Another strong tendency in seismic is digitalization, as illustrated by the recent positioning of numerous players and the plentiful of workshops organized on the topic. Perhaps surprisingly, digitalization has not greatly impacted land acquisition, where for example analog receivers remain the standard.
The now century old geophone technology has inherent shortcomings that alter the signal recorded. Technical specifications - in particular natural frequency and sensitivity, are affected by changes in temperature and by sensor aging. Geophone specifications are also provided with manufacturing tolerances – better tolerances being achievable, but at a price far from the market benchmark.
Although geophones may still offer a viable solution when operating arrays, it may be time however to reconsider the receiver technology that will drive the industry transition towards single sensor acquisition.
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