University of Liege | Version française
Study programmes 2010-2011Last update : 11/04/2011
GEOL0021-7  Geophysical exploration
Duration :  30h Th, 30h Pr, 5d FW
Credits/ECTS :  
Bachelor in engineering sciences, civil engineer orientation (Bachelor in engineering sciences, civil engineer orientation), 2nd yearSecond semester5
Master in Geological and Mining Enginneering, in-deph approach, 1st yearSecond semester4
Master in Geological and Mining Enginneering, in-deph approach, 1st yearToute l'année4
Master in Geological and Mining Enginneering, in-deph approach, 1st yearSecond semester5
Master in Geological and Mining Engineering, specialized approach, 1st yearSecond semester5
Master in Geological and Mining Engineering, specialized approach, 1st yearToute l'année4
Master in Geological and Mining Engineering, specialized approach, 1st yearSecond semester4
Holder(s) :  Lucien Halleux, Frédéric Nguyen
Language :  French language
Course contents :  Applied Geophysics aims to investigate the underground, whether within the Earth or under an engineering site using principles of physics. The physics of methods range from seismic waves propagation to the study of the Earth's gravitational field.

Geophysical exploration rely a vast range of subjects including physics, geology, mathematics, modern means of measurements and computations. Besides mastering these technical capabilities, it is essential for an engineer to learn to diagnose problems given a geological context in order to design appropriate solutions and to add to the knowledge a practice field intuition. That is why field work will be done by students, and examples in connection with the various fields of application (environment, hydrogeology, oil exploration and mining, public works, geotechnical exploration in marine, ...) will be analyzed during the course.


The course covers the main modern geophysical methods (seismic, electrical, electromagnetic, gravity, magnetic) and introduce several specific methods (surface waves, nuclear magnetic resonance). For each method, the course discusses the advantages and limitations, petrophysics, physical basis, field implementation, data processing and interpretation.
Course objective :  * Understand how and why geophysics allow a non-destructive recognition the underground.
* Understand the underlying basics of mathematics and physics behind geophysical methods and their interpretation.
* Be able to analyze the possibilities and limitations of various methods.
* Be able to design a survey on the basis of the geoscientific context (geological, hydrogeological, mining, tectonics, etc. ...).
* Know how to interpret geophysical results and how to integrate them among other data.
Prerequisites :  A basic training in physics, mathematics and earth sciences is desired.
Workshops :  The lab work consists of three parts:

The analysis of real world examples in which the geophysical results are acquired and processed;

The use of software for the processing and modeling of geophysical data to obtain the geophysical results;

Field work devoted to the implementation of certain methods, processing and interpretation of data collected.
Written notes :  Slides available on WEBCT.
Notes of the Polytechnic University of downtown: http://geo.polymtl.ca/
Assessment :  Active participation during lectures and practical sessions: +4 on the overall rating

Report on field day: 5 points

Oral exam: / 50
Contacts :  F. Nguyen (f.nguyen@ulg.ac.be)
Tel: 04366 3797

Items online :  
Slides
Slides used during lectures


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