The focus of this research area is the development of innovative geophysical hardware and methodologies for subsurface imaging and monitoring, such as high-resolution borehole tomographic tools (radar and seismic), and micro-earthquake monitoring systems.
Geophysics
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Read MoreAdvanced Geophysical Instrumentation
Our scientists are developing innovative geophysical hardware and methods for subsurface imaging and monitoring with access to the Geosciences Measurement Facility.
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Read MoreEnvironmental Geophysics
Scientists develop new approaches for characterizing shallow subsurface properties and for monitoring complex processes associated with natural or induced subsurface perturbations.
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Read MoreGeomechanics
Geomechanic research efforts include fluid transport properties, rock-formation fracturing, fault slip resulting from fluid injection or withdrawal, as well as related effects due to thermal loading.
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Read MoreGeophysical Computation for Modeling and Imaging
Our geophysicists are developing efficient, 3D numerical codes for modeling geophysical attributes, mainly seismic and electromagnetic rock properties through seismic wave propagation and electromagnetic wave propagation and diffusion, respectively.
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Read MoreRock Physics and Coupled Dynamics
Research in the laboratory increases our scientists experimental knowledge base for geophysical properties of rocks and sediments that are either not well described by conventional rock physics models or have yet to be fully exploited.
Overview
Geophysics has been a core science discipline at Berkeley Lab for over 40 years, predating the 1977 formation of the former Earth Sciences Division (ESD). During the world energy crisis of the mid-1970s, keen interest arose in finding alternative sources of energy. A number of UC Berkeley/Berkeley Lab scientists began exploring the possibility of finding geothermal energy sources using advanced geophysical techniques. This interest led to geothermal field explorations in Northern California, Nevada, and Mexico. Such projects soon expanded into geophysical studies of potential nuclear waste storage sites, and were the beginnings of ESD.
Since then, in addition to continuing and expanding its geothermal studies (in response to the abiding interest in locating and developing alternative energy sources), the Geophysics Department has expanded its mission and now conducts work on a wide variety of geotechnical problems for energy and environment. This work includes remediation projects at contaminated DOE sites, CO2 sequestration studies to mitigate the impacts of global warming, development and testing of new geophysical technologies for fossil energy and mining applications, geological and man-made hazard investigations, and basic research in geophysics. In these endeavors, our geophysicists employ subsurface modeling and imaging, and laboratory and field-scale studies for varied applications, including:
- Mapping contaminant transport near the surface of polluted areas
- Identifying geothermal fluids, oil and gas deposits, and CO2 plumes
- Investigating earthquake and volcanic hazards
- Locating unexploded ordnance (UXO).
Today, the Geophysics Department resides within the Earth and Environmental Sciences Area (EESA) where scientists, postdocs, research associates, and graduate students carry out a wide range of advanced research in fundamental and applied geophysics. The Geophysics Department is currently driven by two primary objectives.
- One is to advance geophysical approaches for quantifying subsurface properties, including fluid properties, saturation, porosity, pore pressure, permeability, and in situ stress, from laboratory studies and field measurements at the earth surface and in boreholes.
- The other is the development of technologies for subsurface resource access and monitoring, such as seismically enhanced oil recovery, geomechanics-based subsurface-permeability enhancement, and microearthquake-based reservoir monitoring.
Recent Activities
In 2015, the Geophysics Department hosted a series of forums to bring together its members, other invited guests, and other interested individuals to talk about the various seismic modeling software programs and electromagnetic modeling codes used in the Department and their applications. Attendees gained overall knowledge of Department capabilities and shared best practices and latest developments.
Core Capabilities
Environmental Geophysics
Research in this area combines the disciplines of geophysics, hydrogeology, statistics, and biogeochemistry to develop new approaches for characterizing shallow subsurface properties and for monitoring complex processes associated with natural or induced subsurface perturbations.
Geomechanics
Geomechanics is concerned with the elastic and/or poroelastic response of earth materials, typically in a scientific or engineering setting that involves fluids such as water or oil stored in earth reservoir.
Geophysical Computation for Modeling and Imaging
Our subsurface imaging research is now focused on combining multiple types of geophysical data sets to better quantify the subsurface and reduce ambiguity. The degree to which joint images of geophysical attributes can be used successfully to infer rock properties (fracture orientation, fracture density, temperature and fluid saturations) from geophysical attributes is also an active area of research. Complementing this imaging capability is our robust computational capability, the challenge for which is to develop accurate and efficient computer codes capable of modeling the seismic and electromagnetic response in complex geologic media.
