Industry

The 8th International Workshop on Airborne Electromagnetics will be held at Fitzroy Island, Queensland Australia, in person between the 4th and 8th September 2023. Fitzroy Island is an unspoilt tropical paradise of rainforest and beaches within the calm sheltered waters of the Great Barrier Reef. The island is a National Park, with walking trails, tropical plants and animals, and abundant marine life.

The Workshop will encompass advances in airborne electromagnetic systems, modelling and interpretation. Case studies covering geotechnical, mining, energy, groundwater and environmental applications will be presented. The event will be a platform to contribute, discuss and learn about airborne electromagnetics and provide a forum for in-depth conversations on the subject area with colleagues from Australia and worldwide.

A four-day program will feature speakers from academia, government and industry, with keynotes delivered by leading experts in their respective streams.

We look forward to welcoming you to the 8th International Airborne Electromagnetics Workshop.

Key Dates

Keep updated with the latest news on AEM 2023 by subscribing.

Joint SMEDG – ASEG night on the 28th July @ 1730. 

More detail to follow. 

Title: A completely different geophysical way to explore for sulphides. Heterodyne method - latest progress and field results

Presenter: Steve Collins

Registration to virtual component: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_aLKzFUIwRt2-b_UgzSVwOA

A completely different geophysical way to explore for sulphides.

Heterodyne method - latest progress and field results.

Steve Collins (presenter), Bob White, Keith Leslie, Andrew Sloot

Abstract

How many ore deposits lie at relatively shallow depths but are invisible to geophysical methods, because they are submerged in graphitic black shales? How many thousand strike kilometres of graphitic black shale are prospective for base metal sulphide deposits? The heterodyne method addresses the problem of distinguishing sulphides from graphite.

As a retirement 'project' (aka hobby) our intrepid team of wrinkly geophysicists has been researching the possibility of using the semi-conducting properties of sulphide minerals to develop an electrical method of detecting subsurface sulphide deposits which does not respond to graphitic black shale. In the future, the method also has the potential for detecting poorly conducting lead zinc mineralisation such as Mississippi Valley style or Broken Hill which may otherwise be invisible.

This project, largely funded and supported by Fender Geophysics, follows up on work done by Bob White nearly half a century ago. The field operation of the method, superficially, looks like Induced Polarisation but is based on an entirely different physical property. If it can be shown to work, it is envisaged that field surveys using this technique will be incorporated into IP surveys as most of the logistics involved is identical. The method may also be amenable to airborne implementation since laboratory tests indicate that the frequencies at which it can operate extend into the range usually used in electromagnetic surveying.

Several field surveys have been run at Argent Minerals' Kempfield deposit and the latest of these strongly suggests that method works, - responding to sulphides but not to black shales. This work needs final verification but the authors of this talk feel that the Holy Grail is now within grasping distance.

The talk covers the history of development, and (in words of one syllable, where possible) the theory behind the method. The latest field results will be discussed together with plans for future work and further development.

Biographies

Steve Collins has a BSc in physics and an MSc in geophysics from Macquarie University. He has over 40 years experience as a mineral exploration geophysicist for multi-nationals and as a consultant. He has been a member of ASEG for 45 years and was on the organising committee of SMEDG for nearly two decades. He is an honourary life member of SMEDG and has been awarded the Lindsay Ingall award by the ASEG.

Bob White has an MSc degree in geology and geophysics from Macquarie University. He has more than 40 years experience as a practical mineral exploration geophysicist both as a company employee and as a consultant.

Keith Leslie currently multi tasks between his roles of CSIRO mentor, grandfather, dinghy sailor and collecting and analysing data for the non-linear sulphide project. He is also working at CSIRO with Clive Foss on characterising magnetic signatures of meteorites and some local objet d'art.

Andrew Sloot is a graduate of Macquarie University and is the owner of Fender Geophysics, a Sydney base geophysical contracting company. Fender is the engine under the bonnet of this project and provides financial, logistics and moral support. Andrew has been on the SMEDG committee since 2010 and also holds the ASEG Lindsay Ingall award.

