Presented as a 4-half day (16 hours total) virtual course, we include basic concepts of gravity and magnetic theory and their application to exploration efforts.
In addition, we present hands-on demonstrations and guide attendees through exercises using the Oasis Montaj software platform. Our case history includes public domain heritage and modern, high-resolution land gravity and aeromagnetic data from the Basin and Range Province in Nevada, U.S.A.
Notable geothermal targets are currently being explored and exploited within our study area.
During this course you will learn:
1. Fundamentals of gravity and magnetics applications for resource exploration
2. Acquisition techniques for gravity and magnetic surveys on land, by sea, and in the air
3. Innovative map-based two-dimensional filtering techniques used to enhance potential field data, including hands-on demonstration and class exercises
4. Use of Oasis Montaj for map-based interpretation, including hands-on demonstration and class exercises
5. 2D and 3D integrated gravity and magnetic modeling, including hands-on demonstration and class exercises
The course will include lectures, software demonstrations and hands-on exercises. The students will be able to follow along during the demonstrations and also work with Oasis Montaj. Our teaching staff will be available to help with questions and advice during the exercises. The course is limited to 15 attendees in order to facilitate group discussion, interaction, and software training.
Learner outcomes:
1. Define and classify variations in the earth's gravity and magnetic fields, and associate these signatures with geologic features within the earth's crust.
2. Interpret gravity/magnetic anomalies for structure, tectonics, lithologic and basement variations.
3. Distinguish between when to use gravity vs. magnetics to map geology of interest. Assess the utility of gravity and magnetics for mapping specific structures and stratigraphic settings. Assess the utility of gravity and magnetics for imaging the pre-determined geologic target, and participate in design of appropriate acquisition for detecting the gravity/magnetics signal of interest.
4. Oversee and evaluate the interpretation process of gravity and magnetic data, both qualitative products and quantitative products.
This course will be delivered as 4-hour sessions run over the course of 4 days (4 x 4hr = 16 hr total).
To make the most of this course, please ensure you have a stable internet connection, and a secondary screen is highly recommended.
Michal Ruder received her AB cum laude from Bowdoin College with a joint major in Geology and Physics in 1979. In 1986, she was awarded a PhD in Geophysics from The Pennsylvania State University.
Her work experience spans government, academic, and industrial research and exploration laboratories. While at NASA during graduate school, she analyzed satellite gravity and magnetic data from the Seasat and Magsat missions. Michal joined the (nonseismic) Other Geophysical Methods Group at Exxon Production Research Company in 1986. Her research emphasized integration of seismic, gravity, magnetic, and electromagnetic techniques.
In 1988, Michal was invited to be a visiting professor at the Institut de Geodynamique at the Universite de Bordeaux III in Bordeaux, France, where she designed and taught a curriculum of remote sensing and image processing. Upon returning to the United States, Michal founded Wintermoon Geotechnologies, a value-added consulting firm that performs state-of-the-art integrated analysis of geophysical and GIS data for exploration purposes.
Michal continues to design new techniques for modeling, interpreting, and integrating gravity, magnetic, and remote sensing data with seismic and well log information for industry clients in geologic settings around the world. She serves as president and chief geophysicist. Her professional affiliations include SEG, where she is a member of the CE and Gravity and Magnetics Committees as well as a past-Second Vice President, and several local geoscience organizations.
