Fast 3D Ultra Shallow Seismic Reflection Imaging Using Portable Geophone Mount

Abstract

In this paper we present the results of a suite of seismic experiments designed to develop and evaluate the use of 3D Ultra Shallow Seismic Reflection System for high resolution near surface imaging. A feasibility study and the first implementation of 2D portable geophone mounted array for fast and cost effective ultra shallow 3D seismic data acquisition are discussed. The new portable geophone mount is made out of anelastic base with a frame and 72 geophones spaced in an array. Geophone interval of 0.25m both in the inline and crossline direction enables acquisition of very highresolution 3D data cubes with bin size of 12.5x12.5cm and wavelets of 350Hz. The time of re-planting the 72 channels portable geophone mount is about 5min in the field. We also developed a data acquisition quality control and real time imaging that can be preformed on a portable computer in the field and produce 3D images in real time. Thus, we show that high-resolution near-surface 3D seismic images can be obtained rapidly, and in a cost-effective manner. This has the potential of providing effective solutions for many geotechnical and geoenvironmental applications.