69715 - Laboratory of Geophysics 1

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students will possess technical and practical know-how on some of the main experimental methods of investigation used in Geophysics.

Particularly, students will be able:

- to interpret seismic traces and locate seismic events;

- to plan, perform and interpret geo-electrical soundings.

Course contents

• Fundamentals of georesistivity methods. Concept of apparent resistivity. Vertical and horizontal electric soundings. Experiments in the field: planning, acquisition and processing of data from electrical resistivity surveys. Hints on the inverse problem.
• Seismometers and accelerometers. Operating principles. Response curves of mechanical and electromagnetic seismometers. Determination of the critical resistance, of the seismometric constant and of the response curves in the lab.
• Interpretation of seismograms (first arrivals and seismic phases). Hypocenter location through the generalised least squares method: theory and lab tests.

Readings/Bibliography

The slides presented during the lectures and some material related to the lab experiences will be uploaded to the "Virtuale" web platform.

Different textbooks and papers, part of which will be uploaded to Virtuale, can be used to go into detail in the topics presented during the course.

 

- For the georesistivity:

Burger, H.R., Sheehan, A.F., Jones, C.H. (2023). Introduction to Applied Geophysics: Exploring the Shallow Subsurface. Cambridge University Press.

Binley, A. and Slater, L. (2020). Resistivity and Induced Polarization - Theory and Application to the Near Surface Earth. Cambridge University Press.

- For seismometry:

Havskov, J. and Alguacil., G. (2016). Instrumentationin Earthquake Seismology 2nd Ed. Springer.

 

- For earthquake location

Havskov, J., Bormann, P., Schweitzer, J. (2011). Seismic source location. https://gfzpublic.gfz-potsdam.de/rest/items/item_43361/component/file_816919/content

 

Teaching methods

Lectures will be held in the classroom. Experiments will be carried out in the laboratory and in the field.

The attendance of the lessons in the classroom is not compulsory, but it is highly recommended for the learning process and for its tight connection to the lab experiences.

The laboratory and field experiments are compulsory: the lecturer will collect the students' signatures at the beginning of each turn.

 

As concerns the teaching methods of this course unit, all students must attend Module 1, 2 online [https://www.unibo.it/en/services-and-opportunities/health-and-assistance/health-and-safety/online-course-on-health-and-safety-in-study-and-internship-areas], while Module 3 on health and safety is to be attended in class. Information about Module 3 attendance schedule is available on the website of your degree programme.

Assessment methods

Students, possibly organised in groups, will be asked to prepare three different written reports on the lab experiences connected respectively to georesistivity, seismometry, earthquake location.

The three reports must be sent to the teacher within 15 days after the end of the course and anyway before taking the final exam.

The discussion of the reports are part of the final exam, which can also foresee questions on the theoretical aspects connected to the lab experiences.

The final exam is oral and the typical duration is 50-60 minutes.

 

Teaching tools

In the room: projector.

In the lab:

• two PCs with free and commerciale software for data modelling and visualization
• two vertical, long period seismometers

In the field:

• goelectrical istruments

 

Office hours

See the website of Alberto Armigliato