Geophysics and Neotectonics

X429g

students and professor looking at a laptop outdoors
Course Description

X429g utilizes geophysical tools (e.g. seismic, gravity, electrical resistivity, terrestrial laser survey, and GPS) to build data sets that can be used to interpret a number of geologic problems that exist within the region.

Specific topics and techniques are chosen on an annual basis, all of which are designed to integrate geophysical techniques with traditional geologic investigations. The emphasis is on learning about geophysical instruments, defining how to best deploy the instruments to solve the problem to be addressed, working on data reduction and interpretation, and developing models to test and refine the geologic interpretation of the data.

The problems, instruments, and deployment techniques selected are formulated to address questions that arise from the experiences leading up to this week. Concepts and information developed here will be applied during the final study area. A critical component of the work is to integrate traditional geological data (e.g. sedimentology, stratigraphy, structural analysis) into any interpretation.