Title: An Early-Career Perspective on the Use of Magnetotelluric Imaging in the Mining Sector, with Examples from Western Australia
Abstract: For students, the perception of non-academic and non-government career options in geophysics is often skewed by the outsized visibility of industrial geophysical applications in the oil and gas sector. However, geophysical methods such as magnetotelluric (MT) imaging get extensive use in other geoscience industries, such as in mining, a sector that will have to play a pivotal role in the green transition towards net zero carbon emissions. In this presentation, I will provide my personal perspective on the use of MT in the mining sector, both in terms of career opportunities and in terms of scientific applications and novel research problems that exist in the field. I will provide two examples of the use of MT for mineral exploration from Western Australia. One of these examples, from the Nifty sediment-hosted copper deposit, nicely showcases the power of MT for ore deposit exploration. The other, from the Fischer East komatiite-hosted nickel project, illustrates pitfalls of the use of MT imaging for industrial applications and also provides a cautionary tale of geophysical inversion that will be relevant for practicing geophysicists in general.
Biography: Benjamin Murphy is an electromagnetic geophysicist presently working in the mining sector. In 2019, he completed his Ph.D. specializing in magnetotelluric (MT) imaging at Oregon State University with Gary Egbert. After utilizing MT data for space weather and mineral systems research as a Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow at the U.S. Geological Survey, he moved into private industry in 2023. He has worked with several clients on development of new geophysical software and technologies and on the use of geophysical datasets for mineral exploration targeting. At present, he mainly works with Moombarriga Geoscience, an MT and induced polarization (IP) services company based in Western Australia and with operations around the world.
To join virtually: Zoom
Contact: ben@murphygeo.com
Website:
Recording: Zoom Recording (will be available within a week after the seminar)