Site Navigation
Welcome
Important Notice and Disclaimer
Faculty of Graduate Studies General Information
Graduate Students' Association (GSA)
Academic Schedule
Faculty of Graduate Studies Degrees Information
Admissions
Awards and Financial Assistance for Graduate Students
Tuition and General Fees
Academic Regulations
Program Descriptions
Interdisciplinary Specializations
Courses of Instruction
How to Use
Courses of Instruction by Faculty
Course Descriptions
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
Geography GEOG
Geology GLGY
Geomatics Engineering ENGO
Geophysics GOPH
German GERM
Greek GREK
Greek and Roman Studies GRST
H
I
J, K
L
M
N, O
P
R
S
T, U
V
Z
Student and Campus Services
About the University of Calgary
Graduate Studies Calendar 2020-2021 Courses of Instruction Course Descriptions G Geophysics GOPH
Geophysics GOPH

For more information about these courses, see the Department of Geoscience geoscience.ucalgary.ca.

Graduate Courses
Geophysics 619       Advanced Computational Methods for Geophysicists
Review of important mathematical models in geophysics (Poisson equation, acoustic wave equation, elastic wave equation) and typical boundary conditions for elliptic and parabolic partial differential equations. Numerical solutions using finite difference, finite volume and finite element approaches. Algorithms for nonlinear constitutive behaviour and introduction to nonlinear optimization/inversion algorithms.
Course Hours:
3 units; (3-3)
Prerequisite(s):
Consent of the Department.
Antirequisite(s):
Credit for Geophysics 619 and Geophysics 699.09 will not be allowed.
back to top
Geophysics 629       Geophysical Programming
Tools and techniques for efficient software development for multidimensional geophysical processing and inversion. Various programming languages and platforms will be used to build projects through all development stages. Shared and distributed memory, and high performance computing in the context of various geophysical applications.
Course Hours:
3 units; (3-3)
Prerequisite(s):
Consent of the Department.
back to top
Geophysics 657       Seismic Signal Analysis
Advanced methods of seismic data analysis in exploration and production geophysics. Topics include velocity analysis, polarization filtering, median filtering, migration, inversion and tomography.
Course Hours:
3 units; (3-0)
back to top
Geophysics 665       Theoretical Seismology
Seismic ray theory, inverse theory, full-wave methods, matrix methods, numerical methods, additional topics depending on current research interests.
Course Hours:
3 units; (3-0)
Prerequisite(s):
Geophysics 551.
back to top
Geophysics 667       Introduction to Passive Seismic Monitoring
Use of microseismic methods as surveillance technology during hydraulic-fracture treatment of tight reservoirs. Methods for acquiring, processing and interpreting microseismic data. Methods for picking events, determining hypocenter location and magnitude, and interpreting the stimulated rock volume.
Course Hours:
3 units; (3-0)
Prerequisite(s):
Consent of the Department.      
back to top
Geophysics 669       Global Seismology
An introduction to theory and practice of global seismology. Topics include: seismograph systems, global wave propagation, moment tensors, shear-wave splitting, surface waves, receiver functions, seismic tomography and teleseismic receiver functions.
Course Hours:
3 units; (3-0)
Prerequisite(s):
Admission to the graduate program in geophysics.
back to top
Geophysics 671       Inverse Theory and Applications I
An introduction to the mathematical and numerical techniques of geophysical inversion. Topics include least squares, singular value decomposition, and Tikhonov regularization. Development of numerical codes to solve real inverse problems is stressed.
Course Hours:
3 units; (3-0)
Prerequisite(s):
Admission to the graduate program in geophysics.
back to top
Geophysics 673       Inverse Theory and Applications II
Multidimensional real-world inverse problems, such as constrained seismic, gravity, or resistivity inversion. Fourier, maximum entropy, Bayesian approaches and iterative solution techniques such as Kaczmarz and conjugate gradient are covered.
Course Hours:
3 units; (3-0)
Prerequisite(s):
Consent of the Department.
back to top
Geophysics 687       Theory of Seismic Imaging
The theories of wave propagation in acoustic and elastic media are used to develop the major algorithms used in seismic imaging (migration). Green's theorem, Huygen's principle, Kirchhoff diffraction theory, raytracing, wavetracking, multidimensional Fourier analysis, and Radon transforms are explored.
Course Hours:
3 units; (3-0)
Notes:
Elementary knowledge of vector calculus and partial differential equations is assumed.
back to top
Geophysics 695       Research Topics and Tools
An introduction to seismic structural imaging and interpretation, seismic velocity anisotropy, and multicomponent seismology, including seismic survey design for PS converted waves. Discussion of software packages used for graduate research programs.
Course Hours:
3 units; (3-0)
Prerequisite(s):
Consent of the Department.    
back to top
Geophysics 699       Selected Topics in Geophysics
Courses are offered in specific topics in areas such as seismology, environmental geophysics, potential methods, integrated geophysical studies, and geodynamics.
Course Hours:
3 units; (3-3)
Prerequisite(s):
Consent of the Department.  
MAY BE REPEATED FOR CREDIT
back to top
Geophysics 701       Advanced Independent Study
A written report based on laboratory and field studies is required.
Course Hours:
3 units; (0-6)
Prerequisite(s):
Consent of the Department.
back to top
Geophysics 703       Readings in Geophysics
A written report based on a literature review is required.

Course Hours:
3 units; (0-6)
Prerequisite(s):
Consent of the Department.
back to top
Geophysics 705       Graduate Skills in Geoscience
ProvidesĀ an overview of professional skills that are key to success in graduate school and beyond. Presentation skills, writing scientific manuscripts, the peer review process, defence and candidacy exams, intellectual property and innovation, and networking basics.
Course Hours:
3 units; (3-3)
Prerequisite(s):
Consent of the Department.
Antirequisite(s):
Credit for Geophysics 705 and Geology 699.56 will not be allowed.
Also known as:
(Geology 705)
back to top