Industry

Title: Electrical Methods for Leak Detection: Fluid storage, the nice and the nasty’

Presenter: Liquid Integrity Systems

Location: Thomas Cooper Room, Coopers Alehouse, 316 Pulteney St, Adelaide

Date: Thursday 16th May

Time: 5:30 pm for a 6:00 pm start

Cost: Members & students free, non-members $10, includes finger food & drinks

Overview:

Liquid Integrity System (LIS) have been developing methods for detection of defects in liquid storage sites since being founded in 2012. These sites have varied from potable drinking water sites to acid tailings and everything in between. Drawing on a background in electrical geophysics and a desire to improve leak detection while minimising impact to the client’s operations, LIS has developed equipment for monitoring and surveying a wide variety of sites. Our biggest challenge over these years (like many tech-based business) has been ongoing development and adaption – our clients continuously push us to expand into new detection scenarios. In this talk we will discuss the range of techniques that we have developed, and describe some of the varied settings that we have worked in. There is a lot to talk about and lots of stories that we think most field geophysicists can relate to.

Bio:

Simon Mann | Managing Director

Simon has an honours degree in geophysics as well as an environmental science degree with emphasis on hydrology. His main area of interest is the application of electrical geophysical methods to exploration and environmental problems. With several years’ experience as Managing Geophysicist with Zonge Engineering Australia he has developed experience in technical development, project design and planning as well as business and safety improvement strategies.

Teal Watkins | General Manager

Teal received a Bachelor of Business at Flinders University, specialising in innovation and enterprise and is a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society. Teal is a business all-rounder and has several years management experience across multiple industries. He is well-versed in many fields including, logistics, risk, marketing, strategy, workplace health & safety, and human resources. His particular strengths lie in operations and project management.

Agenda for ASEG Annual General Meeting 2024

Meeting Venue & Date: 30 April 2024, XXXX Alehouse 20 Paten St, Milton QLD 4064
Meeting time: 5.30pm (AEST)
Zoom Registration link. https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIkduyvrj4pGtfXoAxDHMTFGTIsQHlLO1_m
Chairs:  Eric Battig and Janelle Simpson
Guest Speaker: Dr Tim Dean, Specialist Project Geoscientist, AngloAmerican

Documents:

• Agenda
• Audited Accounts
• 2023 AGM Minutes

Workshop Overview:
Gain an understanding of the magnetotelluric (MT) method, including survey design, model resolution, and the pros and cons of different modelling approaches. Learn how to identify and assess key indicators of data and model quality. The workshop is structured around a synthetic MT dataset over a hypothetical porphyry deposit. By interactively working through the data, participants will see the impact of different choices they make about survey design, station spacing and 1D, 2D or 3D modelling on the final results.
Participants will leave the workshop equipped to understand the strengths and limitations of their MT models and to interact more knowledgeably with MT contractors and consultants.

Who should attend:
The workshop is designed for anyone who commissions or works with MT data and models in the exploration workflow, including:

• Geophysicists who work with MT data and models but may not produce the models themselves
• Geologists or other geoscientists who use MT models in their exploration strategy

No existing expertise in MT, mathematics or geophysics is required, but a willingness to work through geophysical data and concepts is assumed. The workshop is interactive and participants will analyse provided data but no special software is needed.

Learning Objectives:

• Conceptually understand the MT method, including how different Earth structures affect MT data
• Learn key QA/QC criteria to assess MT data and models
• Observe the impact of dimensionality and strike on MT model reliability
• Compare resolution of features in 1D probabilistic models, 2D models and 3D models and with different survey designs.

Workshop Facilitator:
The workshop is presented by Dr Kate Selway of Vox Geophysics. Kate is internationally recognised as an expert in MT and spent more than 15 years working in university research and teaching positions, including at the University of Adelaide, Yale, Columbia University, the University of Oslo and Macquarie University. She has modelled and published on MT data she has collected from Australia, East Africa, North America, Greenland and Antarctica. In 2022, Kate founded Vox Geophysics with a goal of helping mineral explorers to maximise the value gained from their MT data.

Date and Time: Monday May 6th, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Location: In.Studio, 268 Pirie St, Adelaide
Cost: $950 or $850 for ASEG members, GST inclusive.
Numbers limited to 16 people.

