VIC

Please join us for a wicked riverside evening at the QT Melbourne Rooftop Bar, 133 Russell St Melbourne for drinks and nibbles to help kick off 2023!

This event is for members ONLY, although it is common knowledge the branch President is partial to donations of very fine scotch whisky. Otherwise, please ensure you have renewed your membership for 2023 before registering.

Date: Wednesday 1st of March

Time: 5.30pm onwards

Cost: $10 for members

$1,000 for non-members

$10,000 for geochemists

$100,000 for palaeontologists

Note: Correct cash payment on the night will be very much appreciated (bitcoin will no longer accepted). For non-members, geochemists and palaeontologists attending, payment in unmarked clean crisp large denomination bills is preferred.

Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/annual-joint-aseg-pesa-spe-summer-social-event-2023-tickets-548047283177

Bookings close: 6pm Monday 27th of February

HPC is increasingly being used in solid Earth Geophysics in Europe and AuScope has organised this Special Seminar with Arnau Folch, leader of the EU ChEESE Program

ChEESE is the EU Centre of Excellence for Exascale in Solid Earth and develops translational research capabilities in High Performance Computing to the Exascale in geophysics, enabling multiscale, multiphysics and multi-hazard analysis.

In this seminar, Arnau will present the results of ChEESE-1P Exascale Pilot Demonstrators, including:

·  Rapid probabilistic forecasts of tsunami inundations; 

·  Earthquake source prediction; and

·  The atmospheric volcanic ash dispersal models validated in real time against high-resolution geostationary satellite data.

And, introduce ChEESE-2P and highlight its role in an ecosystem of projects that are shaping Europe’s Digital Future, including:

·  A Digital Twin for GEOphysical Extremes (DT-GEO);

·  Destination Earth (DestinE); and 

·  European Plate Observing System (EPOS)

Date: February 6th from 12 pm to 1:30 pm AEST.

Please register here via Eventbrite.

Background

The first phase (ChEESE-1P) ran from 2018-2022 and addressed scientific and technical computational challenges in moving existing systems to Exascale in seismology, tsunami science, volcanology, and magnetohydrodynamics. ChEESE-1P initiated the optimisation of 10 Community flagship European codes for the European pre-Exascale and Exascale supercomputers and developed 12 Pilot Demonstrators (PD) that enabled services oriented to critical aspects of geohazards, including hazard assessment, urgent computing, and early warning forecasting.

Following the success of ChEESE-1P, a second 4-year phase (ChEESE-2P) with funding of € 7.8 million was launched in January 2023. Arnau will lead a team of Earth and Computer Scientists across multiple programs that will further develop the ChEESE-1P codes and new codes in geodynamics and glaciology.

We are delighted to be hosting Arnau and welcome you to join us in what will surely be a great seminar.

Title: Future Imperfect - Where Should Exploration Be Headed in The Next 25yrs?

Presenter: Ken Witherly

Date and Time: Tuesday 22nd of November from 6pm

Location: The Kelvin Club

Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/aseg-victoria-technical-meeting-tickets-460483587807

Bio: Ken Witherly graduated from UBC (Vancouver, Canada) with a BSc in geophysics and physics in 1971. He then spent 27 years with the Utah/BHP Minerals company during which time as Chief Geophysicist, he championed BHP’s programs in airborne geophysics which resulted in the development of the MegaTEM and FALCON technologies. In 1999, Ken helped form a technology-focused service company that specialises in the application of innovative processing and data analysis to help drive the discovery of new mineral deposits. In 2017, he helped establish the Women Geoscientists of Canada, a group dedicated to support early career women in the minerals industry.

Note: light refreshments will be served at this event.

You are invited to join us for a talk by Mr Tom McNamara (post-graduate Earth Science student, University of Melbourne) on Tuesday 25 October from 6pm at The Kelvin Club.