Title: 3D geological modelling: a multi-source heterogeneous data integration tool to advance the knowledge of geological regions, mineral systems and groundwater resources. An example from NSW.

Presenter: Dr. Giovanni Spampinato

Date: 15 June, 2022

Time: 1800-1900

Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_qIybq1hzRq612TLzwTX-XQ

Overview:

The geological architecture and associated mineral resources in eastern Australia are largely obscured by post-Carboniferous sedimentary and volcanic cover. This poses serious challenges towards the understanding of the tectonic evolution of Phanerozoic Australia as well as the ability to find new resources undercover.

Over the past decade, 3D geological modelling has become a fundamental tool to better understand the architecture and unravel the mineral potential of buried terranes.

Recently, the Geological Survey of NSW has developed a series of interlocking 3D models of orogenic provinces, basins, major faults and thickness of post-Carboniferous cover across the state. Constraining datasets for the construction of the 3D models include surface geological mapping, geological cross-sections, well data, digital elevation models, seismic, gravity and magnetic data and 2D forward models. These synthetic 3D models consolidated the available geological datasets and refined the existing interpretations. The NSW 3D Models also establish a fundamental state-wide geological framework that will provide context for future 3D models and geological surveys.

3D modelling is now within everyone's reach. The fact that prospective rocks lie, for the most part, untested beneath cover creates a tremendous opportunity for better prediction and exploration strategies using the latest advances and technologies. The rapid development 3D geological modelling tools as well as increased computing power allow geologists to take a more robust, holistic scientific approach to geological investigation, mining exploration, project design and quantitative resource estimation.

Bio:

iovanni is an experienced geophysicist with project management background. His expertise includes processing and interpretation of geological and geophysical data, 3D modelling & inversion and large data management for mineral exploration, resource evaluation and targeting.

Giovanni completed a PhD at Monash University that contributed to a better understanding of plate architecture and evolution of the transition between Proterozoic Australia and the eastern margin of Gondwana, with a focus on the southern Mount Isa terrane and the central Thomson Orogen in Queensland.

Before joining CSIRO, Giovanni worked as a senior geoscientist and 3D modeler at the Geological Survey of NSW, building 2D and 3D geological and structural models of tectonic provinces, basins and sites of interest, and working with geologists to ground truth them in order to improve/update geological interpretations. He has worked at a range of scales, modelling shallow features in regolith, as well as deep crustal-scale features. His current role at CSIRO will contribute to create new knowledge and methods in the field of 3D geological modelling through an integrated approach, developing new technologies to mitigate 3D geological risk in resources management and support industry programs for Exploration Through Cover and Orebody Knowledge

Title: Machine Learning solutions to seismic processing challenges.

Speaker: Amarjeet Kumar

Date: Thu., 30 June 2022

Time: 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm AWST

Location: Mayfair Lane, 72 Outram St, West Perth, 6005

Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/aseg-wa-branch-event-june-2022-tech-night-tickets-361654256617

WA Branch's upcoming event where Amarjeet Kumar will talk on Machine Learning solutions to seismic processing challenges.

About this event

Machine learning (ML) has been attracting a large amount of interest lately in many industries. In seismic data processing, machine learning offers the potential to provide productivity gains through automated testing and QC. In this talk, we will briefly discuss the principles of supervised machine learning and demonstrate its application to various seismic processing challenges. The results show that machine learning-based solutions could soon become a useful tool for seismic data processing. No prior knowledge of machine learning is required to attend this talk.

You are warmly invited to join us for a talk by Dr Pete Betts (Professor, School of Earth, Atmosphere, and Environment and Associate Dean of Graduate Research at Monash University) on Wednesday 15th June from 6pm at The Kelvin Club. Admission to this event is generously free for members.

