The resultant product can be thought of as a vertical sonic cross-section of the subsurface beneath the survey line.
The same line contains recording cables and geophones as well as source points. In two-dimensional (2D) reflection seismic surveying both the sound source and the sound detectors (numbering up to a hundred or more per shot) are moved along a straight line. The travel times (measured in milliseconds) of the returned seismic energy, integrated with existing borehole well information, aid geoscientists in estimating the structure (folding and faulting) and stratigraphy (rock type, depositional environment, and fluid content) of subsurface formations, and determine the location of prospective drilling targets. Seismic waves reflect and refract off subsurface rock formations and travel back to acoustic receivers called geophones.
Artificial seismic energy is generated on land by vibratory mechanisms mounted on specialized trucks. Seismic exploration is the search for commercially economic subsurface deposits of crude oil, natural gas and minerals by the recording, processing, and interpretation of artificially induced shock waves in the earth.