Quiacito™ Multiphysics: A case study in seismic and potential fields integration

Tom McNamara*, Jarrod Dunne and James Parsons

Integration is often discussed in loose terms, more as an idea than a practice – but as exploration turns to more deeply buried resources, exploration strategies have become more complex and more complete data is needed. Model confidence has become more important and harder to achieve than ever. In simple systems, one form of data may be enough, but with complexity and noise, the non-uniqueness of geophysical modelling becomes a liability. Integrated modelling is becoming a necessity to manage exploration risks. It’s standard that where multiple forms of data are available, they should be cross-checked to see if they agree. Multiphysical modelling takes the next step and facilitates truth-checking across multiple forms of data for the same model, in the same workspace.

Integrated modelling for geophysical data operates on the principal that there is only one ground truth. Whatever property is surveyed, if the rock properties are properly measured and the geology is properly modelled, the data will agree across forms of data, and if it doesn’t, the whole story isn’t being told. Where one form of data is limited, another can complement its ambiguities. The lateral ambiguity inherent to seismic methods can be constrained by the lateral resolution of potential fields data, and likewise seismic can resolve the vertical ambiguity of potential fields. By modelling geophysical datasets simultaneously, the probability space for models that fit the data is reduced to only the intersection of solutions for each dataset.

Modelling in Quiacito is constrained by rock physics, leveraging knowledge from the mature science of seismic amplitude interpretation (AvO) in petroleum exploration. Lithological, petrophysics-driven compaction models inform velocity and density, which inform seismic and gravitational response. The software acts as a real time profile ‘whiteboarding’ tool to quickly create geological models and simulate their geophysical responses. Seismic data can be modelled to calculate a gravity profile, or a gravity-based model can be adjusted to match the seismic response using synthetic seismograms. As well as geological modelling, Quiacito has applications in generating geomechanical models that simulate overburden stress, and in iteratively improving velocity models for seismic imaging. Further multiphysics integrations are in development including magnetic and resistivity methods.

The talk explores the rationale behind data integration, from the operational level to the data modelling and interpretation, as well as the process of developing Quiacito and its place as a home-grown tool. Lessons from its development and consideration of its benefits and limitations give a view to the current state of data integration in exploration, and the role that integration needs to fill in the changing exploration landscape.

*Speaker bio: Tom McNamara is a Master of Earth Science student at the University of Melbourne, specialising in exploration geophysics. Tom’s research uses gravity and magnetic data to model profiles of the basalt megaclasts protruding from the basement of the Stawell Corridor. The research project is supported by a 2021 ASEG Foundation Grant, and Tom was awarded the ASEG’s 2022 Richard Lane Scholarship. Tom joined QIntegral in late 2021 to assist in the research and development for adding multiphysics functionality to Quiacito.

Co-author bio: Dr Jarrod Dunne is a geophysicist with 25 years of experience in petroleum exploration and production, and is also the company director of QIntegral, which is geophysical service startup company based in Melbourne. Jarrod is an expert in seismic amplitude (AvO) interpretation, depth conversion, reservoir characterization, seismic processing, seismic acquisition, and geophysical integration, with full lifecycle E&P experience in Australia, Brazil, and many other countries where oil and gas are found.

Co-author bio: Dr James Parsons is a geophysicist and software engineer with 28 years’ experience in both the petroleum and mineral sectors. James is the lead developer of Quiacito™ and also the technical director of Quantiseal™, a leading provider of fault seal evaluation services.

Note: light refreshments will be served at this event. Admission to this event is generously free for all members.

Please register your interest in attending this event by using the link below:

Registration: here

You are warmly invited to join us for a talk by Dr Pete Betts (Professor, School of Earth, Atmosphere, and Environment and Associate Dean of Graduate Research at Monash University) on Wednesday 15th June from 6pm at The Kelvin Club. Admission to this event is generously free for members.

Is it time to rethink the Geoscience narrative to save our discipline - what can you do as an individual?

