Fall 2011
GEOL 554/765

seismic

Adrianvibes


Applied Seismology/
Exploration Seismology

Camelia Knapp
camelia@geol.sc.edu

T-Th 9:30-10:45, PSC 101

INSTRUCTOR:   Dr. Camelia C. Knapp    EWSC Room 206   phone: 7-8491  e-mail: camelia@geol.sc.edu

LECTURES: T, Th 9:30 - 10:45, PSC 101

OFFICE HOURS: by appointment

LECTURE NOTES: Lecture notes in Powerpoint will be posted on Blackboard following lecture, and will be available for your review.

LABS: There are no scheduled labs for this class. Most of the lectures will be dedicated to seismic processing applications.

TEXTBOOK:   Required: " Exploration Seismology" by Academic Advantage, Smarttext #13

(to be found in the SC Bookstore, 801 Main Street, Columbia, SC 29201, tel: 799-7188 or Russell House). To save money, please visit the Smarttext Mobile Kiosk at 211 Main St.-in the rear lot of the Lofts at USC. Look for a 25' black concession trailer. ou will need to provide your name, the course name and number and the packet number as shown above. They only accept CASH/CHECKS (credit  card customers must order through one of the bookstores). Hours: M-F 10-6, Sat-Sun 10-2. For more info, please visit:

http://www.smarttext.com/course-packets-for-students.cfm
                                   
                          Also recommended:
                          "Exploration Seismology" (2nd Edition) - 1995 - Sheriff, R.E. and Geldart, L.P. Cambridge University Press, 592 p.
                           "Whole Earth Geophysics" - 1999 - Lillie, R.J., Prentice Hall, 361 p.
                          "Seismic Data Analysis" - 2001 - Yilmaz, O., Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Seismic exploration is one of the most powerful techniques for subsurface imaging, at scales from centimeters to tens of kilometers. Through the study of acoustic waves propagated through the Earth's layers and echoed back to the surface, we can learn about the internal structure, stratigraphy, and lithology of the Earth. Applications include environmental geology, petroleum exploration, regional tectonics, marine geology, engineering, and archeology.

COURSE OBJECTIVES AND LEARNING OUTCOMES:  This course is offered to undergraduate and graduate students, and will provide first-hand experience with seismic data acquisition, processing, and interpretation. There are no prerequisites, and everything can be learned in the class. Although this is a 3 credit class, at least half of the time will be dedicated to learning how to process seismic data using state-of-the-art software. Enrollment is limited to the number of available computer workstations.

This course is designed to help students achieve goals that are critical to understanding how Seismology is applied to the fundamental, environmental, and petroleum research. Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. Have a thorough understanding and knowledge about the principles behind Seismology.
2. Gain knowledge about the different scales of resolution obtained from seismic data.
3. Recognize which Seismic Methods are appropriate to use for a specific environmental, petroleum, or crustal-scale target.
4. Gather hands-on experience with seismic acquisition in the field through the class project.
5. Learn about how to use state-of-the-art seismic processing software used by oil companies.
6. Understand the ambiguity of the seismic data and ways in which this can be addressed.
7. Enhance critical thinking skills.
8. Foster team work.

ASSIGNMENTS Assignments will be handed out most every week. A week is allowed to complete the assignments, unless otherwise specified. A penalty of 5% per day after the due date will be applied unless a very good reason is presented in advance for not being able to complete the assignment.

EXAMS: All exams will be based on the lectures and textbook readings.  There will be a total of two mid-term exams (no final). The exam scores will be equally weighted, and will count for 30% of your final course grade.

FINAL PROJECT: A field oriented final project is planned for this class to collect shallow seismic reflection data. Graduate students will be expected to write their class project as a publishable paper, whereas undergraduate students can turn in their projects as reports. 

GRADING:

Exams (2 midterms)                                        30%

Lab Assignments                                             40%

Final Project                                                    20%

Quizzes                                                            5%

Class Participation                                             5%

ATTENDANCE: The attendance policy is simple: Come to class. An excused absence will be tolerated, but any more than 3 absences will become a problem.

SOFTWARE: Lab exercises represent the main part of this course. Practical demonstrations will make use of state-of-the-art Landmark Graphics ProMAX software.

LOGISTICS: The emphasis in this class is on learning-by-doing, so most of the class time is organized around lab exercises and a final project at the end of the semester. This course will be primarily taught in the lab and will provide hands-on in building processing flows to every week, to the point that you will be able to process an entire seismic line by the end of the semester.

 

Schedule of Course Topics

Lecture #

Tuesday

Thursday

Topic
1   18 Aug Introduction - Course Overview
2 23 Aug   History of Seismic Techniques
3   25 Aug Background Mathematics
4 .30 Aug   Theory of Seismic Waves
5   1 Sep Theory of Seismic Waves II
6 6 Sep   Geometry of Seismic Waves I
7   8 Sep Geometry of Seismic Waves II
8 13 Sep   Seismic Velocity I
9   15 Sep Seismic Velocity II & Characteristics of Seismic Events
10 20 Sep   ProMAX Overview
11   22 Sep Seismic Trace I
  27 Sep   MIDTERM EXAM #1
12   29 Sep Seismic Trace II
13 4 Oct   Land Surveying - Overview
14   6 Oct Geometry and Trace Editing
15 11 Oct  

Marine Surveying and Seismic Processing - Overview
16   13 Oct Statics - Elevation, Refraction, & Residual
17 18 Oct   Deconvolution
    20 Oct Fall Break - No classes
18 25 Oct   Frequency Filtering
19   27 Oct Amplitude Scaling
20 1 Nov   Stacking, Seismic Migration and Depth Conversion
    3 Nov MIDTERM EXAM #2
21 8 Nov   Seismic Expressions of Tectonic Settings
22   10 Nov Specialized Seismic Techniques
23 15 Nov  

Geologic Interpretation of Reflection Data
24   17 Nov Class Project
25 22 Nov   Class Project
    24 Nov Thanksgiving Holiday - No classes
27 29 Nov   Class Project
28   1 Dec Course Summary – Course Evaluations

This course is offered in an on-line format through Blackboard v.8
All course materials for registered class members can
be found by following the link to:

http://blackboard.sc.edu/