Course Dates:  2 Full Days

Monday, November 3, 2025 - 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM MST

Tuesday, November 4, 2025 - 8:00 AM  - 4:00 PM MST

Course Location: The Northcote Room in Bow Valley Square - Donated by Key Seismic

Course Level: Fundamentals

Course Description: 

Day 1. Intro to geometry and concepts of VSP, basic data modeling and processing, strengths and limitations. Content: slides/notes and computer examples in Matlab (computer use optional: either watch or participate).

Day 2(a). Intro to DAS sensing: strain rate versus particle velocity, directionality, modeling of DAS response to arbitrary source mechanisms. Content: slides/notes and computer examples in Matlab (computer use optional: either watch or participate).

Day 2(b). Future of VSP: full waveform inversion, timelapse, sparse acquisitions. Content: slides/notes.

Course Dates: 1 Full Day -  8:00 AM - 4:00 PM MST

Course Location: The Hamilton Room in Bow Valley Square - Donated by Key Seismic

Course Level: Fundamental

Course Description:

Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) includes a range of technologies that can significantly reduce emissions of CO2 during the energy transition to low or zero-emitting energy sources. However, the greatest reduction in emissions that can be achieved in the short to intermediate timeframe is the geological storage of CO2. In this process, CO2 is injected into deep saline formations, or depleted oil and gas reservoirs that can securely store the CO2 permanently. Canada is very well positioned for CO2 storage at a large scale due to its geology and technical expertise.

Key technical requirements for CO2 storage projects are injectivity, secure containment and conformance of the CO2, and the storage capacity of the injection reservoir; all of which include geophysical surveys for either baseline or time-lapse monitoring. We will review the steps necessary for having a successful CO2 storage project, with an emphasis on the role of geophysics to achieve it. The course will be illustrated with examples from the Carbon Management Canada (CMC) Newell County Field Research Station (FRS) and other pilot and commercial projects. The FRS was developed in the South-East of Alberta by CMC and the University of Calgary to develop and assess monitoring technologies for CO2 leakage detection.

Course Dates: 1 Full Day, 1 Half Day

Wednesday, November 12. 2025- 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM MST

Thursday, November 13, 2025 - 8:00 PM to 12:00 PM MST

Course Location: The Bond, Bankers Hall Conference Centre, + 45 Level of Bankers Hall, Cambrian A&B – #400, 315 – 8th Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta – Donated by CNRL

Course Level: Fundamental

Course Description:

This short course will focus on current issues in energy-related geomechanics without sacrificing the necessary background to fully address the history of today’s energy industry challenges. Content will be a mix of theory and application by highlighting case studies from western Canada and around the world including oil and gas, geothermal and carbon storage.  

Geomechanics is a unique, multi-disciplinary field that combines elements of rock mechanics, geology, petrophysics, hydrogeology, fracture/fault mechanics and engineering. It has been around for many decades, most predominantly in oil and gas, and over that time its focus has changed with the demands of a changing industry as well as the wax and wane of other industries like geothermal and carbon storage. Over the years, geomechanics has played a critical role in understanding and managing wellbore stability, fracture/fault permeability, sand production, reservoir behaviour, hydraulic fracturing and induced seismicity. The fact that there are relatively few research groups in academia or industry dedicated to geomechanics means there are relatively few working specialists compared to other disciplines. As a result, the need for geomechanics training for non-specialists is high. You don’t know what you don’t know, and if you don’t know geomechanics fundamentals, you won’t realize how important they are to your projects. 

The overall goal of this course is to convey an understanding of how an accurate geomechanical model is constructed, why it is needed and how it can inform decisions made by a wide range of stakeholders within an organization.  

Course Dates: 1 Full Day

Monday, October 20th, 2025 - 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM MST - NEW DATE

Course Location: The Ampersand, Energy Transition Centre, 5th Floor, East Tower - Donated by OptiSeis Solutions Ltd.

