For more information about these courses, see the Department of Geoscience .
Graduate Courses
Geophysics619
Advanced Computational Methods for Geophysicists
Review of important mathematical models in geophysics (Poisson equation, acoustic wave equation, elastic wave equation) and typical boundary conditions for elliptic and parabolic partial differential equations. Numerical solutions using finite difference, finite volume and finite element approaches. Algorithms for nonlinear constitutive behaviour and introduction to nonlinear optimization/inversion algorithms. Course Hours:3 units; (3-3) Prerequisite(s):Admission to a graduate-level Geoscience program or consent of the Department. Antirequisite(s):Credit for Geophysics 619 and Geophysics 699.09 will not be allowed.
Tools and techniques for efficient software development for multidimensional geophysical processing and inversion. Various programming languages and platforms will be used to build projects through all development stages. Shared and distributed memory, and high performance computing in the context of various geophysical applications. Course Hours:3 units; (3-3) Prerequisite(s):Admission to a graduate-level Geoscience program or consent of the Department.
Advanced methods of seismic data analysis in exploration and production geophysics. Topics include velocity analysis, polarization filtering, median filtering, migration, inversion and tomography. Course Hours:3 units; (3-0)
Use of microseismic methods as surveillance technology during hydraulic-fracture treatment of tight reservoirs. Methods for acquiring, processing and interpreting microseismic data. Methods for picking events, determining hypocenter location and magnitude, and interpreting the stimulated rock volume. Course Hours:3 units; (3-0) Prerequisite(s):Admission to a graduate-level Geoscience program or consent of the Department.
An introduction to theory and practice of global seismology. Topics include: seismograph systems, global wave propagation, moment tensors, shear-wave splitting, surface waves, receiver functions, seismic tomography and teleseismic receiver functions. Course Hours:3 units; (3-0) Prerequisite(s):Admission to the graduate program in geophysics.
An introduction to the mathematical and numerical techniques of geophysical inversion. Topics include least squares, singular value decomposition, and Tikhonov regularization. Development of numerical codes to solve real inverse problems is stressed. Course Hours:3 units; (3-0) Prerequisite(s):Admission to the graduate program in geophysics.
Multidimensional real-world inverse problems, such as constrained seismic, gravity, or resistivity inversion. Fourier, maximum entropy, Bayesian approaches and iterative solution techniques such as Kaczmarz and conjugate gradient are covered. Course Hours:3 units; (3-0) Prerequisite(s):Admission to a graduate-level Geoscience program or consent of the Department.
A written report based on laboratory and field studies, or literature review is required. Course Hours:3 units; (0-6) Prerequisite(s):Consent of Department.
Courses are offered in specific topics in areas such as seismology, environmental geophysics, potential methods, integrated geophysical studies, and geodynamics. Course Hours:3 units; (3-3) Prerequisite(s):Admission to a graduate-level Geoscience program or consent of the Department.
MAY BE REPEATED FOR CREDIT
Provides聽an overview of professional skills that are key to success in graduate school and beyond. Presentation skills, writing scientific manuscripts, the peer review process, defence and candidacy exams, intellectual property and innovation, and networking basics. Course Hours:3 units; (3-3) Prerequisite(s):Admission to a graduate-level Geoscience program or consent of the Department. Antirequisite(s):Credit for Geophysics 705 and Geology 699.56 will not be allowed. Also known as:(Geology 705)