Seismic Soundoff

"We (geophysicists) need to look where the markets are rather than expect people to come to us. We have skills, and it's just about finding where we can apply these in the future." Dr. Tim Dean discusses his Honorary Lecture, "Seismic Acquisition and the Energy Transition." In this episode, we talk about: > The evolving applications of seismic acquisition beyond oil and gas > The importance of min...

"With ​every ​new ​acquisition, ​spend ​2% ​of ​your ​budget ​to ​do ​research ​to ​understand the ​noise ​and ​signal ​drivers ​in ​your ​area. ​It ​might ​help ​any ​future ​neighboring ​acquisition, ​or ​it ​might ​just ​help ​the ​field ​in ​general, ​​which ​you ​and ​your ​career ​will ​benefit ​from." Dr. Christof Stork discusses his Distinguished Lecture, "How Does the Thin Near Surface of...

"In the realm of applied geophysics, we have a lot of knowledge, a lot of skills, a lot of experience in dealing with the subsurface, which translates quite well into carbon capture and storage applications." SEG Europe Regional Advisory Committee members discuss the 4th Net-Zero Emissions annual virtual workshop. OVERVIEW > Why it's important to work towards a net-zero emissions future > The role...

"History is telling us that we're likely to get some new discoveries from introducing seismic into our mixture. Nobody understands mineral deposits like the geoscientists who work on them day in, day out." Dr. Heather Schijns explores the groundbreaking use of hard rock seismic data in mineral exploration with insights from one of the most popular papers at IMAGE 2023. OVERVIEW > The transformativ...

"Non-unique does not equal non-valuable when it comes to geophysical solutions." Dr. Irina Filina discusses April's special section on gravity, electrical, and magnetic methods in The Leading Edge. OVERVIEW > A deep dive into common non-seismic geophysical methods and their underutilization > The role of magnetics, gravity, and other methods in complementing seismic data > Case studies showcasing...

"The respect and honor that we give to our predecessors really indicate what kind of character we have." This episode explores the first Geoscientists without Borders project in the United States. Host Andrew Geary speaks with the project lead, Rob Stewart, and SEG Executive Director Jim White about using the power of geophysical techniques to uncover and restore forgotten African American cemeter...

"The challenge is to really bring your heart into the classroom, show up as a person, show up with care." Dr. Roel Snieder discusses how to excel as a teacher (and professional) using the Teaching with Heart practices. In this unique and encouraging episode, we explore the Teaching with Heart project. Roel makes the case for creating a more nurturing and loving educational environment. This episod...

"Faults and fractures are not necessarily good or bad, but it's important to really understand them." Dr. Molly Turko discusses March's special section on imaging faults and fractures in The Leading Edge. In this compelling episode, host Andrew Geary and Molly dive into the murky depths of the Earth to unravel the enigmatic nature of faults and fractures. Molly sheds light on the crucial role of i...

"The value is not in the measurement per se. It is in the ability to integrate this measurement with everything else that we have access to." Dr. Joël Le Calvez discusses January's special section in The Leading Edge on microseismic monitoring. Joël shares how recent technological advancements and pressing societal concerns, like climate change and sustainability, are pushing microseismic monitori...

"There's so much high-quality data, and more and more is being made publicly available. By shifting to open source, we're choosing that the value proposition is the people." Dr. Lindsey Heagy discusses February's special section in The Leading Edge on the future of applied geophysics. In this forward-thinking episode, we explore open-source software and its possibilities to transform the geoscienc...

"I've learned much more from my mistakes than I ever learned from my successes, because it was my mistakes that helped me to have successes." Meet the man behind the mission to diversify the energy sector. Dr. Isaac Crumbly shares the journey of the Cooperative Developmental Energy Program (CDEP) at Fort Valley State University, a program designed to pave the way for African American students into...

"I think that selling this idea that if you become a geoscientist in the 21st century, the frontier is not up there in the sky, but is down there underneath your feet." In this thought-provoking episode, expert geoscience communicator Iain Stewart opens our eyes to the "hidden commons" of the subsurface. Iain challenges us to rethink our relationship with the subsurface, drawing parallels between...

