Research
The Department conducts research in a wide variety of areas that are mostly related, but not restricted, to applied geophysics. Candidates interested in the current research activities of specific faculty members are encouraged to contact faculty members directly to gain insight into their scholarship.
Research Focus Areas
Climate Geophysics
Description: Investigating the complex interactions between the ocean, cryosphere, atmosphere, and freshwater systems and their collective impact on the Earth’s climate.
Researchers: Eric Anderson, Bia Villas Bôas, Roslynn King, Richard Krahenbuhl, Yaoguo Li, Eileen Martin, Gwendal Marchal, Manika Prasad, Matthew Siegfried, Jeffrey Shragge,
Research Groups and Centers: Glaciology Research Group
Labs and Resources: Distributed Fiber-optic Sensing (DFOS) Laboratory, Fluid and Ocean Waves Laboratory (FLOW), Glaciology Laboratory
Computational Geophysics
Description: Simulating Earth processes to predict what could happen and analyzing geophysical data to understand what is observed.
Researchers: Eric Anderson, Aaron Girard, Ge Jin, Eileen Martin, Jeffrey Shragge
Research Groups and Centers: CWP, Reservoir Characterization Project
Energy and Natural Resources Geophysics
Description: Exploring and understanding the Earth in order to find resources that can be useful in everyday life.
Researchers: Aaron Girard, Ge Jin, Roslynn King, Yaoguo Li, Eileen Martin, Manika Prasad, Paul Sava, Jeffrey Shragge, Jim Simmons, Ilya Tsvankin, Ali Tura, Mengli Zhang
Research Groups and Centers: CASERM, Center for Wave Phenomena, Reservoir Characterization Project
Labs and Resources: Distributed Fiber-optic Sensing (DFOS) Laboratory
Geomechanics
Description: Studying the mechanical state of rocks caused by changes in stress and pressure.
Researchers: Eric Anderson, Brandon Dugan, Yaoguo Li, Manika Prasad, Kamini Singha
Research Groups and Centers: Center for Rock and Fluid Multiphysics
Labs and Resources: Hydrology and Geomechanics Laboratory, Adsorption Laboratory, Fluids Laboratory, Nuclear Laboratory, Poroelastic Laboratory
Near Surface Geophysics and Society
Description: Using geophysics to explore and understand the complex interactions and often conflicting demands that communities have with the near-surface environment.
Researchers: Aaron Girard, Roslynn King, Richard Krahenbuhl, Matthew Siegfried, Elizabeth Reddy, Jeffrey Shragge
Research Groups and Centers
Labs and Resources: Distributed Fiber-optic Sensing (DFOS) Laboratory, Ken Larner Geomaker Space
Space and Planetary Geophysics
Description: Exploring, monitoring and understanding the geophysics of planets and planetary bodies
Researchers: Ebru, Bozdağ, Paul Sava, Matthew Siegfried
Research Groups and Centers: Computational and Global Seismology Group
Faculty Interests and Specializations
World-renowned faculty produce cutting-edge research in a wide range of geophysics topics.
Eric Anderson
Hydrodynamic modeling
Coastal and freshwater ice
Meteotsunamis
Real-time forecasting
Earth’s largest lakes
Ebru Bozdağ
Global and computational seismology
Seismic tomography
Full-waveform inversion
3D seismic wave simulations
Interpretation of Earth’s and other planetary interiors and their dynamics.
