geophysicsSpring 2001 Colorado School of Mines

A Note from theDepartment Head

Greetings from Golden! Aftera year at the helm, I am more

enthusiastic than ever about theDepartment of Geophysics! Al-though this newsletter can captureonly a small sampling of the out-standing people and exciting pro-grams here, I hope it succeeds inconveying the excellence and es-

prit that make CSM such a special place. The De-partment of Geophysics comprises a healthy bal-ance between undergraduate and graduate pro-grams, and between educational and research activ-ities. The photos and articles on the following pagesprovide some highlights.

If you will be in the Denver area in early May,please plan to attend our geophysics reception im-mediately following the graduation ceremony onMay 4th. The reception is intended for our entireextended family—not only the honorees, relativesand friends participating in graduation, but also cur-rent students, faculty, staff, and alumni young andold. Drop us an email (tkyoung@mines.edu, ssum-mers@mines.edu) and let us know you’re coming;it will help us to plan.

For those of you attending this year’s SEG meet-gin in San Antonio, we hope you will come to ourCSM luncheon there. Look for more informationabout these events inside the newsletter.

Thank you for your continuing interest, involve-ment and support in the life of our department.

— Terence K. Young

geophysicsSpring 2001

Colorado School of Mines

3 Field Camp

4 Student Highlights

9 For ProspectiveStudents

10 Centers and Projects

14 Department Highlights

17 Women in Geophysics

18 VIP’s

20 Invitations for Alumni

Cover Photo by John A. Scales taken of the Collegiate Peaks,

Buena Vista, Colorado

Department of GeophysicsColorado School of MinesGolden, CO 80401-1887

www.geophysics.mines.edu

3Spring 2001

In the summer of 1999, a groupof students and faculty traveled

to Hawaii as part of GeophysicsField Camp. On the Big Island ofHawaii, in cooperation with theUSGS, the CSM students workedwithin Hawaii Volcanoes NationalPark. They collected data over hotlava tubes near a shatter ring withmolten lava running a meter beneaththeir feet, over and inside a cold lavatube, and between the cold tube andthe surface.

They also collected data at the siteof an ancient Hawaiian village ar-chaeological site and at the worldclass xenolith deposits on theHualalai Ranch.

Undergraduate student, DavidSinex, won a competition to travel tothe Eighth International Conference

on Ground Penetrating Radar,GPR2000, in Australia duringMay 2000 to present the FieldCamp results. Some of the de-tails were published in the con-ference proceedings. The paper,“Hot and cold lava tube charac-terization with ground penetrat-ing radar,” can be found on theWeb athttp://www.g-p-r.com/GRP2000B.pdf.

Group Studies Volcanoes in Hawaiiby Gary Olhoeft

Upper: Aerial view of a 60m diameter shatter ring.Hot lava flows under thering from upper right tolower left.

Left: This CSM group onthe 1999 GPR survey inHawaii includes Erin Wal-lin, Markus Lagmanson,Dave Sinex, Stefany Lewis,Brian Clark, David Stillman,Prof. Kathy Sander andProf. Gary Olhoeft.

Field Camp Traditions Live On at CSM

Field camp isone of the great

traditions in the De-partment of Geo-physics. For under-graduates, field campoften provides someof the best experi-ences and memoriesin their geophysicalengineering program.For years our friendsin industry have made large donations of field equipmentthat we have used not only in field camp, but also in labo-ratory instruction and graduate research. However, as timepasses and the equipment gets older it becomes difficult andexpensive to maintain.

Last summer, thanks again to our friends in industry, weexperimented with a different approach—with great suc-cess. Veritas, in partnership with Talisman, provided a state-of-the-art Vibroseis system and a crew to operate it! Serceldonated a recording system and then sent along an expert tohelp run it! Harvey Klingensmith (Sr. Vice President, In-ternational Exploration, for El Paso Production) and his wifeSeane, Mo Crous (Manager of Exploration Technology for

Upper picture: Students attending field camp during Sum-mer 2000 are shown atop a Vibroseis system provided byVeritas and Talisman. Lower picture: Students Angie South-cott, Ted Royer, Holly Hindle, Whitney Trainor, and SuzieMoore take a short breather.

Talisman), and our friends at the company formerlyknown as ARCO—by way of the SEG foundation—helped underwrite the venture.

This summer, Veritas, Talisman and Sercel plan topartner with us again to provide a first-rate field expe-rience for our students. We are grateful for the gener-ous support and involvement of these companies!

4 Spring 2001

Graduate students come to CSM from all over theworld with different cultural backgrounds, experi-

ences, and interests. The students' research activities span abroad range of geophysicalmethods and applications in-cluding theoretical and appliedseismology, gravity, magnetics,electrical methods, ground pen-etrating radar (GPR), rockphysics, and borehole geo-physics relating to the environ-mental, petroleum, and miningindustries. The Society of Geo-physics Graduate Students(SGGS) draws these studentstogether through department-wide social activities includingthe weekly post-Heiland gath-ering, and barbecues with vol-leyball and other fun andgames.

The SGGS communicates a graduate-student perspectiveto the faculty on important issues. The president of theSGGS serves on the five-member Graduate Advisory Com-mittee (GAC) providing input on matters ranging from stu-dent applications to teaching requirements for Ph.D. stu-dents. This position is a unique bridge between studentsand faculty that promotes cooperation and trust.

The Society assists students in various ways. A new ac-tivity, which is being organized for launch this Fall, is amentoring program. Graduate students will mentor under-

graduate students withsimilar interests. Theywill also introduce incom-ing graduate students tothe department and theGolden area.

Historically, SGGS hasadministered financialsupport for students to at-tend professional confer-ences. This funding comesfrom the generous dona-tions of companies and in-dividuals. This year wewere able to support sever-al students to attend theSEG and SAGEEP confer-ences, and to establish an

EEGS student chapter in the department.

