Geophysics

Geophysics is a major component of integrated efforts to study the structure and evolution of the Earth, in exploration and development efforts in the energy industry, and in efforts to study shallow features of societal importance. Geophysical research in our department ranges from studies of lithospheric structure and evolution, to basin studies, to outcrop-scale investigations of sand bodies in turbidite channels.

Principal Faculty Members
Dr. R. Douglas Elmore
Dr. G. Randy Keller
Dr. Katie Keranen
Dr. Kurt Marfurt
Dr. John Pigott
Dr. Roger Young

Integrated studies of the structure and evolution of the lithosphere

The OU group takes the approach that the structure and evolution of the lithosphere involves studies of basins, basement structure, crustal scale features, and the uppermost mantle. We approach studies at all of these scales via the integration of a variety of geological and geophysical data, but build our efforts on seismic data to the extent possible. We are actively in national efforts such as the IRIS Consortium and the EarthScope project. We presently have funded research projects underway in Ethiopia, Central Europe, the Rocky Mountains, the High Lava Plains of Oregon, and Peru.

OU is part of a large multi-institutional National Science Foundation grant from the Continental Dynamics programs that is focused on eastern Oregon and the adjacent areas of the Pacific Northwest and Basin and Range provinces. Dr. Randy Keller is a Principal Investigator, and the group will undertake a large integrated study to understand why the minimally extended northern part of the Basin and Range has been the most volcanically active region of North America in the late Cenozoic. The OU group will work with Arizona State University and the Carnegie Institution of Washingtonto determine the crustal and upper mantle structure beneath the High Lava Plains of eastern Oregon and interpret the imaged structure in concert with geochemical, geochronologic, and petrologic constraints provided by young volcanism. These data will be combined with geodynamic modeling.

GEON (the Geosciences Network) is an NSF-funded collaborative ITR project involving scientists and IT researchers from 14 institutions and a number of other research and industry partners. Dr. Randy Keller is one of the lead Principal Investigators of this project. His efforts have focused on constructing databases and integrating them. The gravity and magnetic databases that his group has developed are being used by numerous industry groups including many independents. These interactions and many large scientific projects (e.g., IRIS, EarthScope) have made it clear that a major need in efforts to advance our understanding of the structure and evolution of the continents is high-resolution, 3-D models of lithospheric structure at a variety of scales (basins to basement to the Moho). However, the ultimate goal is the addition of the dimension of time to make the problem 4-D, and with the integration of many types of data so that many physical properties are measured, the problem becomes highly multidimensional (x, y, z, P-wave velocity, S-wave velocity, density, electrical conductivity, etc.). The dimension of time is strongly dependent on the integration of a variety of geological data into the analysis (e.g., geochronology, paleontology, stratigraphy, pressure-time histories, etc.).

Attribute-Assisted Seismic Processing and Interpretation (AASPI) Consortium Website: http://geology.ou.edu/aaspi.

	School of Geology and Geophysics
Prospective Undergraduates What are Geology and Geophysics? What do Geologists and Geophysicists do? Why do we need Geologists and Geophysicists? You might be a Geologist or Geophysicist if you... Why study Geology and Geophysics at OU? Scholarships Degrees Offered Areas Of Emphasis Prospective Graduate Students Areas of Emphasis Degrees Offered Admissions Assistantships and Fellowships Successful Graduates Field Trips Recruiting Current Students Student Organizations Geology Courses Geophysics Courses OU Course Catalog CEE Student Services Registration Degree Navigator Mission People Faculty Staff Students Research Areas of Emphasis Laboratories Alumni School Policies, Forms, and Archives	Geophysics Geophysics is a major component of integrated efforts to study the structure and evolution of the Earth, in exploration and development efforts in the energy industry, and in efforts to study shallow features of societal importance. Geophysical research in our department ranges from studies of lithospheric structure and evolution, to basin studies, to outcrop-scale investigations of sand bodies in turbidite channels. Principal Faculty Members Dr. R. Douglas Elmore Dr. G. Randy Keller Dr. Katie Keranen Dr. Kurt Marfurt Dr. John Pigott Dr. Roger Young Integrated studies of the structure and evolution of the lithosphere The OU group takes the approach that the structure and evolution of the lithosphere involves studies of basins, basement structure, crustal scale features, and the uppermost mantle. We approach studies at all of these scales via the integration of a variety of geological and geophysical data, but build our efforts on seismic data to the extent possible. We are actively in national efforts such as the IRIS Consortium and the EarthScope project. We presently have funded research projects underway in Ethiopia, Central Europe, the Rocky Mountains, the High Lava Plains of Oregon, and Peru. OU is part of a large multi-institutional National Science Foundation grant from the Continental Dynamics programs that is focused on eastern Oregon and the adjacent areas of the Pacific Northwest and Basin and Range provinces. Dr. Randy Keller is a Principal Investigator, and the group will undertake a large integrated study to understand why the minimally extended northern part of the Basin and Range has been the most volcanically active region of North America in the late Cenozoic. The OU group will work with Arizona State University and the Carnegie Institution of Washingtonto determine the crustal and upper mantle structure beneath the High Lava Plains of eastern Oregon and interpret the imaged structure in concert with geochemical, geochronologic, and petrologic constraints provided by young volcanism. These data will be combined with geodynamic modeling. GEON (the Geosciences Network) is an NSF-funded collaborative ITR project involving scientists and IT researchers from 14 institutions and a number of other research and industry partners. Dr. Randy Keller is one of the lead Principal Investigators of this project. His efforts have focused on constructing databases and integrating them. The gravity and magnetic databases that his group has developed are being used by numerous industry groups including many independents. These interactions and many large scientific projects (e.g., IRIS, EarthScope) have made it clear that a major need in efforts to advance our understanding of the structure and evolution of the continents is high-resolution, 3-D models of lithospheric structure at a variety of scales (basins to basement to the Moho). However, the ultimate goal is the addition of the dimension of time to make the problem 4-D, and with the integration of many types of data so that many physical properties are measured, the problem becomes highly multidimensional (x, y, z, P-wave velocity, S-wave velocity, density, electrical conductivity, etc.). The dimension of time is strongly dependent on the integration of a variety of geological data into the analysis (e.g., geochronology, paleontology, stratigraphy, pressure-time histories, etc.). Attribute-Assisted Seismic Processing and Interpretation (AASPI) Consortium Website: http://geology.ou.edu/aaspi.