System for recording seismic reflection signals in serial-by-trace format

Abstract

A seismic exploration system employs a seismic energy source, a plurality of seismic energy detectors, and a seismic recording system. The recording system employs amplifiers, a multiplexer, and an analog-to-digital converter for converting analog seismic reflection signals resulting from repetitive firings of the seismic energy source to a serial output of multiplexed digital samples. These digital samples are sequentially strobed into selected storage locations in core memory, such storage locations being selected such that the multiplexed samples are reoriented serially by channel in successive ones of the storage locations. The digital samples are next sequentially strobed out of core memory by such successive storage locations to produce prior to each firing of the seismic source a serial-by-trace record of the detected seismic reflection signals resulting from the previous firing of the seismic source.