The SGGS helps foster a community of learning in thedepartment, contributes to the academic and professionaldevelopment of its graduate students, and promotes strongpersonal friendships. We welcome suggestions, and dona-tions from alumni and industry to help make the Geophysicsgraduate program at CSM both valuable and memorable.

Graduate Students and Faculty Bond ThroughSGGS Activitiesby Marty Terrell, SGGS President

Graduate students and faculty look forward to the weeklysocial hour following the Heiland Seminar. Pictured here (left toright): Phil Brown, SGGS vice president; Ed Jenner, SGGS for-mer president; and Marty Terrell, SGGS president. Not picturedis SGGS treasurer, Matt Haney.

The Society of Student Geophysicists (SSG) sponsors bi-monthly luncheons and partici-pation at professional society meetings for the undergraduates, and organizes the annu-al GP Day for the entire department. Pictured here are SSG officers Holly Hindle(Treasurer), Suzie Moore (Vice President), Amy Walker (President), Sarah Shearer(Secretary) and Joe MacGregor (Webmaster).

Society of Student GeophysicistsMarty is a Ph.D. student workingunder Prof. Tom Davis in theReservoir CharacterizationProject.

5Spring 2001

The Ice Skating Follies is a popular annual departmentevent. Held at Evergreen Lake, the attendees are invited towarm up after the skating at the nearby home of ProfessorKen Larner and his wife Nancy. Pictured here are under-graduates Whitney Trainor, Suzie Moore and Amy Walker.

Senior Justin Modroo displays his own version of airbornegeophysics during a freestyle skiing competition.

Undergrad Experiences StudyAbroadby Whitney Trainor

Sometime in the middle of myjunior year, I realized how

quickly the grown-up and responsi-ble “real” world was approaching. Ihad to react fast. The opportunity tostudy abroad and become fluent inSpanish (something I had alwayswanted to do) would be much harderafter receiving my bachelor’s degree.So I made the scariest and best deci-sion in my life by studying in theBasque country in northern Spain forthe fall semester of my senior year.

I remember reading numerous

comments written by exchange stu-dents about how amazing their expe-riences were—and before my trip,they always sounded repetitive andtrite. However, now I understand. Toput the most influential, eye-open-ing, and awesome experience of yourlife into words is incredibly difficult.The only thing I would change aboutmy decision to study abroad for thesemester? Stay the entire year.

Whitney’s version of “running with the bulls” in Pamplona, Spain.

Whitney is a senior in the undergrad-uate geophysical engineering pro-gram.

1998 GP GradsB.S. DegreeRoyce Cameron BeckTammy Louise CampbellNatalie Elaine DotsonWilliam Todd FaulknerEdward Michael FiedlerEvan-Pierre Bernard GenaudMichael James MillerSummer Brooks MontgomeryBrian Lee MossbergerMichael Glenn Northrop

M.S. DegreeBarry Alan KirkendallEkaterini PapakonstantinouAlberto Villareal

Ph.D. DegreeBrian C. DeVaultHerman JaramilloBruce William Mattocks

6 Spring 2001

CSM Graduate Women “Rock” with SummerCamp Youth by Kate McKinley and Erin Wallin

The Association of WomenGeoscientists and the Home-

stead Girl ScoutCouncil of Ne-braska invitedwomen from ourdepartment tospend several dayslast July at AshfallFossil Beds StateHistoric Park toteach Girl Scoutsabout geophysics.These few dayswere part of “Ne-braska Rocks,” asummer camp forGirl Scouts, ages13 to 17 who areinterested in earthsciences.

Not wanting tomiss an opportunity to work in hotweather, the two of us loaded asmuch ground penetrating radar(GPR) equipment as would fit into a

non-airconditioned car and drovenine hours to Northeastern Nebras-ka. Fortunately, many of the rest ar-eas along I-76 and I-80 had theirsprinklers watering the grass, and wewere able to use them to stay cool.

Ashfall Fossil Beds are composedof a volcanic ash from eruptions in

Southwest Idaho approximately 11.9million years ago. The area of inter-

est is believed to be a prehistoricpond, where rhinos and other ani-mals came to drink and feed. Afterthe eruptions, an ash cloud blew over

what is now NortheastNebraska filling in thepond with a few metersof ash and, over a periodof several weeks, suffo-cating the animals thatlived there.

To date, over 100 pre-historic skeletons of rhi-noceros and other verte-brates have been exca-vated at the site. Ourgoal was to show theGirl Scouts how GPRcould be used to locatethe buried skeletons, and

to discuss opportunities for womenin geophysics and other earth sci-ences.

The Scouts were wonderful towork with. They took responsibilityfor laying out the survey lines, locat-ing the survey lines relative to fixedlocations, setting up the GPR anten-nas and keeping field notes. The girls

acquired zero offset radar profilesover a 2-meter by 3-meter area of theash bed known to contain the skele-tons of a mother rhino and her calf.

This area had been partially exca-vated. After the skeletons were dis -covered they were then coveredagain with ash for protection and lat-er excavation. The Scouts processedthe data in the field and interpretedthe hyperbolas as reflections fromrhinoceros skeletons. They did agreat job and we all had a lot of fun,even though it couldn't have beenmore than 114°F!

1999 GP GradsB.S. DegreeRobert M. BlackAnthony Alexander BurgardBethany Lynn BurtonAbraham Michael EmondMatthew Matson HaneyMichael Ryan JonesMarkus Mattias LagmansonStefany Brook LewisRichard L. ParkesKin-Man Edmond SzeErin Lynn Wallin

Professional DegreeDavid S. AbbottErich AraiRichard L. ParkesCheng Peng

M.S. and M.E. DegreesNazim Resmioglu AbdullayevJared Dale AbrahamJames Jay BlaylockRobert M. FioreMiguel GalarragaPaul Edwin MurrayKim C. OshetskiFriedrich RothAmber Lynn Storch

Ph.D. DegreeBirsen CananWalter GoedeckeGilein J. Steensma

These skeletons, including a female adult rhino and hercalf, were excavated over the past several years. They arerepresentative of what the Girl Scouts looked for with theirground penetrating radar survey at Ashfall Fossil Beds.

