Mariya Grech Muscat, who is currently reading for a PhD at the University of Malta’s Department of Geosciences, attended the 34th annual Summer of Applied Geophysical Experience (Sage) in Santa Fe, New Mexico, US.
Sage is a four-week intensive course focusing on geophysics and the various geophysical techniques used for subsurface exploration. These techniques include seismic reflection and refraction, magnetotellurics, electromagnetics, ground penetrating radar, gravity and magnetics.
The experience included a week-long lecture series given by experts in the various disciplines, followed by two weeks of field surveying. With the acquired data, Grech Muscat conducted an analysis of the subsurface structure at over 2,000 metres of depth.
During the analytical work phase, covering the last week of the course, she made use of state-of-the-art equipment and software supplied by Sage.
The course also gave her the opportunity to make professional connections in both the energy sector, mainly the oil and gas industry, and academia.
Sage is sponsored by the Institute of Geophysics, Planetary Physics and Signatures of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Grech Muscat was the third Maltese postgraduate student, and the only European, to be accepted on the course, which is attended predominantly by US participants.
Upon finishing her doctoral degree, she plans to work in the oil industry, integrating both seismology and petroleum geophysics for oil exploration.