Hyperbolic reflections on Beaufort Sea seismic records
Abstract
Many hyperbolic reflections was observed on marine seismic records obtained during oil exploration in the Beaufort Sea, and on USGS seismic sub-bottom profiles from the Prudhoe Bay vicinity. A hyperbolic projection system was designed to rapidly measure seismic velocities from the curves on the records. The velocities observed were approximately the velocity of sound in water. The hyperbolic signals also showed dispersion properties similar to acoustic normal modes in shallow water. These observations indicate that the signals responsible for the hyperbolic reflections propagate as normal modes within the water layer, with very limited penetration of the seabed. Determinations of the dominant frequency of these signals indicate that the penetration into the seabed has a characteristic attenuation depth (skin depth) of about 1.5m for the sub-bottom profiles and 12 m for the marine records. It therefore appears that some hyperbolic reflections may be generated by variations in materials that occur near the seabed.
- Publication:
-
Unknown
- Pub Date:
- March 1981
- Bibcode:
- 1981hfbs.rept.....N
- Keywords:
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- Beaufort Sea (North America);
- Ocean Bottom;
- Oil Exploration;
- Seismic Waves;
- Wave Reflection;
- Anomalies;
- Elastic Waves;
- Hyperbolas;
- Sediments;
- Geophysics