Girl Scouts enjoy pulling ground penetrating radarantennas centimeter by centimeter.

7Spring 2001

This past summer I worked with Professors Li, Olhoeft,and Young to develop a new course module in satel-

lite remote sensing. We de-veloped examples of satel-lite imagery for applicationsranging from mineral explo-ration and monitoring volca-noes, to exploring otherplanets. These were incorpo-rated into a course in thecore undergraduate curricu-lum in which sophomoresare first introduced to thefield of geophysics. Severalapplications of satellite re-mote sensing in geophysics make use of radar.

As part of my work I had the opportunity to attend aNASA sponsored Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) work-shop in Los Angeles. The goal of the workshop was to gath-

er top experts in the SAR research world, to compose a pro-posal for NASA to fund a US civilian SAR program.Presently, the US scientific community must obtain currentSAR images from the Europeans, Canadians, or Japanese.Unfortunately, the ordering/delivery process is a lengthy one(6 months on average). Another option is to scan old SARimages taken from shuttle missions flown in 1981, 1984,1994 and 2000 for the desired image.

Unlike visible and infrared satellites, a SAR satellite cansee through moderately heavy vegetation, clouds, and atnight. During the conference, we discussed the applicationsof SAR and interferometric SAR (InSAR). These applica-tions include the monitoring of volcanoes, earthquake to-

Graduate Student Attends SAR Workshopby David Stillman

pography changes, the cryosphere, natural disasters, the hy-drologic cycle, subsidence, and biomass.

The 113 participants hailed from a variety of organiza-tions including FEMA, JPL, USGS, LANL, LLNL, NASAcenters, and universities. Roughly 15% were students.

This is a portion of an InSAR image of the Lander’s Earthquake, which occurred inCalifornia on June 28, 1992. Each fringe represents approximately 2.8 cm of verticaldisplacement caused by the earthquake.

David Stillman, who received his B.Sc. in geophysics fromCSM in May 2000, is now pursuing his master’s degreeunder Professor Gary Olhoeft.

2000 GP GradsB.S. DegreeJonathan James BennettBrian T. ClarkJason Ethan GumbleTodd Garrett LapinskiTodd Matthew MeglichMargo Michelle RatcliffDavid Brian SinexDavid Earle StillmanRandall R. Thomas

Professional DegreeScott A. BakerManuel Gonzalez-FernandezGeddy L. MoranShogo NaraharaMichael T. Poirier

M.S. DegreeRobert BungeCatalina Rene Acuna GodoyBaoniu HanEfrain Mendez HernandezChristopher Robinson

Ph.D. DegreeRobert J.L. Lorenzen

8 Spring 2001

Environmental and Engineering GeophysicsSociety: New Chapter at ‘MinesMany people associate CSM's Department of Geo-

physics with the petroleum industry, because his-torically that sector has hired a large proportion of the de-partment's graduates. However, environmental and engi-neering geophysics are also alive and well at Mines. In fact,interest in these areas of application is growing among ourcurrent students.

Two of our Distinguished Se-nior Scientists, Pieter Hoekstraand Adel Zohdy, served as Gen-eral Chairman and TechnicalProgram Chairman, respectively,of SAGEEP—the Symposiumon the Application of Geo-physics to Engineering and En-vironmental Problems—which is the annual meeting of theEnvironmental and Engineering Geophysics Society(EEGS). SAGEEP was held March 4-7 in Denver. AmyWalker, President of the Student Society of Geophysicists(SSG) also served on the technical program committee.Kristen Sneddon, a graduate student in geophysics, gave atechnical presentation on her research. A large number ofCSM students, both undergraduate and graduate, volun-teered to work in various capacities at the meeting. Stu-dents also organized and staffed a CSM table at the meet-ing.

Leading up to SAGEEP, there was a ground swell of in-terest among the students to activate a CSM student chapter

of EEGS. Geophysics graduate stu-dent Kate McKinley took the leadand invited Dr. Mike Powers, out-going First Vice President of EEGS,to be the featured speaker at a kick-off luncheon on campus. Mike is aCSM alumnus and a research scien-tist at the USGS. He is currentlyteaching a section of sophomore

EPICS (Engineering Practices Introductory Course Se-quence) that is doing an archeological application of geo-physics in nearby Douglas County. (Jim Oltmans, anothergeophysics alumnus, brought the Douglas County project tothe attention of the department.)

There was a great turnout of students and faculty alike forthe kickoff meeting of the new student chapter of EEGS.

EEGS outgoing vice president Mike Powers was guestspeaker for the kickoff luncheon of the new student chapter,pictured here with CSM graduate student and event co-organizer Kate McKinley.

Some Things in Life ARE Free!Seismic Unix (SU) is a self-con-

tained software environment for seis -mic research and data processing thatis compatible with all Unix and Unix-

like operation systems. CWP Research Associate JohnStockwell, SU co-developer and project manager, main-tains the software and implements its many updates andimprovements.

SU is freely distributed on the Internet athttp://www.cwp.mines.edu/cwpcodes. There are currently2200 installations of SU in 55 countries.

SU

The Internet archive, Samizdat Press, offers a free col-lection of books and lecture notes that you may down-load. Samizdat was begun by John Scales at CSM andMartin Smith of New England Research as a vehicle fordistributing technical documents of interest, at no cost tothe user. Check out the list of Samizdat Press offerings atthe web site: http://landau.mines.edu/~samizdat.

