Method and arrangement for detecting faults traversing a mineral stratum

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF DETECTING FAULTS TRAVERSING A MINERAL STRATUM OF SMALL THICKNESS SURROUNDED BY BEDS OF MATERIAL HAVING A DIFFERENT DENSITY AND ELASTICITY THAN THAT OF SAID MINERAL STRATUM OF SMALL THICKNESS, PARTICULARLY A COAL SEAM, BY SEISMIC EXPLORATION BELOW GROUND, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: GENERATING AT A SELECTED FRIST POINT NEAR THE UPPER BOUNDARY AND SIMULTANEOUSLY AT A SECOND POINT OPPOSITE SAID FIRST POINT AND NEAR THE LOWER BOUNDARY OF THE STRATUM AND AT ONE SIDE OF ANY EXISTING FAULT TRAVERSING SAID STRATUM A VIBRATION FOR GENERATING WAVES INCLUDING ASYMMETRICAL BOUNDARY WAVES TRAVELING ALONG SAID UPPER AND LOWER BOUNDARIES, RESPECTIVELY, OF SAID STRATUM IN AT LEAST ONE DIRECTION AND RETURNING ALONG SAID STRATUM IN OPPOSITE DIRECTION AS REFLECTED BOUNDARY WAVES WHEN A FAULT EXISTS WHICH TRAVERSES SAID STRATUM AND CAUSES SUCH REFLECTION, SAID BOUNDARY WAVES TRAVELING ALONG SAID UPPER BOUNDARY BEING OFFSET 180* IN PHASE RELATIVE TO SAID BOUNDARY WAVES TRAVELING ALONG SAID LOWER BOUNDARY OF SAID STRATUM; AND SEISMOGRAPHICALLY RECORDING EXCLUSIVELY SAID BOUNDARY WAVES AT SAID ONE SIDE OF ANY EXISTING FAULT, THE OCCURRENCE IN SAID RECORDING OF A REFLECTED BOUNDARY WAVE INDICATING THE EXISTENCE OF A FAULT TRAVERSING SAID STRATUM.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF DETECTING FAULTS TRAVERSING A MINERAL STRATUM OF SMALL THICKNESS SURROUNDED BY BEDS OF MATERIAL HAVING A DIFFERENT DENSITY AND ELASTICITY THAN THAT OF SAID MINERAL STRATUM OF SMALL THICKNESS, PARTICULARLY A COAL SEAM, BY SEISMIC EXPLORATION BELOW GROUND, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: GENERATING AT A SELECTED FRIST POINT NEAR THE UPPER BOUNDARY AND SIMULTANEOUSLY AT A SECOND POINT OPPOSITE SAID FIRST POINT AND NEAR THE LOWER BOUNDARY OF THE STRATUM AND AT ONE SIDE OF ANY EXISTING FAULT TRAVERSING SAID STRATUM A VIBRATION FOR GENERATING WAVES INCLUDING ASYMMETRICAL BOUNDARY WAVES TRAVELING ALONG SAID UPPER AND LOWER BOUNDARIES, RESPECTIVELY, OF SAID STRATUM IN AT LEAST ONE DIRECTION AND RETURNING ALONG SAID STRATUM IN OPPOSITE DIRECTION AS REFLECTED BOUNDARY WAVES WHEN A FAULT EXISTS WHICH TRAVERSES SAID STRATUM AND CAUSES SUCH REFLECTION, SAID BOUNDARY WAVES TRAVELING ALONG SAID UPPER BOUNDARY BEING OFFSET 180* IN PHASE RELATIVE TO SAID BOUNDARY WAVES TRAVELING ALONG SAID LOWER BOUNDARY OF SAID STRATUM; AND SEISMOGRAPHICALLY RECORDING EXCLUSIVELY SAID BOUNDARY WAVES AT SAID ONE SIDE OF ANY EXISTING FAULT, THE OCCURRENCE IN SAID RECORDING OF A REFLECTED BOUNDARY WAVE INDICATING THE EXISTENCE OF A FAULT TRAVERSING SAID STRATUM.