"With the magnetic method, you can say with some certainty that it will locate more than 90% of the existing wells. The grand challenge for locating abandoned wells are these wells where the casing has been pulled." Richard Hammack discusses the December special section in The Leading Edge - orphaned and abandoned wells. When we think about the environmental challenges we face, orphaned and abando...

"The challenge is to learn and be aware of new techniques and applications and apply them." Eduardo Corti discusses his Honorary Lecture, "Unconventional Borehole Seismic Techniques." Unconventional borehole seismic services encompass techniques that go beyond conventional seismic methods. With over eight decades of classical seismic methods shaping our understanding, Eduardo introduces listeners...

"How do we move towards a greater societal understanding of what's required to achieve the goals of decarbonization? Building a sustainable society requires everybody, all the citizens, to do a whole bunch of different things, many of which are minor." Murray W. Hitzman, the Director of iCRAG, highlights the energy transition and how to communicate it with the public. iCRAG is the Science Foundati...

"It's ​not ​like ​machine ​learning ​will ​solve ​all ​the ​problems. ​It's ​not ​a ​magical ​tool." David Lubo-Robles highlights his award-winning paper that utilized novel machine learning methods to enhance interpretability in seismic volume data from the Gulf of Mexico. Discover the power of two open-source tools - SHAP (Shapley Additive Explanations) and LIME (Local Interpretable Model-agnost...

"The driving objective of AASPI is to try and reveal and see more patterns in the seismic data than we can see just looking at the seismic amplitude data." Heather Bedle, Principal Investigator at Attribute Assisted Seismic Processing and Interpretation (AASPI) at the University of Oklahoma, joins Seismic Soundoff. In this episode, you will discover how AASPI reveals hidden patterns in seismic dat...

Biondo Biondi, the Director of the Stanford Earth imaging Project (SEP), joins Seismic Soundoff to discuss SEP's 50-year history and future outlook. Biondo reflects on SEP's founding during the 1970s oil crisis and today as it tackles modern energy challenges. Biondo discusses how improving seismic imaging can support the future of carbon capture and geothermal energy and help build resilient citi...

In this intriguing conversation, David Bartel, the Chair of the SEG Foundation, provides an exclusive insight into how the nonprofit organization is advancing geophysics research, supporting SEG members, and positively impacting society. David highlights the key programs funded by the Foundation, such as scholarships, field camps, Geoscientists without Borders, and more. He also shares some inspir...

Arthur Cheng, who became the first Chinese president of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists, talks about his journey from being a student to becoming the president of the Society. He shares some of the highlights from his five decades of being a member and what his role as a barrier-breaker means to him. Arthur reflects on his early days as a grad student and how he overcame his fear of givin...

Kurang Mehta discusses the November special section on carbon management in The Leading Edge. In this episode, get an inside look at the emerging field of carbon management. You will learn about the history and methods of carbon capture and storage. Kurang also provides thoughtful perspectives on how geoscientists can uniquely contribute to carbon management while recognizing biases that may need...

Oil and gas companies have an enormous role in transitioning to a renewable future. This episode examines how Ipieca partners with companies and organizations to support a sustainable future through emissions reduction, nature conservation, and stakeholder engagement. Ipieca is the global oil and gas association for advancing environmental and social performance across the energy transition. In th...

Chao Wang and Stephen Graf discuss the October special section in The Leading Edge on deep exploration. In the 1920s, the first oil discovery in Seminole, Oklahoma, was made at a depth of approximately 4,000 feet. In 1949, the average depth was 3,600 feet. By 2008, it was 6,000 feet. Currently, the world's deepest oil well in Russia extends 49,000 feet into the earth's surface. Deep exploration be...

Steven Lynch discusses his article in The Leading Edge, "High visual resolution interpretation: The case for virtual seismic reality." Steve lays out the case for why the seismic you have is better than you think. He argues that the industry needs to undergo a complete change of mindset regarding visualization. Steve explains a natural seismic display, the third form of resolution that's often ign...

Sue Carr and Jess Kozman discuss the complexities and possibilities for managing downhole geophysical data for carbon storage. In this insightful conversation with host Andrew Geary, Sue and Jess highlight the data types associated with carbon storage and the first step in managing this data. They discuss the challenges in managing well data and clarify common misunderstandings about managing data...