Seismic data acquisition

[1] With the designed survey, seismic data can be recorded in the form of seismic traces, also known as seismograms, which directly represent the "response of the elastic wavefield to velocity and density contrasts across interfaces of layers of rock or sediments as energy travels from a source through the subsurface to a receiver or receiver array.

[4] Such type of sources needs to be buried (coupled) into the ground in order to maximize the amount of seismic energy transferred into the subsurface as well as to minimize safety hazards during its detonation.

[1] A significant disadvantage of using explosive sources is that the source/seismic wavelet is not exactly known and reproducible and therefore the vertical stacking of seismograms or traces from these individual shots can lead to sub-optimal results (i.e. the signal-to-noise ratio is not as high as desired).

[citation needed] Additionally, the seismic wavelet cannot be precisely removed to yield spikes or impulses (the ideal aim is the dirac delta function) corresponding to reflections on seismograms.

[5] Vibratory sources typically host trucks that are mounted with heavy plates which repeatedly hit the ground to transmit seismic energy to the subsurface.

[9] The air-gun is a chamber that is filled with highly pressurized, compressed air which is rapidly released into the water to generate an acoustic pulse (signal).

[citation needed] A geophone is a seismic receiver that is often chosen in land acquisition to monitor the particle velocity in a certain orientation.

[14] This is of considerable importance for higher frequency components of the seismic signals, which can be altered substantially with respect to their phase and amplitude due to poor coupling.

As is the case with hydrophones, geophones are often arranged in arrays as well to maximise the signal-to-noise ratio as well as to minimise the influence of surface waves on recorded data.