Course Level: Fundamentals

Course Description:

This course provides a broad overview of recent innovations in land seismic acquisition, emphasizing how survey design influences data quality and final processing output. The course is organized around four key themes: sampling, sensors, sources, and sustainability to examine the advantages and challenges of modern methods using real world datasets.

Attendees will explore how different acquisition geometries compare from both a field and theoretical perspective, why fold and trace density alone are insufficient for evaluating survey quality, and what alternative metrics should be considered. Case studies comparing sensors and sources will highlight how equipment choice can affect productivity, imaging resolution, and interpretability. The sustainability section will emphasize designing surveys that are environmentally responsible, cost-effective, and resilient to changing surface and equipment constraints, including multi-year timelapse monitoring.

To enrich the learning experience, guest speakers in seismic acquisition have been invited to present on their areas of expertise with the class joining in afterwards on a round table discussion. Darin Silvernagle, President of IoT Dynamics, will share his expertise on Vibroseis quality control. Howard Watt, Land Chief Geophysicist at Sercel, with decades of experience advancing land acquisition technologies, will discuss the latest developments in seismic sensors. Additionally, attendees will have the chance to participate in a hands on geophone/sensor demonstration. Together with the course instructor, these experts will provide multiple perspectives and practical guidance from the forefront of seismic acquisition.

By the end of the course, participants will have a clearer understanding of how to evaluate survey designs, select appropriate equipment, and ensure their seismic programs achieve the optimal balance of data quality, efficiency, cost, and sustainability

Course Date: 1 Full Day -8:00 AM - 5:00 PM MST

Friday, October 24, 2025

Course Location: CNRL Training Rooms - Donated by CNRL

Course Level: Fundamental

Course Description: 

CSEM Basics and recent advances, CSEM Modeling, CSEM with Frac, CSEM CCUS / EOR

Course Dates: 2 Half days - 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM MST

Monday, October 27, 2025

Tuesday, October 28, 2025

Course Location: The Bond, Bankers Hall Conference Centre, + 45 Level of Bankers Hall

Cambrian A&B, #400, 315 - 8th Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta - donated by CNRL

Course Level:  Intermediate

Course Description:

An interpreter-oriented approach to the theory, practical application, and interpretive aspects of depth imaging. The course begins with understanding the nature of velocities and reviews simplistic time-to-depth conversion as a prelude to understanding the limits of time migration. Next, is an intuitive overview of migration theory, Kirchhoff (ray) versus RTM (wave) algorithms. Next is a review of velocity and other imaging-parameter updates using tomographic analysis and advances in FWI for the near-surface velocity model and deeper velocity updating. Multiparameter (elastic) FWI advances are covered as applicable in land and marine projects.

This course introduces intuitive quality controls and quantitative spreadsheet analysis to plan and ensure stable depth solutions during the iterative depth-imaging process. Database-validation methods, such as cross plots between horizon interpretations and well tops, are used to identify and correct inconsistencies. A related database topic is fully understanding the polarity and phase of the seismic and investigating the importance of synthetic seismogram ties using P Impedance volumes and logs.

The course continues with a robust approach to well-top calibration of the final depth deliverables. Freeware is provided to yield a stochastic-analysis method for estimating depth uncertainty. The course concludes by reviewing advanced attributes derived from depth imaging, including azimuthal inversion to yield lithologic and stress-field (fracture) properties, plus a case history of implementing machine learning for fluid-production estimation.

Course Dates: 2 Full Days

Wednesday, November 12, 2025 - 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM MST

Thursday, November 13, 2025- 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM MST

Course Location: The Hamilton Room in Bow Valley Square - Donated by Key Seismic

Course Level: Intermediate

Course Description: 

This two-day course offers a comprehensive overview of modern seismic signal processing techniques, classical methods, and emerging innovations in sparsity, compressive sensing acquisition, machine learning, and rank-reduction. Participants will explore practical algorithms and develop hands-on skills through Julia-based software prototypes.

