GEOP 412

Xiaobing Zhou, Associate Professor of Geophysics



Gravity & Magnetic Exploration

Lecture: T R 12::00pm-1:15pm at ELC329

Instructor: Dr Xiaobing Zhou, Email: xzhou@mtech.edu, Tel: 496-4350

Office Hours: M/W/F 10:00 am -11:00am, ELC 304

Textbook (required):
Blakely, R. J., Potential Theory in Gravity & Magnetic Applications, Cambridge University Press, 1996.

Main Reference (recommended):
W. M. Telford, L. P. Geldart, and R. E. Sheri , Applied Geophysics, 2nd Edition, Cambridge University Press, 1991. (Chapters 2-3, Appendix A).

Other references
Nettleton's Gravity and Magnetics in Oil Prospecting (McGraw-Hill, 1976);
Rao, B. S. R., Murthy, I. V. R., Gravity and magnetic methods of prospecting, New Delhi : Arnold-Heinemann, 1978. TN269.R2.
Dick Gibson's Gravity & Magnetics Short Course;
02-363 Preliminary Gravity Inversion Model of Frenchman Flat Basin, Nevada Test Site, Nevada
98-0333 Montana Aeromagnetic and Gravity Maps and Data
97-0725 Potential-Field Geophysical Software for the PC, version 2.2. (Supersedes Open-File Reoprt 92-18.)
Casten U., and Gram, Chr., Recent developments in underground gravity surveys. Geophysical Prospecting, 37, 73-90, 1989.

Course out-comings (complying with ABET A-K):
After this course, you (the student) should have

A. An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering.
B. An ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data.
G. An ability to communicate effectively.
K. An ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice.

Grade Policy: The final course grade will be determined approximately as follows:

Homework:           20%
Quizzes and tests:     40%
Project or final:      40%

The instructor reserves the right to give extra credit to active participation and demonstrated interest and capability. Grading scale observes: A=(92,100], A-=[90, 92], B+=(87, 90), B=[83, 87], B-=[80, 83), C+=(77, 80), C=[73, 77], C-=[70, 73), D+=(67, 70), D=[63, 67], D-=[60, 63), F=[0, 60). [ or ] means inclusive, ( or ) means exclusive.

Homework: Homework will be assigned on Wednesday and due the following Wednesday. Some assignment will involve development of computer programs.
 
Instruments:
1. Gravimeters;

2. Magnetometers:

3. Models

Tentative Schedule:

Date  Day Lecture No.  Topic  Reading
Assignment
Homework
(Due each Tuesday)
Jan-12-12
Thursday Lecture 1
Week 1: Introduction, vector calculus, and MATLAB
History G & M
introduction
Appendix A
 
Jan-17-12
Jan-19-12 
Tuesday
Thursday
Lecture 2
Lecture 3
Week 2: Potential field, Poisson's and Laplace equations
Chapters 1-2
Homework 1

Jan-24-12
Jan-26-12
Tuesday
Thursday
Lecture 4
Lecture 5
Week 3: Gravitational potential

Chapter 3
Homework 2


Jan-31-12
Feb-02-12
Tuesday
Thursday
Lecture 6
Lecture 7

Week 4: Magnetic potential


Chapter 4
Homework 3


Feb-07-12
Feb-09-12
Tuesday
Thursday
Lecture 8
Lecture 9

Week 5: Gravity method - instrumentation


handout
Homework 4


Feb-14-12
Feb-16-12
Tuesday
Thursday
Lecture 10
Lecture 11

Week 6: Gravity method - field measurement and data reduction


handout
Chapters 6- 7
Homework 5

Feb-21-12
Feb-23-12
Tuesday
Thursday
Lecture 12
Lecture 13
Week 7: Magnetic method - instrumentation
handout
Homework 6

Feb-28-12
Mar-01-12
Tuesday
Thursday
Lecture 14
Lecture 15
Week 8: Geomagnetic field

Chapters 5,8
Homework 7

Mar-06-12
Mar-08-12
Tuesday
Thursday
Lecture 16
Mid-term Exam
Content for mid-term includes chapters covered
Week 9: Magnetic method - field survey

handout
Homework 8
Mar-13-12
Mar-15-12
Tuesday
Thursday

Spring Break






Mar-20-12
Mar-22-12
Tuesday
Thursday
Lecture 17
Lecture 18
Week 10: Field Trip
Chapters 9-10
Homework 9

