Updates

04/28/06

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Sept, 2005 Update:  The National Energy Technology Center (NETL) of the Department of Energy has awarded a research grant to use the I/O System One equipment. 

Sept, 2005 Update: Two Ph.D. students, Mr. Brian Lipinski and Mr. Vladislav Kaminski have received graduate student research awards to facilitate the NETL/DOE seismic survey. 

Ph.D. student Vladislav Kaminski.

Ph.D. student Vladislav Kaminski

Both Brian and Vladislav are working with Dr. Terry Ackman's research group at NETL/DOE in Pittsburgh.

Ph.D. student Brian Lipinski

Ph.D. student Brian Lipinski

October, 2005 Update: The Department of Geology and Planetary Science of the University of Pittsburgh has placed an application for Educational Affiliate status with IRIS.  

October, 2005 Update:  The first printouts from the I/O System Two are completed.

Test of signal from computer

Initial status check and record

October, 2005 Update: We have begun to test and work with all equipment donated.  These images show 'survey scale' charging of our battery units.  These will be tested to verify charge holding and then all information placed into a database to facilitate field use.

One of our recharing units.

Another of our recharging units. All batteries are later tested to verify charge hold.

November, 2005 Update.  We have published a collaborative article using environmental geophysics in the November-December issue of Geophysics.  This worked applied frequency based electromagnetics and remote sensing to an acid mine drainage impacted region of central Pennsylvania.

November, 2005 Update.  Two complete 64 channel portable Stratavisor systems have been loaned to our team for two months by IRIS-PASSCAL.  These two 60+ channel units will be tested at the Geophysical Test Site and then deployed at our field site. 

November, 2005 Update.  Our seismic truck has been registered with the state of Pennsylvania. 

November, 2005 Update. William Harbert has completed the physical required to drive the seismic truck.

November, 2005 Update.  GX Technology has donated a copy of both GXII and MESA Professional for detailed reflection seismic survey design.  We are deeply appreciative of this generous donation.

November, 2005 Update.  We have now fully charged and tested most of the battery units.

November, 2005 Update. Vladislav Kaminsky, working with Terry Ackman acquired and then georeferenced a mine map using high resolution GPS to create a database showing undermined regions of the geophysical test site. 

Geophysical Test Site showing undermined regions.

 

November, 2005 Update. Brian Lipinski had an abstract accepted and will be presenting collaborative environmental geophysical work at the American Geophysical Union meeting in December.

Line boxes ready for testing

Battery charging

Battery charging

Battery charging

December, 2005 Update.  Green Mountain MESA Professional 9.05 and Earthwave GXII forward modeling programs have been installed.  Using a local well log record a model of expected strata has been created down to the Freeport coal.

December, 2005 Update.  GMS 6.0 has been installed to aid in 3D visualization.

December, 2005 Update. Digital well logs were acquired for a location in Allegheny County from the DCNR/DEP PAIRIS system. There appears to be a single well with an accoustic log, which will be useful in modeling deeper seismic results. 

December, 2005 Update.  Two StrataVisor 24 bit digital seismic systems generously loaned to the project from IRIS-PASSCAL have been received.  The first tests of these systems are being completed. 

 

Test of Stratavisor system

Basic connection for geophone

60 cm spacing of geophones along line.

Line connector

Geophone string showing 60 cm spacing.

Another shot of test line

Geophone and line.

Another shot. These are 40 Hz geophones.

Connecting lines is easy, even in the snow.

Connectors.

Connection is simple, but must be carefully done.

Connection

Gear is weather proof, however additional protection is easy to add.

Stratavisor booting with Windows NT OS.

User interface supports both reflection and refraction data collection.

Trigger.

Energy source

16' sledge showing trigger.

Shot test

Shot;

Geophone test.

Shot gather

Shot gather; shot on right side

Shot gather; shot on right side.

Shot gather; shot on right side

December, 2005 Update. Brian Lipinski presented his scientific results at the American Geophysical Union meeting held in San Francisco, California.  His talk "Airborne Electromagnetic Surveys Coupled With Hydrogeochemical Data to Enhance Near Surface Aquifer Investigations in an Area of Active Coalbed Natural Gas Production, Powder River Basin, Wyoming" with coauthors of J Sams, W Harbert, was well attended and received.

December, 2005 Update.  Town Hall meeting at the Borough of Versailles, Allegheny County was held.  William Harbert, Brian Lipinski, and Emmett Rafferty represented the University of Pittsburgh.  Terry Ackman from NETL/DOE presented an outline of the project.  Representatives from DCNR/DEP also answered questions and were in attendance.  Congressman M. Doyle make introductory and concluding remarks.

