Patent ID: 9746570
Date: 2017-08-29
CPC Classifications: G01V

Claim:
1. A method for acquiring seismic data over a survey area, the method comprising: deploying a streamer vessel and a source vessel to acquire seismic data along a first acquisition line associated with the survey area, wherein the streamer vessel and the source vessel each are configured to have at least one source array and wherein the streamer vessel is also configured to have a plurality of streamers each of which have receivers for recording seismic data, and wherein the source vessel is deployed adjacent to the streamer vessel such that it is offset from the streamer vessel in a cross-line direction relative to the first acquisition line; firing the at least one source array associated with the streamer vessel; recording, by the receivers, first seismic data associated with the firing of the at least one source array associated with the streamer vessel to generate a first coverage area; firing the at least one source array associated with the source vessel; recording, by the receivers, second seismic data associated with the firing of the at least one source array associated with the source vessel to generate a second coverage area which is adjacent to the first coverage area; and deploying the streamer vessel and the source vessel along a second acquisition line to acquire (1) third seismic data associated with a firing of the at least one source array associated with the streamer vessel to generate a third coverage area and (2) fourth seismic data associated with a firing of the at least one source array associated with the source vessel to generate a fourth coverage area which is adjacent to the third coverage area, the second acquisition line being adjacent to the first acquisition line, wherein an offset of the second acquisition line relative to the first acquisition line is calculated so that (i) the first coverage area corresponding to the streamer vessel moving along the first acquisition line is adjacent to the fourth coverage area corresponding to the source vessel moving along the second acquisition line and (ii) the fourth coverage area is sandwiched between the first and third coverage areas with no gap or overlap between the first, third and fourth coverage areas.