Mar-27-12
Mar-29-12
Tuesday
Thursday
Lecture 19
Lecture 20
Week 11: Forward modeling 

Chapter 11
Homework 10

Apr-03-12
Apr-05-12
Tuesday
Thursday
Lecture 21
Lecture 22
Week 12: Inversion
handout
Homework 11

Apr-10-12
Apr-12-12 
Tuesday
Thursday
Lecture 23
Lecture 24

Week 13: Data processing - regional-residual and anomaly separation

handout
Homework 12

Apr-17-12
Apr-19-12
Tuesday
Thursday
Lecture 25
Lecture 26
Week 14: Gravity data interpretation
handout
Homework 13

Apr-24-12
Apr-26-12
Tuesday
Thursday
Lecture 27
Lecture 28
Week 15: Magnetic data intepretation
handout
Homework 14

May-01-12
May-03-12
Tuesday
Thursday
Lecture 29
Lecture 30
Week 16: Applications of gravity & magnetic method - basement mapping
Final Review
handout Homework 15
May-11-12
Friday Final Exam
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm ELC239




Other references (for those students who are interested and want to dig indepth in Gravity and Magnetic Exploration or Prospecting):
  1. Cogbill, Allen H. (1990) Gravity terrain corrections calculated using Digital Elevation Models, Geophysics, 55(1), 102-106.
  2. Forsythe, G. E., Malcolm, M. A., and Moler, C. B. (1977) Computer Methods for Mathematical Computations, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, xi+259 pages.
  3. Franke, Richard (1982) Scattered data interpolation: tests of some methods, Mathematics of Computation, 38(157), 181-200.
  4. Gettings, M. E. (1982) Near-station terrain corrections for gravity data by a surface-integral technique, U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 82-1045, i+14 pages.
  5. Hammer, Sigmund (1939) Terrain corrections for gravimeter stations, Geophysics, 4, 184-194.
  6. Hardy, Roland L. (1971) Multiquadric equations of topography and other irregular surfaces, Journal of Geophysical Research, 76, 1905-1915.
  7. Krohn, Douglas H. (1976) Gravity terrain corrections using multiquadric equations, Geophysics, 41, 266-275.
  8. Plouff, Donald (1966) Digital terrain corrections based upon geographic coordinates [abstract], Geophysics, 31, 1208.
  9. Renka, Robert J. (1984) Algorithm 624, Triangulation and interpolation at arbitrary points in a plane, ACM Trans. on Math. Software, 10(4), 440-442.
  10. Renka, R. J. and A. K. Cline (1984) A triangle-based C1 interpolation method, Rocky Mt. Jour. of Mathematics, 14(1), 223-237.
  11. Renka, R. J. (1996) Algorithm 751: TRIPACK: A constrained two-dimensional Delauney triangulation package, ACM Trans. on Math. Software, 22(1), 1-8.
  12. Renka, R. J. (1996) Algorithm 752: SRFPACK: Software for scattered data fitting with a constrained surface under tension, ACM Trans. on Math. Software, 22(1), 9-17.
  13. U. S. Geological Survey (1982) Digital Elevation Models, Data Users Guide 5, available from U. S. Geological Survey, National Cartographic Information Center, Reston, Virginia.
  14. Gravity & Magnetic Geophysical Software
  15. D.S. Parasnis,Principles of Applied Geophysics - Fifth Edition December 26, 1996)
  16. Online course: The Berkeley Course in Applied Geophysics
  17. Geophysical data grids for the conterminous United States [electronic resource].
  18. Surface gravity prediction (online calculation).
  19. Satellite Gravity and the Geosphere: Contributions to the Study of the Solid Earth and Its Fluid Envelope [ebook].
  20. Microgravity Research in Support of Technologies for the Human Exploration and Development of Space and Planetary Bodies, Committee on Microgravity Research, Space Studies Board, Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Applications, National Research Council (National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 2000). (eBook)

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Last Updated: January 10, 2012