Orient VSP Receivers Using Diffracted Energy

Diffracted arrivals from geological discontinuities in the vicinity of a borehole are often seen in Vertical Seismic Profile (VSP) datasets. A method of locating VSP diffracted arrivals using a micro-seismic location technique has proved successful, but one source of error in this location method is the orientation bearing of the receivers’ horizontal components. A method of orienting VSP receivers using diffracted energy from a known diffraction source is investigated and is shown to improve the orientation of VSP horizontal components.