SEG Activities and News

Hydrogeophysics 2017 Field Workshop

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Most recent annual SEG Hydrogeophysics workshop took place during July 28th to 30th at Shale Hills CZO, hosted by Penn state university under supervision of Dr. Susan Brantley and guidance of Dr. Judy Robinson. This workshop was organized by PhD candidate Sina Saneiyan and funded by SEG (2016 Student Chapter Outreach Grant). From Rutgers university, 3 REU (research experience for undergraduates) students, 3 graduate students, 1 post doc fellow, 1 faculty and 3 guests attended this workshop.

Electrical Resistivity Imaging (ERI), Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) methods have been used to study subsurface structures at Garner Run in addition to demonstrate these methods to the workshop attendees.

Garner Run is an upland catchment within the Shavers Watershed at Shale Hills CZO, PA where previously a 2D-ERI study was conducted (Rutgers SEG student chapter, hydrogeophysics workshop, 2016).  This study investigated the subsurface flow architecture along two hillslopes, Tussey Mountain and Leading Ridge, and found electrical contrasts supported the previous geochemical evidence of shallow interflow.

To further investigate this area, we performed two 3D-ERI tracer studies on Tussey Mountain and the Leading Ridge at locations along the 2D-ERI transect (Rutgers SEG student chapter, hydrogeophysics workshop, 2017). 

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Hydrogeophysics 2014 Field Workshop

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The annual SEG Hydrogeophysics Workshop was held at Laurel Preserve within the Stroud Water Research Center in Pennsylvania from April 30-May 2nd.  Guided by Lee Slater, Kristina Keating and Anthony Aufdenkampe, SEG graduate student members from Rutgers-Newark led graduate and undergraduate student groups to conduct geophysical surveys within the Spring Brook watershed.

Jonathan Algeo, a first year PhD student led collection of a 250 m long resistivity survey across the top of the watershed and a 600 m long resistivity survey along a stream bank.  GPR data was collected along these survey lines in addition to CMPs and reflections.  Resistivity data was also collected up-gradient of two soil pits where time-lapse investigations will occur in the near future.  His research focuses on studying spatial variations in infiltration within the Brandywine River Valley.

 

Chapter Local Community Outreach

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SEG Vice-President Ashley Samuel organized chapter members to attend Rutgers Day 2014 to interact and educate students, parents and children.  Resistivity and GPR  equipment was on display along with interactive boards explaining the subsurface properties these surveys can non-invasively explore.  Participants were encourage to see how acoustic waves propogate though the Earth after hitting a metal plate with a seismic hammer. 

 

Max Miller airmail pilot search 

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An aviator enthusiast contacted our SEG chapter to conduct a geophysical survey in a field thought to be the location where one of the first airmail pilots, Max Miller, crashed in 1920.  The site, located in Bernardsville, New Jersey, is an agricultural field currently owned and operated by the township.
 
In October 2013, a GPR and EM survey was conducted to survey for a soil disturbance.  Since the target was shallow, a 500 MHz antenna was used for the GPR survey.  The GEM-2, currently borrowed from Florida Atlantic University (FAU),  was used for this EM survey.
 
Processing of the field data collected is ongoing. Check back soon!
 
 

Gravesite search at St. James Cemetary

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A local citizen contacted our SEG student chapter to see if we could assist in locating empty and double-deep plot(s) in a family graveyard plot at St. James Cemetary in Woodbridge, New Jersey.  

In June 2013, graduate and undergraduate students conducted a dense grid  500-MHz GPR surveys and a magnetometer survey.