Rock Physics and Coupled Dynamics
The relationships between geophysical attributes (such as seismic velocities and attenuation, electrical conductivity, and dielectric constant) and rock properties (such as porosity, permeability, and fluid saturation) are provided by rock-physics measurements and/or theoretical understanding.
Jonathan Ajo-Franklin
Geophysics Department Head
Staff Scientist
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jbajo-franklin@lbl.gov
Hussain Jummah Al Salem
Guest Student Assistant
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Zachary Alexy
Guest Faculty
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Alex Athey
Guest Scientist
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Corinne Elisabeth Bachmann
Senior Scientific Engineering Associate
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Lauren E. Beckingham
Guest Faculty
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Caitlin M. Bernier
Senior Scientific Engineering Associate
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James G. Berryman
Guest Senior Scientist
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Dimitri Bevc
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Brian P. Bonner
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Steve Breen
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Robert Jay Budnitz
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Roland Burgmann
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Jinsong Chen
Staff Scientist
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Chunwei Chou
Student Assistant
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Julien F. Cohen-Waeber
Graduate Student Research Assistant
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Michael Commer
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Paul Cook
Principal Scientific Engineering Associate
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George A. Cooper
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Baptiste Dafflon
Research Scientist
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Thomas Daley
Staff Scientist
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Shan Dou
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
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Douglas S. Dreger
Faculty Scientist
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Ian Ekblaw
Research Assistant
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William Foxall
Senior Scientist
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Katie L. Freeman
Senior Scientific Engineering Associate
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Erika Gasperikova
Research Scientist
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Steven Glaser
Faculty Scientist
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Norman E. Goldstein
Guest Senior Scientist
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Roland Gritto
Guest Scientist
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Yves Guglielmi
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Phil Harben
Project Scientist
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Amanda Henderson
Guest Graduate Student
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Earl Frederic Herkenhoff
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Gary M. Hoversten
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Lawrence J. Hutchings
Project Scientist
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Stephen P. Jarpe
Guest Scientist
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Boris Jeremic
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Lane R. Johnson
Faculty Scientist
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Ki H. Lee
Guest Scientist
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Emmanuel Leger
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
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eleger@lbl.gov
Nathaniel James Lindsey
Guest Graduate Student Research Associate
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Philip E. Long
Deputy Lead, Sustainable Systems Science Focus Area
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Ernest L. Majer
Guest Scientist
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Pierpaolo Marchesini
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
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David McCallen
Guest Senior Scientist
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Mark Meadows
Guest Scientist
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Mamun Miah
Geological Postdoc Fellow
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Douglas Miller
Guest Scientist
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Paul Alexander Milligan
Principal Scientific Engineering Associate
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Alejandro Morales
Mechanical Engineering Technician
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Huntly F. Morrison
Senior Faculty Scientist
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Robert Nadeau
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Seiji Nakagawa
Research Scientist
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Gregory A. Newman
Senior Scientist
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Edward Nichols
Guest Senior Scientist
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Kurt Toshimi Nihei
Staff Scientist
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John E. Peterson
Principal Scientific Engineering Associate
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Floriana Petrone
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
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Petr Vitalievich Petrov
Principal Scientific Engineering Associate
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Steven R. Pride
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James W. Rector
Faculty Scientist
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Michelle Robertson
Program Manager
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Barbara A. Romanowicz
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Arturo Romero
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Seth Saltiel
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Jean B. Savy
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Nicholas Sitar
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Jeremy T. Smith
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Kenichi Soga
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Ray D. Solbau
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Florian A. Soom
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Joseph Stefani
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Bozidar Stojadinovic
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David Temple
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Leon Thomsen
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Anh Phuong Tran
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
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Craig Ulrich
Senior Scientific Engineering Associate
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Evan S. Um
Research Scientist
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Donald W. Vasco
Hydrogeophysicist
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Roelof Versteeg
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Marco Voltolini
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Andrew Whittaker
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Michael Wilt
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David Winslow
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Nicholas Winter
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Jenna Wong
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
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Todd J. Wood
Principal Scientific Engineering Associate
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Yuxin Wu
Research Scientist
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