The Institute of Geophysical Exploration has won the Silver Award of the Geophysical Engineering Award from the Chinese Geophysical Society.

On October 15, the 2023 Joint Academic Annual Conference of China’s Earth Sciences and the 39th Academic Annual Conference of the Chinese Geophysical Society were grandly held in Zhuhai. The project “Integrated Engineering Geophysical Techniques and Their Application in Shale Gas Development,” submitted by the Institute of Geophysical Exploration, was honored with the Silver Award of the 2023 Chinese Geophysical Society’s Geophysical Engineering Award.

As an important strategic resource and clean energy source for the country, shale gas plays a crucial role in the green and healthy development of the national economy through its large-scale exploration and utilization. Sichuan Province, as a major shale gas resource province in China, boasts abundant shale gas reserves and has taken the lead in launching the construction of a national-level shale gas demonstration and pilot zone in the southern Sichuan region. The southern Sichuan region features a fragile ecological environment, complex shallow geological conditions, numerous surface drinking water sources and ecological redlines, and extensive karst development within 1,000 meters below the surface, along with a high density of mined-out areas. These factors pose even greater challenges for the large-scale, green development of shale gas. During shale gas exploration and drilling, encountering karst formations and mined-out areas in shallow strata frequently leads to problems such as well leakage, water influx, and drill string failures, thereby prolonging project timelines, increasing costs, and heightening environmental risks. These issues severely hinder the progress of large-scale, green shale gas development.

In response to the aforementioned challenges, the Institute of Geophysical Exploration has innovatively developed the research outcome titled “Integrated Geophysical Exploration Technology and Its Application in Shale Gas Development.” This achievement integrates multiple geophysical methods with engineering geology and hydrogeology, thereby establishing an effective technical system for assessing exploration systems and accurately detecting and identifying underground geological anomalies at multiple scales and with multiple parameters. It also pioneered a pre-drilling geophysical exploration system specifically tailored for shale gas well platforms and has developed an integrated data-processing system for geophysical exploration on shale gas platforms. This breakthrough addresses the global challenges of difficult and highly inaccurate detection and identification of karst formations and mined-out areas, filling a critical technological gap in shallow-engineering-risk prediction for shale gas exploration and development in China. The research provides essential technical support for the construction of the Changning-Weiyuan National Shale Gas Demonstration Zone and the Southern Sichuan Shale Gas Exploration and Development Pilot Zone, thereby accelerating the pace of shale gas development in southern Sichuan.

This research achievement has opened a new chapter in China’s “geophysical exploration for complex shallow geological drilling projects.” The technology is mature and reliable, and can be applied to exploration in a wide range of fields—including shale gas, coalbed methane, geothermal hot springs, metallic mineral resources, and infrastructure construction. It holds great potential for widespread application and value in regions such as karst areas and mined-out zones.

This award recognizes the outstanding contributions of the geophysical exploration institute and its collaborating units, as well as the vast number of scientific and technological workers and engineering technicians involved. The geophysical exploration institute will continue to intensify its efforts in technological breakthroughs, enhance its exploration capabilities, elevate its interpretation and inference skills, promote advanced and proven scientific and technological achievements, and actively nominate its work for awards both within and outside the industry. This will help boost the brand recognition of “Sichuan Resources Group Geophysical Exploration” and provide robust geophysical support for the group to truly assume its primary responsibility for the exploration and development of strategic mineral resources driven by science and technology across the province.

Executive Producer | Zhang Guangda
Reviewed by | Zou Zhongping
Editor-in-charge | Zhou Huiying
Text | Wang Anping, Wen Han
Editor | Wen Han