geoscience Australia’s Exploring for the Future program. He holds a Bachelor of Global and Ocean Sciences (Hons) and a PhD in geophysics, both from the Australian National University. He joined Geoscience Australia fifteen years ago, initially as a cadet, and has experience in multidisciplinary geoscience with a focus on geophysical inference and mineral potential assessments.

More details to follow. 

Date: 27/09/2022

Time: 1600 (Canberra)

Speaker: Constanza Manassero

Title: Including 3D Magnetotelluric Data into Joint Probabilistic Inversions for Imaging the Deep Earth

Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_h0re9idHQteBaeln9u3-eg

Abstract

Multi-observable inversions are gaining popularity for imaging the structure of the lithosphere (Afonso et al., 2016). Of particular interest is the joint inversion of magnetotelluric (MT) with seismic data as their complementary sensitivity to the thermal structure, hydrogen content and small volumes of fluid or melt offer a powerful means to detect fluid pathways in the lithosphere including the locus of partial melting, ore deposits and hydrated lithologies. This unique potential has given impetus to the acquisition of collocated MT and seismic data over large regions (e.g., AusLAMP/AusArray in Australia).

Probabilistic inversions provide complete information about the unknown parameters and their uncertainties conditioned on the data and modelling assumptions. Joint probabilistic inversions of MT and seismic data have been successfully implemented in the context of 1D MT data only. For the cases of 2D and 3D MT data, however, the large computational cost of the MT forward problem has been the main impediment for pursuing probabilistic inversions. To overcome this limitation, we have presented a novel strategy (Manassero et al., 2020, 2021) that reduces the computational cost of the 3D MT forward solver and allows us to perform full joint probabilistic inversions of MT and other datasets for the 3D imaging of deep thermochemical anomalies and fluid pathways.

In this webinar I will introduce our novel strategy and, as part of the Exploring for the Future program, I will present preliminary results of the first joint probabilistic inversion of 3D MT in southeast Australia using the AusLAMP data and a seismic velocity model derived from teleseismic tomography (Rawlinson et al.,2016). We also make interpretations of our conductivity models using the code MATE (Özaydın and Selway, 2020). These results demonstrate the capabilities of our conceptual and numerical framework for 3D joint probabilistic inversions of MT with other geophysical data sets and open up exciting opportunities for elucidating the Earth’s interior in other regions.

Bio

Dr. Manassero has graduated with a PhD in Geophysics at Macquarie University, Australia, in December 2019. Her project consisted of the development of new methodologies to help study the lithospheric structure and mapping the location of mineral deposits and energy sources within Australia. In particular, she has developed a new methodology for probabilistic inversion of 3D magnetotelluric (MT) data as part of an ARC-funded research program. She is currently working as a Post-doctoral Research fellow at Macquarie University in the same research field as part of an ARC Linkage Grant with UNSW, Geoscience Australia and several Australian Geological Surveys.

ASEG Victoria 2022 Technical Meeting Series

Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/aseg-vic-technical-meeting-night-tickets-282327708777

Title: Loop – an interoperable, integrative, probabilistic 3D geological modelling platform.

Presenter:  Dr. Laurent Ailleres

Date: Tuesday 15th March from 6pm

Location: The Kelvin Club, 14-30 Melbourne Place, Melbourne, VIC 3000

Abstract:

With the current need for critical metals (including Cu), the ability to be predictive undercover and to improve mining of known resources, requires the ability to better predict sub-surface geology at multiple scales. Geologically consistent mine models should equate to better resource models and consequently a more economical way of producing the required resources for a greener future with increased recovery rates and reduced number of resources required and waste produced.

We present the current state of the Loop project, an open-source interoperable, integrative, probabilistic 3D geological modelling platform. We have implemented the use of all structural geological data (e.g., fault kinematics, fold axial surfaces, fold axes, deformational overprinting relationship) in the modelling process. We have automated the building of 3D geological models from geological survey served geological data including automatic geological map topological analysis and geological history building. As a proof of concept, users can now draw a polygon on a map and generate 3D models in just a few minutes using the map2loop and LoopStructural libraries (github.com/Loop3D). We are integrating geophysical constraints and modelling as early as possible in the modelling workflow. Model uncertainty is characterised and an integral part of the modelling process.

