Near-surface Fun with Seismic Data

Abstract:

What is happening in the near-surface often has a direct effect on human activity. Seismic exploration has routinely targeted geology at depths of kilometers to tens of kilometers. However, these techniques can be applied to answer questions about shallower targets. Several recent experiments demonstrate seismic applicability to near-surface problems. One example is passive seismic monitoring using ambient noise to identify shallow changes and potential hazards in a producing hydrocarbon field. Another example is the use of seismic reflection data from within the water column to determine layering caused by temperature and salinity differences in depth. A third example is identifying historical elevation changes along coast lines using seismic reflection data. These examples show that exploration seismic methods can be effectively used for a variety of near-surface applications.