1. Bite of Science: Geophysics
xom URC Seismic CII06 January 2007
Bite of Science: Geophysics

2. What do you want in your career?
Would you like a career in science, with lots of challenge?
Do you like technology and want to be at the leading edge of new advances in computer applications?
Do you want to work in a fast-paced team environment?
Do you want to do work that is important to the world?
Do you want excitement, adventure and travel?
- Characteristics of the job

3. What are you good at doing?
Are you good at math & science?
Are you creative, a good communicator and a team player?
Do you like working with computers?
Do you like to solve problems?
Are you well-organized and good at multi-tasking?
- Skills and abilities

4. What is Geophysics?
Applying physics to the earth to understand its elements
Understanding the structure of other planets / moons
Geophysics has been part of space shuttle and moon landing programs
Seeing and sensing remotely beneath the surface of the Earth

5. Earth Structure by USGS www.usgs.gov
What is Geophysics?
Tootsie Pop Earth Model
Whole earth
Earth has a radius of 6,400 km, composed of core, mantle and crust
Earth Structure by USGS
The study of the composition of the Earth

6. What is Geophysics?
See crust of the earth on a large scale in map view
Continents and mid oceanic ridge
Continental drift, earth is in motion [this theory did not become accepted theory until the early 70’s]
Earthquakes, tsunamis, mountain building
Earthquake in Indian Ocean caused tsunami Boxing Day 2004
USGS recorded that earthquake had happened and thought a tsunami was likely but had no-one to contact on Boxing Day [no early warning]
Geophysicists monitor and measure the earth’s movement [time of travel of earthquake energy]
The study of plate tectonics, volcanoes and earthquakes

7. What does a Geophysicist do?
Exploration Geophysicist uses geophysics to find oil and gas
Global Oil and Gas Fields
Explores for oil and gas around the world
Slide Courtesy of ExxonMobil

8. What does a Geophysicist do?
This illustration shows a real marine survey with an example of the type of seismic data that would be recorded.
Have you ever wondered how anyone ever figured out exactly where an offshore well should be drilled?
This is an example of how we apply physics to the earth to find the best place to drill
We measure where the rock layer change – the interfaces
We don’t see oil, or gas, or water; we see the difference in the rock physics
Photo courtesy Veritas
Shoots seismic surveys

9. What does a Geophysicist do?
Diagram of what we will be looking at on the field trip, a lot of preparation is required to get to this point
Energy source, recording devices, recording truck
Trace the path of the energy
Some reflected, some transmitted
Shoots seismic surveys

10. A Geophone records SEISMIC energy like a microphone
What does a Geophysicist do?
A Geophone records SEISMIC
energy like a microphone
records music
This illustration shows a vibroseis truck and geophone.
Shoots seismic surveys using a Vibroseis truck

11. What does a Geophysicist do?
Vibroseis trucks
Energy sources
Vibroseis shakes the earth
Work all over the world – Canada and Middle East
Shoots seismic surveys

12. What does a Geophysicist do?
Laying out geophones
In old days used to have wide, high-impact cut lines
Today, in environmentally sensitive areas we use hand cut, low-impact cut lines; supported by helicopters, not as much heavy equipment
* As a geophysicist, your responsibility to ensure that work is done in environmentally sensitive manner
“Juggie” planting geophones in Africa

13. What does a Geophysicist do?
Acquired data is processed at data processing centres in the office
Geophysicist at top right is building a velocity model to get better data to analyze
Technologists often process as well
Process seismic data

14. What does a Geophysicist do?
Oil
Gas W
ater
Seal Rock
Trap
Reservoir
Rock
Migration
Exploration geophysicists
Interpreter analyzes the finished processed data to get an image of the subsurface
An anticline or buried mountain.
Oil floats on water, and gas rises above oil; geophysicists look for high points where oil and gas would be found
If you want water, drill the lows
Source
Rock
Generation (Cooking)
Interprets seismic data to find where oil & gas are trapped

15. What does a Geophysicist do?
Exploration geophysicists
Interpreter analyzes the finished processed data to get an image of the subsurface
Mad Dog Field dip line in Gulf of Mexico – Green Canyon 826
Uses computer technology to interpret seismic data

16. Seismic Image of Ancient Reef in Alberta [400 million years old]
What does a Geophysicist do?
Exploration geophysicists
Interpreter works with a geologist to understand what kind of features we might expect to see in the subsurface
Here is what a modern reef looks like today [Belize]
Reef margin and deep water to top of picture; beach is back toward the photographer
The sides of the cube are seismic profiles of the subsurface
The surfaces are interpreted to be a boundary between rock layers with different physical properties
Here is what an ancient buried reef might look like; we try to drill a well into the reef; one or two wells just missed or are on the flank
Photo courtesy Lindsay Dunn, geologist
Seismic Image of Ancient Reef in Alberta [400 million years old]
Uses computer technology to interpret seismic data

17. What does a Geophysicist do?
Exploration geophysicists
Interpreter analyzes the finished processed data to get an image of the subsurface
Depth or time slice to locate former river channels.
Uses computer technology to interpret seismic data

18. What does a Geophysicist do?
Exploration geophysicists
Interpreter analyzes the finished processed data to get an image of the subsurface
A buried mountain – similar to what you see on the way to Banff
Back is vertical slice through the earth, coloured is a representation of a buried surface
Uses computer technology to interpret seismic data

19. What does a Geophysicist do?
Exploration geophysicists
Subsurface structure is not necessarily the same as the structure at the surface
Communicating the ideas, making decisions, teamwork
All types of people from all over the world
Photo courtesy Veritas
Uses high tech visualization to interpret seismic data