Title: Advanced geomodelling to reveal buried deposits

Presenter: Addison Tu

Date and time: Wednesday, 24th April 2024 at 1800 (NSW)

Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_uVDLEHa8TFOByizyPdGRAQ

Abstract:

Porphyry deposits are of important societal significance as critical sources of copper. 

Copper demands are projected to increase significantly to supply the transition to net-zero, but discoveries have dwindled in recent decades. The finite number of deposits exposed at the surface are nearing depletion, and advancements to exploration techniques must target buried deposits. Here we present a workflow which incorporates machine learning predictions for deposit formation within the crust, with a highly calibrated landscape evolution model to track the vertical motion of deposits through geological time. The results inform where deposits may be preserved and at what depth, or where deposits have been destroyed by erosion. We tested this approach on the mountains of New Guinea, which feature abundant volcanism responsible for deposit formation at depth and extreme erosion to exhume deposits toward the surface. Our approach identified high prospectivity in accordance with the spatial extents of known surface deposits, identified several highly prospective regions for near-surface deposits and where deposits have been destroyed by erosion. Our workflow provides a region-scale prospecting tool to de-risk the economic and environmental cost of field-based exploration. Importantly, the workflow is open-source, scalable to other regions and even adaptable to other mineral systems (with constraints on the depth of formation

Bio:

Addison is a PhD student and Research Assistant within the Earthbyte group, working closely with Dr. Sabin Zahirovic and Dr. Tristan Salles. His research focuses on Eastern Australia, particularly concerning the eastward accretion of microcontinents and volcanic arc-islands since the Cambrian. Geological events in this region and period involve the formation of mountains and the closing of seaways, with many implications for climate, past landscapes and environments, and the formation and preservation of economic deposits.

Addison utilises landscape evolution modelling, tectonic models, and thermochronology with a focus on linking Earth’s surface processes and evolution to other Earth Systems such as the tectonics, climate and the ocean. He also has experience developing landscape evolution models and landform design tools within industry.

Title: DAS Reflection Seismic For Mineral Exploration in Harsh Environments

Presenter: Prof Milovan Urosevic

Date and Time: Thursday, May 2 · 1730 AWST

Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/aseg-wa-tech-night-prof-milovan-urosevic-tickets-879313268657

Abstract:

A number of hyper-saline lakes across Western Australia are known to overlie substantial and diverse mineral resources. Exploring those by means of the application of conventional equipment is limited and prone to significant hardware issues and equipment damage. In contrast such an environment seems appropriate for the application of the DAS technology. This technology originated in the 1980s and its practical potential in seismic sensing was developed in the 1990s, as described in the historical review of Hartog (2018). Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) uses strain-induced optical distortion effects to re-purpose optical telecommunication fibres as multi-channel seismic arrays. In this study, we present the evaluation and application of DAS for seismic exploration of mineral resources over the years, through several field studies. We show that DAS has the potential to replace surface geophones in such environment. Further test were oriented towards implementation of a reflection mode DAS in a dry hard ground surface as typically found in mineral exploration. To implement DAS in the reflection mode we have developed automated DAS underground installation using a plough attached to a variety of different utility vehicles. The key aspects of the new super-effective 3D seismic exploration with DAS technology are discussed in our presentation. The results of 3D DAS seismic experiment is giving us confidence that implementation of DAS for mineral exploration has a bright future.

Bio:

Milovan Urosevic received a BSc (Hons) in geophysics from the University of Belgrade in 1980, an MSc in geophysics from the University of Houston in 1985 and a PhD in geophysics from Curtin University in 2000. He held leading roles in several major Australian cooperative research centres such as APCRC, CO2CRC, DETCRC, and MinEx CRC. His main interest is utilising new seismic technologies to advance the exploration of natural resources. Milovan is an Emeritus professor at Curtin University, Perth, WA and co-founder of HiSeis, a world-leading hard rock seismic company. He is a member of ASEG, EAGE and AGES.

