Seismic Surveying over Bunter Sandstone

The Bunter sandstone is a Triassic formation which attains thicknesses of hundreds of metres over many of the productive coalfields in central England. Where the Bunter outcrops, seismic reflection data using either dynamite or surface sources are generally of poor quality. This presents an awkward problem for delineation of the underlying structure in the Carboniferous. The problem is a familiar one to many exploration geophysicists who have worked in the Midlands and north of England, because the Carboniferous has potential for oil and gas, in addition to the Coal Measures. AIthough the field records and stacked sections used in this article to illustrate the variability of data quality have all been obtained in coal exploration, the comments on the acquisition parameters are equally applicable for all seismic reflection surveys in the area.