Our seismic data are a kind of digital palimpsest: a manuscript written on imperfectly erased reused paper that contains multiple overlapping layers of writing. Each layer of writing has its own story; it may be fresh and distinct, easy to read, or broken up into fragments and faded into near invisibility. In our processing we typically pay the most attention to the data layer that we plan to use for imaging, and ignore the others to the extent that we can get away with doing so. The deeper layers become “noise”. However, the better we can understand the various layers of the data, the better we can turn each layer into either additional useful signal or structured (i.e. predictable) noise. Preserving the structure of the noise is important. It allows us to do better, possibly much better, than we could by treating it as Gaussian random noise. For random noise the best we can typically do is stacking. While stacking is a powerful tool, its noise-suppression abilities are effective only up to a point. Each incremental increase in the stack size N costs the same to acquire, yet results in ever less S/N improvement. Even worse, noise in real data often contains statistical outliers that will dominate over the noise-suppression power of stack as N becomes large. We can damage our data at every step of the process from acquisition to final delivered product. If you are not checking for problems, you may be unaware that anything is amiss. The next game-changing improvement in our ability to guide business decisions by producing higher-quality Earth images may only happen if we can treat our seismic data with greater scientific rigor than has been standard practice. The goal of this book is to teach you the skills that you will need to do that.

Abstract The record of igneous activity (magmatism and volcanism) can significantly affect natural resource exploration and exploitation, including the search for hydrocarbons, critical minerals, natural hydrogen and geothermal energy sources, as well as using mafic igneous rocks as storage sites for CO 2 . These effects will vary depending on the nature and timing of the activity, the structural framework and the crustal architecture of the affected country-rock. To understand these effects and the interplay with other factors, we must first know the igneous record's distribution, timing, and petrology. In this paper, we describe a new geospatial database of the igneous rock record designed to provide a baseline digital resource that is application-agnostic and can be applied across the broadest range of research and resource exploration activities. We discuss the challenges we have faced and solved at each of the three main stages of geospatial mapping: database design, database population and database visualization. This includes the importance of a comprehensive audit trail so that users can differentiate between well and poorly-constrained interpretations, helping identify areas requiring additional work and data acquisition. The result is a geospatial database that will facilitate a better understanding of the Earth system and natural resource exploration.

Abstract Intruding magma can create space by uplift and elastic bending of the overburden, which locally fractures the deforming volume and produces flat-topped or dome-like forced folds. Here, I map such fracture networks and quantify their geometry and connectivity across a range of natural and modelled intrusion-induced forced folds. I show that there is a positive relationship between forced fold length and amplitude, and all fracture networks comprise traces, with variable lengths and orientations, that are more intense and denser where fold curvature is greatest. Fracture length populations are typically best described by power-law distributions, but some fit better to log-normal or exponential distributions. Connectivity of fracture networks is low and generally increases with folding, but resurfacing by eruptive products can disrupt this trend. My work supports previous analyses of forced folds and fractures, suggesting that we can use the fracture characteristics of exposed forced folds to predict that of buried forced folds. Due to their geometry and fracture network, intrusion-induced forced folds make ideal fluid traps. As these forced folds are common in many volcanic settings and sedimentary basins, we should consider their potential as exploration targets for water, magmatic-related mineral and metal deposits, and particularly CO 2 storage.

Abstract A model is presented for the generation of natural hydrogen from cratonic basement rocks and its migration into the sediments of overlying cratonic basins. It is based on the ‘discovery’ of hydrogen at Bourakebougou in the Taoudeni Basin of Mali. In the ‘Cratonic Greenstone Model’, hydrogen is generated by the serpentinization of olivine-rich, ultramafic rocks contained within Precambrian ‘greenstones’. The model requires a protolith (in greenstones), a supply of water (from groundwater), connecting faults to act as a plumbing system and an indurated sediment cover to retard hydrogen movement. Hydrogen is expelled into the overlying basin sediments, which form the host for hydrogen accumulations. The model describes a continental ‘hydrogen system’, which can form the basis for petroleum-type play-based hydrogen exploration in cratonic settings. Using play elements derived from the model, the Bourakebougou play fairway can be extended across the Taoudeni Basin >700 km northwards of the discovery.

