Project Database
The following list presents projects available at the Master's or Doctorate level within the Department of Geophysics. However, the project to be developed by the student does not necessarily need to be listed in this project list.
Master's Projects
Advisor: Prof. Jorge Luís Porsani
Project Title: Investigations of underwater archaeological sites in rivers and lakes of the Maranhão lowlands
Methodologies: GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar), SVL (Side Scan Sonar), Echo sounding, and Drone use
Funding Agency: FAPESP
Objectives:
To accurately map the estearias* and the extent and geometries of the underwater archaeological sites Lago do Formoso and Lago do Coqueiro, located in the Maranhão lowlands, as well as locate concentrations with higher evidence of ceramic artifacts using modern technologies such as GPR, SVL, and Echo sounding.
*Estearias are wooden trunks used for the construction of stilt houses during the pre-colonial period. They are the only archaeological remnants of these indigenous populations across the entire American continent, and thus, they need to be researched to better understand the pre-colonial life of our Amazonian ancestors.
Advisor: Prof. Jorge Luís Porsani
Project Title: Investigations of a terrestrial archaeological site at Largo do Rosário, central Belo Horizonte, MG
Methodology: GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar)
Objectives:
To conduct a 2D/3D GPR geophysical survey of the subsurface, aiming to investigate the surroundings of Largo do Rosário in Belo Horizonte-MG, a site where the Chapel of Rosário stood before being demolished between 1897 and 1898. The objective is to estimate its dimensions and shape, as well as locate burials in the area and provide guidance for archaeological excavation processes. The region of interest is an archaeological site that holds the buried history of the former Arraial do Curral Del Rey. This research is part of the NegriCidade Project, coordinated by Father Dr. Mauro Luiz da Silva, which seeks to recover the memories of the Black community that built the Chapel of Rosário with its own resources and managed the Cemetery of the Blacks between 1807 and 1897.
Advisor: Prof. Jorge Luís Porsani
Project Title: Geophysics applied to hydrogeological exploration
Study Area: Alto Paranapanema-SP
Methodologies: ER (Electrical Resistivity), GPR, and TDEM (Time Domain Electromagnetic)
Funding Agency: FAPESP
Objectives:
This project is linked to the FAPESP thematic project titled “Center for Water and Food Security in Critical Areas,” coordinated by Prof. Humberto Rocha (IAG/USP) in partnership with the Department of Geophysics. Its main objective is to provide solutions and improvements in addressing water and food security issues in the state of São Paulo. This project focuses on the sustainable use of water resources and requires the acquisition of a large amount of geophysical data for hydrogeophysical characterization, as well as the collection of lithological information from wells to better understand shallow and deep groundwater aquifers, supporting the optimization of agricultural production.
Advisor: Prof. Marcia Ernesto
Project Title: Spatial distribution and dispersion of virtual geomagnetic poles during the Mesozoic: some characteristics of paleosecular variation
Advisor: Prof. George Sand Leão Araújo de França
Project Title: Earthquake characterization through Machine Learning
Advisor: Prof. George Sand Leão Araújo de França
Project Title: Geoscientific accessibility for the hearing impaired
Advisor: Prof. George Sand Leão Araújo de França
Project Title: Seismic microzonation
Advisor: Prof. Maurício de Souza Bologna
Project Title (Master’s): Electrical structure of the northeastern edge of the Paraná Basin and its basement through 3D inversion of magnetotelluric data
Advisor: Prof. Carlos Henrique Grohmann
Project Title: 3D modeling of speleothems and integration with paleoclimatic data
Doctorate Projects
Advisor: Prof. Maurício de Souza Bologna
Project Title (Doctorate): Three-dimensional architecture of the lithosphere in the central part of the South American platform restricted by magnetotelluric data and deep geomagnetic soundings