ASEG-WA Sponsors:

Thanks to all our valuable 2023 Sponsors. Invites for 2024 sponsorships have been released. If you are interested in sponsoring, please contact: wapresident@aseg.org.au

ASEG WA Special Tech Night

Title: New Methods for Constraining Geology from Geophysics

Presenter: Prof. Mark Jessell

Date and time: Starts on Thursday, March 28 · 1730 AWST

Location: The Shoe Bar and Cafe, 376 - 420 Wellington Street Perth, WA 6050

Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/aseg-wa-special-tech-night-prof-mark-jessell-tickets-833955733047

Zoom registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_KilBYcouQHuOaPhEGpserA

Abstract: 

In this presentation we present some of the activities from the MinEx CRC/Loop Consortium/DARE ITTC work on building 3D geological models using geophysical data. The talk will briefly highlight the following areas:

Integration of automatic implicit geological modelling in deterministic geophysical inversion (https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-63-2024)

Some results from the Tomofast-x inversion platform, with its ability to use detailed petrophysical statistics as constraints on gravity/mag inversion (https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2243, https://doi.org/10.1190/geo2019-0633.1)

The use of a massive library of synthetic 3D geological models and their gravity and magnetic response as a Machine Learning training set (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cageo.2021.104701, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-381-2022) and

Our latest work on navigating regional geophysical data using a combined feature extraction/non-linear dimensionality reduction technique method.

Bio:

Mark Jessell is a Professor at the Centre for Exploration Targeting at The University of Western Australia. His scientific interests revolve around the tectonics and metallogenesis of the West African and Guyanese Cratons (WAXI & SAXI) microstructure studies (the Elle platform), and integration of geology and geophysics in 3D (the Loop project). He returned to Australia from France on a Western Australian Fellowship focused on improving the links between geological and geophysical data analysis in 3D via analysis of the geological and topological uncertainty. In 2013 he was awarded the Geological Society of Australia Hobbs Medal for major contributions in structural geology. He is a director of the not-for-profit Agate Project Ltd which supports higher education in the Earth Sciences in Africa.

More info:

Drinks and nibbles will be available from 5:30pm - 6:15pm. The talk will commence promptly at 6:15pm. ASEG would like to thank our sponsors for their continued support.

CPP Parking offer cheap parking close to the venue. Additional cheap parking may also be found nearby the State Library.

More information coming soon!

More information to be shared soon.

ASEG WA Present: Student & Networking Night

The WA Branch of the Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists invites you to join us to start 2024 with the Perth geophysical community - a relaxed Student and Young Professional Networking Night where you can mingle and share your story!

Drinks and foods will be available shortly after from 5:30pm.

Location: Mayfair Lane
Address:  72 Outram Street West Perth, WA, 6005
Date:       Feb 8, 2024
When:      5:30 PM

Register here.

Title: Storage of Carbon Dioxide in Saline Aquifers

Presenter: Phil Ringrose

Location: Ayre’s House, 288 North Tce, Adelaide

Date: Thursday 8th February

Cost: ASEG members use coupon code PESA-ASEGMEMBER for SEG membership rates for the course

Please register for this event at: https://seg.org/shop/product/?id=b1b051ba-bfb3-ee11-a569-00224822f0a9

It is my pleasure to invite you to the upcoming SEG Distinguished Instructor Short Course, on Thursday 8th February at Ayres House, 288 North Tce, Adelaide.

We have Phil Ringrose speaking on “Storage of Carbon Dioxide in Saline Aquifers”

PESA will be hosting the SEG Distinguished Instructor Short Course (DISC) on “Storage of Carbon Dioxide in Saline Aquifers – Building Confidence by Forecasting and Monitoring” presented by Phil Ringrose. This one-day short course will be held in Adelaide on Thursday, February 8^th 2024. In this course, the science and technology underpinning CO2 storage in deep saline aquifer formations is reviewed using insights from several industrial-scale projects. The main factors, which limit storage capacity are analyzed - constraints governed by flow dynamics, injectivity, pressure development, and geomechanics. Then, this physical basis provides a framework for determining how to optimize monitoring methods.

All those interested in understanding the state of play in saline aquifer CO2 storage technology will benefit from this course. The primary target audience is multi-disciplinary subsurface teams, and the content covers relevant aspects of geoscience, geophysics, and reservoir engineering.

Philip S. Ringrose is a Specialist in reservoir geoscience at Equinor and Adjunct Professor in CO2 Storage at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. He has been engaged with many CCS project developments over the last 15 years and has published widely on reservoir geoscience and fluid flow in rock media, including the textbooks Reservoir Model Design and How to Store CO2 underground.

Ringrose holds a BSc in geology from the University of Edinburgh and a PhD in applied geology from University of Strathclyde in Scotland.  He is a member of SEG, EAGE, and the Geological Society (London), and was the 2014-2015 President of the EAGE. In 2018 he was appointed as Honorary Professor at the University of Edinburgh and in 2020 he was elected as a member of The Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters (DKNVS).