Basement imaging with side-looking seismics

The multistreamer Side-Looking Seismic system presented in this paper makes a sonograph of uncovered or buried crustal topography, thus revealing the structural fabric of the oceanic basement, even when this is covered with a sedimentary layer. The system is used simultaneously for enhanced single-channel seismic profiling and for side-looking seismics. Swath width is mainly determined by water depth and refraction effects in the sediment. In Madeira abyssal plain a swath width of 8000 m was attained in a water depth of 5000 m. Within the swath, oceanic basement structures are recognized in the form of elongate more or less parallel reflectors. They are interpreted as buried spreading topography. The lack of side-echoes within fracture zones combined with typical wall signatures can be used to trace fracture zones. These features are demonstrated for an area in Madeira abyssal plain.