A 20-year initiative, AfricaArray refers to scientists working on arrays of continent-wide linked projects; arrays of shared training programmes and observational networks; and above all, a common vision that Africa will build and retain capacity in an array of technical and scientific fields critical for responsibly managing its vast natural resource sector.
GPR: An Introduction to Ground Penetrating Radar : Theory, Practice and Applications
Two Day Workshop – 14 & 15th September
Presented by Dr Nigel Cassidy, Applied & Environmental Geophysics Group, Keele University, UK
This 2-day workshop will cover the basic theoretical and practical aspects of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) for both novice and intermediate users. A hands-on approach will be adopted and sessions will include practical demonstrations, data interpretation exercises, good practice advice, relevant practical examples and a forum style ‘GPR surgery’ for the discussion of delegate-specific applications and issues. Topics will include: GPR waves and material properties, GPR systems and antennae selection, survey design criteria, data collection procedures, basic data processing and interpretation (good practice and pitfalls). A full training pack will be provided for each delegate which will include additional reference material for further study.
Day One : GPR Theory, Systems and Practice
Registration, Introduction, etc (1 hr)
Morning Session (2 x 1 Hrs): Getting to grips with GPR - (Lectures) Basic EM and GPR theory including material properties, antenna, systems, wave propagation, etc.
Afternoon Session (2 x 1.5 Hrs): : Getting to know your GPR (A combination of hands-on demonstrations and discussion style tutorials) - Principles of data collection, GPR surveys, good and bad data collection practice plus the demonstration of GPR system and the hands-on collection of data by delegates.
Day Two : GPR Data Processing, Interpretation and Applications
Morning Session (2 x 1 Hrs plus 1/2 hr exercise): Dealing with GPR Data (Lectures and hands-on interpretation exercises) - Basic GPR data processing and interpretation. Practical examples of good and bad data processing and a practical data interpretation exercise on some real GPR data.
Afternoon Session 1 (1 x 1.5 Hrs): Applying GPR (talks) - Practical applications and examples of GPR for mining applications (including guest speakers)
Afternoon Session 2 (1+ Hrs): The GPR Surgery - A ‘question time’ style open discussion forum with a panel of experts (the tutor plus the guest speakers from the previous session). Topics will be selected from the questions, issues and application queries raised by the delegates during the 2 days of the workshop.
Workshop Tutor - Dr Nigel Cassidy
Dr
Nigel Cassidy is Senior Lecturer in Applied Geophysics at
Keele University, U.K. and a Royal Society Industrial
Fellow. He has over twenty five years industrial and
academic experience in the engineering and geological sector
and has been teaching GPR to undergraduate and postgraduate
students for over ten years. He has run a number of highly
successful, professional GPR courses and workshops (most
recently at the International GPR2008 conference in
Birmingham, U.K.) and is currently involved in GPR training
for the EUROGPR Association. He was recently the Chairman of
the Environmental and Industrial Geophysics Group (EIGG) of
the Geological Society of London, a committee member of the
British Geophysical Association (BGA) and is currently
associate editor of the Near Surface Geophysics Journal. Dr
Cassidy has published over sixty peer-reviewed scientific
papers and research reports relating to the practical and
theoretical application of GPR and associated techniques and
has developed an extensive portfolio of industrial and
government funded GPR research programmes at Keele
University.
Gradient (Tensor & Vector) Processing Workshop
Tues 15 Sept
Intrepid Geophysics is at the forefront of developing techniques in the signal processing of full tensor and gradient data sets for both gravity and magnetics. We apply the underlying physical and mathematical properties of the tensor to correctly interpolate between tensor readings and achieve superior data processing results.
• Using Intrepid's Tensor Spherical Interpolation Technology, the eigenvalues together with the associated quaternion of the tensor can be used for the interpolation and filtering processes, correctly accounting for both the magnitudes and the angular variation of the tensor.
