Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Minisparker with multi-tip electrodes

Active
By Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center April 23, 2021

Dubbed the minisparker by our team, the SIG sparker with its 50 electrodes is a broad-frequency marine seismic sound source for high-resolution sub-bottom imagery.

A long wand with numerous, plastic-coasted, half-moon-shaped wires sticking out.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
SIG 2Mille 50-tip minisparker

Description

The SIG sparker is a broad-frequency marine seismic sound source that, with proper processing, can provide high resolution imagery of the sub-bottom (less than 1000 m penetration). There are different models of electrode tips that can be used that will provide variation in the frequency spectrum. PCMSC typically uses the ELP790 tips, which have a frequency spectrum of less than 800 Hz.

Specifications

  • Manufacturer: SIG
  • Model: Multi-tip Sparker Electrodes
  • Weight: 3-10 lbs, depending on model of tips
  • Dimensions: 39 x 24”
  • Power Requirements: CSP or CSP-D power supply, 250 to 6000 J input depending on model of tips

Operational Characteristics

  • Minimum Operational Depth: 1 m
  • Maximum Operational Depth:   The SIG electrodes are surface towed.  Depending on type of electrode and power level, they can be used in up to 3000 m of water
  • Sediment Type: Any
  • Limitations: Must be used in saltwater, tips need to be trimmed regularly (more than once per day)
  • Power Outputs / Freq. Ranges: ~100 -2000 Hz, 216-220 dB re 1μPa @ 1 m
  • Ship’s Requirements: Can be hand deployed

Additional Equipment required

The SIG electrode tips are mounted on a two-wire high voltage cable that can be connected in the junction box of the power supply

Complementary Systems

Seismic sounds sources need to be used with some form of “listening”/recording device.  Examples include a Geometrics GeoEel Multi-Channel Streamer, or a SIG hydrophone streamer.

See the multichannel seismic system for a comprehensive description. Also, check out the PCMSC Marine Facility (MarFac) web site for more information about field gear.

link
Photo of equipment sitting on the deck of a boat which is docked, and it's sleeting or snowing.

High-Resolution Multichannel Seismic System

Description of the high-resolution multichannel seismic system at the Marine Facility (MarFac) of the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, for seafloor mapping
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
link

High-Resolution Multichannel Seismic System

Description of the high-resolution multichannel seismic system at the Marine Facility (MarFac) of the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, for seafloor mapping
Learn More
link
Photo looking up at a man wearing safety gear and cold weather clothing holding a big drill with puffy white clouds in the sky.

PCMSC MarFac Field Equipment and Capabilities

Learn about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility’s vast array of field equipment, sampling devices, and mapping systems, and our capabilities. Our engineers, designers, mechanics, and technicians have also designed and developed some of the specialized field equipment we use in field operations in the nearshore, in the deep sea, and on land.
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
link

PCMSC MarFac Field Equipment and Capabilities

Learn about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility’s vast array of field equipment, sampling devices, and mapping systems, and our capabilities. Our engineers, designers, mechanics, and technicians have also designed and developed some of the specialized field equipment we use in field operations in the nearshore, in the deep sea, and on land.
Learn More
link
A large truck is parked near the wall of a building with a boat on the attached boat trailer.

PCMSC Marine Facility (MarFac)

Learn about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility, or MarFac
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
link

PCMSC Marine Facility (MarFac)

Learn about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility, or MarFac
Learn More

Below are publications associated with this project.

Practical approaches to maximizing the resolution of sparker seismic reflection data

Sparkers are a type of sound source widely used by the marine seismic community to provide high-resolution imagery of the shallow sub-bottom (i.e., < 1000 m). Although sparkers are relatively simple, inexpensive, and high-frequency (100–2500 Hz) sources, they have several potential pitfalls due to their complicated and unpredictable signature. In this study we quantify the source characteristics o
Authors
Jared W. Kluesner, Daniel S. Brothers, Patrick E. Hart, Nathaniel C. Miller, Gerry Hatcher
By
National Innovation Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Morphology, structure, and kinematics of the San Clemente and Catalina faults based on high-resolution marine geophysical data, southern California Inner Continental Borderland

Catalina Basin, located within the southern California Inner Continental Borderland (ICB), is traversed by two active submerged fault systems that are part of the broader North America-Pacific plate boundary: the San Clemente fault (along with a prominent splay, the Kimki fault) and the Catalina fault. Previous studies have suggested that the San Clemente fault (SCF) may be accommodating up to hal
Authors
Maureen A. L. Walton, Daniel S. Brothers, James E. Conrad, Katherine L. Maier, Emily C. Roland, Jared W. Kluesner, Peter Dartnell
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization

Seafloor fluid seeps on Kimki Ridge, offshore southern California: Links to active strike-slip faulting

The Kimki Ridge fluid seeps are located in western Catalina Basin about 60 km southwest of the southern California mainland and at a water depth of approximately 1100 m. Multichannel seismic reflection profiles collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in 2014 show acoustic transparency within the Kimki Ridge, suggesting the possibility of fluid seeps and possible sub-seafloor fluid pathways.
Authors
James E. Conrad, Nancy G. Prouty, Maureen A. L. Walton, Jared W. Kluesner, Katherine L. Maier, Mary McGann, Daniel S. Brothers, Emily C. Roland, Peter Dartnell
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Dubbed the minisparker by our team, the SIG sparker with its 50 electrodes is a broad-frequency marine seismic sound source for high-resolution sub-bottom imagery.

