High Resolution, Deep-Tow Seismic Survey to Investigate the Methane Hydrate Stability Zone in the Nankai Trough

Abstract. A high frequency deep-tow seismic survey was carried out in the Nankai Trough area in 1996. The objective of the survey was to obtain high resolution seismic sections and velocity profiles of the methane hydrate zone, inferred from the strong BSR events seen on conventional seismic data in the area. A special feature of the survey is that both the source and the streamer cable are towed close to the seabed. This special acquisition geometry requires special data processing to handle the varying source and receiver depths. A CMP floating datum processing sequence was designed which led to high quality sections of the shallow geology. A key step in the processing was devising a residual statics technique to compensate for errors in the measured depths.
The processing sequence was applied to a number of lines, totaling 200 km. The final data quality was highly variable. Some lines produced high quality sections and others, much poorer sections with few interpretable events. Conventional seismic data in the area also shows variation in the data quality so part of the reason is a variation in the sub-sea geology, but the deep-tow data is much more sensitive to change in conditions than conventional data. With the current acquired data and processing sequence the deep-tow system offers most advantages when 1) the water depth is around 1 km or greater, 2) the seabed and underlying geology is not too complex, and 3) the acquisition proceeds smoothly with regular shotpoints, slowly varying depths, and with accurate positioning.