9Spring 2001

Both industry and governmentemployers of geophysicists

and geophysical engineers have rec-ognized the gaping hole in their owninternal demographics. But havethey realized that the feedstock at theinput side of the educational pipeline—the source of our geoscience andgeo-engineering professionals of thefuture—looks increasingly diversethese days? It is becoming a richerand richer blend of young peoplefrom groups that have historicallybeen under represented in geoscienceand geo-engineering. How do webridge the gap between our field andthese important segments of our pop-ulation?

The Colorado School of Mines be-gan a Minority Engineering Program(MEP) in 1989. Today the programis flourishing under the direction ofJudi Diaz Bonacquisti. However, forthe most part, Hispanic, AfricanAmerican, Native American, and Na-tive Pacific Islands students in MEPare choosing to major in traditionalengineering disciplines like chemi-cal, electrical and mechanical engi-neering. They have never heard ofgeophysics; in fact, they tend to be abit intimidated by the name, and they

Heightening Students’ Awareness of Geophysics

Armando Telles, Jr., speaks to theSociety of Hispanic ProfessionalEngineers and Scientists and otherstudents in the Minority EngineeringProgram at CSM.

certainly have no role models in geo-physics or geophysical engineering.We are setting out to change that.

Recently, Armando Telles, Jr., aconsulting geophysicist who spent28 years with Mobil, made a presen-tation on campus to the Society ofHispanic Professional Engineers andScientists and other students in theMinority Engineering Program atCSM, regarding his experiences asMobil's Exploration Manager in Bo-livia and Peru. This summer the De-

partment will participate in MEP'sSUMMET (Summer Minority Engi-neering Training) by presenting amodule in geophysics. In the longerterm, we plan to establish a mentor-ing program for minority studentsthat emulates the successful modelpioneered by Women in Geophysics.

For Prospective StudentsThe field of applied geophysics encompasses a broad

spectrum of interesting activities. For example, geo-physicists team up with geologists and geochemists to ex-plore for natural resources, like minerals and hydrocarbons,in order to meet the increasing demands of the growing pop-ulation on planet Earth. They work with geologists to studyearthquakes and volcanoes in order to help mitigate the ef-fects of these natural disasters on populated areas. Geophys-ical engineers and civil engineers investigate sites for majorconstruction projects, both above and below ground, to in-sure the stability of large-scale structures. And geophysi-cists work with environmental scientists to help provide ad-equate supplies of uncontaminated groundwater. Geophysi-cists are an essential part of the teams that explore Mars andother planets.

The Department of Geophysics at Colorado School ofMines is known around the world for excellence in appliedgeophysics. Geophysics alumni from CSM can be found inkey technical and management positions in industries andgovernments worldwide. Currently the demand for our geo-physics graduates is very strong, and the outlook is for thatdemand to grow significantly in the coming years. If youwould like more information about our undergraduate orgraduate programs, please contact Professor Terry Youngby email (tkyoung@mines.edu) or phone (303-273-3454)or check us out on the web at

http://www.geophysics.mines.edu.

— The field of geophysics is fascinating,challenging, and rewarding.

10 Spring 2001

Now in its 17th year, the Center for Wave Phenomena(CWP) continues its interdisciplinary pro-

gram of coordinated and integrated research in in-verse problems and problems of seismic data pro-cessing and interpretation. Its methods have applications toseismic exploration, mapping the seabed, ocean sound-speed profiling, nondestructive testing and evaluation, andother areas. Extensive use is made of analytical techniques,especially asymptotic methods and computational tech-niques. Methodology is developed through computer imple-mentation, based on the philosophy that the ultimate test ofan inverse method is its application to field or experimentaldata. CWP is supported by 29 domestic and foreign oil com-panies and exploration service companies.

CWPCenter for Wave Phenomena

CENPETCenter for Petrophysics

Geophysics Department Research Activity

Director of CWP Ken Larner (left), and former director andnow University Professor Emeritus Norm Bleistein (right)celebrate in December 2000 with CWP doctoral graduateLan Wang (Mathematical and Computer Sciences).

Faculty: Ken Larner, Director; Norm Bleistein,Maarten de Hoop (MCS), Vladimir Grechka, JohnScales, Roel Snieder, and Ilya Tsvankin.

Faculty: Max Peeters, Director; Mike Batzle, StevenDec (Chemistry), Alfred Eustes (Petroleum), JohnFanchi (Petroleum), Neil Hurley (Geology), Maartende Hoop (MCS), Gary Olhoeft, and Brian Ashbury(Mining).

The Center for Petrophysics (CENPET) is currentlysupported by five companies

and provides MSc projects for sevenstudents. The thesis subjects includemonitoring invasion of mud filtrate inhorizontal boreholes with ground pen-etrating radar (GPR); simultaneous in-version of shallow reading wirelinelogs to improve porosity and perme-ability estimates; measuring fluid andlithology effects on acoustic wavepropagation in a shock tube; and com-paring the response of acoustic and re-sistivity imaging tools to structural andstratigraphic rock features.

Petrophysical and formation evalua-tion courses are offered at the under-graduate and graduate levels. The un-

dergraduate courses use web-based courses and computerlog evaluation programs provided by sponsor companies.The graduate courses feature seminars by experts in log-ging, coring, and formation testing. The undergraduatecourse is supplemented by a Baker Atlas logging school inOdessa, Texas. Pictured below are CSM geophysics studentsand faculty attending the school in 2000.

11Spring 2001

in Houston and broadcast simultaneously through the inter-net to eleven remote sites worldwide (four in the UnitedStates, four in Canada, as well as one each in Australia, Fin-land, and the United Kingdom). SEG President Sally Zinkewas a participant at the CSM site. The web-based deliveryof the workshop reached a much wider audience than wouldhave been possible by conventional approaches.

Generous contributions from Dr. Tom LaFehr, the RuttBridges Family Foundation, the Society of Exploration Geo-physicists, and Shell enabled students and members of theacademic community to attend the workshop free of charge

at various locations. This activity has prompted agreat deal of interest in the use of wavelet transformsin gravity and magnetics and has enhanced the pres-tige of both GMRC and CSM.

GMRCGravity and Magnetics Research Consortium

Faculty: Yaoguo Li, Director; Misac Nabighian, TomLaFehr, Tim Niebauer, Hengren Xia, Richard Hansen.

Center for RockAbuseGeophysical Properties of Fluids andRocksFaculty: Mike Batzle, Director; G. Olhoeft, M.Peeters, J. Scales, R. Snieder (Geophysics); R.Christiansen, R. Graves, J. Fanchi (PetroleumEng.); and M. Gardner (Geology).

The Gravity and Magnetics Research Consortium(GMRC) is a newly formed facility for carrying out

industry-sponsored research in gravity and magnetic meth-ods. The consortium is working on a variety of problemsranging from theory, modeling, inversion, and interpreta-tion to field appli-cations. The goal isto develop newtechniques that cansolve practical ex-ploration and pro-duction problemsby utilizing the lat-est developmentsin geophysical in-verse theory, ap-plied mathematics,and modern instru-mentation. Thecurrent research atGMRC is focusedon the processing,inversion, and in-terpretation ofgravity gradiome-ter data. Gravitygradiometer datameasure the spa-tial gradients ofthe three components of the gravity field, and they haveless platform-induced measurement errors and possess ahigher resolving power than conventional gravity data.

Wavelet Transforms Topic of Web-based Workshop

The GMRC has been using wavelet transforms totackle a variety of problems ranging from data pro-

cessing to 3D inversion of gravity gradiometer data. In aneffort to introduce this new method to the larger commu-nity of potential-field researchers and practicing geophysi-cists, the GMRC organized and presented on October 27,2000 a web-based workshop on the application of wavelettransforms to potential-field problems.

The workshop was organized by Yaoguo Li and MisacNabighian from GMRC in collaboration with Ed Biegert,Jerry Hensel, and Pat Millegan from the companies spon-soring the GMRC. The workshop featured seven invitedspeakers from the United States, France and Australia, threeof which were from CSM. The workshop was presented live

For those of you acquainted with Professor MikeBatzle, you will not be surprised by the name

he has chosen for his research center—The Centerfor Rock Abuse.Mike can usually befound down in thebowels of the GreenCenter where he hasset up a laboratory topursue fundamentalresearch concerningthe detection of flu-ids, especially hydro-carbons, in rocks.

Mike and his stu-dents are conductingexperiments on rocksamples and integrat-ing their findings

with seismic data ac-quired over sponsors’

reservoirs. This research is a cooperative effort with HARC(the Houston Advanced Research Center) and it involvesfaculty participants from other CSM departments includingGeology and Geological Engineering, Petroleum Engineer-ing, and Mathematics and Computer Sciences.

Yaoguo Li, GMRC workshop facilitator.

Vanessa Mitchell prepares to crushrock.

12 Spring 2001

RCPReservoir Characterization Project

Faculty: Tom Davis, Director; Bob Benson,Co-director; John Fanchi (Petroleum); Neil Hurley (Geology).

The Reservoir CharacterizationProject (RCP) specializes in

the applications and interpretation oftime-lapse, multicomponent (4-D, 3-C) seismic data, working with indus-try partners to develop a dynamic ap-proach to reservoir characterizationin order to enhance oil recovery.

At CSM, the project promotes in-terdisciplinary research and educa-tion for students. Over 60 studentsfrom the geophysics, geology andpetroleum engineering departmentshave completed theses based on theresearch of RCP.

Currently ongoing, Phase VIII ofthe project comprises a $3.2 millionseismic survey in the PanCanadianWeyburn Field in Saskatchewan withthe goal to provide a detailed under-ground picture of a section of the oil-rich reservoir before and after it isreached by an injection of carbondioxide.

The injected CO2 mixes with oiltrapped in rock formations, causingthe oil in the porous rock to be re-leased and flow more easily.

To conduct this survey, Davis andhis 30-member seismic crew fromSolid State Geophysical Inc., Cal-gary, used a truck-mounted hydraulicvibrator to create shear waves in theground, concentrating on a three-square-mile area. As these wavesbounce off the subterranean forma-tions and fractures where oil istrapped, they are recorded by 1,200digital sensors, providing a high def-inition map of the underground area.Taking place during Fall 2000, thesurvey, using the shear wave technol-ogy developed by Davis at CSM,will help identify permeable path-ways in the rock and therefore themovement of fluids within the reser-voir can be predicted.

The technology and equipment

RCP Director Tom Davis poses with a member of his crew in front of one of three hydraulic vibrators used during the seismicshoot conducted in PanCanadian’s Weyburn field. The vibrator is used to shake the ground in order to create waves that arerecorded by 1,200 digital sensors. Davis and his crew employ a number of new technologies to get a detailed picture of aportion of PanCanadian’s reservoir. These methods could change the way oil companies think about exploration.

used are new and were tested for thefirst time during this survey. “Thegoal is to test where fluids are goingin the subsurface and see where theyconcentrate,” explains Davis. A se-ries of down-hole detectors alsorecord any natural seismic activity inthe reservoir that is induced by theCO2 injection.

Oil companies all over the worldhave their eye on the seismic tech-nology being used in the WeyburnField. The success of this surveycould have an impact on the waycompanies approach the recovery ofoil—by spending more time, moneyand effort getting an image of thereservoir before drilling and pump-ing. According to Davis, this type ofadvanced seismic imaging technolo-gy could have huge benefits, andperhaps lead to finding new sourcesof oil.

Davis is scheduled to conduct an-other survey of the same area duringSpring 2001, after the injected CO2makes its way into the test area.

The photograph and text areexcerpts from a feature written byKirsten Leatherdale of theWeyburn Review, Saskatchewan.

New Technology Tested During WeyburnField Project

13Spring 2001

Research in AvalancheForecastingVicki Cowart wears many hats.

She is State Geologist and Di-rector of the Colorado GeologicalSurvey (CGS). She is also a distin-guished alumnus of the CSM Depart-ment of Geophysics, who serves as amentor in the Women in Geophysicsmentoring program (see article inthis issue).

A year ago, Vicki brought to the at-tention of the Department the needfor research to support avalancheforecasting in Colorado. The Col-orado Avalanche Information Center(CAIC), a program of the CGS,funded an undergraduate researchproject in avalanche forecasting atCSM last summer.

Geophysics senior Amy Walkerand junior Julia Oakes worked on theproject under the supervision of Pro-fessor Terry Young. Expert input wasprovided by Knox Williams, Direc-tor of the CAIC, and Dale Atkins, an

avalanche forecaster who hasspearheaded computer appli-cations at CAIC, includingthe development of their In-ternet site.

Knox and Dale providedover twenty years of weatherdata and associated recordsof avalanche occurrences atBerthoud Pass, Colorado.Amy and Julia analyzedthese data to determinewhich variables were moststrongly correlated to the oc-currence of avalanches inthat area, and they developeda forecasting model based onthe nearest-neighbor algo-rithm that is commonly usedin Switzerland and other avalanche-prone areas. The CAIC is currentlytesting the algorithm at its center inBoulder.

Other undergraduates, including

Professors Young (left) and Kaufman wererecently sighted at the top of Loveland Pass,allegedly doing some fieldwork associated withavalanche research.

Michael Rumon, Jessica Semmler,Francis Williams, and Julie Camp-bell have continued working withTerry on avalanche research duringthe current academic year.

New Books AvailableCheck out these new books written by geophysics faculty members:

• Norm Bleistein, Jack K. Cohen and John W. Stockwell, Jr., Mathematicsof Multidimensional Seismic Imaging, Migration and Inversion, 2000,Springer-Verlag, (http://www.cwp.mines.edu/mmsimi).

• A.A. Kaufman and P.A. Eaton, The Theory of Inductive Prospecting , Vol.33 in series on Methods in Geochemistry and Geophysics, 2001, Elsevier.

• A.A. Kaufman and P. Hoekstra, Electromagnetic Soundings, Vol. 34 in se-ries on Methods in Geochemistry and Geophysics, 2001, Elsevier.

• A.A. Kaufman and A.L. Levshin, Elastic Wave Fields in Geophysics, I,Vol. 32, in series on Methods in Geochemistry and Geophysics , 2000, El-sevier.

• Ilya Tsvankin, Seismic Signatures and Analysis of Reflection Data inAnisotropic Media, part of the series on Handbook of Geophysical Explo-ration, 2001, Elsevier (http://www.elsevier.com/locate/isbn/0-08-043649-8).

Soon to be published:• Roel Snieder, A Guided Tour of Mathematical Methods for the Physical

Sciences, 2001, Cambridge University Press(http://www.mines.edu/~rsnieder/Guided.html).

Research Associate ProfessorBob Benson is currently serv-

ing as president of the Denver Geo-physical Society(DGS). Approx-imately 400 ac-tive DGS mem-bers gather forluncheon meet-ings on the sec-ond Thursday ofevery month atthe WynkoopBrewery in Denver. Among the ob-jectives of the DGS is the promotionof fellowship and cooperation amongpersons involved in or interested inthe science of geophysics. Learnmore about the DGS and their activ-ities on their web site at www.den-vergeo.org.

Bob Benson

14 Spring 2001

Heiland Lecture Series Opens Window tothe WorldThe Heiland Distinguished Lec-

ture series continues to be aweekly feature in the life of the De-partment of Geophysics. This year, agenerous donation from Schlum-berger was used to provide travel ex-penses for some of the speakers in-vited from outside the Denver area.

One of the highlights of the serieswas an impromptu lecture given byDr. Kaye Shedlock of the U.S. Geo-logical Survey. Already serving thedepartment as a member of the Vis-iting Committee and a mentor in theWomen in Geophysics program,Kaye attended the Heiland Lectureimmediately following the recentSeattle-area earthquake in March andpresented the information she wasassembling for USGS briefings.Kaye couldn’t stop very long for theregular post-Heiland gathering in theAdams Room, since she was sched-uled to be on an airplane to Washing-ton, D.C. early the next morning tomake official briefings on the quake.

Dr. Kaye Shedlock graciously accepted an invitation to give an impromptuHeiland presentation immediately following the recent Seattle-area earthquake.

The tradition of post-Heiland social gatherings lives on. The gatherings are hosted by the Society of GeophysicsGraduate Students (SGGS). Pictured here are (from left to right) graduate students Travis Wilson, Phil Brown, EdJenner, and Marty Terrell, along with Professor Tom Davis.

Professor Ken Larner,himself aDistinguishedLecturer this year forthe SPE, at a recentHeiland lecture adver-tises the upcomingpresentation byanother DistinguishedLecturer and alum-nus, Fred J.Hilterman.

15Spring 2001

CSM Welcomes First Keck Professor

In the Spring of 2000 I was appointed as the Keck Pro-fessor at the Colorado School of Mines. The goal of this

chair is to strengthen interdisciplinary research and teach-ing in the geosciences at CSM. The formulation of this goal

is timely, because re-searchers and teach-ers have become in-creasingly special-ized, yet the problemswe need to solve areoften so complex thatan interdisciplinaryapproach is needed.

My background issuited for this task.After an education intheoretical physics, Ibriefly worked ingeophysical fluid dy-namics. Over the pastten years I haveworked on various as-pects of both globalseismology and ex-ploration seismology,putting much effort inmy teaching to linkthe mathematics totopics that are of in-terest to students in

the earth sciences. This has resulted in the book A GuidedTour of Mathematical Methods for the Physical Sciences.

Presently I am setting up a number of research projects.A common theme of these projects is “waves,” with theprojects chosen so that they form a natural interface withscientists in other departments at CSM. One project is aimedat making “coda wave interferometry” operational. When amedium strongly scatters waves in an incoherent fashion,we don't know how to make images of the medium on thebasis of these data. In many applications, however, the pri-mary interest is not to make an image of the medium, but toknow whether or not the medium has changed. Because ofthe sensitivity of the multiple scattered waves to details ofthe medium, these waves can be used as a sensitive diag-nostic to detect changes in media. One application is reser-voir monitoring, but others include volcano monitoring, dammonitoring and non-destructive testing.

Parallel to the first project I am starting an interdiscipli-nary project aimed at a better understanding of liquefaction.A third research project is aimed at remote sensing of faultzones, which also has applications in reservoir problems,

Discovery Classby Alison Malcolm

The Discovery Class is a class in which, simply stat-ed, we learn to do research. We have chosen a researchtopic together as a class and are go-ing through all the steps of research-ing this topic. This course is differ-ent than most in that the most impor-tant things we learn are not necessar-ily related to the topic we have cho-sen. We spend a significant amountof time discussing what we need tolearn and what is the best way tolearn it, which helps us to develop skills that will be use-ful in our future research.

Our chosen topic is “Why are fractals so common innature?” We are currently looking into some of the basicproperties of fractals and attempting to devise a theoryas to why they appear in nature fairly commonly.

As part of the course, Dr. Snieder has invited expertresearchers from both academia and industry to speak tous about how they do research. These people give us im-portant advice, from a perspective different from that ofDr. Snieder, giving us a wider base to draw from in de-veloping our own research strategies.

This course has been one of the most useful I havetaken so far at CSM, because what we learn in the Dis -covery Class we will not learn from a book. The team-work required in the course has also provided me the op-portunity to become acquainted with other students fromdiverse backgrounds.

Alison is a first-year graduate student participating inRoel Snieder’s course on discovery. The objective of theclass is to answer the question: How do you discover?“Good research is not so much determined by your prob-lem-solving skills, but by your ability to ask the right ques-tions,” says Snieder.

mining engineering, structural geology and hydrology.It has been exciting to move to the Colorado School of

Mines. Because of the close proximity of the ColoradoSchool of Mines with the US Geological Survey and CUBoulder, the Colorado Front Range area has great potentialto be a focal point of earth sciences.

Keck Professor Roel Snieder quick-ly became integrated into his newcommunity by joining the volunteerfirefighters. Here he stands withrelief following a training exercise.

by Roel Snieder

16 Spring 2001

Sabbatical in France Yields CooperativeLearning Adventure for ScalesDuring the 1999-2000 Academic Year I was on sab-

batical at the Laboratoire Ondes et Acoustique of theÉcole Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles dela Ville de Paris. During this stay I was a Professor of theFrench Academy of Sciences and holder of the ChairElf/Academie des Science. I was one of only two foreign-ers so honored last year.

The Laboratory of Waves and Acoustics (LOA in French)is part of the École Supérieure dePhysique et Chimie Industrielles(ESPCI). This is where theCuries discovered radium a hun-dred years ago. It's also thehome of two current Nobel lau-reates. The ESPCI specializes inapplied physics and chemistry.While there I had the opportuni-ty to interact with many peoplein allied fields such as optics andmedical imaging, who are work-ing on the same sort of problemsthat interest me, but from com-pletely different perspectives.For example, one of my interestsis the use of diffusively scatteredseismic waves to perform imag-ing. The same problem is at theforefront of a new area of med-ical imaging which seeks to usediffusively scattered photons toimage inside the human body, which is sort of like trying tosee a piece of broccoli inside a glass of milk. I shared anoffice at the LOA with people working on ultrasonic med-ical imaging and spent many hours at the blackboard bridg-ing the nomenclature gap between what they do and whatseismic imaging types do. This was extremely valuable forboth.

I spent most of my time working on chaotic scattering andresonance; both topics I had been pursuing in my lab inGolden. These are great problems since they combine cut-ting edge physics with important applications in geophysics.In the case of resonance, the same device we developed toperform resonance ultrasonic characterization of rock sam-ples can be used to probe fundamental questions of quan-tum chaos. Further, I think that the exploitation of multiplyscattered waves (and other events we tend to discard as“noise”) may be the next frontier in seismology. The no-tion of “chaotic scattering” is a hot topic in theoreticalphysics and seismologists are ideally suited both to verifytheoretical predictions and to exploit these new theoreticaltools to solve practical problems in imaging and inversion.

Being able to pursue this work in a well-equipped laborato-ry surrounded by people with similar interests was a greatopportunity.

I began two experimental projects in Paris which I amcontinuing in Golden. The first involves an attempt to seethe breakdown of time-reversal invariance in a chaotic res-onance system. By measuring thousands of resonant fre-quencies of a precisely machined mechanical oscillator in a

vacuum chamber, I hope to see transition from time-rever-sal invariance to no time-reversal invariance as the pressureinside the chamber increases; coupling to the gas may ap-pear as an apparent source of attenuation.

The second experiment involves the use of strongly mul-tiply-scattered waves to make inferences about a scatteringmedium. It is important to realize that in many fields suchas geophysics and optics, multiply scattered waves are re-garded as noise. But in fact they are highly reproducibleand represent a valuable new source of information. I be-lieve that important advances in seismology and other fieldscan be made with this rich source of information.

Quite apart from the professional development I achieved,I will forever be grateful that my children had the opportu-nity to immerse themselves in a foreign culture, learn Frenchin a French school, and have French friends. For this I thankthe Colorado School of Mines, the French Academy of Sci-ences and the Elf Foundation.

The Scales family outside of the Louvre Museum in Paris: John, William, Emma, andPamela.

17Spring 2001

Mentoring in Geophysics: What, Why and How?

Volunteer mentor, Elizabeth Pottorff, and her mentee, CSMstudent Amy Walker, President of the undergraduate organi-zation SSG, share a friendly moment at an event hosted byWomen in Geophysics. Porttorff is President of the DenverChapter of the Association for Women Geoscientists(AWG). She is employed as a hydrogeologist for theColorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

by Barbra Maher

It is well documented that women drop out of scientificfields, including geophysics, all along the academic

pipeline. For young women, it can be extremely challeng-ing to reconcile the conflicts between family life and pur-suit of a scientific career. This is where mentors and role

models make an enormous differ-ence. Mentors help the next gen-eration of women in science reachtheir highest potential.

In Fall 1998, undergraduate andgraduate women students gatheredto discuss their needs and what thedepartment could do to meet thoseneeds. There were few, if any,women role models in the Geo-physics Department and no femalefaculty members. The Women inGeophysics (WIG) Mentoring Pro-gram was developed for the women

students at Colorado School of Mines to promote success intheir academic careers and to prepare them for professionalcareers in geophysics. The mentoring program matches un-dergraduate and graduate women with professional womenscientists working in the Denver area. All mentors andmentees assemble for group gatherings several times a year.In between, individual mentors meet one-on-one with theirmentees to encourage the students and to answer their ques-tions about education and career choices.

In recent years, the number of women students in the De-partment of Geophysics has continued to grow. Among un-dergraduate students, 40% of the seniors and 70% of thejuniors are women. WIG makes a huge difference in the en-vironment of the department by bringing in women profes-sionals from the geophysics community to serve as mentorsand role models for the students.

Barbra Maher

The Department of Geophysics is currently revising itsweb site. What would you like to see on the web site?What would bring you back to the site again and again?Please email comments, content, pictures, or suggestionsto Phil Brown, pjbrown@mines.edu.

Mentoring can provide the following:• Information about careers and how the system works for-

mally and informally,• Basic career skills (assertiveness training, interview skills,

conflict resolution),• Connections to professional societies and individuals,

• Perspective on students' challenges and problems,• Support and encouragement to build confidence, and• Shared experience on and off the job.

We are always looking for more mentors, and encourageanyone interested to contact me about the Program. Themain criterion for becoming a mentor is the desire to helpsomeone else succeed by sharing thoughts and experiences.Visit our website at http://www.mines.edu/Academic/men-tor/wgmp/ or send me an email at bschuess@mines.edu .

Barbra Maher, a Ph.D. candidate in geophysics, initiat -ed the WIG Program and continues to serve as its Pro -gram Coordinator. WIG enjoys the support of the Womenin Science, Engineering and Mathematics (WISEM) Pro-gram on campus, of which Barbra also serves as the pro-gram assistant. Funds to run the WIG program come froma combination of donations and departmental support.

18 Spring 2001

The Department of Geophysics VisitingCommittee

The Board of Trustees of the Colorado School of Minesappoints a panel of experts to serve as an advisory

board to the Department of Geophysics. Known as the Vis-iting Committee, this distinguished and diverse panel cur-rently includes:• Dr. Colin T. Barnett, Director of Exploration Technolo-

gy, Newmont Gold• Mr. S. Rutt Bridges, CEO, BigHorn Center for Public

Policy• Dr. Fred J. Hilterman, Vice President, Development,

Geophysical Development Corporation

• Mr. Harvy R. Klingensmith , Sr. Vice President, Interna-tional Exploration, El Paso Production

• Dr. Rosemary J. Knight, Professor, Stanford University• Dr. William Preeg, Vice President and Director, Schlum-

berger Austin Product Center• Dr. Kaye Shedlock , Research Geophysicist, U.S. Geo-

logical Survey• Dr. Yoram Shoham, V.P. External Relations, Shell Inter-

national Exploration and Production• Mr. Damir S. Skerl, President, Skerl and Associates

• Dr. M. Nafi Toksoz, Professor, MIT• Mr. Bruce C. Wentner, Geominex

The committee members visitthe campus on a regular basisand interact with faculty, staffand students. They have con-tributed greatly to the ongoingsuccess of the Department ofGeophysics.

Colin T. Barnett

Harvey R. Klingensmth

William Preeg

Yoram Shoham

M. Nafi Toksoz Bruce C. Wentner

Damir S. Skerl

Kaye Shedlock

Rosemary J. Knight

S. Rutt Bridges Fred J. Hilterman

As we go to press, we arevery saddened to learn ofthe death of Bruce Wentneron March 28.

19Spring 2001

Distinguished Senior Scientists Bring Expertiseand Additional Flavor to the Department

Meet the Department Staff

Our department is fortunate to have a professional staffwho keep us well organized. From left to right are OfficeManager Sara Summers, Administrative Assistant LeslieHayes, and RCP Administrative Assistant BarbaraBrockman.

Right next door is the staff for the Center for WavePhenomena (left to right) Publications Specialist BarbaraMcLenon, Program Assistant Michelle Szobody, andAdministrative Assistant Lela Webber.

The Department is honored by the participation in our program of these Distinguished SeniorScientists who each bring invaluable expertise from their varied lifetime careers. Left to rightare Warren Hamilton (formerly with the USGS; interests in tectonic and petrologic evolution ofth earth’s crust and upper mantle), Adel Zohdy (USGS; electrical methods and groundwatergeophysics), Tom Lafehr (LCT, Lacoste and Romberg; gravity and magnetics), MisacNabighian (Newmont Mining Corporation; gravity, magnetic and electromagnetic fields), andPieter Hoekstra (Blackhawk Geometrics; near surface geophysics).

20 Spring 2001

Nonprofit Organization

U.S. Postage PaidGolden, Colorado

Permit No. 7

Department of GeophysicsColorado School of Mines1500 Illinois StreetGolden, CO 80401-1887

Invitations to All CSM Geophysics Alumni

CSM Luncheon at SEG

Please join us

Tuesday, September 11, 2001

11:30-1:00 PM

SAN ANTONIO