Is it time to rethink the Geoscience narrative to save our discipline - what can you do as an individual?

Australian Geosciences, and particularly geophysics is undergoing some serious challenges as a consequence of the COVID pandemic. Several University departments and schools have downsized, merged, or have been obliterated. Other departments have been spared but have had to modify and compromised their curriculums. This University challenge will soon become an industry workforce challenge if it is not already. The pandemic, however, is not the cause of these challenges, it has been merely a catalyst for a problem that has existed for decades in the geosciences.

Teaching geosciences is not a break-even activity for a university, it is expensive to teach, and student numbers declined between 2013 and 2021. Geosciences should be an attractive subject for STEM students, after all, it is the study of our planet.

What has gone wrong? In Australia, there has been an assumption that student numbers are linked to the boom-bust cycle. This statement holds true for Western Australia but becomes increasingly decoupled in the east. Further, the decline of geosciences as a discipline to study is a global phenomenon with Europe, UK, and North America also having a similar decline in popularity.

What has gone wrong? There is no single factor that can fingerprint the challenge. It is a combination of the association between geology and mining, and the negative impact on the climate change and trust. We have been generally poor at effectively engaging with influential advocates for our discipline such as Mum and Dads, schoolteachers and careers advisors, and we are generally very transaction in the way we talk about our discipline. This presentation will look at some of these challenges and highlight some of the simple things that we can do as individuals to improve the image and celebrate our great disciplines more effectively.

Speaker bio: Pete Betts is a Professor in Structural Geophysics at the School of Earth, Atmosphere, and Environment at Monash University. He is also the Associate Dean of Graduate Research, where he is responsible for the Ph.D. and Research Masters portfolio in the Faculty of Science. Peter is a geoscientist that straddles the geology-geophysics boundary. He has more than 25 years of research experience and diverse research activities that include geophysical analysis of Proterozoic basin systems, Proterozoic tectonics, and geodynamic modelling and geophysical interpretation of modern tectonic settings. He is currently undertaking research in the Red Sea, North Australian Craton, and New Zealand, and focuses his research on the influence of structural inheritance, Triple Junction initiation, and the geodynamics of congested convergent plate margins. Pete is the current President of the Geological Society of Australia and was the inaugural 2018 GSA Ambassador where he did a virtual tour of the country focusing on the "Geosciences narrative" - this presentation is an updated version that considers the impacts of the pandemic.

Note: light refreshments will be served at this event.

Please register your interest in attending this event by using the link below:

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/aseg-vic-technical-meeting-night-tickets-348707472437

Geological Interpretation of Aeromagnetic Data – a Practical Approach

2-Day Online Workshop, 1st – 2nd August 2022

(Limited to 30 places)

NExUS-Professional Development (NExUS-PD) is proud to be able to present this very highly regarded workshop online for the very first time.
• The specially designed two-day online workshop* will introduce the fundamentals of geological interpretation of aeromagnetic data.
• The workshop will feature lectures, practical activities and case studies all using integrated data sets.
• Each day will feature 3 x 2hr sessions with exercises to be completed between the sessions and time allocated for extended discussions.
• The format aims for open, transparent communication, with input from participants highly encouraged to share knowledge and experiences.
*This is a level-4 course (honours level) and is designed to be suitable for early career geoscientists, honours students and HDR students. The workshop is not assessed.

Day 1, Methodology of Aeromagnetic Interpretation – David Isles (1st Aug) :
• Sessions will include: Basic Principles, Physics and Concepts of Magnetics, Spatial Concepts, Survey Planning, Processing and Presentation of Data, Anomalies, RTP and Analytical Signal, Modelling and Inversion, Introduction to Golden Dyke Prospect Case Study
Day 2, Geological Interpretation and Structure – Leigh Rankin (2nd Aug) :
• Sessions will include: Golden Dyke Prospect Case Study, Magnetisation in Rocks, Charters Towers Case Study, Structures in Magnetics, Widgiemooltha Case Study, Unusual Magnetisation and Final Q+A session.

