Three-dimensional seismic survey methods using a perturbation pattern to provide bin fractionation

Abstract

A receiver point arrangement is deployed having one or more receiver lines, each receiver line having receivers with substantially uniform inline spacing. A seismic source is triggered at each source point in an arrangement of source points along one or more source lines, each source line having source points with substantially uniform crossline spacing. Seismic data traces are collected, each trace having an associated midpoint. A perturbation pattern is applied to at least one of the receiver point arrangement and the source point arrangement to distribute the midpoints evenly within a bin having dimensions of half the receiver inline spacing and half the source crossline spacing across multiple locations within that bin. The fractionation in the crossline and inline directions is determined by the interaction between the number of offset positions in the receiver point arrangement and number of offset positions in the source point arrangement, respectively; phase shifts of the perturbation pattern between adjacent receiver lines and between adjacent source lines, respectively; and crossline and inline fold, respectively, of a recording patch employed.