Expendable seafloor sensor exploration system

Abstract

Marine seismic data is gathered by a single vessel beyond the range of a conventional towed seismic sensor cable through the use of expendable sensors and hard wire transmission cables. The vessel tows a submerged platform adapted to carry several inexpensive seismic sensors and very small diameter multiconductor cables which are controllably released from the platform by appropriate equipment on the towing vessel. Signals generated by each sensor are transmitted back to the towed, submerged platform through the small diameter cable connected to each sensor and are transmitted by other means from the platform to the towing vessel for retransmission, recording and/or display. Each sensor transmits a signal back to the platform until its small diameter cable is completely deployed at which time the cable breaks and is abandoned together with the sensor. Very small diameter marine cables, which are commercially available in lengths of 20,000 feet and more are envisioned to be used to practice the invention, are coupled with an inexpensive hydrophone and preamplifier to allow the generation and reception of wide angle reflection and short range refraction seismic signals by a single vessel.