Seismographs, connected to microphone-like device called geophones, convert the energy into images. The results are then processed by computers into images of the subsurface. Here is a short tutorial. Click here for a complete listing of recent projects or use an interactive map . Typical seismic acquisition systems consist of the following components.
Sources can vary greatly in their size and complexity.
We must be able to tell exactly when the source delivered its energy into the ground. In some cases, we can control the time of delivery. In others, we simply note the time the source delivered its energy. In essence, this entire system does nothing more than store the ground motion detected by a number of geophones. This number could be quite large.