The main outcome of the development of the structural modelling method (LoopStructural) is the definition of structural frames which allow the definition of a curvilinear and conformable to layering, rectangular coordinate system throughout the models. We present the concept for LoopResources, the property modelling library for the Loop platform. Using this deformed cartesian coordinate system, we propose to adapt geostatistical and interpolation methods to curvilinear coordinate systems using classical approaches of UVW transformations. This will ensure that lithological anisotropies are enforced during resource estimation and property modelling.

Loop is a OneGeology initiative, initiated by Geoscience Australia and funded by Australian Territory, State and Federal Geological Surveys, the ARC and the MinEx CRC with the participation of BHP, Anglo American and GSWA. The project is led by Monash University and involves research groups from the University of Western Australia, the RING consortium at the Universite de Lorraine, Nancy, France and RWTH Aachen in Germany. In-kind research is also provided by Natural Resources Canada (Geological Survey of Canada), Geoscience Australia and the British Geological Survey. Other partners include AuScope and the USGS

Bio:

Initially trained as a structural geologist, Laurent was awarded his PhD in 1996, in structural geology, having worked in the French Alps and from an office only meters away from the development of the Gocad 3D modelling package. Since 1996, he has been a research fellow at Monash University. He introduced Gocad to the Australian mining industry, academia and many governmental organisations. Laurent is interested in the evolution of tectonic processes through time and their effect on multi-scale mineralisation processes. He specialises in structural geology and geophysics as well as multi-scale 3D geological modelling applied to tectonics and minerals exploration. He teaches field mapping at undergraduate level in poly-deformed metamorphic terranes and advanced structural mapping and structural geophysics at postgraduate level. His geological experience spans multiple scales across Africa, Europe, Australia and the Americas. He leads the Loop initiative to develop the next generation of 3D geological and geophysical modelling tools and champions structurally-ruled probabilistic geological modelling. Laurent is also managing director of PGN Geoscience Pty Ltd, a small consulting company providing services to the minerals exploration and mining industries, from global scale project generation, to litho-structural interpretations of geophysical data, to smaller-scale structural analysis of mineralisation controls at the deposit scale.

Note: Light refreshments will be served during the evening.

Title: Geophysical vectors for iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG) exploration: Cloncurry METAL project.

Presenter: Dr James Austin (CSIRO)

Date & Time: Wednesday 16th February 2022 at 1800

Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_bLEg37-vT_Gnf2Zm8Dw_Lg

Abstract:

The classic Status Quo of IOCG exploration is “the combined gravity-magnetic high”. Whilst historically successful for IOCG exploration, it is not useful for many Cloncurry “IOCGs”, which may be magnetite-, to hematite- or pyrrhotite-dominated or have negligible dense or magnetic minerals. Many Cloncurry IOCG’s don’t have significant gravity anomalies, some do not have significant magnetic anomalies, and some neither. IOCGs do however have predictable geophysical zonation related to alteration zonation. They tend to form on redox and/or pH gradients and they are structurally controlled. This talk will outline three novel geophysics-based approaches to IOCG exploration. It will explore how metasomatic processes can be translated into geophysical parameters, propose methods to map redox gradients/structures using integrated geophysics and petrophysics and illustrate how anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) data integrated with quantitative mineralogy can objectively map structural controls and predict ore body geometries.

Bio:

Jim studied structural geology and applied geophysics at Macquarie University, in the halcyon days, late last millennia. He gained employment as a cartographer and illustrator on the Australian Geographic Magazine in 1999 and commenced a PhD on the Cloncurry Lineament in 2003. Post PhD Jim worked in mineral exploration, geophysics consulting, and hydrocarbon exploration across Australia. Since joining CSIRO in 2011 Jim’s main passion has been integrating petrophysics with mineralogy, structural geology, and geophysics to better understand the inner workings of mineral deposits. Jim was part of the organising committee for the inaugural AEGC conference in 2018, sat on the ASEG Fedex in 2019, and was president of the NSW branch of the ASEG up until a few moments ago.

The 2022 AGM of the Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists (ASEG) will be held on Thursday, 7 April 2022

Join Zoom Meeting at: 17:30 AEST, 18:00 ACST & 15:30 AWST.

