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Penetration and resolution of fractures and injections in the litosphere (uppermost) with exploration seismics

Exploitable results

More than 2000 km of marine seismic data has been interpreted from the Ionian and Aegean Seas by using a new type of marine seismic source, which produces much stronger signals than conventional equipment. This has enabled deep crustal targets to be fully investigated for the first time, which in turn might lead to better exploitation of oil resources and the possibility of improved predictions of earthquakes and volcanic activity. The signals from the new seismic source were found to be ten times stronger than signals from conventional methods. This produced a much clearer signature of the Earth's crust, in which there was greater clarity to rock fractures and other geological phenomena. The identification of deep fault structures in the crust has important implications for predicting the occurrence of major earthquakes and volcanic activity. Also, the new seismic method does not generate high frequencies which are harmful to wildlife.

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