Technical Paper: Point-receiver Acquisition and Processing for Arctic Near-surface Challenges

Society: EAGE
Paper Number:
Presentation Date: 2009
 

The arctic near surface can be extremely complex and challenging for land seismic exploration. In addition to the specific features of the glacial geomorphology, the geophysical impact of permafrost and ice must be considered. The rapid transition between frozen and melted zones is associated with extreme lateral variations of the elastic parameters, producing large-magnitude statics. Permafrost and relict permafrost can be associated with strong velocity inversions. The ice cover on frozen lakes may generate flexural waves, with large amplitude and very short wavelength. To evaluate the benefits of dense single-sensor acquisition and processing, a point-source point-receiver test data set was acquired in a discontinuous permafrost area. The dense spatial sampling is proven to be effective in facing arctic near-surface challenges. In particular, a reliable near-surface model could be built, and single-sensor statics could be computed and corrected. Coherent noise attenuation was proven effective in the attenuation of strong ice noise mode. This allowed for a substantial increase in the coherency and in the frequency content of the seismic data.

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