Face to Face:  XXXX Brewery, Level 1, Cnr Black &, Paten Street, Milton QLD 4064, 5pm arrival for 5.30pm start

In order to participate in the Zoom AGM 2022, please register no later Friday, 1 April 2022. 

Online - https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAtde-gpzsuE9Zyv6QoglSQ5TQqbyAVmnmI

In person - https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/aseg-agm-and-talk-role-of-the-oil-and-gas-industry-towards-net-zero-tickets-304470859537

The business of the Annual General Meeting will be:

• To confirm the minutes of the last preceding general meeting.
• To receive from the Federal Executive reports on the activities of the Society during the last preceding financial year.
• To receive and consider the financial accounts and audit reports that are required to be submitted to Members pursuant to the Constitution and to law.
• To report the ballot results for the election of the new office holders for the Federal Executive.
• To consider and if agreed approve changes and adopt the ASEG Constitution.
• To confirm the appointment of financial auditors for 2022.

The AGM will commence with a scientific presentation from Dr. Taku Ide, Head of Carbon at Cleanaway Waste.

Title: The Role of the oil and gas industry towards a net zero future

Reducing, and ultimately reaching net-zero CO2 emissions from fossil fuels are critical to solving the climate challenge. 

Science shows that if we do not achieve net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050, many of the climate events we are witnessing – severe weather events, rising sea levels, ocean acidification and rising temperatures – will continue and likely accelerate, and negatively impact many of the world's key infrastructure, farming practices, and ecosystems that support the modern day economy. Worst impacts will tend to fall on those least responsible for the problem (IPCC 2018) who may not have the means to adapt to the changing world. These implications are motivating companies to reduce their emissions and position their portfolio of goods and services to a 1.5C aligned world. 

There are exciting roles that geophysicists can play in this transition, ranging from developing cost-effective methods to monitor efficacy of carbon capture and storage (CCS), identifying ideal sites for underground hydrogen (H2) storage, reducing uncertainties around rate of sea level rising, and studying other planetary bodies for habitability. 

The talk will share latest findings from climate science that are driving the shift towards decarbonisation, and explore emerging areas where geophysics expertise are critical.

Bio: Dr. Taku Ide holds a BS in Chemical Engineering, and a Masters and Ph.D in Petroleum Engineering, all from Stanford University. Upon graduating, he founded and ran a consulting firm specialised in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and associated risks for global firms, states, and Native American Tribes in the United States. He currently serves as the Head of Carbon at Cleanaway Waste Management to develop its carbon management strategy. 

Invitation for candidates for the Federal Executive  

Members of the Federal Executive serve in an honorary capacity. They are all volunteers and ASEG Members are encouraged to consider volunteering for a position on the Executive or on one of its committees. Current members are listed in Preview; please contact one of them if you wish to know more about volunteering for your Society. Self- nominations are encouraged.  

Thank you for your continued support.

Documents:

• Agenda
• Proxy form
• Proxy form (corporate members)
• ASEG Constitution and By Laws April 2022
• ASEG Accounts 2021
• 2021.04.06 ASEG AGM 2021 Minutes

The AAPG Asia Pacific Region will hold a 2-day Geological Technical Workshop (GTW) in Sydney from 6-7 July 2022.   The theme is Structural Geology and our Future – The Role of Tectonic Geoscience in Energy Transition, Focusing on the Asia-Pacific Region.

The proposed sessions/sub-themes:

1. Regional tectonic settings - Plate movements within the region; tectonic history; palaeo-tectonic reconstructions
2. New structural and tectonic techniques: remote sensing; potential fields; digitalisation; data integration; modelling and simulation
3. Tectonic stresses, faulting and fracture systems, including implications for CO2 sequestration and geothermal/thermodynamic energy
4. Geomechanics and prediction of trapping configurations
5. Fold and Thrust Belts in the Asia Pacific Region
6. Structural controls in base metal, rare Earth, and mineral exploration
7. Tectonic settings and structural regimes key to Hydrogen and Helium exploration
8. Impact of tectonics on geohazard assessment and geo-engineering
9. Structural and fracture understanding for groundwater management

ASEG members are able to register at the AAPG member rate. Additional details can be found here.