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Facilities

Computing and Analytical Facilities

To support current research and teaching in the group, and to drive new research methodologies, we make use of the latest software and hardware solutions. With almost a Terabyte of seismic data from over thirty surveys around the world, and high resolution LIDAR surveys generating 100 Gb per month we require the best storage, visualisation and processing kit available.

Our filestore supplies a 1Gb subnet comprising over 40 Linux/WinXP dual-boot graphical workstations and a handful of Sun Blades. Software for teaching and research includes:

• Schlumberger donate: Geoframe for seismic interpretation, well log analysis and subsurface mapping projects, Inside Reality for immersive visualistion of 3D seismic, and Petrel for end-to-end reservoir description, planning and management exercises;
• Paradigm Geophysical donate VoxelGeo and Reservoir Naviagator which we are currently using for MSc teaching and for two seismic attribute projects;
• OpenDtect is a freeware project which is used for attribute modelling and development of automated 3D feature recognition methodologies.
• A variety of GIS and grid manipulation packages including GoCAD, ArcInfo, ERMapper, MapInfo, ERDAS Imagine and GMT are included in research workflows as are image analysis and mathematical applications such as Matlab.

We also make use of the supercomputer facilities in Manchester Computing for computationally intensive 3D modelling such as Dr Emma Finch's Discrete Element models, and visualization tasks, with Schlumberger's Inside Reality (see left).

 

 

 

 

Analytical Equipment

• CAMECA SX100 electron probe microanalyser fitted with five wavelength dispersive spectrometers and an energy dispersive spectrometer for micron-scale analysis of elements from Be to U.
• Jeol 6400 scanning electron microscope fitted with an energy dispersive spectrometer, cathodoluminescence detector and cold stage.
• Ion probe and noble gas mass spectrometers.
• Cold cathodoluminescence, UV fluorescence microscopes and fluid inclusion stages.
• Comprehensive analytical geochemistry facilities including: ICP-MS, ICP-AES, XRF, XRD, pyrolysis, GC-MS.