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High-Resolution Multichannel Seismic System Active

By Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center April 1, 2021

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

Photo of equipment sitting on the deck of a boat which is docked, and it's sleeting or snowing.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.
R/V Barnes with the USGS multichannel seismic system and Chirp sub-bottom profiler.

PCMSC owns and operates a portable high resolution multichannel seismic system capable of collecting sub-bottom seafloor data from a variety of vessels. The system consists of several sound sources and hydrophone receivers that can be configured for different sediment types to target subsurface structures and materials. In its smaller configuration, it can be hand deployed from small boats allowing access to shallow coastal waters. When offshore data or deeper subsurface penetration is required, the system is installed on larger ships that can supply the power, high-pressure air, and deck space needed to operate. This capability has allowed us to identify features such as submarine landslides, gas hydrates, and faults in waters of the Pacific, Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Alaska.

Sound Sources

Illustration of an instrument in a long metal tube with brackets.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.
GI Gun

Airgun

  • (1) GI Gun (210 cu. In.)
  • (2) Mini GI Gun (60 cu in.)
  • 4-Gun Rack-mount Hotshot Controller
  • 2-Gun Portable Hotshot Controller
  • Electric Compressor – MaxAir 90 PBAC with vertical storage
  • Peripherals (umbilicals, blast phones, 2-gun hanger, air handling manifold)

Sparkers and Boomers

Photo of a frame with two long, tubular floats attached to trays in between them, supporting instruments with cables.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.
GeoPulse boomer plates mounted on float

Acquisition

Complementary Equipment

High resolution data is often collected in conjunction with a Chirp sub-bottom profiler.

 

A coil of green hose on the deck of a ship at sea.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.
PCMSC's Geometrics GeoEel Multichannel Streamer sits on the deck of R/V Bold Horizon.
A large wheel, bigger than a person, holds a long green hose wrapped around its drum.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.
GeoEel on its winch in the wareyard of MarFac, the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center's marine facility.

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People wearing safety gear standing on a ship and setting up gear.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.
The Geospace Navigator bird is a streamer depth control device, used with a high-resolution seismic system to regulate and record the depth of the streamer.
People wearing safety gear standing on a ship and setting up gear.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.
The Geospace Navigator bird is a streamer depth control device, used with a high-resolution seismic system to regulate and record the depth of the streamer.
Photograph of a box-shaped instrument with buttons, knobs, fans, and a key.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.
The Applied Acoustics power supplies provide variable output energy, up to 2400 J per shot, by means of capacitor discharge.  They can be used for a range of seismic sound sources, from single boomer plates up to large sparkers.  The charging rate for the CSP-D units is up to 1500 J/s.

Check out the PCMSC Marine Facility (MarFac) web site for more information about our field capabilities.

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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
link
A map illustration of the seafloor off of a coastal area, that shows the features like submarine canyons and depth.

Cascadia Subduction Zone Marine Geohazards

Societal Issue: Uncertainty related to rupture extent, slip distribution, and recurrence of past subduction megathrust earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest (northern CA, OR, WA, and southern BC) leads to ambiguity in earthquake and tsunami hazard assessments and hinders our ability to prepare for future events.
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, 3-D CT Core Imaging Laboratory, Core Preparation and Analysis Laboratory and Sample Repositories, Multi-Sensor Core Logger Laboratory
link

Cascadia Subduction Zone Marine Geohazards

Societal Issue: Uncertainty related to rupture extent, slip distribution, and recurrence of past subduction megathrust earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest (northern CA, OR, WA, and southern BC) leads to ambiguity in earthquake and tsunami hazard assessments and hinders our ability to prepare for future events.
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 building after an earthquake has crumbled the roof and brick walls, the interior is now visible.

U.S. West Coast and Alaska Marine Geohazards

Marine geohazards are sudden and extreme events beneath the ocean that threaten coastal populations. Such underwater hazards include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and tsunamis.
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, 3-D CT Core Imaging Laboratory, Core Preparation and Analysis Laboratory and Sample Repositories
link

U.S. West Coast and Alaska Marine Geohazards

Marine geohazards are sudden and extreme events beneath the ocean that threaten coastal populations. Such underwater hazards include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and tsunamis.
Learn More
link
An instrument rests on the deck of a ship, its cables suspended above it, while a scientist looks on.

California Sand Resource Assessment Project

The USGS is working in partnership with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the State of California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) to evaluate sand and gravel resources in Federal and State waters for potential use in future beach nourishment projects. Prior to the leasing and development of outer continental shelf (OCS) sand resources for use in beach restoration or coastal...
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
link

California Sand Resource Assessment Project

The USGS is working in partnership with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the State of California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) to evaluate sand and gravel resources in Federal and State waters for potential use in future beach nourishment projects. Prior to the leasing and development of outer continental shelf (OCS) sand resources for use in beach restoration or coastal...
Learn More
link
Underwater photo of a person in silhouette, wearing a wetsuit and dive gear and floating near some kelp.

MarFac Dive Team

The USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in Santa Cruz, California, maintains a certified scientific dive team.
By
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
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MarFac Dive Team

The USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in Santa Cruz, California, maintains a certified scientific dive team.
Learn More
link
Small silver metal boat with USGS lettering on the side, water is splashing up on the side and a small wake is formed.

PCMSC MarFac Vessels

The USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center uses a wide variety of vessels, from kayaks to open-ocean ships, to conduct fieldwork. Most vessels are managed by our Marine Facility, or MarFac.
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
link

PCMSC MarFac Vessels

The USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center uses a wide variety of vessels, from kayaks to open-ocean ships, to conduct fieldwork. Most vessels are managed by our Marine Facility, or MarFac.
Learn More

Below are data or web applications associated with this project.

Multichannel Seismic-Reflection and Navigation Data Collected Using Sercel GI Guns and Geometrics GeoEel Digital Streamers During the Mid-Atlantic Resource Imaging Experiment (MATRIX), USGS Field Activity 2018-002-FA

In summer 2018, the U.S. Geological Survey partnered with the U.S Department of Energy and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to conduct the Mid-Atlantic Resources Imaging Experiment (MATRIX) as part of the U.S. Geological Survey Gas Hydrates Project. The field program objectives were to acquire high-resolution 2-dimensional multichannel seismic-reflection and split-beam echosounder data along
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Below are news stories associated with this project.

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Seismic Reflections: Using Sound to Map Faults Beneath Seafloor

To find out what’s shaking beneath the seafloor off southern California’s coast, USGS scientists turned on their hydrophones and used sound waves to...

Read Article