Using Carpet Geometries in Simultaneous Source Acquisition

Summary Carpet geometries, or equal spacing of either source or receiver positions in inline and crossline directions (e.g., 50 x 50 m) are often used in simultaneous source acquisition. By using carpet geometries, trace densities of simultaneous source data sets have increased to several million traces per sq km. In practice, however, carpets are never fully acquired in the field due to the presence of natural and man-made obstructions or environmental conditions of the survey area. Further, carpet geometries are not applicable for use in all areas when considering urban, steep mountainous terrains and forested areas. To date, carpet geometries have been used in areas of open access with surface sources, such as vibroseis on land and in marine environments, primarily for ocean bottom sensor surveys and 3D VSPs. Applying this geometry in the field requires different approaches to traditional methods. Focusing field operations on high survey efficiency to balance source and receiver movement while maximizing the trace density that can be acquired amidst obstacles has produced the best results. This paper focuses on operational aspects of applying the carpet acquisition geometries with a discussion on future uses including conceivable carpet receiver geometries.