Dr Mark Bunch

Dr Mark Bunch
 Position Senior Lecturer
 Org Unit Earth Sciences
 Email mark.bunch@adelaide.edu.au
 Telephone +61 8 8313 4292
 Location Floor/Room 2 ,  Santos Petroleum Engineering ,   North Terrace

  • Biography/ Background
    Generally my background is in the applied mathematics side of geosciences.

    I trained initially in geophysics: both environmental (shallow surface) geophysical data collection, processing and interpretation, and the processing and interpretation of seismic reflection datasets. I went on to study hydrogeology. This was my first exposure to the engineering side of geological fluid reservoirs, namely aquifers. By way of linking geophysics, hydrogeology and reservoir characterisation, my Hydrogeology Masters thesis concerned detecting granulation seams (continuous shear deformation bands) within the UK Triassic Sandstone using Spectrally Induced Polarisation (SIP).

    My PhD project concerns the numerical description of fluvial and aeolian sedimentation processes that build stratigraphy in the dryland alluvial fan setting. A forward process code was produced that can generate realisations quickly in order for a suite of sensitivity analyses to be conducted. As part of this work, a numerical modelling approach was developed for synthesising sediment-laden storm hydrographs derived from mountainous dryland drainage basins.

    My first subsequent, and most recent, role was a short-term position aboard the North Sea Palaeolandcapes Project. The aim was to map the inundated Mesolithic (Holocene) landscape of the Southern North Sea using oil industry seismic reflection datasets. I have also been employed on a short-time basis as a groundwater flow modeller, and on a casual basis as a shallow geophysics surveyor.

  • Qualifications
    • BSc (Hons, Dunelm) Geology & Geophysics
    • MSc Hydrogeology (Cecil Barber Prize for Hydrogeology)
    • PhD Earth Sciences - Simulating Dryland Sediment Dynamics

  • Research Interests
    • Detection and quantitative modelling of geologic reservoir heterogeneity
    • Groundwater flow modelling
    • Geosequestration

  • Professional Associations
    Petroleum Exploration Society of Australia (PESA)

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Entry last updated: Thursday, 12 Jan 2023

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