Seismic prospecting

Claim 1

IN A SEISMIC SURVEYING METHOD WHEREIN VIBRATIONS ARE IMPARTED TO THE EARTH SEQUENTIALLY AT A PLURALITY OF FIRST POINTS SPACED ALONG A LINE ON THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH, THE RESULTING VIBRATIONS WHICH ARE RECEIVED AT THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH ALONG SAID LINE AT A PLURALITY OF SECOND POINTS ARE RECORDED TO PROVIDE A PLURALITY OF FIRST RECORDS, INDIVIDUAL ONES OF SAID FIRST RECORDS WHICH ARE OBTAINED FROM VIBRATIONS BEING IMPARTED AT DIFFERENT TIMES AND WHICH CONTACT REFLECTIONS FROM A COMMON POINT ON A SUBTERRANEAN REFLECTING FORMATION ARE SUMMED SO AS TO PRODUCE A SECOND RECORD WHEREIN SAID REFLECTIONS ARE SUPERIMPOSED, AND WHEREIN THE FOREGOING SUMMING STEP IS REPEATED A PLURALITY OF TIMES WITH DIFFERENT GROUPS OF SAID SECOND RECORDS SO AS TO OBTAIN A PLURALITY OF SAID SECOND RECORDS, EACH OF WHICH CONTAINS A PLURALITY OF SUPERIMPOSED REFLECTIONS FROM A DIFFERENT POINT OF SAID REFLECTING FORMATION; THE IMPROVEMET WHICH COMPRISES: (A) SUMMING A FIRST GROUP OF SAID SECOND RECORDS WHICH CONTAIN REFLECTIONS FROM A SERIES OF ADJACENT POINTS ON SAID REFLECTING FORMATION, SAID SECOND RECORDS IN SAID FIRST GROUP BEING DISPLACED FROM ONE ANOTHER BY PRESELECTED FIRST TIME INTERVALS PRIOR TO BEING SUMMED, (2) REPEATING STEP (1) A PLURALITY OF TIMES WITH DIFFERENT GROUPS OF SAID RECORDS, AND (3) THEREAFTER REPEATING STEPS (1) AND (2) WITH THE SAME GROUPS OF SAID SECOND RECORDS EXCEPT THAT THE SECOND RECORDS ARE DISPLACED FROM ONE ANOTHER PRIOR TO BEING SUMMED BY PRESELECTED SECOND TIME INTERVALS WHICH ARE DIFFERENT FROM SAID FIRST TIME INTERVALS.