Research areas

Seismic signatures of patchy saturation; modelling of attenuation and dispersion due to squirt flow in rocks saturated with viscous and viscoelastic fluid; modelling elastic properties of fractured reservoirs; modelling stress-dependent properties of rocks; laboratory measurements of elastic properties of rocks at seismic frequencies; quantitative microstructure characterisation from micro-CT and nano-indentation; laboratory measurements of intrinsic and stress-induced anisotropy; compaction behaviour of clay sediments; digital rock physics under stress; experimental and theoretical study of the effect of air humidity on room-dry velocities.

Passive seismic and seismic interferometry; imaging methods that do not require separate velocity analysis; using diffractions for imaging and migration steering; modelling and processing of ghost waves.

Land time-lapse seismic monitoring; downhole time-lapse seismic monitoring; surface orbital vibrators; sea-bed electromagnetics modelling, 3D visualisation and survey design; artificial intelligence applications to 4D monitoring.

Study of frequency-dependent attenuation of seismic waves from borehole; seismic anisotropy from VSP and surface seismic data; time-lapse full waveform inversion of vertical seismic profiles; distributed acoustic sensing.

The Geophysical Instrumentation Group develop innovative borehole logging, logging-while-drilling and seismic technologies for the mining industry. Our research is focused on developing robust and accurate sensors for measuring formation magnetic, electrical and sonic properties, bulk density measurements using nuclear techniques and rock mass characterisation.

Nuclear geophysics

The increasing costs associated with the discovery of new mineral deposits has forced the industry to consider the role of advanced exploration technologies and techniques in improving efficiencies across exploration spectrum. Recording and processing geophysical data while drilling boreholes can lead to significant cost savings for an exploration company.

Electric and magnetic downhole sensors

Nuclear methods are not the only way to get in-situ information about rock properties. A rock’s electrical and magnetic signatures are important measures of mineralogy and overall geology.

Communication networks and data acquisition

The need to record and integrate data from all aspects of the operation of a mine, from drilling, blasting and ore extraction to hazard management means that increasing volumes of real-time information need to be acquired, processed and transmitted to a central location in order to facilitate monitoring and efficient decision making.