Seismic Exploration (seismic + exploration)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Chemical and Biogeophysical Impact of Four-Dimensional (4D) Seismic Exploration in Sub-Saharan Africa, and Restoration of Dysfunctionalized Mangrove Forests in the Prospect Areas

CHEMISTRY & BIODIVERSITY, Issue 9 2007

Abstract Four-dimensional (4D) seismic exploration, an improved geophysical technique for hydrocarbon-data acquisition, was applied for the first time in the Nembe Creek prospect area of Nigeria. The affected soils were slightly alkaline in situ when wet (pH,7.2), but extremely acidic when dry (pH,3.0). The organic carbon content (4.6,26.8%) and other physicochemical properties of soils and water (N, P, and heavy-metal contents, etc.) were higher than the baseline values obtained in 2001 before seismic profiling. Most values also exceeded the baseline compliance standards of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA). Rehabilitation of the affected areas was achieved by stabilizing the mangrove floor by liming and appropriate application of nutrients, followed by replanting the cut seismic lines over a distance of 1,372,km with different mangrove species, including juvenile Rhizophora racemosa, R. mangle, and Avicennia species, which were transferred from nursery points. Quicker post-operational intervention is recommended for future 4D surveys, because the time lag between the end of seismic activity and post-impact investigation is critical in determining the relationship between activity and impact: the longer the intervening period, the more mooted the interaction. [source]


Transfer of hydrocarbons from natural seeps to the water column and atmosphere

GEOFLUIDS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 2 2002
I. R. MacDonald
Abstract Results from surface geochemical prospecting, seismic exploration and satellite remote sensing have documented oil and gas seeps in marine basins around the world. Seeps are a dynamic component of the carbon cycle and can be important indicators for economically significant hydrocarbon deposits. The northern Gulf of Mexico contains hundreds of active seeps that can be studied experimentally with the use of submarines and Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV). Hydrocarbon flux through surface sediments profoundly alters benthic ecology and seafloor geology at seeps. In water depths of 500,2000 m, rapid gas flux results in shallow, metastable deposits of gas hydrate, which reduce sediment porosity and affect seepage rates. This paper details the processes that occur during the final, brief transition , as oil and gas escape from the seafloor, rise through the water and dissolve, are consumed by microbial processes, or disperse into the atmosphere. The geology of the upper sediment column determines whether discharge is rapid and episodic, as occurs in mud volcanoes, or more gradual and steady, as occurs where the seep orifice is plugged with gas hydrate. In both cases, seep oil and gas appear to rise through the water in close proximity instead of separating. Chemical alteration of the oil is relatively minor during transit through the water column, but once at the sea surface its more volatile components rapidly evaporate. Gas bubbles rapidly dissolve as they rise, although observations suggest that oil coatings on the bubbles inhibit dissolution. At the sea surface, the floating oil forms slicks, detectable by remote sensing, whose origins are laterally within ,1000 m of the seafloor vent. This contradicts the much larger distance predicted if oil drops rise through a 500 m water column at an expected rate of ,0.01 m s,1 while subjected to lateral currents of ,0.2 m s,1 or greater. It indicates that oil rises with the gas bubbles at speeds of ,0.15 m s,1 all the way to the surface. [source]


Reverse modelling for seismic event characterization

GEOPHYSICAL JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL, Issue 1 2005
Dirk Gajewski
SUMMARY The localization of seismic events is of utmost importance in seismology and exploration. Current techniques rely on the fact that the recorded event is detectable at most of the stations of a seismic network. Weak events, not visible in the individual seismogram of the network, are missed out. We present an approach, where no picking of events in the seismograms of the recording network is required. The observed wavefield of the network is reversed in time and then considered as the boundary value for the reverse modelling. Assuming the correct velocity model, the reversely modelled wavefield focuses on the hypocentre of the seismic event. The origin time of the event is given by the time where maximum focussing is observed. The spatial extent of the focus resembles the resolution power of the recorded wavefield and the acquisition. This automatically provides the uncertainty in the localization with respect to the bandwidth of the recorded data. The method is particularly useful for the upcoming large passive networks since no picking is required. It has great potential for localizing very weak events, not detectable in the individual seismogram, since the reverse modelling sums the energy of all recorded traces and, therefore, enhances the signal-to-noise ratio similar to stacking in seismic exploration. The method is demonstrated by 2-D and 3-D numerical case studies, which show the potential of the technique. Events with a S/N ratio smaller than 1 where the events cannot be identified in the individual seismogram of the network are localized very well by the method. [source]


Application Results of 3-D Seismic Exploration Technology in Coal Mines

ACTA GEOLOGICA SINICA (ENGLISH EDITION), Issue 3 2004
SUN Shenglin
Abstract, This paper briefly introduces the development and present situation of China's coal seismic exploration. It focuses on analyzing the important functions of 3-D seismic exploration technology in the designing and production of coal mines, and also the results of its application. [source]


Chemical and Biogeophysical Impact of Four-Dimensional (4D) Seismic Exploration in Sub-Saharan Africa, and Restoration of Dysfunctionalized Mangrove Forests in the Prospect Areas

CHEMISTRY & BIODIVERSITY, Issue 9 2007

Abstract Four-dimensional (4D) seismic exploration, an improved geophysical technique for hydrocarbon-data acquisition, was applied for the first time in the Nembe Creek prospect area of Nigeria. The affected soils were slightly alkaline in situ when wet (pH,7.2), but extremely acidic when dry (pH,3.0). The organic carbon content (4.6,26.8%) and other physicochemical properties of soils and water (N, P, and heavy-metal contents, etc.) were higher than the baseline values obtained in 2001 before seismic profiling. Most values also exceeded the baseline compliance standards of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA). Rehabilitation of the affected areas was achieved by stabilizing the mangrove floor by liming and appropriate application of nutrients, followed by replanting the cut seismic lines over a distance of 1,372,km with different mangrove species, including juvenile Rhizophora racemosa, R. mangle, and Avicennia species, which were transferred from nursery points. Quicker post-operational intervention is recommended for future 4D surveys, because the time lag between the end of seismic activity and post-impact investigation is critical in determining the relationship between activity and impact: the longer the intervening period, the more mooted the interaction. [source]