f Three component seismic experiment in Saudi Arabia

In 1991, Saudi Aramco conducted an experimental three-component seismic program, over a known oil field, using conventional P-wave vibrators and three component geophones. One of the main objectives of the experiment was to use the converted (P-S) energy to improve the structural and stratigraphic picture of the reservoir sands. We recorded usable P-S energy as expected, but the surprisingly strong, coherent, shear energy generated at or near the vibrators (S-S) gave us a clearer image of the reservoir interval than either the vertical component (P-P) stack or the P-S stack.