Australian Geosciences, and particularly geophysics is undergoing some serious challenges as a consequence of the COVID pandemic. Several University departments and schools have downsized, merged, or have been obliterated. Other departments have been spared but have had to modify and compromised their curriculums. This University challenge will soon become an industry workforce challenge if it is not already. The pandemic, however, is not the cause of these challenges, it has been merely a catalyst for a problem that has existed for decades in the geosciences.

Teaching geosciences is not a break-even activity for a university, it is expensive to teach, and student numbers declined between 2013 and 2021. Geosciences should be an attractive subject for STEM students, after all, it is the study of our planet.

What has gone wrong? In Australia, there has been an assumption that student numbers are linked to the boom-bust cycle. This statement holds true for Western Australia but becomes increasingly decoupled in the east. Further, the decline of geosciences as a discipline to study is a global phenomenon with Europe, UK, and North America also having a similar decline in popularity.

What has gone wrong? There is no single factor that can fingerprint the challenge. It is a combination of the association between geology and mining, and the negative impact on the climate change and trust. We have been generally poor at effectively engaging with influential advocates for our discipline such as Mum and Dads, schoolteachers and careers advisors, and we are generally very transaction in the way we talk about our discipline. This presentation will look at some of these challenges and highlight some of the simple things that we can do as individuals to improve the image and celebrate our great disciplines more effectively.

Speaker bio: Pete Betts is a Professor in Structural Geophysics at the School of Earth, Atmosphere, and Environment at Monash University. He is also the Associate Dean of Graduate Research, where he is responsible for the Ph.D. and Research Masters portfolio in the Faculty of Science. Peter is a geoscientist that straddles the geology-geophysics boundary. He has more than 25 years of research experience and diverse research activities that include geophysical analysis of Proterozoic basin systems, Proterozoic tectonics, and geodynamic modelling and geophysical interpretation of modern tectonic settings. He is currently undertaking research in the Red Sea, North Australian Craton, and New Zealand, and focuses his research on the influence of structural inheritance, Triple Junction initiation, and the geodynamics of congested convergent plate margins. Pete is the current President of the Geological Society of Australia and was the inaugural 2018 GSA Ambassador where he did a virtual tour of the country focusing on the "Geosciences narrative" - this presentation is an updated version that considers the impacts of the pandemic.

Note: light refreshments will be served at this event.

Please register your interest in attending this event by using the link below:

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/aseg-vic-technical-meeting-night-tickets-348707472437

Geological Interpretation of Aeromagnetic Data – a Practical Approach

2-Day Online Workshop, 1st – 2nd August 2022

(Limited to 30 places)

NExUS-Professional Development (NExUS-PD) is proud to be able to present this very highly regarded workshop online for the very first time.
• The specially designed two-day online workshop* will introduce the fundamentals of geological interpretation of aeromagnetic data.
• The workshop will feature lectures, practical activities and case studies all using integrated data sets.
• Each day will feature 3 x 2hr sessions with exercises to be completed between the sessions and time allocated for extended discussions.
• The format aims for open, transparent communication, with input from participants highly encouraged to share knowledge and experiences.
*This is a level-4 course (honours level) and is designed to be suitable for early career geoscientists, honours students and HDR students. The workshop is not assessed.

Day 1, Methodology of Aeromagnetic Interpretation – David Isles (1st Aug) :
• Sessions will include: Basic Principles, Physics and Concepts of Magnetics, Spatial Concepts, Survey Planning, Processing and Presentation of Data, Anomalies, RTP and Analytical Signal, Modelling and Inversion, Introduction to Golden Dyke Prospect Case Study
Day 2, Geological Interpretation and Structure – Leigh Rankin (2nd Aug) :
• Sessions will include: Golden Dyke Prospect Case Study, Magnetisation in Rocks, Charters Towers Case Study, Structures in Magnetics, Widgiemooltha Case Study, Unusual Magnetisation and Final Q+A session.

To Register, click here. 

