Seismic surveying system for water-covered areas

Claim 1

FOR USE IN SEISMIC PROSPECTING FOR GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURES DISPOSED BENEATH A BODY OF WATER, APPARATUS FORMING A LINEAR SOUND SOURCE FOR CREATING EXPLOSIVE ENERGY ALONG A SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS LINE, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY-DISPOSED ELONGATED FLEXIBLE BODY MEMBER HAVING AN ELONGATED CHAMBER FORMED THEREIN, SAID FLEXIBLE BODY MEMBER BEING MADE OF A SOUND-TRANSMITTING MATERIAL AND BEING OF SMALL DIAMETER RELATIVE TO ITS LENGTH, THE LENGTH OF SAID BODY MEMBER BEING FROM ONE-HALF TO SEVERAL TIMES THE LENGTH OF THE WAVELENGTH UNDER STUDY DURING THE SEISMIC PROSPECTING, GAS CONDUIT MEANS SECURED TO THE LEAD END OF SAID BODY MEMBER IN COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID BODY MEMBER AND A SOURCE OF COMBUSTIBLE GASES, GAS IGNITION MEANS POSITIONED WITHIN THE INTERIOR OF SAID ELONGATED CHAMBER, AND DISCHARGE PORT MEANS FROM SAID ELONGATED CHAMBER.

Claim 3

A METHOD OF SEISMIC SURVEYING OVER A WATER-COVERED AREA, SAID METHOD INCLUDING THE STEPS OF TOWING AN ELONGATED SUBSTANTIALLY LINEAR SOUND SOURCE STREAMER THROUGH THE WATER AT AN ANGLE TO THE SURFACE THEREOF WITH ONE END BEING HIGHER IN THE WATER THAN THE OTHER END, AND CAUSING A DETONATION TO TAKE PLACE IN THE TOWED LINEAR SOUND SOURCE STREAMER THROUGHOUT THE LENGTH THEREOF TO FORM A WAVE FRONT RADIATING FROM SAID STREAMER.

Claim 4

A METHOD OF SEISMIC SURVEYING OVER A WATER-COVERED AREA, SAID METHOD INCLUDING THE STEPS OF TOWING AN ELONGATED SUBSTANTIALLY LINEAR SOUND SOURCE STREAMER THROUGH THE WATER AT AN ANGLE TO THE SURFACE THEREOF WITH ONE END BEING HIGHER IN THE WATER THAN THE OTHER END, AND CAUSING A DETONATION TO TAKE PLACE IN THE TOWED LINEAR SOUND SOURCE STREAMER THROUGHOUT THE LENGTH THEREOF TO FORM A WAVE FRONT RADIATING FROM SAID STREAMER.