January 27 Professional Geologist Candidate Workshop: Geophysics

When: 10am-12noon, January 27, 2024
Where: Zoom presentation.  Contact Benjamin Black for login details: [email protected]

Course Syllabus: Geophysical techniques are often cost-effective and safe ways to investigate the subsurface. Using these tools, engineers and geologists can characterize sites and image subsurface conditions better.  Common applications include determining lithology, depth to rock, integrity and quality of rock masses, fracture and foliation orientation, locating subsurface hazards such as voids or manmade objects (utilities, storage tanks, waste, burials etc.), and prospecting for natural resources.   Geophysical methods can be deployed from the land surface, from the air, on bodies of water, and in borings.

Some of the most common methods used are electrical resistivity imaging, electromagnetic methods, seismic methods (seismic refraction, seismic reflection, and surface waves), ground penetrating radar, magnetic methods, gravity methods, and geophysical borehole logging. Geophysical methods work very well in tandem with a boring program for imaging the subsurface between boreholes. Also, boring data is often critical for calibrating geophysical data to develop accurate subsurface models using geophysics.  In this presentation, I will explain how each method work and the output, and discuss applications and limitations.

​Course Instructor: Jorgen Bergstrom is a licensed geophysicist and geologist and an expert in the field of near-surface geophysics.  He has over 25 years of experience with geophysical methods and instruments in the United States and Europe. During his career, he has conducted numerous geophysical investigations, assisting clients with characterizing the subsurface using geophysical methods, and has authored numerous published papers discussing various geophysical technologies.