• This form the basis for Quality Control of vector and full tensor surveys
• The approach is implemented in Levelling, Filtering and Gridding operations
Presented by Dr. Desmond FitzGerald from Intrepid Geophysics, this course provides participants with an introduction to an quality control, gridding and filtering of vector and full tensor datasets. You will learn to assess the quality of a tensor survey, interpret tensor data and optimise the signal content through linear differential de-noising [MITRE] and other methods. The course will cover aspects of the design of tensor instruments, and what signals can be recovered if potential gradients are measured. You will examine the five independent components of a tensor, and learn many ways to transform tensor data for examining the signal. A 30 day evaluation licence will be provided at the end of the course, allowing companies to further evaluate the application of Intrepid Tensor Processing on their own project datasets. Download the flyer
GeoModeller: Building a 3D Geology Model, and Gravity/Magnetic Tensor Inversion
Mon 14 Sept
This one day workshop will initially introduce the 3D GeoModeller approach to building a 3D geology model. Users will add new geology data, and revise their interpretive ideas, and will learn that geology models can be easily revised and improved. The workshop will then demonstrate the benefits of computing forward model solutions for gravity and magnetics, including their vector and tensor components. This process effectively 'tests' the 3D geology model. The user can revise the model to achieve a 3D geology result which remains consistent with geology observations, and has improved consistency with geophysical datasets. In the afternoon session GeoModeller's geophysical inversion will be applied. This stochastic exploration process seeks 'alternative' geology models which are also consistent with the set of geology and geophysical constraints. It will be demonstrated that this inversion approach - using vector and tensor datasets - achieves further interpretive improvement and refinement of the 3D geological model.
SHORT COURSE: 3-D SEISMIC
SURVEYS MANAGEMENT presented by Dr A. Chaouch
Tues 15 Sept
During the last decades 3-D seismic has emerged as one of the most important technology that brought to the Oil Exploration and Production (E.&.P.) industry significant benefits. Managing 3D seismic surveys aims at extracting all the benefits from 3D data to improve the economics of hydrocarbon projects. For the short course we will Start with a 3-D example and participants will discuss the different steps of a 3-D surveys starting form the definition of the scope, going through the evaluation of the survey in terms of wave propagation theory and finally investigating the strategy for design elaboration and selection of the most adequate design to be implemented on the field. During this short course will also be briefly presented the terminology used in the 3-D technique compared with 2-D activity.
Abdelkader CHAOUCH - CV
• Abdelkader Chaouch obtained first a Civil Engineer
Diploma from the “National School of Civil Engineering” – (ENTPE)
in Paris (1966) and was assigned as Project Engineer in the
Civil Engineering French Administration (Ponts et Chaussées)
from 1968 to 1978. During this period A. Chaouch prepared
his Master in Geology and a PhD in Applied Geophysics at
Paris VI - University.
• From 1978 to 1980, he was assigned as lecturer at Tunis
University in Applied Geophysics and Computing Sciences.
• In 1981 he joined TOTAL, the French Oil Company as
geophysicist. Within different departments and Subsidiaries
of TOTAL, he acquired a wide experience in oil exploration
and development over the world. He assumed different
responsibilities ranging from Senior Geophysicist,
Operations Geophysicist, Chief Geophysicist to Seismic
Acquisition and Processing Expert.
• During the last 10 years of his TOTAL’s activity, he has
been managing 3-D seismic acquisition projects in both land
and marine domains and had a significant contribution in the
development of the 3-D technology within TOTAL
• In 1993 A. Chaouch was retired from TOTAL and joined the
non profit association “TOTAL Professeurs Associes” in
charge of teaching “Hydrocarbon Exploration” in general and
“3-D Seismic Surveys Management” in particular. This free
activity is mainly dedicated to public High Schools and
Universities over the world.
• At the same time A. Chaouch is running his own business as
geophysical consultant for oil and gas industry.
ERDAS
IMAGINE and ER Mapper: Using Remote Sensing Technology for
Mineral Exploration.
Mon 14 Sept
Remote sensing technology has presented useful information in mineral exploration. Information derived from satellite imagery together with data from geology maps, geophysics and geochemistry can be used together to produce primary exploration models for a GIS.
Data Design will present in the first half of the workshop, an introductory overview of ER Mapper and ERDAS IMAGINE. Participants will get an indication of some of the sub-surface data types that can be handled by the software and the tools that are used to interpret and analyze the data. The presentation will also demonstrate how sub-surface data can be visualized in 3D using IMAGINE Virtual GIS and how these visualizations can be seamlessly integrated into a GIS.
The presentation will be followed by a demonstration of how aeromagnetic data has been used within ER Mapper to detect base metals and kimberlite targets. The demonstration will look at;
• Enhancing the raw data using Convolution Filters
• Geophysical data processing tools provided in ER Mapper
• Generating a 3D surface Model using IMAGINE Virtual GIS
• Extruding vector data, such as drill holes, from the 3D
surface model
• Identifying kimberlite targets using target threshold
definition tools in ER Mapper