Blending Geoscience Research with Machine Learning
Who we Are
We are the John Lab, a research group hosted in the department of Earth Science and Engineering at Imperial College London. Our research approach blends machine learning and AI with cutting edge field and experimental methods in Earth and Planetary Sciences. We are part of the new I-X Initiative , an inter-departmental, interdisciplinary initiative to promote scientific machine learning and one of the main strategic initiative from Imperial College London. At the I-X, our lab leads the IX-Planets research theme.
In addition, our lab is associated with the Center for eXplainable Artifical Intelligence (XAI) and the Data Science Institute. And through Imperial College London we are affiliated with the Alan Turing Network.
research Highlights
We have two main research themes: AI Research (we call it Earth-Centric AI) and Carbonate Research. You can also find about our publications and the software and data stemming from our research.
AI Research
Our group applies data-centric machine learning techniques to Earth and planetary sciences, leading to innovative approaches for analyzing and interpreting data in these fields.
Carbonate Research
Our research in carbonates focuses on the processes involved in their formation and alteration, and how these processes impact the geochemistry and stratigraphy of carbonate rocks.
Publications
Our group has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers in a variety of fields, including clumped isotopes, carbonate diagenesis, climate change, stratigraphy, AI and machine learning.
Software and Data
Our research has led to the development of free software tools that have been widely used by researchers in our fields. These tools have made it easier to analyze and interpret data..
Spotlight on our Papers:
Dimensions, texture-distribution, and geochemical heterogeneities of fracture–related dolomite geobodies hosted in Ediacaran limestones, northern OmanDimensions, Texture …
Predicting spatial distribution, dimension, and geometry of diagenetic geobodies, as well as heterogeneities within these bodies, is challenging in subsurface applications, and can impact the results of reservoir modeling. In this outcrop–based study, we generated a data set of the…
Laboratory calibration of the calcium carbonate clumped isotope thermometer in the 25–250 C temperature range
Many fields of Earth sciences benefit from the knowledge of mineral formation temperatures. For example, carbonates are extensively used for reconstruction of the Earth’s past climatic variations by determining ocean, lake, and soil paleotemperatures. Furthermore, diagenetic minerals and their formation…
Determination of the spatial distribution of wetting in the pore networks of rocks
The macroscopic movement of subsurface fluids involved in CO2 storage, groundwater, and petroleum engineering applications is controlled by interfacial forces in the pores of rocks. Recent advances in modelling these systems has arisen from approaches simulating flow through a digital…
Cenozoic sediment bypass versus Laramide exhumation and erosion of the Eagle Ford Group: Perspective from modelling of organic and inorganic proxy data (Maverick Basin, Texas, USA)
The Cenozoic unconformity above the Late Cretaceous carbonates within the Maverick Basin is a unique feature of Texas (USA). Hypotheses accounting for the unconformity include (1) Cenozoic sediment bypass, and (2) ~6400 m of erosion during the Laramide orogeny. Both…
Clumped-isotope palaeothermometry and LA-ICP-MS U–Pb dating of lava-pile hydrothermal calcite veins
Calcite veins are a common product of hydrothermal fluid circulation. Clumped-isotope palaeothermometry is a promising technique for fingerprinting the temperature of hydrothermal fluids, but clumped-isotope systematics can be reset at temperatures of > ca. 100 °C. To model whether the reconstructed temperatures represent…
Diagenetic geobodies: Fracture-controlled burial dolomite in outcrops from northern Oman
Diagenetic heterogeneities are difficult to predict in the subsurface. Nevertheless, such heterogeneities can be crucial in hydrocarbon exploration. Diagenetic processes can significantly alter petrophysical properties of reservoir rocks, especially in carbonate rocks because of the reactive nature of the carbonate…
Constraining stratal architecture and pressure barriers in the subsalt Karachaganak Carboniferous carbonate platforms using forward stratigraphic modelling
Predicting reservoir quality and pressure barriers is a challenging task in carbonate systems. In this paper, we present new model results from the Lower Carboniferous Serpukhovian carbonates in the Karachaganak Field (Northern Kazakhstan), which is characterized by complex facies architectures…
Effects of Improved 17O Correction on Inter‐Laboratory Agreement in Clumped Isotope Calibrations, Estimates of Mineral‐Specific Offsets, and Temperature Dependence of Acid …
The clumped isotopic composition of carbonate‐derived CO2 (denoted Δ47) is a function of carbonate formation temperature and in natural samples can act as a recorder of paleoclimate, burial, or diagenetic conditions. The absolute abundance of heavy isotopes in the universal…
δ18O and Marion Plateau backstripping: Combining two approaches to constrain late middle Miocene eustatic amplitude
δ 18 O benthic values from Leg 194 Ocean Drilling Program Sites 1192 and 1195 (drilled on the Marion Plateau) were combined with deep-sea values to reconstruct the magnitude range of the late middle Miocene sea-level fall (13.6–11.4 Ma). In…
Origin and distribution of calcite cements in a folded fluvial succession: The Puig‐reig anticline (south‐eastern Pyrenees)
As one of the predominant diagenetic products in clastic rocks, calcite cements are typical fingerprints of cement-forming fluids and are key controls on reservoir quality. The Puig-reig anticline, in the south-eastern Pyrenees (Spain), exposes excellent outcrops of conglomerates, sandstones and…
Diagenesis of phosphatic hardgrounds in the Monterey Formation: A perspective from bulk and clumped isotope geochemistry
Understanding the authigenesis of carbonate fluorapatite through isotopic geochemistry can yield important information on fundamental geologic processes occurring on continental margins around the world. This is particularly true for phosphatic hardgrounds, which are often found in regions of upwelling, but…
Quantitative controls on the regional geometries and heterogeneities of the Rayda to Shu’aiba formations (Northern Oman) using forward stratigraphic modelling
The complex geometry of carbonate systems is influenced by a multitude of physical as well as biological processes. The Lower Cretaceous carbonates of Northern Oman are characterised by a variability of regional-scale geometries with expected vertical and lateral facies variations.…
Meet the team
We are a diverse and vibrant lab that comprises a head of lab, two research officers, and a number of PhD students, post-docs and MSc students. You can also find information about past lab members.
