Stereo Satellite Elevation Mapping for 3D Seismic in Ghadames Libya

Highly accurate stereo satellite elevation maps are being used to improve the safety and the quality of onshore 3D seismic surveys. Seismic safety is being improved by reducing field personnel days for the advance scouting of source points, eliminating receiver point survey teams and through the use of accurate maps of ground slope to determine safe vibroseis points and access routes. Seismic quality is improved though better quality control of source and receiver elevations. The high resolution and accuracy stereo satellite elevation mapping is being achieved by adapting data processing concepts, algorithms and software, originally developed for oil and gas exploration seismic data processing, to process elevations from stereo satellite photos. The seismic processors’ toolbox contains a wide variety of processing tools for identifying and attenuating correlation mismatches and other types of noise that have probably never before been applied to stereo photo elevation mapping problems. We present a 3,962 km2 stereo satellite elevation mapping project in Ghadames Libya, carried out from August to November 2010. The stereo satellite elevation mapping matches the GPS elevations from over 170,000 seismic source points to better than 35cm in elevation.