Full Registration: $500

AIG and ASEG Members: $400

Students: $50

For further information view this flyer or, please contact: Richard.Lilly@Adelaide.edu.au

Geological Interpretation of Aeromagnetic Data – a Practical Approach

2-Day Online Workshop, 1st – 2nd August 2022

(Limited to 30 places)

NExUS-Professional Development (NExUS-PD) is proud to be able to present this very highly regarded workshop online for the very first time.
• The specially designed two-day online workshop* will introduce the fundamentals of geological interpretation of aeromagnetic data.
• The workshop will feature lectures, practical activities and case studies all using integrated data sets.
• Each day will feature 3 x 2hr sessions with exercises to be completed between the sessions and time allocated for extended discussions.
• The format aims for open, transparent communication, with input from participants highly encouraged to share knowledge and experiences.
*This is a level-4 course (honours level) and is designed to be suitable for early career geoscientists, honours students and HDR students. The workshop is not assessed.

Day 1, Methodology of Aeromagnetic Interpretation – David Isles (1st Aug) :
• Sessions will include: Basic Principles, Physics and Concepts of Magnetics, Spatial Concepts, Survey Planning, Processing and Presentation of Data, Anomalies, RTP and Analytical Signal, Modelling and Inversion, Introduction to Golden Dyke Prospect Case Study
Day 2, Geological Interpretation and Structure – Leigh Rankin (2nd Aug) :
• Sessions will include: Golden Dyke Prospect Case Study, Magnetisation in Rocks, Charters Towers Case Study, Structures in Magnetics, Widgiemooltha Case Study, Unusual Magnetisation and Final Q+A session.

To Register, click here. 

Full Registration: $500

AIG and ASEG Members: $400

Students: $50

For further information view this flyer or, please contact: Richard.Lilly@Adelaide.edu.au

The annual Victorian Universities Earth and Environmental Sciences Conference (VUEESC) was recently held on the 21st and 22nd of April. As part of its education awareness promotion, ASEG Victoria kindly sponsored the Geophysics session of this conference via a one-off cash prize to the best student presenter as judged by a selection of their peers. Due to the quality of the presentations, I am pleased to announce prizes were awarded to the top two student presenters from the Geophysics session, both of whom will be presenting at the next technical meeting night.

You are warmly invited to come support Mr. Mohammed Alsaleh (MSc candidate, Monash University) and Mr Chibuzo Chukwu (PhD candidate, Monash University) as they present their award winning talks on Tuesday 17th May from 6pm at The Kelvin Club. Admission to this event is free for members, so please ensure you have renewed your membership for 2022 before registering.

Please find each student's abstract from the official VUEESC 2022 conference volume here and here.

Bios:

Mr. Mohammed Alsaleh bio: Mohammed is a new earth sciences master's student at Monash University. He previously held a teaching position at the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia where he gained 4-years of teaching experience. During his BSc at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), he participated in research activities that include seismic up-hole methods and fracking impacts on groundwater aquifers. He also participated in translating the "Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Exploration Geophysics" by Robert E. Sheriff from English to Arabic. He is currently working on estimating the sand properties from up-hole seismic data. As he begins a new journey at Monash, he is shifting his research focus to the geomagnetism of suture zones in the Arabian Shield.

Mr. Chibuzo Chukwu bio: Chibuzo is a current PhD student at Monash University, a researcher with the Structural and Geophysics Group, and a 2021 ASEG Foundation Grant recipient. He has experience in geophysical surveys, processing and interpreting potential field, seismic and near-surface geophysical data for mineral exploration and tectonic studies.  Chibuzo's PhD research is focused on unravelling the influence of pre-existing structures in the evolution of triple junctions using a multi-scale and multi-disciplinary approach that includes a combination of structural geology, potential fields geophysics, seismic, well-logs, 2D & 3D modelling, machine learning and drone surveys.

Note: Light refreshments will be served during the evening.

Please register your interest in attending this event by using the following link:

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/aseg-vic-technical-meeting-night-17-may-2022-tickets-333653726277

Please join us for a riverside evening at The Common Man at South Wharf to fraternise with our fellow zany geoscientists and for drinks and nibbles to say goodbye to summer and day-light savings. This event is for members only so please ensure you renew your membership for 2021 before registering.

