Midget Seismic in Sandbox Models

Analog sandbox simulation has been applied to study geological processes to provide qualitative and quantitative insights into specific geological problems. In nature, the structures, which are simulated in those sandbox models, are often inferred from seismic data. With the study introduced here, we want to combine the analog sandbox simulation techniques with seismic physical modeling of those sandbox models. The long-term objectives of this approach are (1) imaging of seismic and seismological events of actively deforming and static 3D analogue models, and (2) assessment of the transferability of the model data to field data in order to improve field data acquisition and interpretation according to the addressed geological problem. To achieve this objective, a new midget-seismic facility for laboratory use was designed and developed, comprising a seismic tank, a PC control unit including piezo-electric transducers, and a positioning system. The first experiments are aimed at studying the wave field properties of the piezo- transducers in order to investigate their feasibility for seismic profiling. The properties investigated are their directionality and the change of waveform due to their size (5-12 mm) compared to the wavelengths (< 1.5 mm). The best quality signals and least directionality and waveform change are achieved when the center source frequency is between 350-500 kHz, and the offset is less than 8 cm for a reflector depth of 10 cm. With respect to the technical hardware reflection processing on such a small scale is feasible as long as the offset does not exceed a certain value, which is dependent on the reflector depth and frequency. The next steps will include a study of material properties and the effects of wave propagation in an-/isotropic media by physical studies, before we finally start using different seismic imaging and processing techniques on static and actively deforming 3D analog models.