Acoustipulse system provides improved marine geologic engineering information

The ACOUSTIPULSE is a new geophysical system for shallow penetration subbottom profiling. The acoustic pulse is generated electromechanically and is essentially a single cycle pulse. This single cycle pulse provides a higher degree of geophysical resolution than has been heretofore obtainable. One of the lease blocks in the December 1972 Offshore Louisiana Federal lease sale was studied using the ACOUSTIPULSE system. The study was oriented toward an investigation of the geologic hazards affecting the placement of offshore drilling platforms. Three types of geologic hazards were found. These were a buried river channel, shallow faults, and gas seep areas. The ACOUSTIPULSE system represents an important advance in offshore geologic engineering studies.