Brandon Dugan
Marine geology and geophysics
Borehole geophysics
Geomechanics and fluid flow
Freshwater resources
Natural hazards
John Bradford
Ground-penetrating radar
Reflection seismology
Wavefield modeling
Reflection imaging
Waveform attribute analysis
Material property estimation
Ge Jin
Distributed Fiber-Optic Sensing applications
Machine learning and data mining applications in Geophysics
Advanced seismic imaging methods
Roslynn King
Climate geophysics
Near surface geophysics and society
Energy
Natural resources geophysics
Richard Krahenbuhl
Gravity and Magnetics
Time-lapse monitoring
Archaeological Geophysics
Volcanic Studies
Humanitarian Geoscience
Jeffrey Lee
Structure and tectonics
Yaoguo Li
Inverse theory
Gravity
Magnetics
Electromagnetics
Reservoir monitoring
Geology differentiation
Eileen Martin
Near-surface, engineering, environmental and urban geophysics
Analysis of large sensor networks
Fiber-optic sensing, including distributed acoustic sensing
Signal processing, imaging, and inverse problems
Data-intensive high-performance computing
Passive seismic methods
Manika Prasad
Rock physics / rock mechanics
Petrophysics
Acoustic imaging / micro-CT imaging
Gas adsorption
NMR, poroelastic and flow properties for reservoir characterization
Seismic monitoring
CO2 storage
Resource evaluation
Elizabeth Reddy
Earthquake Early Warning
Environmental anthropology
Science and technology studies S
Seismic hazard
Disaster risk mitigation
Engineering and science education
Paul Sava
Seismic & radar wave propagation
Wavefield imaging and tomography
Inverse problems & numeric optimization
Exploration geophysics
Planetary geophysics and space resources
Jeffrey Shragge
3D/4D Seismic
3D acoustic and elastic wave propagation, 3D/4D velocity inversion, 3D/4D Reverse-time migration (RTM), wave-equation migration, rock physics, computational geometry and differential meshing
Near-surface
Ground penetrating radar, magnetics, conductivity mapping, resistivity profiling, seismic reflection/refraction; instrument design
Computing
Parallel Programming (OpenMP, MPI); General Purpose GPU computing, CUDA; micro-controller devices (e.g., Raspberry Pi)
Matthew Siegfried
Physical processes of glaciers and ice sheets
Interactions between ice, ocean, and solid Earth
Adapting field geophysical methods for ice-sheet applications
Independent validation of remotely sensed observations
Kamini Singha
Hydrogeophysics
Physical processes controlling solute and contaminant mass transport
Integration of geophysical imaging with flow and transport modeling
Groundwater-surface water exchange
Groundwater-evapotranspiration connections
Roel Snieder
Extracting the mechanical response from structures such as buildings or bridges from the recordings of ambient noise or of earthquake signals.
Ilya Tsvankin
Seismic wave propagation
Inversion and processing for anisotropic media
Multicomponent and time-lapse seismic
Characterization of fractured reservoirs
Seismic monitoring of CO2 sequestration
Ali Tura
Integrated reservoir characterization and monitoring
Research topics in fiber optics
Machine learning
Land seismic data acquisition
Bia Villas Bôas
Physical oceanography
Remote sensing
Air-sea interactions
Ocean surface waves
Coupled modeling of winds, currents, and waves
Scientific computing education
Mengli Zhang
Centers and Projects
Center for Wave Phenomena
Director Contact: Jeffrey Shragge
cwp.mines.edu
Center for Rock & Fluid Multiphysics
Director Contact: Manika Prasad
crusher.mines.edu
Center for Gravity, Electrical and Magnetic Studies
Director Contact: Yaoguo Li
cgem.mines.edu
Reservoir Characterization Project
Director Contact: Ali Tura
rcp.mines.edu
Research Sponsors
The Department of Geophysics gratefully acknowledges our partners in industry, government, and academia who provide support for our students, centers and consortia, and research projects:
- ActeQ
- Aramco Services
- Bayswater
- BGP International
- BHP Billiton
- BP America
- CGG
- Chevron Corporation
- Civitas
- ConocoPhillips
- Dawson Geophysical
- Earth Science Analytics
- EOG Resources
- Equinor
- ExxonMobil
- Fervo Energy
- Geophysical Insights
- Geoscientists without Borders
- GeoSoftware
- Great Western Oil and Gas
- Halliburton
- HighPoint Resources
- Hess Corporation
- IKON Science
- Instituto Mexicano Del Petroleo
- JOGMEC
- Kuwait Oil Co.
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
- Lundin Energy Norway
- Nanoseis
- National Aeronautics & Space Administration
- National Science Foundation
- New Mexico Institute of Technology
- Newmont Mining Corporation
- Nexen Energy
- OptaSense
- Oxy USA
- PDC Energy
- Petrobras
- Petrophysical Solutions
- PGS
- Pioneer Natural Resources
- Seitel
- Shearwater Reveal
- Shell Exploration & Production
- SINOPEC
- TGS-NOPEC
- Total E&P
- Unified Geosystems
- University of Utah
- US Air Force
- US Department of Energy
- US Geological Survey
- Vale, Brazil