January, 2006 Update.  A reflection survey in support of a project in West Virginia was completed.  Tim Parker from PASSCAL helped substantially with the use of parallelgeo software in this project.  Our 2-D seismic line was 300 meters long and used a sledge hammer energy source.  The data was saved in SEG-D data  and has been demultiplexed and is being processed.   Field work was organized by Richard Hammack in support of his project analyzing selected mine impoundments in West Virginia.

Our seismic line was 300 meters long

Kanya Rhedrick from DOE with Garret Veloski (off photo) at the recorder

Mr. Rodney Webb II, a recent graduate in Engineering at WVU, and George Watzlaf (NETL) working on the 2-D reflection line.

Hammer Strikes!

George readies for a hammer strike

Representative shot gather

Representative shot gather

 

January, 2006 Update.  USING AIRBORNE ELECTROMAGNETIC SURVEYS TO IDENTIFY POTENTIAL HAZARDS AT COAL WASTE IMPOUNDMENTS: EXAMPLES FROM WEST VIRGINIA Vladislav Kaminskiy, Richard W. Hammack, William Harbert, Terry Ackman, James Sams and Garret Veloski has been accepted for publication in the ICARD/SME ASMR Volume.  This paper presents some results from Richard Hammack's project analyzing selected mine impoundments in West Virginia.

 

January, 2006 Update William Harbert presented "Environmental Geophysics" as part of the seminar series in the Department of Geology and Planetary Science.  This lecture highlighted recent collaborative NETL/DOE University of Pittsburgh research projects.

 

January, 2006, Update Vladislav Kaminskiy presented "USING AIRBORNE ELECTROMAGNETIC SURVEYS TO IDENTIFY POTENTIAL HAZARDS AT COAL WASTE IMPOUNDMENTS: EXAMPLES FROM WEST VIRGINIA" as part of the seminar series in the Department of Geology and Planetary Science.  This lecture highlighted recent collaborative NETL/DOE University of Pittsburgh research projects.

 

 

January, 2006, Update The first seismic line has been collected in a brownfield site at Varsailles.  This line is presently being processed using ParallelGeo software.   The expert help from ParallelGeo in this project is gratefully acknowledged.  Geometrically corrected gathers and an F/K plot are shown below.

 

Shot gathers from Seismic Line 01

Butterworth filter and deconvolution of Versailles data.

Gathers and F/K plot of representative reflection data from Versailles.

Common Mid Point (CMP) gathers from Versailles

January, 2006, Update  Two additional, 60 shot point, seismic reflection lines were collected in Versailles.  The lines were slightly (1 block) within McKeesport.  The property owner generously allowed our team access to collect these two lines.   These lines cross abandoned wells and should be over abandoned mine workings.

 

CMP Gathers Line 02 Versailles

Filtered Gather Line 02 Versailles

Shot Gathers Line 02 Versailles

CMP Gathers Line03 Versailles

Deconvolved Shot Gathers Line 03 Versailles

F/K Plot Line 03 Versailles

February, 2006, Update.  Two 60 shot point seismic reflection lines were collected at the Geophysical Test Site.  These lines may cross flooded abandoned mine workings.

 

NETL/DOE Geophysical Test Site

CMP Gathers

Common-offset gather for GTSLine01

Shot Gathers for GTSLine01

Common-offset gather for GTSLine02

Brute stack VerLine01

Brute stack VerLine02

Brute stack VerLine03

Brute stack GTSLine01

Brute stack GTSLine02

February, 2006 Update: Two additional seismic lines were collected from the Geophysical Test Site.  Reflection processing continues.

 

 

 

February, 2006 Update: Using SurfSeis, software from the Kansas Geological Survey, S-wave velocities are being derived using surface waves from the collected seismic lines.

 

Surface Waves from Shot 1, GTS Line 04

Derived 1-D S-wave velocity structure from Shot location 1, GTS Line 04.

Estimated from analysis of surface waves

Velocity estimated from surface waves

P and S wave velocity inversion for Versailles Line.

Shot gather from Versailles site

Same gather from Versailles site.

Surface wave analysis preliminary identification of ROI.

Versailles site.

Versailles site.

Versailles site, note anomolous reflections.

Versailles site, note anomolous reflections.

Versailles site, note anomolous reflections.

Versailles site, note anomolous reflections.

Estimated from analysis of surface waves.

Estimated by the analysis of seismic surface waves.

Gather from Versailles line.

February, 2006 Update.  Marine seismic reflection system of Professor Mark Abbott has been carefully cateloged and organized for use in this project.  Professor Abbott has kindly allowed his system to be utilized for investigation of the shallow subsurface river bottom structure around Versailles.