MSc in Oil & Gas and Offshore Engineering

Course Details

Course Information Package

Course Unit TitleGEOPHYSICS AND SEISMIC INTERPRETATION
Course Unit CodeMPE531
Course Unit DetailsMSc Oil & Gas and Offshore Engineering (Elective Courses) -
Number of ECTS credits allocated7
Learning Outcomes of the course unitBy the end of the course, the students should be able to:
  1. Understand basic geodynamics and their role, both regarding the earthquake generation process, as well as for its control on the shallow and deep structure of the lithosphere-asthenosphere system.
  2. Obtain a clear and comprehensive idea regarding the earthquake generation process, the main source characteristics and their role for elastic wave propagation, as well as the main properties of seismic waves.
  3. Assess the suitability and applicability of seismic and non-seismic geophysical methods for geophysical-geotechnical soil characterization in applied problems.
  4. Develop skills for interpreting geophysical data and assessing the variability of strong ground motion parameters.
  5. Solve different types of applied geotechnical engineering problems, through the use of geophysical data, by the examination of several case studies and dedicated hands-on training.
Mode of DeliveryFace-to-face
PrerequisitesNONECo-requisitesNONE
Recommended optional program componentsNONE
Course Contents -  Basic geodynamics (Plate tectonics, Earth’s structure, Earthquake generation).
-  Geophysics: Introduction to geophysics and geophysical techniques. Gravitational and magnetic principles, imaging and instrumentation. Acquisition and processing of gravity, electromagnetic and seismic data. Seismology, origin and form of seismic waves, seismic refraction and reflection. Measurement and processing of geomagnetism and palaeomagnetism.
-  Origin of seismic waves (Fundamentals of wave propagation, Seismic wave attenuation, Basic measures of seismic motions).
-  Seismic Interpretation: Principles of seismic interpretation. Seismic reflection data acquisition and processing. Sequence stratigraphy: concepts and applications to well correlation, well to seismic correlation. Integration of well log and pressure data. Predictions within sequenced stratigraphic sedimentary sequences and unconformities.
-  Applied seismic techniques (Refraction seismics, Basic inversion and tomography, Reflection seismics and Surface wave inversion) and characterization of soil layers (elastic property determination), with a focus on the shear-wave velocity determination.
-  Non-seismic geophysical techniques for geotechnical characterization (Electrical tomography, Gravity and magnetic measurements and their interpretation).

Recommended and/or required reading:
Textbooks
  • S. Stein S. and M. Wysession, An Introduction to Seismology, Earthquakes, and Earth Structure, First Edition, Blackwell Publishing, ISBN: 9780865420786.
  • P.V. Sharma, Environmental and engineering geophysics, Cambridge University Press, ISBN: 9780521576321.
References
  • W. Lowrie, Fundamentals of Geophysics, Second Edition, Cambridge University Press, ISBN: 9780521675963.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods The taught part of course is delivered to the students by means of lectures, conducted with the help of computer presentations. Lecture notes and presentations are available through the web for students to use in combination with the textbooks. Furthermore theoretical principles are explained by means of specific examples and solution of specific problems.
Lectures are supplemented with computer laboratory work carried out with the supervision of a lab assistant. Additionally, during laboratory sessions, students apply their gained knowledge and identify the principles taught in the lecture sessions.

Assessment methods and criteria
Laboratory Work15%
Tests15%
Assignments20%
Final Exam50%
Language of instructionEnglish
Work placement(s)NO

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