GEOL384.3: Introduction to Applied Geophysics

GEOL334.3: Gravity, Magnetic, Electromagnetic, and Radiometric Methods

Instructor:

Igor Morozov (Geology Rm 142; 966-2761), igor.morozov@usask.ca, 

Labs/Assignment instructor:

Yifan Cheng (volunteer TA) pvb429@mail.usask.ca

Course web page:

http://seisweb.usask.ca/classes/GEOL384-334/2024/WWW/index.html

13 weeks of lectures, 11 labs.

See the syllabi for GEOL384 and GEOL334 and lab outlines here. Both lecture sets and labs are similar, with somewhat higher technical expectations  from students involved in GEOL334.

Course text (required for GEOL334.3 and recommended for GEOL384.3):

• J. M. Reynolds, An Introduction to Applied and  Environmental Geophysics, 2-nd ed, 2011, Willey-Blackwell

I have several copies to give away for free. This text should also be available from shop.usask.ca. Thanks to the fund established by Prof. Don Gendzwill, this text should be available at no cost. Just mention the class numbers GEOL334 or GEOL384. 

Another good text which can be used instead of Reynolds is:

• Dentith, M. and Mudge, S. T., 2014. Geophysics for the Mineral Exploration Geoscientist, Cambridge Univ. Press. 

This text somewhat less complete technically but more oriented toward mineral exploration applications. I also have copies of this text to try out or to give away, and the bookstore can order it as well.

History

GEOL334 and 384 were taught for many years by Profs. Jim Merriam and Sam Butler, and even before that, about two thirds of this class was included in my class GEOL335 (which is now devoted entirely to seismic and Ground Penetrating Radar methods). 

In the present format, I will be teaching the combined 384/334 class only for the fifths time, constantly continuing updating the the lectures and labs. Therefore I welcome any questions, suggestions, and requests for clarification, expansion, or shortening. 

Format

A new feature of this course is in combining the more general (GEOL384) and specialized for geophysicists (GEOL334) classes in one set of lectures and labs. This is achieved by emphasizing the observational and physical aspects of gravity, electric, and magnetic imaging, with a minimal use of mathematics.

The material intended for GEOL334 is highlighted in each lecture and lab. GEOL384 students will not be tested on the basis of this material. However, the 'advanced' material should be understandable for all students, and it should be useful for understanding the broader subject of the course.

GEOL384 students will also receive bonus points for attempting portions of the labs required for GEOL334.

Labs/Assignments

Labs will be started on the second full week of the class (Sept 16), after we complete the initial introduction.

Data collection parts of all labs will be fully in-person. Most assignments will also use Matlab or its free equivalent called Octave for data analysis and plotting.

All assignments are due by lab time the following week. Late assignments will lose 15% of their original value every week they are late. Assignments will be expected to be delivered by email to me or to the lab instructor above.

Exams

Mid-term exams  will be take-home (open-book) for intervals of about 3 days. Exams should be delivered by email to  igor.morozov@usask.ca.

Final exams will be 3-hour in person, closed-book. To reduce the stress and uncertainties of final examination, I will only use the final exam to improve the current average you earn in the labs and mid-term exam. By the time of the final exam, if you are satisfied with the current average mark, you can skip the final examination. If you decide to write the final, the higher of the current average and the final-exam marks will be reported.

Formula sheets will be provided in 'Exams' links in the menu on the left of this page.

Grading: