Course Descriptions
Geophysics
The degrees of Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy are offered in geophysics. Geophysics includes all areas of scientific inquiry that deal with the physical state of the planets and with the dynamic physical processes that act on and within the planets. The deep interior, crust, atmosphere, oceans and space all lie within the province of the geophysicist. To work effectively in so broad an area requires considerable depth and breadth of understanding of physical principles and considerable proficiency in mathematics. Thorough undergraduate training in an earth or physical science is ordinarily regarded as a necessary prerequisite for advanced study.
An intensive two-year program of study at the master's level is available for students who wish to enter the petroleum industry. This MS curriculum pools the resources of the Departments of Geology and Geophysics and Petroleum Engineering in a manner designed to better prepare students for the petroleum industry than conventional offerings in the separate disciplines. The curriculum is intended for students with an undergraduate degree in geology or extensive exposure to geologic concepts through academic training and/or experience. The course sequencing and the subject sequence in each course is carefully designed to use previously acquired knowledge optimally, and to provide experience in applying fundamental concepts in different contexts and in integrating geological, physical, mathematical, computer and statistical skills in the solution of practical problems.
Current research areas of members of the department include studies in theoretical and model seismology focusing on the internal structure of the earth, earthquake mechanisms and seismic exploration; studies of the anisotropy and anelastic properties of sedimentary rocks and application to exploration; regional and global seismology; studies in experimental rock deformation focusing on the failure strength of rocks, friction in rocks; mechanics of fault development; fluid-flow properties of faults and dynamics of faulted reservoirs; marine studies of the structure of the oceanic crust and continental margins in the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea and the Western Pacific; studies of the magnetic anomalies near mid-ocean-ridge systems and the magnetization of oceanic crust; the analysis of magnetic and gravity anomalies and application to exploration and global geophysics; gravity anomalies near trenches, convection in the mantle and global tectonics; vertical seismic profiling; and attenuation of seismic waves.
Members of the department also are involved in geophysical investigations of the sea floor through the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program, which Texas A&M University manages on behalf of JOI, Inc. These investigations include rock magnetism, heat flow, borehole logging and other aspects of marine geophysics.
In addition to the research facilities under the Geology Program, field exploration equipment includes a LaCoste-Romberg gravimeter and Sharpe flux-gate and Geometrics proton-precession magnetometers as well as matched, optically pumped rubidium vapor magnetometers, Geonics PROTEM47 transient-electromagnetic sounding equipment (EM), ground-penetrating radar (GPR), induced polarization (IP), and both long- and short-range radar and sonar probing equipment. In addition, the department owns a Mobile Drill B-53 fully hydraulic drill rig, a portable geophysical logging system, and electrical-resistivity instrumentation. A state-of-the-art three-component cryogenic magnetometer is available for research in paleomagnetism and rock magnetism.
The department operates an extensive computer facility. Software and peripherals allow a wide variety of applications including the processing of seismic reflection data, finite-element calculations, inverse-theory calculations, the management of a large, geophysical database, and hydrogeological modeling. Departmental facilities include various UNIX workstations, including Sun, SGI and HP, and a GIS/Lis workstation. The department also maintains two Landmark Graphics seismic-interpretation workstations, a GeoQuest seismic-interpretation workstation, a Promax seismic-data-processing computer and workstation and a Kingdom II-based PC workstation, all of which have 2-D and 3-D interpretation capabilities. Computers available for hydrogeological modeling include one Sun Ultra 1 System, two Sun SPARC workstations and a Micron Millennia Pro200 Plus PC. Peripherals include about fifty terminals, tape storage, color printers and color plotters. The University computing facilities include an SGI Power Challenge XL supercomputer and IBM mainframe computers with a variety of printers and plotters. All local computers are tied by a fiber-optics network.
Geophysics
(faculty, see Department of Geology and Geophysics)
(GEOP)
611. Geomechanics. (3-0). Credit 3.
Development of continuum mechanics and its application to rock deformation; stress, strain, stress equilibrium, constitutive relations; governing equations for elastic solids and viscous fluids formulated and used to solve elementary boundary-value problems which have application to structural geology and solid-state geophysics. Prerequisite: MATH 221 or equivalent.