Date: Wednesday 30th March 2022

Time: 5:30pm - 8:30pm

Cost: $10 (members)

Please note, correct cash payment on the night will be required upon entry.

Bookings close: 6pm Tuesday 29th March 2022

Please use the link below to secure your booking:

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/aseg-pesa-spe-autumn-social-tickets-297999383177

ASEG Victoria 2022 Technical Meeting Series

Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/aseg-vic-technical-meeting-night-tickets-282327708777

Title: Loop – an interoperable, integrative, probabilistic 3D geological modelling platform.

Presenter:  Dr. Laurent Ailleres

Date: Tuesday 15th March from 6pm

Location: The Kelvin Club, 14-30 Melbourne Place, Melbourne, VIC 3000

Abstract:

With the current need for critical metals (including Cu), the ability to be predictive undercover and to improve mining of known resources, requires the ability to better predict sub-surface geology at multiple scales. Geologically consistent mine models should equate to better resource models and consequently a more economical way of producing the required resources for a greener future with increased recovery rates and reduced number of resources required and waste produced.

We present the current state of the Loop project, an open-source interoperable, integrative, probabilistic 3D geological modelling platform. We have implemented the use of all structural geological data (e.g., fault kinematics, fold axial surfaces, fold axes, deformational overprinting relationship) in the modelling process. We have automated the building of 3D geological models from geological survey served geological data including automatic geological map topological analysis and geological history building. As a proof of concept, users can now draw a polygon on a map and generate 3D models in just a few minutes using the map2loop and LoopStructural libraries (github.com/Loop3D). We are integrating geophysical constraints and modelling as early as possible in the modelling workflow. Model uncertainty is characterised and an integral part of the modelling process.

The main outcome of the development of the structural modelling method (LoopStructural) is the definition of structural frames which allow the definition of a curvilinear and conformable to layering, rectangular coordinate system throughout the models. We present the concept for LoopResources, the property modelling library for the Loop platform. Using this deformed cartesian coordinate system, we propose to adapt geostatistical and interpolation methods to curvilinear coordinate systems using classical approaches of UVW transformations. This will ensure that lithological anisotropies are enforced during resource estimation and property modelling.

Loop is a OneGeology initiative, initiated by Geoscience Australia and funded by Australian Territory, State and Federal Geological Surveys, the ARC and the MinEx CRC with the participation of BHP, Anglo American and GSWA. The project is led by Monash University and involves research groups from the University of Western Australia, the RING consortium at the Universite de Lorraine, Nancy, France and RWTH Aachen in Germany. In-kind research is also provided by Natural Resources Canada (Geological Survey of Canada), Geoscience Australia and the British Geological Survey. Other partners include AuScope and the USGS

Bio:

Initially trained as a structural geologist, Laurent was awarded his PhD in 1996, in structural geology, having worked in the French Alps and from an office only meters away from the development of the Gocad 3D modelling package. Since 1996, he has been a research fellow at Monash University. He introduced Gocad to the Australian mining industry, academia and many governmental organisations. Laurent is interested in the evolution of tectonic processes through time and their effect on multi-scale mineralisation processes. He specialises in structural geology and geophysics as well as multi-scale 3D geological modelling applied to tectonics and minerals exploration. He teaches field mapping at undergraduate level in poly-deformed metamorphic terranes and advanced structural mapping and structural geophysics at postgraduate level. His geological experience spans multiple scales across Africa, Europe, Australia and the Americas. He leads the Loop initiative to develop the next generation of 3D geological and geophysical modelling tools and champions structurally-ruled probabilistic geological modelling. Laurent is also managing director of PGN Geoscience Pty Ltd, a small consulting company providing services to the minerals exploration and mining industries, from global scale project generation, to litho-structural interpretations of geophysical data, to smaller-scale structural analysis of mineralisation controls at the deposit scale.

Note: Light refreshments will be served during the evening.