Patent ID: 8400874

Claim:
A method for characterizing fluid pumping effects on at least one acoustic property of a subsurface formation, comprising: (a) determining at least one acoustic property of the subsurface formation prior to fluid pumping, the determining at least one acoustic property comprising determining images at a plurality of points in the subsurface formation obtained by repeatedly imparting seismic energy into the subsurface formation, detecting seismic energy using a plurality of seismic receivers disposed in a selected pattern above the subsurface formation, stacking signals from the receivers generated in response to the detected seismic energy, and beam steering the response of the plurality of receivers to each of the image points; (b) during pumping of fluid into the subsurface formation, detecting passive seismic signals related to fluid movement in the subsurface formation; (c) determining a place of origin of the passive seismic signals; (d) actuating the seismic energy source and beam steering an output thereof toward the determined place of origin; (e) repeating the determining the at least one acoustic property for the place of origin; (f) repeating (b), (c), (d) and (e) until the pumping is completed; and (g) determining a change in the at least one acoustic property at each determined place of origin between prior to pumping and after pumping is completed.