Acquiring Sustainable, Efficient High-Resolution Seismic Data for Geothermal Exploration in an Urban Environment

Abstract

The overall conditions under which geophysical data are being acquired have changed over the past five years due to the global economy combined with an increased emphasis on low environmental impact sustainability and safety. For land seismic acquisition, minimizing land disturbance, reducing CO2 emissions and increasing crew safety are key motivators to use innovations that drastically change conventional land seismic acquisition methods. One of the sources proven to do this is the eVibe developed by Seismic Mechatronics B V. They were recently contracted to undertake an urban seismic program utilizing their proprietary eVibe source in combination with Stryde Nodes. The seismic survey was acquired in one of the largest cities in the Netherlands, without the need for permits. Being able to minimize environmental impact, to reach a high safety standard and to acquire high-quality data in a noisy urban environment with the used technology made this project a success. This paper compares the results achieved by the Storm10 eVibe in combination with Stryde nodes to results previously obtained by an explosive survey. We show that the results are technically superior, with the eVibe and the Stryde Nodes proving far better suited to acquiring seismic data within this challenging and restrictive urban environment.