To Register, click here. 

Full Registration: $500

AIG and ASEG Members: $400

Students: $50

For further information view this flyer or, please contact: Richard.Lilly@Adelaide.edu.au

Geological Interpretation of Aeromagnetic Data – a Practical Approach

2-Day Online Workshop, 1st – 2nd August 2022

(Limited to 30 places)

NExUS-Professional Development (NExUS-PD) is proud to be able to present this very highly regarded workshop online for the very first time.
• The specially designed two-day online workshop* will introduce the fundamentals of geological interpretation of aeromagnetic data.
• The workshop will feature lectures, practical activities and case studies all using integrated data sets.
• Each day will feature 3 x 2hr sessions with exercises to be completed between the sessions and time allocated for extended discussions.
• The format aims for open, transparent communication, with input from participants highly encouraged to share knowledge and experiences.
*This is a level-4 course (honours level) and is designed to be suitable for early career geoscientists, honours students and HDR students. The workshop is not assessed.

Day 1, Methodology of Aeromagnetic Interpretation – David Isles (1st Aug) :
• Sessions will include: Basic Principles, Physics and Concepts of Magnetics, Spatial Concepts, Survey Planning, Processing and Presentation of Data, Anomalies, RTP and Analytical Signal, Modelling and Inversion, Introduction to Golden Dyke Prospect Case Study
Day 2, Geological Interpretation and Structure – Leigh Rankin (2nd Aug) :
• Sessions will include: Golden Dyke Prospect Case Study, Magnetisation in Rocks, Charters Towers Case Study, Structures in Magnetics, Widgiemooltha Case Study, Unusual Magnetisation and Final Q+A session.

To Register, click here. 

Full Registration: $500

AIG and ASEG Members: $400

Students: $50

For further information view this flyer or, please contact: Richard.Lilly@Adelaide.edu.au

Title: Challenging land seismic surveys, from design to implementation to imaging

Presenter: Dr Claudio Strobbia

Location: Thomas Cooper Room, Coopers Alehouse, 316 Pulteney St, Adelaide

Date: Wednesday 25th May

Time: 5:30 pm for a 6:15 pm start

Cost: Members & students free, non-members $10, includes finger food & drinks

SA/NT ASEG Branch Members interested in joining the SA/NT branch committee (President, Treasurer, Secretary, General Committee) please email Ben Kay before 25th May at ben.kay@adelaide.edu.au

Volunteering for a professional society such as the ASEG can be a very rewarding activity with great personal and professional development, and a great opportunity to have impact and contribute to the society. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about joining the committee. The AGM will be held 10 minutes prior to Claudios talk. 

Overview:

The challenges of land seismic are a result of the perturbations and of the noise, coherent and incoherent, related to the presence of a highly variable near-surface. The first tens to hundreds of meters not only present a phenomenal variability of geophysical properties, distorting the wavefield, but also host a variety of wave types, which with their scattering can obscure the true reflections from deeper targets. Furthermore, the access and logistical constraints can often prevent a regular sampling of the wavefield.

To solve these challenges and to get a clearer image of the targets, the nature of these phenomena and perturbations must be understood and anticipated. Improvements in signal and noise characterisation can describe and simulate most of the coherent and incoherent noise to create realistic seismic gathers, allowing optimal decisions on the sampling, to define both the micro- and macro-geometry. The novel processing approaches allow leveraging data, for both high-density surveys and sparser, highly irregular geometries.

Claudio will present some novel and innovative approaches to these challenges and demonstrate it is possible to design 3D surveys that result in usable images whilst at the same time maintaining a clear vision to reduce the field effort, safety exposure, costs, and the environmental impact of our seismic operations. Claudio looks forward to a robust discussion with the audience during the Q&A and after the talk. 

