A marine seismic exploration method and system comprised of continuous recording, self-contained ocean bottom pods characterized by low profile casings. An external bumper is provided to promote ocean bottom coupling and prevent fishing net entrapment. Pods are tethered together with flexible, non-rigid, non-conducting cable used to control pod deployment. Pods are deployed and retrieved from a boat deck configured to have a storage system and a handling system to attach pods to cable on-the-fly. The storage system is a juke box configuration of slots wherein individual pods are randomly stored in the slots to permit data extraction, charging, testing and synchronizing without opening the pods. A pod may include an inertial navigation system to determine ocean floor location and a rubidium clock for timing. The system includes mathematical gimballing. The cable may include shear couplings designed to automatically shear apart if a certain level of cable tension is reached.

Apparatuses, systems, and methods for data and/or power transfer to and from an ocean bottom seismic node are described. In an embodiment, an autonomous seismic node is configured with a bulkhead connector assembly that may be coupled to a plug assembly for data and/or power transfer and a pressure cap assembly when utilized subsea. A plurality of pins may be located on the bulkhead assembly in a substantially flat contact surface to obtain an external electrical connection to the node. The pins on the bulkhead assembly may form a flat circuit with an external device, such as a plug assembly or pressure cap assembly. One or more external devices may be coupled to the pressure cap assembly and/or bulkhead connector for increased functionality to the node. A quick release assembly and/or locking ring may be utilized to fasten any external device to the bulkhead connector assembly.

A housing for a seismic sensor station has a base and a removable lid, which when assembled together form a shell whereby the base and the removable lid both have a shell side and an exterior side. A sensor spike, protruding outward from the shell, may be attached to the base on the exterior side of the base. The housing is further provided with two cable docking ports, each allowing passage of a fiber optical cable from outside to inside the shell. The two cable docking ports are exclusively provided in the removable lid.

The present application relates to a seismic sensor coupling device and method. Translational data in a first direction is measured by particle motion sensors contained in an elongated housing of a sensor device provided at an earth surface. The particle motion sensors are spaced apart along a second, different direction along a longitudinal axis of the elongated housing. Rotation data around a third direction is computed based at least in part on computing a gradient of the translational data with respect to the second direction. Coupling of the sensor to the earth and features related thereto are addressed in the present application.

A seismic sensor station employs a sensor unit that is mounted on a central mounting post attached to the base of a sensor station housing. The only path of mechanically supporting contact that exists between the sensor unit and the base is through the central mounting post.

Apparatuses, systems, and methods for data and/or power transfer to and from an ocean bottom seismic node are described. In an embodiment, an autonomous seismic node is configured with a bulkhead connector assembly that may be coupled to a plug assembly for data and/or power transfer and a pressure cap assembly when utilized subsea. A plurality of pins may be located on the bulkhead assembly in a substantially flat contact surface to obtain an external electrical connection to the node. The pins on the bulkhead assembly may form a flat circuit with an external device, such as a plug assembly or pressure cap assembly. One or more external devices may be coupled to the pressure cap assembly and/or bulkhead connector for increased functionality to the node. A quick release assembly and/or locking ring may be utilized to fasten any external device to the bulkhead connector assembly.

A drone geophone installation arrangement comprising a drone configured to transport a geophone, and an anchor arrangement configured to selectively and releasably anchor the drone to a surface. Also included is a geophone implantation assembly configured to implant the geophone into the surface, the implantation assembly comprising i) a geophone receptacle configured to releasably receive the geophone, ii) a translation carriage configured to urge the geophone receptacle into the surface, and iii) a pulsator configured to apply at least one implantation pulse to the geophone receptacle to facilitate implantation of the geophone into the surface while the drone is anchored thereto. An associated geophone installation method is also described.

A seismic sensor assembly includes a sensor body; cable connectors operatively coupled to the sensor body; and a grounding clamp operatively coupled to the cable connectors. A lightning strike kit for a seismic sensor assembly can include the grounding clamp as an electrically conductive component for electrical coupling to a base and/or a spike of a seismic sensor assembly.

A seismic drone, a system including a plurality of seismic drones and a base station, and a method of use of the system is disclosed. The seismic drone includes a positioning device, surveillance system, telecommunications transceiver, electronic control system (including a microprocessor), adaptable landing gear, a seismic receiver deployment system, and a seismic data recording system. The seismic drone is capable of take-off, flight to a target location (or locations), landing at the target location, deploying a seismic receiver, and sending data back to a base station or master drone.

The invention concerns a measuring instrument, a combined seismic sensor system that can measure 9 components of seismic motion, i.e. 3 orthogonal translational components, 3 components of rotation around orthogonal axes and 3 strain components at the measuring point. The system according to the invention comprises a solid undeformable frame, horizontal and vertical seismic sensors and optical dilatometers. The invention also includes a method of seismic measurement using the instrument. The instrument is suitable for measuring wavefields generated both by artificial sources (mine blasts, generators of rotational motions) and by natural sources (e.g. local earthquakes, rockbursts etc.)