Development of new, integrated computer modelling and inversion methods for applied geophysics and for joint geology-geophysics Earth modelling

开发新的集成计算机建模和反演方法，用于应用地球物理学和地质-地球物理学联合地球建模

• 批准号: RGPIN-2018-06626
• 负责人: Farquharson, Colin
• 金额: $ 3.13万
• 依托单位: Memorial University of Newfoundland
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2018-01-01 至 2019-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=650490
• 关键词: Development; new; integrated; computer; modelling

The goal of the proposed research programme is to develop improved computer modelling and interpretation methods for geophysical survey data that can be truly integrated with modern computerized geological model-building techniques.******It is generally recognized that the easy-to-find ore deposits have all been discovered. Deposits are often missed because of the complexity of the geological environment in which they are hosted, especially when the geometrical and structural relationships of the host rocks are complicated and hard to unravel.******In the last decade or so, the use of geophysical inversion software that can construct 3D subsurface distributions of a physical property (i.e., a geophysical Earth model) from most types of geophysical survey data has become widespread. Existing inversion technology has proven to be successful in providing reliable, robust quantitative information about the location, depth, size and composition of ore deposits when the geological environment is not particularly complicated. However, on its own, existing inversion technology is limited in its ability to distinguish features when the subsurface is more complex, and it is not suited for integration with geological modelling methods.******Recently, methodology and software for constructing 3D geological models, i.e, computer models comprising wireframe surfaces that represent contacts between rock units, faults, and outlines of ore deposits, have been developed. Such models, which are essentially 3D maps of the subsurface, can then be used to better understand the spatial and structural relationships between an ore deposit and its surrounding geological features, and to provide quantitative estimates of the location, depth and size of a mineral deposit. However, the data that such geological model-building methods use is limited to very sparse point measurements and the constructed surfaces are extrapolated throughout large expanses of the subsurface where no geological data exists.******Combining these two processes into a single, integrated procedure will result in Earth modelling capabilities that can handle significantly more complex subsurface scenarios than is currently possible: the structural geological information will reduce the non-uniqueness and indistinctness of the geophysical inversion, and the geophysical information about the larger-scale, averaged physical property distribution will guide extrapolation of the geological surfaces throughout the subsurface,******As such, the new methods will be of particular benefit to the mineral exploration industry, which is a significant contributor to Canada's economy, and its search for new ore deposits. The research will also significantly advance our knowledge and understanding of computational geophysical methods.

拟议的研究计划的目的是为地球物理调查数据开发改进的计算机建模和解释方法，这些方法可以与现代计算机化的地质模型建设技术真正集成。由于托管的地质环境的复杂性，通常会错过沉积物，尤其是当宿主岩石的几何和结构关系很复杂且难以解散时。现有的反转技术已被证明在地质环境并不特别复杂时成功地提供了有关矿床的位置，深度，大小和组成的可靠，强大的定量信息。然而，当下地下表面更为复杂时，现有的反转技术的区分功能的能力有限，并且不适合与地质建模方法集成。这样的模型本质上是地下的3D地图，然后可以用来更好地理解矿床及其周围地质特征之间的空间和结构关系，并提供对矿物沉积物的位置，深度和大小的定量估计。但是，这种地质模型建设方法使用的数据仅限于非常稀疏的点测量值，并且在不存在地质数据的大型地面扩展中，构造的表面被推断出来。******将这两个过程组合到单个单一的集成过程中，将导致地球建模能力更大程度地与当前的地面相比，可以降低地面模型的范围。地球物理反演的模糊性以及有关大规模，平均物理性能分布的地球物理信息将指导整个地下地质表面的外推，******，因此，新方法将对矿物勘探行业特别有益，这是对加拿大经济的重要贡献。这项研究还将大大提高我们对计算地球物理方法的了解和理解。