Abstract Native hydrogen and helium have been considered important resources in assisting the energy transition. Hydrogen and helium seeps have been reported worldwide, which may indicate large reserves within the subsurface. However, generation of hydrogen and helium is complex; poorly understood and constrained for both generation processes and migration. One source of native hydrogen is ultramafic rocks, which have experienced serpentinization together with water radiolysis. In contrast, helium generation occurs as the result of the radioactive decay of uranium and thorium present within radiogenically enriched basement. An exploration tool, dedicated to identifying areas with the geological settings and conditions favourable for native hydrogen and helium generation, has been developed and tested. Several databases have been created and integrated as part of this study (geological and geochemical generation models) to support and focus the search for both hydrogen and helium. Machine learning algorithms which extract value from geospatial data types for detecting various accumulations have been implemented. The first machine learning results demonstrate the significant value in integrating data and machine learning for high grading areas more conducive to accumulating hydrogen and helium.

Abstract Geoparks and the valorization of sites with a strong geoheritage component is a new frontier for sustainable tourism. A UNESCO special recognition was established in 2015, and much work has been undertaken in establishing sites in Europe and Asia, yet only five localities have been recognized by UNESCO in North America. This paper discusses three sites relevant to geoheritage – Pulpit Rock in Massachusetts, Montmorency Falls in Quebec and Niagara Falls in New York and Ontario – which were visited in 1863 by the newly appointed professor of geology at Bologna University, Giovanni Capellini. During his four-month journey across northeastern North America, he made sketches, took notes and collected more than 2000 specimens that together provide a depth of perspective on the importance of the geoheritage of the sites he visited. We chose these sites, among the many visited by Capellini, because Niagara Falls is now seeking UNESCO recognition, and the other two, though no longer fully accessible, remain important tourist sites and areas of geological interest.

Abstract In Mississippi, USA, exposures of fossiliferous Cretaceous and Paleogene strata contributed to geological investigations for more than 200 years. Since 2012, four Mississippi fossiliferous field sites were regularly integrated within university palaeontology classrooms, with community engaged learning (CEL) introduced in 2018. Through CEL projects, the students assisted local organizations with optimizing and/or protecting local fossiliferous sites. Analysis of student surveys demonstrated that students were overwhelmingly positive toward local field sites and CEL inclusion in the palaeontology courses. Students acknowledged ‘real-world’ interdisciplinary CEL experiences moved them beyond the palaeontology content and made them stakeholders in modern issues. While these four sites contain landscapes that qualify as local geoheritage sites because of their educational and potential geotourism value, only one site, W.M. Browning Cretaceous Fossil Park, is preserved for future generations. The other sites (Blue Springs, Osborn Prairie, Smith County) face challenges in their long-term sustainability.

Abstract Some significant geological sites are inaccessible. Among the most inaccessible sites are the hydrothermal vents and their associated biological communities located deep in the ocean. These prime geoheritage sites, hosting what may be the most primordial life on Earth, are vulnerable to mineral and fishing exploitation. Many lie in international waters, protected only by non-binding agreements with no clearly defined means of enforcement. The discovery of these vents in 1977 fundamentally altered scientists’ view of basic Earth processes and the extreme conditions under which life can exist. The discovery of the vents was a group effort and required technological accomplishments not available to previous generations of researchers. Often overlooked in the credits for this discovery was the persistence and determination of Kathleen Crane, a graduate student at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Many women of her era faced significant challenges as they attempted to break into an often-unwelcoming field, marine geology. The challenges were not unique to geology; women were not welcomed in many other disciplines, both scientific and non-scientific. In spite of the obstacles, few people have made as remarkable a geoscience discovery as Dr Crane.

Abstract The Bogdo–Baskunchak Nature Reserve is a geoheritage site in the Caspian Depression, near the Lower Volga River. The Salt Lake Baskunchak and the Mount Big Bogdo with the gypsum field are the main objects of interest. Local legends about this place and the history of salt mining and trading, as well as geological exploration, make this geoheritage site special. This natural landscape is intact, as seen by the first scientific expeditions of the eighteenth century organized by the Imperial Academy of Sciences and Arts in St Petersburg. Reports and papers about this area are associated with Pallas, Humboldt, Murchison, Eichwald, Auerbach, Pravoslavlev, Efremov and other scientists and expeditions. Extensive research and important discoveries were made in this area, mostly in mineralogy, stratigraphy, palaeontology, sedimentology, salt tectonics, and mining. This area reflects its long history of exploration and could be a good example of organizing the protection of geological landmarks and monuments in arid regions. In 1916, a Russian law was passed giving the government rights to organize reserves (zapovednik) for scientific and cultural purposes in the most remarkable natural areas. Only in recent decades have geological monuments in Russia become specially protected sites.