Focusing and scanning either or both of a plurality of seismic sources and seismometers to produce an improved seismic record

Claim 1

AN IMPROVED GEOPHYSICAL METHOD USING A RECEIVING SYSTEM LOCATED AT A GIVEN POSITION AND CONTAINING A PLURALITY OF SEISMOMETERS AND A MEANS FOR GENERATING SEISMIC DISTURBANCES AT A PLURALITY OF GENERATING POINTS DISPLACED FROM SAID RECEIVING SYSTEM COMPRISING THE STEPS OF (A) GENERATING SEISMIC ENERGY AT EACH OF THE GENERATING POINTS DISPLACED FROM THE RECEIVING SYSTEM, (B) DEVELOPING AT THE PLURALITY OF SEISMOMETERS OUTPUT SIGNALS CREATED BY THE RECEIPT OF SAID GENERATED SEISMIC ENERGY, (C) FOCUSING SAID GENERATED SEISMIC ENERGIES INTO A DIRECTIONAL BEAM OF SEISMIC ENERGY AND FOCUSING THE RECEIVING SYSTEM''S RESPONSE PATTERN INTO A DIRECTIONAL BEAM INTERSECTING SAID BEAM OF SEISMIC ENERGY WHEREIN THE SIGNAL-TO-NOISE RATIO OF SEISMIC ENERGY REFLECTED FROM AN INTERFACE IN THE PORTION OF THE SUBSURFACE LOCATED AT THE INTERSECTION OF SAID BEAMS IS INCREASED AND SAID RECEIVER SYSTEM IS MADE RELATIVELY INSENSITIVE TO OTHER SEISMIC ENERGY AND NOISE FROM OUTSIDE SAID INTERSECTION, (D) PRESENTING AS A FUNCTION OF TRAVEL TIME A DOMINANT EVENT INDICATIVE OF SAID ENERGY RECEIVED FROM SAID INTERFACE LOCATED AT SAID INTERSECTION OF SAID BEAMS, AND (E) SCANNING A LARGER PORTION OF SAID SUBSURFACE BY MOVING AT LEAST ONE OF SAID BEAMS THROUGH A SUBSURFACE SECTOR WHEREBY THE BEAMS INTERSECT AND REFLECTIONS FROM INTERFACES WITHIN THE NEW INTERSECTION ARE PRESENTED AS NEWLY APPEARING DOMINANT EVENTS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE MOVEMENT OF SAID BEAMS AND THE LOCATION OF SAID INTERFACES.