Xiaobing Zhou, Assistant Professor of Geophysics

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

Office Hours: M/W/F 4:00 pm -5:00, 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.

Objectives (complying with ABET):

1) To develop an understanding of the basic theory of gravitational and magnetic methods, usually referred to as potential field techniques;
2) To develop an understanding of the principles of instrumentation for each method;
3) To develop the computer programming skills;
4) To develop the capability to interpret the field data and apply these methods.

Homework:           30%
Quizzes and tests:     30%
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;

• Worden gravimeter
• LoCoste & Lomberger gravimeter
• Absolute drop gravimeter
• Bolehole gravimeter

2. Magnetometers:

• G-856AX magnetometer/gravimeter
  
• Fluxgate magnetometer
• Proton procession magnetometer
• Optically pumped magnetometer
• SQUID magnetometer

3. Models

• WGS 84 Earth Gravitational Model

Tentative Schedule:

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)