Acquisition Parameters for Shallow Seismic Data in West Virginia

Stewart T. Taylor

Tests of the Bison Instruments' Elastic Wave Generator (EWG) and Bison Instruments' Geopro 12-channel seismograph have been conducted in northern Lewis County, West Virginia. The seismic source used in these tests was an accelerated weight-drop mechanism (elastic wave generator) mounted on a light-weight trailer. The series of tests conducted near Weston, West Virginia, includes several types of walkaway noise tests as well as the acquisition of several common offset seismic profiles.

The seismic data gathered in the study area have been analyzed for frequency content and other waveform attributes. The bandwidth of data gathered in the study area depends on the type of geophones used, as well as the analog filters that can be invoked in the seismograph. In general, frequency content ranges from 10 to 110 Hz, although the use of geophone arrays and different types of geophones modifies the amplitude of various frequencies.

Forward modeling of a complete subsurface stratigraphic cross section, using program AIMS, has been compared with the seismic data. The match of the actual seismic data and the synthetic seismograms from the forward modeling procedure is good for strata of the Pennsylvanian System. However, portions of the seismic trace resulting from reflections in the Greenbrier Limestone are considered to be anomalous due to the somewhat atypical transition of facies in the overlying "Little Lime."

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91031©1988 AAPG Eastern Section, Charleston, West Virginia, 13-16 September 1988.