BOOMER or SPARKER ? Choose the best tools !

When it comes to seismic surveys, having both boomer and sparker tools on board can make all the difference. By switching between them, you get a complete seismic profile, revealing features with different resolutions and penetrations, depending on the seabed material's frequency response.

 

Off the coast of Dieppe, in the English Channel, rough seas challenged our seismic acquisition. However, the boomer's 2 ms resolution revealed lenticular facies of probable fine sands—something that didn’t appear on the sparker profile with its lower 4 ms resolution. Confirmation will come with drillings.

 


A big thanks to Alexandre Daumesnil from Hydrogeotechnique for sharing these profiles after renting the equipment from our rental pool. 

 

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Testing our boomer plates in the Quilly pond

Testing in controlled environments is crucial for capturing clean, accurate acoustic signatures. Ponds offer an ideal setting with minimal ambiant noise, but not all water bodies are suitable due to interference. The depth must be sufficient to allow the signal to reach the calibrated hydrophone without reflecting off surounding walls or the bottom.

We tested our boomer transducers in 40-meter deep Quilly Pond, an old quarry located east of Lorient. This environment provided the perfect conditions to ensure high quality data and performance validation.

 

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Sparks beneath the waves

The high impulse currents generated by our sparkers are the heart of seismic reflection technology. When the potential difference between the electrodes creates spectacular discharges, a visible spark forms, generating currents up to 2000 A. This ionisation creates a plasma bubble, the starting point of an acoustic wave. 

 

This omnidirectional impulse, with a wide frequency band ranging from 50Hz to 5kHz depending on the energy used, penetrates several tens or even hundreds of meters into the seabed, enabling precise subbottom analysis. 

Sparker in the water

Importantly, the frequencies produced do not affect cetaceans within a 10-meter radius, regardless of the species. While the sparks

may deter them from approaching, the acoustic waves remain harmless. 

 

Learn more about the science behind sparkers on the Ifremer website. 

 

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Making significant waves with deep-tow Sparker source sea trials

SIG France, in collaboration with Kappa Offshore Solutions, conducted sea trials of the Sparker source as part of the PIKSEL UHR3D project. The test were performed aboard of the 37-meter ALMA KAPPA tug vessel from Alta Marine, which provided ample deck space for the SIG sources. 

 

The goal was to compare the Sparker source signature in standard surface conditions with its signature when immersed at depths of 2 meters and 4 meters. A Near Field Hydrophone was positioned 1 meter below the source, and a Far Field Hydrophone was placed 5 meters below the surface to capture data. 

 

Thanks to the team Kappa Offshore Solutions for their expertise in the immersion procedure and the stabilisation of the SIG catamarans during trials. 

 

These trials were essential in advancing our understanding of Sparker performance under various immersion depths. 

 

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People working on the Sparker source
People looking at the Sparker source in the sea


Exciting news from the Arctic !

We're thrilled to share that ou SIG PULSE L5 2000 Joules system is now being used for the first time on the icebreaker Oden, currently on an expedition in North Greenland. This groundbreaking project, led by the brilliant team from Stockholms university , is pushing the boundaries of geophysical research in one of the most challenging environments on Earth. 

 

Martin Jakobson, Co-Chief Scientist of the expedition and professor of marine geology and geophysics, shared his thoughts on the mission : "We have used the system a couple of times, very difficult to find the right conditions as we are in the heavily ice-infested areas in the Arctic, North Greenland. 

 


But there have been some open patches along land. First, we collected data in Newman Bay, Nothern Nares Strait. It worked well, but the bottom geology for a sparker is very tough, hard till bottom, very little sediment, and huge topographic changes. "

 

Their work involves geological mapping, rock sampling, and imaging deep crustal structures to better understand the geological evolution of the region and its impact on glacial processes. 

 

At Sig, we are proud to support this critical research with our cutting-edge instruments, helping to unlock the secrets of the Earth's most remote frontiers. 

 

Photo by : Björn Ericsson

 

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Multimode shallow marine seismics in Todos os Santos Bay

The Universidad Federal of Bahia (Brazil) has collected high resolution data using the multimode Meridata acquisition system, with a SIG Pulse S1 driving sparker & boomer sound sources. In the region of Todos os Santos Bay, a bridge connecting the city of Salvador to the Island of Itaparica is planned to be built. Before planning and performing engineering works, the geophysical investigations are essential for the stratigraphic mapping of the area. It was important to identify the top of the rocky substrate and the thickness of the recent sedimentary cover. The shallow marine reflection seismics was ideal to map the sequences of the Quaternary sediments. The rocky basement (Recõncavo Basin) was mapped also.

 

Publication

 

Isaac de Oliveira Santos1 , José Maria Landim Dominguez1 (2019) ,Mapeamento estratigráfico utilizando sísmica de alta resolução no trecho da futura Ponte Salvador-Itaparica, Bahia, Brasil, Geol.

USP, Sér. cient., São Paulo, v. 19, n. 4, p. 8-98, Dezembro 2019

March 2020


Structural geology on the continental shelf of Bahia State

High-resolution seismic records totaling 180 km were acquired using the Meridata Multi-Mode System, with a SIG Pulse S1 and boomer acoustic source operating within a frequency spectrum of 0.3 to 1.5 kHz and power between 80 and 140 J.

Structural controls on the morphology of an extremely narrow, low-accommodation, passive margin shelf (Eastern Brazil).

oct. 2019


MC streamers for Japan Coast Guards

The new vessel of the JCG will be equipped with SIG multi-channel streamers. The first streamer delivered to JCG is already on board the R/V Shoyo, operated by the Hydrographic & Oceanographic dept of JCG.

Two other survey vessel are under construction for deployment in 2019 and 2020, both with shallow water sounding equipment installed. Toyo Corporation, SIG's rep in Japan is promoting the MC streamers. The units of JCG have 24 channels, spaced at 2.5 m with a total active section of 96 m.

Sept 2019


SIG France sponsor of TURBIDITE