20. What does a Geophysicist do?
Remote sensing used to understand the earth
Helpful in evaluating large areas
Aeromag data can be used in exploring for minerals
Collects aeromagnetic and gravity data

21. What does a Geophysicist do?
Other applications for geophysics – SEG Geoscientists Without Borders help people in developing nations.
Resistivity well logging tool
Finds water in Malawi

22. What does a Geophysics student do?
When not in the classroom, will also do some project work
U of C student
GPR on Ellesmere Island
Surveys in the Arctic Islands as though on Mars

23. What do Geology & Geophysics students do?
When not in a classroom
Moose Mountain field trip out near Bragg Creek, Alberta [west of Calgary]
Go on geology field trips

24. What does a Geophysics student do?
Learn about field operations, how data is gathered
Go to geophysics field school

25. What does a Geoscience Technician do?
Data processing
Data management
Support the geophysicist
A lot of expertise in specific technology
[Similar to relationship between nurses and doctors]
Data management and support

26. Who hires Geoscientists?
The Petroleum Industry
oil and gas exploration and production
Engineering Companies
environmental studies
Mining Companies
mineral resource exploration
Universities
teaching and research
Governments
regulatory agencies

27. Education requirements?
M.Sc in geophysics, physics, mathematics, geology, earth science or computer science
(Required to work for a major oil company)
B.Sc in geophysics, physics, mathematics, geology, earth science or computer science

28. Career Opportunities Ph.D. degree: research geophysicist, professor
M.Sc degree: geophysicist, geologist, engineer, seismic data processor
B.Sc degree: geoscience technician seismic data processor seismic crew technologist
High School diploma: seismic field crew worker data trader sales & marketing rep data manager
Different jobs require different levels of education.

29. Workforce Trends
Enrollment data are a good metric for health of the geoscience discipline because it basically shows the supply of geoscientists that our schools are producing who can enter the workforce.
The steep decline you see between 1985ish and 1989ish at the Bachelor’s level reflects the oil boom and bust.
Since then, enrollments have been trucking along at 3K, MS at 1K and PhD at ~700….
In 80s, we had that huge demand for the energy industry, and it was met until the market crashed…now we have a similar amount of demand, but the market has diversified and so you don’t see that reflect in the enrollment data.
Source: AGI Workforce Program, 2011

30. Attrition, Growth and Replacement in the next 10 years in the U.S.
262,627 geoscience jobs exist today
Bachelor’s: 30%
Master’s: %
Doctorate: 66%
Geoscience Grads Continuing on to Geoscience Careers
~130,000 geoscientists expected to retire
72,000 geoscience job growth by 2021 (BLS)
15,000 total new graduates (MS or PhD)
45,000 total new graduates if hiring BS/BA OR
1. We have over a quarter of a million geoscience occupations that exist in today’s market.
2. In the next 5-10 years, we are expecting 50% of the geoscience workforce to reach retirement age. You can make note of how the economic recession has pushed back or are affecting the retirement ages of professionals. Even so, this graph still holds true – they have to retire sometime! It was during 2008 that people started pushing back retirements that stagnated the market…but I think that as the economy recovers and as professionals continue to age, retirements will start to happen. Many of these new jobs will be in consulting, finance, management positions, engineering etc.
In Canada, they have 5-year programs for undergraduate geoscience degrees that make those students workforce ready by the time they graduate. Their programs give students the technical, hands-on training they need to enter the job market right away. However, our programs here, and in Australia in fact, use the undergraduate degree to prepare students for their advanced degrees for their MS or PhD’s to then be workforce ready.
You can use this information to explain that if we were to hire ALL of the MS and PhD degree recipients, we’d only have 15,000 positions filled. But if we were to take “the Canadian Model”, and hire all the BA/BS students, then that’d up our number to 45,000. This still leaves us with a net deficit of over 150,000 geoscientists in the next 10 years. There’s HUGE demand!
Net deficit of over 150,000 geoscientists by 2021

31. Demographics

32. The Breakdown: Workforce Trends
1. This graph demonstrates the MEDIAN (not mean) annual salaries in 2011 for geoscience-related occupations.
2. The bold bars indicate the broad-occupational categories (i.e. all of Management positions, all of Arch. and Engineering, etc.) and the light colored bars are geoscience occupations.
3. You can see that many of the light colored, geoscience occupations actually outpace the broad-occupational categories. Geoscientists typically make more money!
4. By comparison, the bold black line indicates the salary for all US occupations…which is considerably lower than the geoscience occupations. So, with high demand comes competitive salaries!

33. How much does a Geoscientist earn per year?
American Association of Petroleum Geologists 2011 Salary Survey
Slide has averages, some get paid more, some get paid less

34. How does a Geophysicist’s salary compare with other professions?
Dentist
Geologist
Engineer
Lawyer
Veterinarian
Architect
Accountant $
140,000
120,000
100,000
80,000
60,000
40,000
20,000
Mean salary (APEGGA 2006)
Keep in mind that these are averaged for all practicing professionals.

35. Acknowledgements Canadian Society of Exploration Geophysicists
Canadian Association of Geophysical Contractors
University of Calgary
Veritas DGC
TGS
Paradigm Geophysical
Komex International
Fugro Airborne Surveys
NASA
APEGGA
ExxonMobil
American Geological Institute
American Association of Petroleum Geologists
Hess Corporation

36. Presented by Lisa Buckner
Hess Corporation
Seismic Data Loading Team Leader
Senior Processing Geophysicist
M.Sc Geophysics – University of Houston
B.Sc Geophysics – Texas A&M University

37. Questions?