Rolf Mjelde

The History and Evolution of Marine Geophysics at GEO: from 1960 to present

Rolf Mjelde

This contribution primarily presents the development of Solid Earth land and marine geophysics at the University of Bergen from 1960 until the present. A large number of projects employing controlled seismic sources have been conducted, and some of these were important for the development of plate tectonics from hypothesis to scientific theory. The most important project conducted was the Continental Shelf Project (1961-1981), with yearly acquisition of marine multi-channel seismic data along the entire Norwegian continental shelf and southern Barents Sea. That project was motivated by earlier smaller projects that documented thick sedimentary sequences off the Møre coast and in the Skagerrak. This combined mapping and basic research work provided the foundation for Norway as an oil-and-gas nation. The contribution to society from the marine geophysical environment at the University of Bergen has not only been their own research, but equally much the geophysical education they have provided for their students. The most successful among these have created tens of thousands of jobs through the development of e.g. 3D, 4D and 4C seismic. The instrumentation and methods developed with contribution from the University of Bergen have not only relevance within exploration and production of hydrocarbons, but also for the green transition, e.g. within storage of CO2, mineral exploration and seafloor stability evaluation for installation of windmills offshore. The same seismic methods are extensively used within climate research.