Method and apparatus for seismic geophysical exploration

Abstract

A method and apparatus for seismic geophysical exploration including a seismic energy source, a control means, a plurality of geophones, and a plurality of geophone monitoring means, all located in a selected survey area. Each geophone monitoring means is positioned in relatively close physical proximity and electrically coupled to one or more of the geophones forming a set of geophones. The control means is utilized to generate electrical signals containing data initiating the operation of the seismic energy source and the plurality of geophone monitoring means. The electrical signals generated by the various geophones in a set responsive to a particular shot of the seismic energy source are received by the associated geophone monitoring means. Apparatus contained within the associated geophone monitoring means samples such geophone signals and produces representative data in digital form. The digitized data is stored in a memory device contained within the geophone monitoring means. When the geophone monitoring means receives electrical signals from the geophones responsive to a subsequent shot of a seismic energy source, these electrical signals are sampled and digitized. The stored data from the previous shot is withdrawn from the memory device and the data representative of the subsequent shot is summed thereto. The summed data is then accessed to the memory device. The procedure is repeated successively until the data representative of a selected number of shots has been summed. The cumulatively summed data is then accessed to a recording device also contained within the geophone monitoring means and a record is made of such summed data.