Advances in magnetic resonance technology highlighted in Near Surface Geophysics

The April 2011 issue of Near Surface Geophysics (Vol. 9, No. 2) features a special issue on the advances in mag­netic resonance technology, guest-edited by Anatoly Legchenko, Juan Plata, and Ugur Yaramanci. It contains a selection of papers derived from the 4th Workshop on Magnetic Resonance Sounding, which took place in Grenoble, France from 20–23 October 2009. This collection rep­resents the state of art of the method in a concise and linked manner. The papers address the theoretical basis and consid­erations of magnetic resonance sounding (MRS) as well as practical issues and experiences in the application of MRS in various hydrogeological setups and in different geographical regions.

The very first magnetic resonance soundings were carried out in Russia (for­mer USSR) from 1979–1981. Since 1982, MRS has been tested in different geologi­cal settings and in different countries. In Russia, it was used for practical purposes. Since 1996, when a new generation of MRS equipment became commercially available, the number of MRS users has continued to increase. The advent of this new geophysical method initiated inten­sive scientific discussions and exchanges of experience. Besides the traditional geophysical meetings, these exchanges were channelled through specialized workshops in Berlin, Germany (1999), Orléans, France (2003), Madrid, Spain (2006), and Grenoble, France (2009).

While the efficiency of the MRS method applied to groundwater-related studies is already proven, many technical details are still under development. The stage has already been reached where MRS can be used not only for sounding whilst assuming horizontal layering, i.e., only vertical variation in the structure as 1D, but also 2D and 3D variations. A new generation of hardware and continu­ously progressing software is expected to improve the accuracy and robustness of the technique. Thus, MRS workshops continue to contribute to the develop­ment of the method and establish new scientific collaborations.

The first three MRS workshops yielded special issues that documented the latest developments. Comparing these shows how many of the improvements identified as required either have been realized or are still in need of further attention. The MRS community continues the established tradition of summarizing and publishing the major results reported during the meetings.

The next workshop for MRS is planned for October–November 2012 in Hannover, Germany and the hope is that interest in the method will continue to attract more interest, thus contributing to the development of the method.

MRS has been developed by an international community; which causes a variety of names for this method. While the name surface nuclear mag­netic resonance (SNMR) is still used by some, there is some consensus emerging with regard to a change in nomencla­ture, for example, it is proposed to refer in future to MRS for 1D imple­mentation. A more sophisticated but also more time- and labour-consuming technique designed for 2D and 3D investigations will be called magnetic resonance tomography (MRT). Thus, MRS is aligned with already recog­nized geophysical techniques like, for instance, electrical resistivity tomogra­phy (ERT).

(This article is published in First Break April 2011)

KEGS 2011 PDAC Symposium and Breakfast

For the 2011 PDAC Convention, the Canadian Exploration Geophysical Society is pleased to present an informative full-day symposium “Meeting Geophysical Challenges: Difficult Environments and Hard-to-Detect Commodities” on Saturday 5 March 2011 at the Intercontinental Hotel, 225 Front Street West, Toronto, Canada. A roster of noted geologists and geophysicists will present papers focusing on innovations in applying geophysics in difficult environments and for hard-to-detect commodities. Case studies from around the world in the exploration for Gold, PGM-Cu, Uranium, VMS and other types of deposit will be presented.

This event was sold out in 2010 and brings together geophysicists from across North America and around the world. The registration fee includes continental breakfast, lunch, coffee breaks, a complimentary drink at the on-site post-symposium reception, as well as a Symposium booklet and archive, containing extended abstracts and presentations.

During the 2011 KEGS PDAC Breakfast, Dr Harvey Thorleifson (PhD, PGeo, DSc), Director of the Minnesota Geological Survey (also State Geologist of Minnesota; Professor at the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Minnesota, USA), will speak on the subject of “Integrated, Web-accessible Geoscience Mapping Systems”.

This event will be held on the 8 March 2011 at the Imperial Room, Fairmont Royal York Hotel, 100 Front Street W., Toronto, Canada. The deadline for regular registration is Thursday 24 February 2011.

Student-based research highlighted in Near Surface Geophysics special issue

For anyone who has the pleasure of being involved with both undergradu­ate and postgraduate student-based research, there is no doubt that the next generation of near surface geophysicists are a highly talented community of scientists. This month’s issue of Near Surface Geophysics (NSG) celebrates the pivotal role that these students are playing in developing some of the most forward-looking research in the disci­pline particularly in the current competi­tive and demanding financial climate.

In their original call for papers, the guest editors, Nigel Cassidy and Jamie Pringle (Keele University, UK) invited contributions from the student community on almost any geophysical topic, but were specifically interested in innovative measurement, assessment, and monitoring techniques for prac­tical applications. The response was outstanding with nearly 60 abstracts received from over 20 countries.

Eighteen high-quality papers made the special issue and throughout the publication process it was clear that the international near surface geophysics community was flourishing through its student population. Contributions came from across the full spectrum of application areas (plus some unusual examples) and the end result is a special issue that contains an eclectic mix of six short and 12 standard papers. Topics include electrical resistivity tomogra­phy for in-mine investigations, GPR and ultrasonics for the determination of moisture contents in sawn timber products, integrated approaches for the inversion of seismic/TEM data, and the use of self potential as a tool for the in situ monitoring of permeable reactive barriers.

The novel application of seismic methods is a strong theme, with papers covering topics such as moving source seismic profiling, microseismic location of human survivors in buried rubble, multi-component marine-based seismic investigations, and the use of surface wave seismics for geotechnical moni­toring. Field examples are also well represented with a shallow seismic case study on the intriguing Kilmichael dome in Mississippi (USA), the multi-tech­nique mapping of weathering zones in a granite massif in northwest Spain, and the characterization of riverbed hydros­tratigraphy using electrical resistance tomography. However, these are only some of the excellent papers contained in this special issue. The guest editors comment in their foreword: ‘This not only highlights the excellence, qual­ity and international standing of our student community but also shows that they are leading the development of the subject area. After all, the research students of today are the world-leading scientists of tomorrow’.

(This article is published in First Break December 2010)