About the Program

OVERVIEW AND OBJECTIVES 

The National Observatory's Graduate Program in Geophysics was accredited by the CAPES Technical Advisory Group on July 21, 1998, with the onset of its activities in March 1999. 

Its main goal is the training of highly qualified personnel in Geophysics, to prepare them for academic careers in research and teaching, as well as in the service sectors of mining, oil, and gas industry.  

As of 2021, this program has granted 131 MSc and 71 PhD degrees, earned via acquisition of theoretical and practical knowledge on the Geophysics research areas currently underway at the National Observatory.

ORGANIZATION

The organization of the Graduate Program in Geophysics of National Observatory follows two traditional areas of concentration, as well as four main research tracks:

APPLIED GEOPHYSICS

• Research Line: Natural Resources 
• Research Line: Environmental Geophysics

Some of the main projects under development are as follows:

• Extension and structuring of the Laboratory of Petrophysics for initiatives in oil and gas research and development; 
• Petrophysical evaluation and modeling of reservoir rocks and environmental magnetism of geological profiles; 
• Development of fluxgate magnetic sensors and construction of proton magnetometers; 
• Magnetoteluric and electromagnetic, gravimetric, magnetometric and seismic transient data integration for investigation of the Paraná and Parecís Basins; 
• Integration of seismic and petrophysical data of geophysical profiles; 
• Gravity metrology; 
• New methodologies for inversion and interpretation of geophysical data. 

SOLID EARTH

• Research Line: Global-Scale Geophysical Studies
• Research Line: Local- to Regional-Scale Geophysical Studies

Some of the main projects under development are as follows:

• Application of methods on Statistical Physics for geophysical investigations; 
• Implementation of the Paleomagnetism and Magnetic Mineralogy Laboratory
• Tectonic compartmentalization of Southeastern Brazil; 
• Geomagnetic investigations at lower latitudes of Brazilian territory and modeling of geomagnetic field in national- to global-scale; 
• Cyclostratigraphy of Paleozoic and Precambrian geologic profiles; 
• Geothermal prospecting of the Earth's crust; 
• Seismographic network of Southern and Southeastern Brazil