about

Structural Geology, Geophysical Interpretation & GIS

Matias Sanchez, PhD, MSc, P.Geo., is Managing Director and Principal Geologist at Fault Rocks Inc., specializing in structural geology, geophysical data interpretation, and GIS. He has over twenty years of experience working in the mineral exploration industry and in economic geology research projects. Since founding Fault Rocks Inc. in 2014, he has successfully completed over 60 consulting projects for major mining companies, as well as Junior explorers and research institutions. His experience includes nearly 20 ‘giant’ Andean porphyry copper deposits, and extensive mapping and interpretations in Yukon, Turkey, Arizona, Central America, Newfoundland, and the Dublin basin.  He also provides training courses in structural geology and the interpretation of remotely sensed data to both industry and academia. Matias completed an MSc and PhD at the Fault Dynamics Research Group (FDRG) of Royal Holloway University of London and a post-doctoral fellowship at the Mineral Deposit Research Unit (MDRU) of the University of British Columbia. His role at Fault Rocks involves delivering tectono-metallogenic frameworks for project generation, conducting structural, geophysical and GIS analysis for target delineation, and performing oriented structural analysis for drill planning.

Structural Modelling and Analysis

Oscar Fernandez, PhD, combines his role as associate consultant at Fault Rocks Inc with lecturing and research at the University of Vienna and consulting for NiMBUC Geoscience (Austria). He specializes in classical structural geology, data integration, sedimentary basin analysis, reservoir-scale deformation, and modelling. At the U. of Vienna he currently lectures on Geophysics and Geomechanics, and focuses his research on the geodynamics of passive margins, salt tectonics in fold and thrust belts, and fracture modelling. His over 15 years of experience in the oil and gas industry have exposed him to projects around the globe, in all tectonic settings, and at all scales. He has also overseen projects in all stages of the business cycle, including R&D, technical software development, frontier exploration, prospect definition, borehole planning and delivery, resource appraisal, and production. Besides his rich professional career, including advisory positions in bp and Repsol, his protracted publishing record is witness to his technical flexibility and excellence.

Seismic Reflection and Stratigraphic Analysis

Nicola Scarselli, PhD, MSc, joins Fault Rocks Inc. as an associate consultant extending the competence of the group on the structural and stratigraphic analysis of complex geological settings through the use of 2D & 3D seismic and well data. Nicola has over seven years of experience in building solid tectono-stratigraphic models from seismic data in order to better understand the hydrocarbon potential in a variety of settings, including rift-systems, deepwater passive margins and inverted terrains. His core expertise include advanced 2D & 3D seismic interpretation from regional studies to reservoir level, mapping of complex 3D structural & stratigraphic traps, calculation & interpretation of seismic attributes as well as post-stack filtering so that to enhance and get the most from seismic data.Nicola is currently seismic interpretation researcher at the Department of Earth Sciences in Royal Holloway University of London where he routinely delivers training courses and lectures in seismic interpretation and petroleum geology to postgrad and undergrad students. His research interests comprise structural geology, gravity-driven deformation and mass-transport complexes at continental margins, seismic stratigraphy and seismic geomorphology as well as understand igneous intrusions and seal bypass systems from seismic.

Structural Analysis and 3D Geological Modelling

Pamela Pérez-Flores, PhD, MSc, is an Associate Consultant at Fault Rocks Inc., and offers her expertise to CIGEA Ltda. (Chile). Specializing in classical structural geology, she applies her skills in regional to reservoir-scale deformation studies and 3D modeling with Leapfrog Geo®. Her approach integrates surface structural data, geochemistry, and oriented drill cores to elucidate geofluid pathways, alongside regional and local stress field variations. Her professional portfolio spans critical mineral deposit types such as Andean iron oxide copper gold, epithermal, porphyry copper, and polymetallic deposits across Chile, Argentina, Peru, and Bolivia. Focused on the tectonic and structural controls affecting metal concentration, she explores permeability enhancements within damage zones and their impact on ore body morphology. Pamela earned her graduate and doctoral degrees from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, after completing her undergraduate studies at the Universidad Católica del Norte. Her academic background is further enriched by an internship at University College London, broadening her expertise in structural geology.

Dr. Gemma Mitjanas is a structural geologist with a master’s degree in geophysical exploration and a PhD in geothermal exploration from the University of Barcelona. With a strong foundation in structural geology and geophysical interpretation, she specializes in 3D geological modeling to enhance exploration targeting. Her work integrates geological and geophysical data to reveal subsurface structures and fluid pathways, providing valuable insights into potential mineralized zones. Throughout her career, including significant experience in Australia, Dr. Mitjanas has developed Leapfrog models that incorporate structural geology and fluid flow analysis, aiding in the identification of resource zones and clarifying fluid dynamics within complex geological settings. Now based in Spain, Dr. Mitjanas collaborates with Fault Rocks Inc. and the Sustainable Minerals Institute, where she combines structural geology with geophysics to build complex 3D and 4D models at regional and local scales, applying a mineral systems approach to exploration targeting.

Tectonics and Geodynamics

Cesar Witt, PhD, MSc, is an associate consultant at Fault Rocks Inc and lecturer at Lille 1 University. He enhances the team expertise in Tectonics and Geodynamics, focusing on the evolution of magmatic-metallogenic arcs and orogenic basins. Cesar integrates field observations with seismic reflection data, low temperature thermochronology, U-Pb bedrock and detrital analysis, analogue modeling and geochemistry. He consults for several petroleum companies, including PETROAMAZONAS, PERUPETRO, TOTAL, PETROBRAS, PEMEX and SAVIA in Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, Central America and Indonesia. At Fault Rocks, Cesar provides the essential tectonic and geodynamic background, key for  generative stages of mineral exploration.

Active Deformation, GPS and InSAR

Marcos Moreno, PhD, MSc, is an associate consultant at Fault Rocks Inc. for characterizing and monitoring active deformations through space geodesy, numerical models, and seismological analysis. Marcos is an expert in GPS and InSAR data processing and modelling for the understanding of seismic deformation. He has applied space geodesy in urban areas and slope stability, including measurement and analysis of 3D deformations at both mining and regional scales. Marcos graduated from the University de Concepción with postgraduate and doctoral degrees from the Technical University of Berlin. He worked at the GFZ Potsdam Earth Science Research Center and is a professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.