Elena Konstantinovskaya, PhD, PGeo

Associate Director IEG Program, Faculty of Science - Earth & Atmospheric Sciences

Science Instructor, Faculty of Science - Earth & Atmospheric Sciences

Curriculum Vitæ

Contact Overview Announcements Courses Publications Links

Contact

Associate Director IEG Program, Faculty of Science - Earth & Atmospheric Sciences

Email: konstant@ualberta.ca
Address: 4-02 Earth Sciences Building
11223 Saskatchewan Drive NW

Edmonton AB

T6G 2E3

Science Instructor, Faculty of Science - Earth & Atmospheric Sciences

Email: konstant@ualberta.ca

Overview

Area of Study / Keywords

naturally fractures fault shear slip reactivation seismic interpretation reservoir geomechanics CCS

About

I investigate the fault architecture and influence of natural and hydraulic fractures and faults on the distribution and state of stresses, pressure regimes, and permeability of flow units in subsurface reservoirs. My research focuses on predictive models of fault hydraulic behavior, fault shear reactivation potential, and top seal breaching under the in situ stress and pore pressure changes caused by depletion or injection operations, CCS. My work integrates structural studies of outcrops, interpretation of seismic reflection data, analysis of vertical anisotropy and brittleness in shales, and coupled reservoir geomechanical numerical simulations with implications for petroleum exploration, geothermal energy, and environmental studies.

Degrees:

2002 Doctor of Science, Geological Institute, Russian Academy of Science: Margins of East Asia: Tectonics, Structural Evolution and Geodynamic Modeling
1992 PhD, Geological Institute, Russian Academy of Science: Eastern Kamchatka during the Cretaceous time
1986 Honors in Geology (cum laude), the Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow

Awards:

2016 Eureka activist, award from Eureka Schlumberger community, SIG geology.
2012 David Elliott Award for Best Paper of the Structural Geology and Tectonics Division of the Geological Association of Canada: Konstantinovskaya E., and Malavieille J., 2011. Thrust wedges with décollement levels and syntectonic erosion: A view from analog models. Tectonophysics, 502: 336–350
2008 David Elliott Award for Best Paper of the Structural Geology and Tectonics Division of the Geological Association of Canada: Konstantinovskaya E. A., L.B. Harris, J. Poulin, G.M. Ivanov. 2007. Transfer zones and fault reactivation in inverted rift basins: Insights from physical modeling. Tectonophysics. 441: 1-26.
2008 Best Abstract of the 2008 CSPG CSEG CWLS Convention, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
2007 CGC-Québec Prime au mérite locale en reconnaissance de participation à l’activité du jour de la Terre du CGQ dans le cadre de la journée internationale du jour de la Terre 2007.
2004-2005 Laureate of the competition for Doctors of Sciences, Russian Academy of Sciences
1999 Medal of Russian Academy of Sciences, Laureate of the competition for young scientists, Russian Academy of Sciences

Personal interests:

outdoor sports, gardening, reading, movie making

Research

Skills / Research interests:

structural analysis of natural fractures in sedimentary basins and orogenic belts, fluid inclusions
1D-3D coupled reservoir geomechanical modeling, in-situ pore pressure and stress analysis in conventional and unconventional reservoirs, areas of salt tectonics
core description and sampling, mechanical properties of rocks, mechanical stratigraphy
structural geology and tectonics of sedimentary basins and orogenic belts
structural interpretation of 2D and 3D reflection seismic survey data, well-log correlation
analysis of natural fractures, fault instability, fault seal capacity, caprock integrity
analog modeling at upper crustal and lithospheric scale
structural modeling, paleogeographic and paleotectonic reconstructions, terrane analysis

Fieldwork areas:

Canada: Rocky Mountains, Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, St. Lawrence Platform, Quebec Appalachians, Gaspesie, Labrador trough
Russia: Kamchatka Peninsula, Sea of Okhotsk area, Western Siberia, Russian Platform
Asia: Taiwan, Tibet, Tien-Shan
Europe: Ligurian Sea, Corsica

