dr Marcin Dąbrowski, PIB Wrocław, UiO Oslo

Computational Geology

I will first briefly introduce the physics behind both the natural and technological processes operating in geological media. Some of the geological processes evolve over millions of years and they cannot be directly reproduced in laboratory experiments. In our studies, we use computer modelling to understand how the natural processes lead to the formation of geological structures on various length scales, and how such structures may influence the technological processes. Rocks are strongly heteregeneous, often anisotropic, and typically non-linear materials. To gain some fundamental insights into the studied systems, we use simplified models and analytical solutions, and we resort to numerical methods to quantify the behavior of real complex systems. I will show a few examples of the relevant analytical solutions, and present some basic characteristics of our numerical approaches. Finally, I will give an overview of our modelling studies spanning a range of topics, from rock deformation modelling, suspension dynamics, thermochemical convection, to fluid flow in rock fractures.