Seismic Surveying
Seismic Surveys Reveal Past, Hint at Future
BY JEREMY LOVELL
Reuters
LEICESTER, England - Scientists are using high resolution, three-dimensional seismic images to peer under the earth's skin, unlocking the secrets of the past, a leading geologist said Tuesday.
"The initial results are very exciting," Joe Cartwright, professor of geophysics at Cardiff University told reporters. "This really is the Hubble telescope of geology."
The space-borne Hubble telescope has enabled scientists to look deep into the universe and watch the birth and death of stars millennia ago.
Cartwright said the high definition images of structures up to nine miles under the earth's surface -- provided free of charge by oil exploration companies -- had already revealed events long ago in the earth's past.
"It is a time machine, because it enables us to look far back into the past," he said. "We are able to see old landscapes in incredible detail.
"This technique allows us to have a greater understanding of geological fault lines. We are getting close to a level of physical understanding that brings some sort of prediction closer," he said when asked if it could predict earthquakes.
He said the 3-D images had already expanded geological knowledge with the discovery of a new type of geological fault in sedimentary rock formations.
They had also revealed ancient and previously unknown subterranean volcanoes made of sand and standing 1,000 feet high and a mile wide at the base.
"We are learning fundamental things about geology. This technique is a body scanner for the earth's surface," Cartwright said.
"We have seen ancient iceberg plow marks. We can even tell in which direction they were traveling," he added.
Cartwright said the 3-D images -- which could detect a structure just 30 yards across at a depth of six miles -- were enabling scientists to study changing sea currents over the centuries, which was vital in the study of global warming.
It also allowed them to start to understand the flows of liquids though the earth's crust, important in the science of tectonic plate movement.
"We are really in an age of new discovery. This technique offers the youngster coming into science the ultimate computer game," Cartwright said.
