I. International Joint SEG-AAPG Field Camp

Our chapter, together with the AAPG Eötvös Student Chapter, co-organized the First International SEG-AAPG Joint Field Camp between 10 and 16 September 2015 at the Balaton Highlands. The aim of the field camp was to give the participants an insight into the usage of near-surface geophysical methods to solve geological problems. The idea was born a year ago to integrate practical field geology and geophysics in a field camp.

The following three methods were used:

• Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES)
• Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT)
• Magnetic methods

The 4 geological problems were:

• The depth of the sedimentary infill of maar volcanoes,
• Determining whether separate basaltic bodies are connected underground,
• Paleotopography of the Mesozoic basement,
• Locating fractured zones in carbonate platforms.

Students came from six countries: Hungary, Brazil, Germany, the United Kingdom (Scotland), Poland, and Netherland and there were both geologists and geophysicists present. Each participant was assigned to a group of 5-6 people with one of the four geological problems and it was their job to interpret the results of the geophysical measurements. 

After settling into the accommodation in Pálköve, the field camp started with a short trip to the field to check out measurement sites and significant outcrops of the region. The following day there were short lectures on the theoretical background of the used geophysical methods and the geological setting of the research area. Also, they gained insights into the formation of the Pannonian Basin and interpreted seismic sections from the oldest still active oil field in the region in the Zala Basin. During the remaining time of the week, the participants were divided into 4 groups each morning, 3 groups carried out geophysical measurements (ERT, VES, magnetic methods) while 1 group analyzed outcrops from a geological point of view. The data processing and interpretation of the results happened during the evenings. It was accompanied by a bottle of beer/wine and eventually led to fruitful discussions. The fieldwork thus provided an excellent opportunity for the students to understand and master the different data processing methods. Eventually, at the end of the field camp, the participants were required to make a presentation of what they have achieved during the week, and how many questions they have been able to answer in connection with their assigned geological problem.

Hopefully, everyone returned home with new things learned and an unforgettable experience.

The summary of the field camp was published in the SEG Near-Surface Views Fourth Quarter 2015, Vol. 22. No. 4. as a Student Chapter Highlight.

The field camp and this contribution were co-financed by the Association of American Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), Geoinform Well Services Ltd., and MOL Plc. We would like to thank the Department of Geophysics and Space Science, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest for the permission to use their geophysical instruments. The Tihany Geophysical Observatory is highly acknowledged for providing the daily variations in the Earth’s magnetic field.

Organizers

Participants