A long wand with numerous, plastic-coasted, half-moon-shaped wires sticking out.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
SIG 2Mille 50-tip minisparker

Description

The SIG sparker is a broad-frequency marine seismic sound source that, with proper processing, can provide high resolution imagery of the sub-bottom (less than 1000 m penetration). There are different models of electrode tips that can be used that will provide variation in the frequency spectrum. PCMSC typically uses the ELP790 tips, which have a frequency spectrum of less than 800 Hz.

Specifications

  • Manufacturer: SIG
  • Model: Multi-tip Sparker Electrodes
  • Weight: 3-10 lbs, depending on model of tips
  • Dimensions: 39 x 24”
  • Power Requirements: CSP or CSP-D power supply, 250 to 6000 J input depending on model of tips

Operational Characteristics

  • Minimum Operational Depth: 1 m
  • Maximum Operational Depth:   The SIG electrodes are surface towed.  Depending on type of electrode and power level, they can be used in up to 3000 m of water
  • Sediment Type: Any
  • Limitations: Must be used in saltwater, tips need to be trimmed regularly (more than once per day)
  • Power Outputs / Freq. Ranges: ~100 -2000 Hz, 216-220 dB re 1μPa @ 1 m
  • Ship’s Requirements: Can be hand deployed

Additional Equipment required

The SIG electrode tips are mounted on a two-wire high voltage cable that can be connected in the junction box of the power supply

Complementary Systems

Seismic sounds sources need to be used with some form of “listening”/recording device.  Examples include a Geometrics GeoEel Multi-Channel Streamer, or a SIG hydrophone streamer.

See the multichannel seismic system for a comprehensive description. Also, check out the PCMSC Marine Facility (MarFac) web site for more information about field gear.

link
Photo of equipment sitting on the deck of a boat which is docked, and it's sleeting or snowing.

High-Resolution Multichannel Seismic System

Description of the high-resolution multichannel seismic system at the Marine Facility (MarFac) of the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, for seafloor mapping
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
link

High-Resolution Multichannel Seismic System

Description of the high-resolution multichannel seismic system at the Marine Facility (MarFac) of the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, for seafloor mapping
Learn More
link
Photo looking up at a man wearing safety gear and cold weather clothing holding a big drill with puffy white clouds in the sky.

PCMSC MarFac Field Equipment and Capabilities

Learn about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility’s vast array of field equipment, sampling devices, and mapping systems, and our capabilities. Our engineers, designers, mechanics, and technicians have also designed and developed some of the specialized field equipment we use in field operations in the nearshore, in the deep sea, and on land.
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
link

PCMSC MarFac Field Equipment and Capabilities

Learn about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility’s vast array of field equipment, sampling devices, and mapping systems, and our capabilities. Our engineers, designers, mechanics, and technicians have also designed and developed some of the specialized field equipment we use in field operations in the nearshore, in the deep sea, and on land.
Learn More
link
A large truck is parked near the wall of a building with a boat on the attached boat trailer.

PCMSC Marine Facility (MarFac)

Learn about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility, or MarFac
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
link

PCMSC Marine Facility (MarFac)

Learn about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility, or MarFac
Learn More

Below are publications associated with this project.

Practical approaches to maximizing the resolution of sparker seismic reflection data

Sparkers are a type of sound source widely used by the marine seismic community to provide high-resolution imagery of the shallow sub-bottom (i.e., < 1000 m). Although sparkers are relatively simple, inexpensive, and high-frequency (100–2500 Hz) sources, they have several potential pitfalls due to their complicated and unpredictable signature. In this study we quantify the source characteristics o
Authors
Jared W. Kluesner, Daniel S. Brothers, Patrick E. Hart, Nathaniel C. Miller, Gerry Hatcher
By
National Innovation Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Morphology, structure, and kinematics of the San Clemente and Catalina faults based on high-resolution marine geophysical data, southern California Inner Continental Borderland

Catalina Basin, located within the southern California Inner Continental Borderland (ICB), is traversed by two active submerged fault systems that are part of the broader North America-Pacific plate boundary: the San Clemente fault (along with a prominent splay, the Kimki fault) and the Catalina fault. Previous studies have suggested that the San Clemente fault (SCF) may be accommodating up to hal
Authors
Maureen A. L. Walton, Daniel S. Brothers, James E. Conrad, Katherine L. Maier, Emily C. Roland, Jared W. Kluesner, Peter Dartnell
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization

Seafloor fluid seeps on Kimki Ridge, offshore southern California: Links to active strike-slip faulting

The Kimki Ridge fluid seeps are located in western Catalina Basin about 60 km southwest of the southern California mainland and at a water depth of approximately 1100 m. Multichannel seismic reflection profiles collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in 2014 show acoustic transparency within the Kimki Ridge, suggesting the possibility of fluid seeps and possible sub-seafloor fluid pathways.
Authors
James E. Conrad, Nancy G. Prouty, Maureen A. L. Walton, Jared W. Kluesner, Katherine L. Maier, Mary McGann, Daniel S. Brothers, Emily C. Roland, Peter Dartnell
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Was this page helpful?