Software:

Petrel RG, VISAGE, IX, TECHLOG, MOVE, Python, IHS Kingdom Suite, FLAC3D-TOUGH2
GOCAD, ArcGIS, Geodatabase, MapInfo, Stereostat, GMT (Linux)
Microsoft Office, graphic and digital video software

Teaching

Teaching areas:

EAS 422/522 Advanced seismic interpretation, Fundamentals of Petroleum Geomechanics

EAS 421/521 Structural Geology and Tectonics

IPG 512 Seismic interpretation (Fall 2017, 2023)

EAS 233 Geologic Structures

Supervising: IEG Program capstone projects

Graduate students under my supervision:

Ahmad Aulia, research MSc thesis “CO2 Sequestration in a Depleted Hydrocarbon Reservoir: Comprehensive Geomechanical and Fluid Dynamics Assessments of Geologic Carbon Storage Implementation in the Volve Field, North Sea” (continued)

Jie Zhang, visiting PhD student “Tectonic Structure and Cenozoic Evolution of the Pearl River Mouth Basin, Northern South China Sea” (2022)

Guido García Rodríguez, research MSc thesis “Characterization of natural fractures of the Upper Devonian Duvernay Formation in the Kaybob Area, Alberta” (2023) https://era.library.ualberta.ca/items/aac939c6-7fcc-4223-bfb6-ef8d2c20f5cd

Eren Deniz Berberoğlu research MSc thesis “Structural Analysis and Kinematic Restoration along the Nova Scotia Passive Margin, Atlantic Canada” (2023) https://era.library.ualberta.ca/items/0300ff61-0b5a-41cc-891d-227eee170ae4. Eren Berberoglu's thesis is recognized with the annual best thesis award of the Canadian Tectonics Group: https://www.canadiantectonicsgroup.ca/best-msc-thesis.html https://www.ualberta.ca/en/earth-sciences/about-the-department/news/2024/may/eren-berberoglu-best-msc-thesis.html

Announcements

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My research and teaching development efforts are currently supported by grants from:

NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Canada)

I acknowledge the generous donations of academic licenses to the University of Alberta granted by :

SLB (Schlumberger) for granting the use of the Petrel-Techlog-Visage-Eclipse-Intersect-Kinetix software: https://www.software.slb.com/products/petrel, https://www.software.slb.com/products/techlog, https://www.software.slb.com/products/visage, https://www.software.slb.com/products/eclipse, https://www.software.slb.com/products/intersect, https://www.software.slb.com/products/kinetix
PE Limited for granting the use of the IPM and/or MOVE Software Suite https://www.petex.com/pe-geology/move-suite/. The software has a commercial value of £1,928,384.01
geoLOGIC systems Ltd, for the contribution of subsurface data and software GeoSCOUT: https://www.geologic.com/geoscout/
Sound QI Solutions Ltd., for the QI-Pro software used for interactive seismic attribute interpretation: https://www.sound-qi.com/

Courses

EAS 233 - Geologic Structures

Orientation, measurement description, and analysis of planar and linear structures in rocks, including folds, faults, and fabrics. Introduction to mapping and the collection of structural information. Construction of geologic maps and cross-sections. Introduction to stereographic and equal-area projections. Basic concepts of strain and stress in rock deformation. Prerequisite: EAS 105, 210 or SCI 100. [Faculty of Science]

Winter Term 2026

EAS 422 - Structural Interpretation of Sedimentary Basins

Seismic interpretation of structurally complex sedimentary basins, including those associated with fold and thrust terrains, extensional systems, and various types of strike-slip faulting and salt/mud-related deformation. Interpretation will also include seismic facies analysis, interpretation of depositional environments, and seismic geomorphology related to a wide range of hydrocarbon exploration and development evaluation tasks. Prerequisite: EAS 233; one of GEOPH 210, 223, 224; one of EAS 421, EAS 462.

Winter Term 2026