Course Dates: 2 Full Days -8:00 AM - 4:00 PM MST

Wednesday, October 15, 2025

Thursday, October 16, 2025

Course Location: Core Research Facility, Calgary

Course Level: Intermediate

Course description:

Reservoir distribution in clastic sedimentary systems and their associated will be covered with a focus on how sedimentary process controls the distribution of conventional and unconventional reservoirs in the various depositional environments. Case studies will be presented from fluvial, shoreface, delta, to turbidite pools within the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, based on core observation, core analysis, well logs integrated with production data. Reservoir heterogeneity will be discussed based on seismic and outcrop analogies.

Course Dates: 1 Full Day

Tuesday, October 7, 2025 - 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM MST

Course Location: The Bond, Bankers Hall Conference Centre, + 45 Level of Bankers Hall, Cambrian A&B - #400, 315 - 8th Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta - Donated by CNRL

Course Level: Fundamental to Intermediate

Course Description: 

The topics of seismic inversion and AVO (Amplitude Variations with Offset) have a long history in seismic analysis and interpretation. These topics are now grouped under the term QI, which stands for Quantitative Interpretation. Their history dates to the 1960’s when post-stack inversion, which transforms stacked seismic amplitudes into acoustic impedance, was first developed. In the 1980’s, we discovered that pre-stack amplitudes could be used to infer fluid properties of the reservoir, and this led to the development of AVO analysis, which fits a curve to the seismic amplitudes based on a linearized set of equations. The equations behind AVO were then extended to inversion, and the pre-stack inversion technique was developed to extract acoustic impedance, shear impedance and optionally, density, from the pre-stack gathers.

In this one-day course, I will describe the theory of post-stack inversion, AVO analysis, and pre-stack inversion from a starting point that looks at the seismic reservoir and the rock physics associated with the reservoir. I will illustrate these techniques using numerical examples and real data examples from around the world. The material will be augmented with the technical material I have published in Geophysics and Interpretation which relate the poroelasticity theory of Biot and Gassmann to well logs, AVO, and seismic inversion.

Course Dates: 4 - 1/2 Days, Mornings

Monday, October 20, 2025- 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM MST

Tuesday, October 21, 2025 - 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM MST

Wednesday, October 22, 2025 - 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM MST

Thursday, October 23, 2025 - 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM MST

Course Location: Zoom

Course Level: Intermediate/Advanced

Course Description:

The field of rock physics represents the link between qualitative geologic parameters and quantitative geophysical measurements. Increasingly over the last decade, rock physics stands out as a key technology in petroleum geophysics and beyond, as it has become an integral part of quantitative seismic interpretation. Ultimately, the application of rock physics tools can reduce exploration risk and improve reservoir forecasting in the petroleum industry, and be useful for monitoring of CO2 sites or geothermal aquifers.

This course covers fundamentals of rock physics, ranging from basic laboratory and theoretical results to practical recipes that can be immediately applied in the field, presenting qualitative and quantitative tools for understanding and predicting the effects of lithology, pore fluid types and saturation, stress and pore pressure, fractures and temperature on seismic velocity and attenuation.

The importance and benefit of linking rock physics to geologic processes, including depositional and compactional trends as well as tectonic uplift and unloading, are key to this course, which demonstrates in detail how to build so-called rock physics templates that can be used to interpret both well log and seismic inversion data in terms of geological trends and reservoir properties. It is important in exploration and appraisal to extrapolate away from existing wells, taking into account how the depositional environment changes as well as burial depth trends. In this way rock physics can better constrain the geophysical inversion and classification problem in underexplored marginal fields, surrounding satellite areas, or in new frontiers.

In particular, we focus on how rock physics properties, fluid sensitivities and associated seismic signatures change as we go from soft sediments in the shallow subsurface to well consolidated rocks that have undergone more severe mechanical and chemical compaction, and even uplift and brittle deformation. Likewise, we show how seismic amplitudes can change drastically as we go from one depositional environment to another, for instance in a channel-levee complex as we go from central axis to the levee and overbank area.

The course includes practical examples and case studies, as well as suggested workflows, where rock physics models are combined with well log and prestack seismic data, sedimentologic information, inputs from basin modeling and statistical techniques to predict reservoir geology and fluids from seismic amplitudes.