Methods for seismic exploration

Abstract

Sweeps of seismic signals consisting of pulse trains having a predetermined number of pulses in which the periods or durations of the pulses are randomized and in which the wave shape and relative time displacements of the pulses in different trains provides substantially constant spectral level over a frequency range containing several octaves even though the durations of the pulses correspond to a frequency range not exceeding an octave during the sweep are transmitted through the medium being explored such as an earth formation to receptors such as geophones or hydrophones. Groups of signals contained in less than the entire length of the sweep which are transmitted and which are received can be cross correlated to vary the effective duration of the sweep. The cross correlation output of successively occurring sweeps may be stacked to reduce the side lobe amplitude of the cross correlation outputs from each sweep, from which outputs seismograms may be constructed.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.