Bio:
Claudio is a research and operations geoscientist, with broad interests in exploration seismology, exploration geophysics and earthquake seismology. As a solution-oriented data geoscientist he enjoys exploring different fields and applications, with a preference for land seismology and challenging exploration data. As an entrepreneur, he is the CEO and Chief Research Scientist of Realtimeseismic (RTS) where his focus is on the development and application of technology and innovation in the geosciences.

Prior to RTS, Claudio was the global land processing specialist and seismic processing supervisor with TotalEnergies (Total) in Pau, France. Before joining Total, he was a senior research geophysicist with Schlumberger, stationed in both Cairo, Egypt, and London, UK. He has worked as a researcher for the EUCENTRE in Pavia, Italy and has taught exploration seismology at the University of Milano-Bicocca. His primary interests are in wave physics, inverse problems, near-surface geophysics, and seismic processing. Within exploration seismology, his main contributions are in noise attenuation and near-surface characterization. Claudio has contributed to scientific and commercial advances in seismic acquisition, seismic data conditioning and data processing, near-surface geophysics, and surface waves and reviews for different scientific journals, enjoys developing training modules and content and teaching.

ASEG Queensland Branch May Technical Talk and AGM

Date and time: Wednesday 25th May 2022, 17.15 – 19.15

Presenter: Dr Adrian McCallum

Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/aseg-queensland-agm-2022-and-may-technical-talk-tickets-336794410147

Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_UtT1JuOeSG2E-lN2hA-uUA

Overview:

Adrian McCallum has dabbled in geophysics for decades; as a sensor operator on Navy Seahawk helicopters or as a glaciologist measuring ice characteristics in the Arctic or Antarctica. In this brief discussion, he reflects on his diverse geophysical and geotechnical work till this time and introduces future opportunities to employ geophysics, across a diverse range of environments.

The annual Victorian Universities Earth and Environmental Sciences Conference (VUEESC) was recently held on the 21st and 22nd of April. As part of its education awareness promotion, ASEG Victoria kindly sponsored the Geophysics session of this conference via a one-off cash prize to the best student presenter as judged by a selection of their peers. Due to the quality of the presentations, I am pleased to announce prizes were awarded to the top two student presenters from the Geophysics session, both of whom will be presenting at the next technical meeting night.

You are warmly invited to come support Mr. Mohammed Alsaleh (MSc candidate, Monash University) and Mr Chibuzo Chukwu (PhD candidate, Monash University) as they present their award winning talks on Tuesday 17th May from 6pm at The Kelvin Club. Admission to this event is free for members, so please ensure you have renewed your membership for 2022 before registering.

Please find each student's abstract from the official VUEESC 2022 conference volume here and here.

Bios:

Mr. Mohammed Alsaleh bio: Mohammed is a new earth sciences master's student at Monash University. He previously held a teaching position at the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia where he gained 4-years of teaching experience. During his BSc at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), he participated in research activities that include seismic up-hole methods and fracking impacts on groundwater aquifers. He also participated in translating the "Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Exploration Geophysics" by Robert E. Sheriff from English to Arabic. He is currently working on estimating the sand properties from up-hole seismic data. As he begins a new journey at Monash, he is shifting his research focus to the geomagnetism of suture zones in the Arabian Shield.

Mr. Chibuzo Chukwu bio: Chibuzo is a current PhD student at Monash University, a researcher with the Structural and Geophysics Group, and a 2021 ASEG Foundation Grant recipient. He has experience in geophysical surveys, processing and interpreting potential field, seismic and near-surface geophysical data for mineral exploration and tectonic studies.  Chibuzo's PhD research is focused on unravelling the influence of pre-existing structures in the evolution of triple junctions using a multi-scale and multi-disciplinary approach that includes a combination of structural geology, potential fields geophysics, seismic, well-logs, 2D & 3D modelling, machine learning and drone surveys.

Note: Light refreshments will be served during the evening.

Please register your interest in attending this event by using the following link:

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/aseg-vic-technical-meeting-night-17-may-2022-tickets-333653726277