MATHROCKS aims at designing and providing efficient and trustable mathematical tools and computational algorithms to be used in subsurface geology.
This project is important for society because an accurate description of the Earth’s constitutive materials is essential for a variety of applications such as CO2 underground storage, hydrocarbon extraction, mining, and geothermal energy production.
Essentially, mapping a region of the Earth’s subsurface requires geophysical techniques that consist in generating artificial waves that travel through the Earth’s layers, and then inferring the geology from the analysis of the returning waves. The main drawback of these procedures, occurring even with the most recent technological advances, is the highly-elevated computational cost, which results in the impossibility of performing the interpretation (inversion) of the recorded measurements in real time.
Within this project, the following scientific aspects are addressed: mathematical modelling of porous rocks’ physical properties, simulation of geophysical wave propagation problems, and, the ultimate goal, inversion of the measurements.
MATHROCKS breakthroughs and techniques are intended to reach and serve the geophysical industry, including leading companies in oil exploration and mining, but also smaller companies and corporations that require interpretation of geophysical measurements for their daily activities.
Conclusions of the Action:
The MATHROCKS project has been a great success in developing efficient and trustworthy mathematical tools and computational algorithms for subsurface geology. The project has brought together world-class scientists with complementary expertise in applied mathematics, geophysical exploration, and high-performance computing to address the highly-elevated computational cost of mapping the Earth's subsurface.
Through the project, deep learning algorithms for geophysics have been developed. These techniques have the potential to significantly advance our understanding of the Earth's subsurface and improve the accuracy of applications such as CO2 underground storage, hydrocarbon extraction, mining, and geothermal energy production.
The success of the project is evidenced by the transfer of knowledge to the academic community through articles in leading journals, mini-symposia, and courses for a broad or specialized audience. The project has also disseminated its results to society at large through press releases, posters, participation in educational events, and social media campaigns.
Moreover, the project has been able to serve the geophysical industry, including leading companies in oil exploration and mining, as well as smaller companies and corporations that require interpretation of geophysical measurements for their daily activities. Overall, the MATHROCKS project has been successful in achieving its objectives, and its results will continue to benefit society and advance our understanding of the Earth's subsurface for years to come.
