Patent ID: 7391673

Claim:
A method of geophysical exploration within a predetermined volume of the earth containing subsurface structural and stratigraphic features conducive to the generation, migration, accumulation, or presence of hydrocarbons, comprising the steps of: a. selecting a marine survey area above at least a portion of said predetermined volume of the earth; b. positioning a receiver vessel within said survey area, said receiver vessel towing at least one receiver cable behind, said at least one receiver cable having a near end proximate to said receiver vessel and a far end remote therefrom; c. positioning a first source vessel within said survey area and proximate to said near end of said at least one receiver cable, said first source vessel having a first seismic source associated therewith, said first seismic source being situated at a first offset with respect to said receiver cable; d. positioning a second source vessel within said survey area proximate said far end of said receiver cable, said second source vessel having a second seismic source associated therewith said second seismic source being situated at a second offset with respect to said receiver cable; e. activating said first seismic source; f. recording via said at least one receiver cable any seismic energy from said first seismic source that is reflected from within said predetermined volume of the earth, thereby creating a first seismic dataset; g. activating said second seismic source; h. recording via said at least one receiver cable any seismic energy from said second seismic source that is reflected from within said predetermined volume of the earth, thereby creating a second seismic dataset; i. storing on a computer readable medium said first seismic dataset and said second seismic data set, thereby creating a first stored dataset; j. positioning said first seismic source at a third offset with respect to said receiver cable, said third offset being different from said first offset and from said second offset; k. positioning said second seismic source at a fourth offset with respect to said receiver cable, said fourth offset being different from said first offset and from said second offset; l. performing steps (e) through (i) again, thereby creating a second stored dataset; m. associating together said first and said second stored datasets, thereby creating a composite dataset; and, n. using at least a portion of said composite dataset to identify said subsurface features conducive to the generation, migration, accumulation, or presence of hydrocarbons within said predetermined volume of the earth.