615. Experimental Rock Deformation. (3-3). Credit 4.
Results of laboratory testing of mechanical properties of rocks at high pressure and temperature; interaction of theoretical, experimental, petrofabric and field studies of rock deformations as applied to problems in structural geology, seismology and engineering; philosophy of experimentation, apparatus design, data interpretation and extrapolation. Prerequisite: GEOP 611 or GEOL 665 or approval of instructor.
620. Geophysical Inverse Theory. (3-0). Credit 3.
Inferences about Earth structure from geophysical data; explicit treatment of sparse and noisy observations; construction of smooth Earth models; linear inversion of marine magnetic anomalies from seafloor magnetization; smooth inversion of DC sounding data from electrical structure; seismic tomography and geodetic fault-plane reconstructions; advanced methods for nonlinear deterministic inversion. Prerequisite: Graduate classification.
622. Petroleum Seismology II. (3-2). Credit 4.
Sampling (wavefield sampling); F-K analysis (applications to dip filtering and migration); deconvolution (deterministic and predicative); velocity estimation and tomography (travel time inversion); imaging in time and depth (migration); Zoeppritz equations and AVO analysis. Prerequisite: GEOP 421 or approval of instructor.
628. Basin Architecture. (3-0). Credit 3.
Tectonic classification of basins; tectonic mechanisms responsible for basin formation: mechanical behavior of the lithosphere; subsidence; geophysical signatures of sedimentary basins; tectonic controls on sedimentation and basin filling; petroleum systems and basin-scale hydrologic systems. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.
629. Seismic Interpretation. (3-3). Credit 4.
Introduces students to the problem of converting seismic properties of reflection time, velocity, impedance, amplitude and phase to geologic parameters of lithology, structures and stratigraphy using both models and real data. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.
630. Interactive Seismic Interpretation. (0-3). Credit 1.
Introduces students to computerized interpretation used in modern exploration and reservoir studies. Prerequisite: GEOP 629 or concurrent enrollment or approval of instructor.
651. Theoretical Seismology. (3-0). Credit 3.
Wave propagation in unbounded and bounded elastic media; seismic reciprocity and the elastodynamic representation theorem; radiation patterns from earthquake sources; body waves, Rayleigh waves, Stoneley waves, Love waves and Lamb waves; characteristic equation for surface waves in a layered half-space; dispersion and phase and group velocities; methods of stationary phase and steepest descents; Cagnaird-deHoop technique; ray theory in an inhomogeneous earth; inversion of travel times; viscoelastic wave propagation; normal modes of vibration of the earth. Prerequisite: GEOP 652 or approval of the instructor. (Offered in alternate years.)
652. Earthquake Seismology. (3-0). Credit 3.
Seismometry and earthquake precursors; mathematical theory of elasticity and its application to earthquake studies; dissipation of elastic energy; seismic sources; earthquake risk; free modes of the earth; discrimination between underground nuclear explosions and earthquakes. Prerequisite: GEOP 421 or approval of instructor.
655. Borehole Acoustic. (3-0). Credit 3.
Introduces propagation of acoustic waves in boreholes, with applications to petroleum exploration and comparisons to other waveguide phenomena in the earth sciences; survey of full waveform acoustic logging and influence of borehole modes for crosswell and vertical seismic profile experiments; exercised in data analysis with industry software. Prerequisite: GEOP 421 or 652 or approval of instructor.
660. Physics of the Earth's Interior. (2-3). Credit 3.
Structure, composition and physical state of the Earth's interior; constraints on models of the Earth imposed by seismic, gravity, heat flow, and electrical conductivity; thermodynamics and high pressure mineral physics; Earth's motion and deformation; rheology. Prerequisite: graduate classification.
666. Principles of Geodynamics. (4-0). Credit 4.
Geological and geophysical methods and phenomena pertinent to geodynamics; plate tectonics; seismicity and seismology; magnetics; gravity; heat flow; igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary petrology; paleontology; and rock mechanics. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.
681. Seminar. (1-0). Credit 1.
Discussion of subjects of current importance. Prerequisite: Graduate classification.
685. Directed Studies. Credit 1 to 6 each semester.
For graduate students to undertake limited investigations not within their thesis or dissertation research and not covered in established curricula. Prerequisites: Graduate classification and approval of department head.
689. Special Topics in... Credit 1 to 4.
Selected topics in an identified area of geophysics. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: Graduate classification and approval of instructor.
691. Research. Credit 1 or more each semester.
Research toward thesis or dissertation.