High and very high resolution deep-towed seismic system: Performance and examples from deep water Geohazard studies

We present the technological development and initial results from the deep-towed seismic acquisition device SYstème SIsmique Fond de mer (SYSIF) recently built by Ifremer. The two configurations of the SYSIF are presented (high resolution (HR): 250–1000 Hz and very high resolution (VHR): 650–2000 Hz), and results are compared to conventional seismic acquisition systems such as multi-channel HR or single-channel VHR (hull-mounted sub-bottom profiler). The ability of SYSIF to achieve higher resolution imagery is due to both the technology employed (low-frequency Janus–Helmoltz piezoelectric transducer) and the deep-towed operating mode (reduction in the Fresnel zone). Sea trials have been conducted in various geological environments and in water depths as deep as 2500 m. The new technique improved imaging of deep seafloor and sub-surface features such as pockmarks, carbonate mounds, sub-marine slides and sub-surface faulting. SYSIF, therefore, is a well-suited tool to investigate deep water geological features, especially those related to geohazard for scientific and industrial purposes.