Some considerations on shallow seismic reflection surveys

High-resolution shallow seismic reflection surveys require more attention to the choice of source and configuration, receivers and recording geometry for optimizing data acquisition than conventional oil exploration surveys. Moreover, some standard processing techniques to increase signal/noise (S/N) ratio need special accuracy (for example, surgically precise removal of early-time coherent noise and iterative, small rime shift static corrections). This paper compares results obtained using different sources at two test sites: explosive, cap, shotgun, hammer and weight drop. Data from experiments using geophones with different natural frequencies and using various acquisition geometries are also compared. In data processing, it is demonstrated how increasing the S/N ratio for high-resolution results requires special consideration in some common processing steps (F-K filter, first arrivals muting, elimination of air wave and static corrections). The comparison, based on shot gathers and stack sections, shows that attenuation of high frequencies by the earth is the most significant influence on the spectral properties of the data, as expected the source itself also does have some influence on frequency content, depending to some extent on surface conditions. The high-velocity explosive sources produced the highest frequency reflections and best S/N ratio, because they have higher energy related to higher burn/blast velocity and source containment then the other sources and they are used in hole (i.e. below ground surface where the air wave energy is more attenuated) but the shotgun also an explosive source was reasonably comparable to high explosive when used in hole. Special care must be taken during processing to insure artifacts are distinguished from real reflection events.