Below The Seabed –
Finding Hydrocarbons

Looking for oil and gas from the middle of the ocean requires the application of geophysical technology. Geophysicists commonly use gravity, magnetic and seismic methods to explore the subsurface. At sea, seismic exploration is the primary method for searching for hydrocarbons. Seismic survey uses acoustic energy which is reflected off subsurface rock layers. Seismic exploration images the shape of the subsurface sedimentary rocks and locates petroleum traps. A common seismic source is an air gun towed behind a ship. To cover a large area, the seismic ship can often tow up to twelve parallel streamers and four source arrays.