DEPARTMENT OF Geophysical Exploration and Mine Surveying

The Head of the Department:
Asst. Prof. Ivan Medved, PhD

In recent years, the scientific work of the members of the Institute for Geophysical Exploration and Mining Surveying has been based on data from passive seismic surveys, collected within the international scientific project ALPASS-DIPS, which enable the application of seismic tomography methods and receiver function analyses. In the initial phase, recorded data were interpreted using the receiver function method in order to determine the discontinuities of seismic velocities in the Earth's crust and the upper mantle. Further processing and interpretation of data are performed using seismic tomography methods. Data from permanent seismic stations in Croatia and surrounding countries, available in databases (ORFEUS, etc.), were also used, and the goal was to solve the problem of potential Adriatic subduction. The results of teleseismic tomography in the area of the Dinarides and the southwestern part of the Pannonian Basin were published in two scientific papers in the CC journals. The lithospheric model at the contact of the Adriatic microplate and the Pannonian tectonic segment for the whole Dinarides belt was published in the journal "Tectonophysics", while the paper " Exploration of buried carbonate aquifers by the inverse and forward modelling of the Controlled Source Audio-Magnetotelluric data " was published in the journal "Journal of Applied Geophysics". The Faculty of Geology and Petroleum Engineering participates in the Obzor Europa project AGEMERA - Agile Exploration and Geo-modelling for European Critical Raw materials, and the main researcher from the Faculty is Prof. Franjo Šumanovac, PhD from the Institute for Geophysical Exploration and Mining Surveying. Through the AGEMERA project, top geological and geophysical local research will be carried out on a total of ~4,700 km2 for detailed mapping of critical mineral resources (CRM) in 6 EU countries and in Zambia. Geophysical field trial surveys will include three new non-invasive survey methods (up to TRL5) based on remote sensing and related data analysis: 1) passive seismic methods, 2) a multi-sensor drone system combining magnetic, radiometric and electromagnetic detection, and 3) a multi-detector density determination system based on muon beams. The project will use data from open databases (e.g. European Geological Data Infrastructure, EGDI), data collected from the field by the project's geoscientists and various geophysical research methods to improve models of genetic mineral systems of different types of deposits containing: lithium, cobalt, molybdenum, vanadium, PGM, niobium, tantalum, bauxite and REE. Under the mentorship of Associate Professor Jasna Orešković, PhD, the doctoral thesis by Domagoj Vukadin, PhD was successfully defended under the title "Development of the procedure for seismic interpretation of hydrocarbon deposits of the Bjelovar Depression based on the inversion of seismic velocities". The department cooperates with the economy because the development of methods of geophysical research and mining measurements is unthinkable without its application in concrete research projects. Many graduates and other students participate in conducting field research, which enables their acquisition of necessary field knowledge and skills. All available geophysical methods are applied within the framework of these investigations: electrical, electromagnetic, seismic (reflection and refraction), gravimetric, magnetometric and logging. Areas of cooperation with the economy are geophysical research within the framework of structural-geological research, hydrogeological research, potable water research in alluvial and karst terrains, geotechnical and geological engineering research, environmental research and monitoring in environmental protection, geodetic and mining measurements. In the academic year 2021/2022, geophysical surveys were carried out as part of water research works in the area of Zagreb wells, Baška Voda, Garesnica, Koprivnica, Poljica and other locations.