The technology service provider DMT has been awarded a contract for a high-resolution 3D vibro-seismic survey to determine the geological structure of the subsoil in the Upper Rhine Plain. The seismic project will deploy approximately 7,000 wireless geophones and cover a total of around 58 km² in the Landau region (Rhineland-Palatinate). DMT will use vibro trucks of different sizes, depending on the nature of the terrain and how built-up particular areas are. The project is for Wintershall, the largest German producer of crude oil and natural gas, and is due to last from December 2016 to March 2017.
“What’s special about this survey is that due to the range of vehicles used, we are able to adapt extremely well to the environment,” explains DMT Project Manager, Dr Rüdiger Misiek. This means that smaller vehicles are used in residential areas. “Furthermore, we use wireless geophones as measuring sensors. By eliminating the need for cables, we have no trouble crossing railway tracks and roads,” says the geophysicist. Such wireless technology also facilitates large measuring campaigns in particularly short time periods, therefore conserving the natural environment.