Paper Summary
In 2009 TGS acquired 2,947 km of 2D long-offset multi-client data in the Atlantic Margin across the far northeastern part of the Faroe-Shetland Basin (FSB) crossing into the southwestern Møre Basin as part of its continuing North Sea Renaissance (NSR) programme (figure 1). The new acquisition encompasses the under-explored area between the Lagavulin and Talisker prospects in the northernmost part of UKCS crossing into Norwegian territorial waters towards the Tulipan discovery. Extensively thick sequences of Palaeogene flood basalts associated with the opening of the proto North Atlantic Ocean dominate the area which strongly attenuate and scatter the high frequency components of the seismic signal. For this reason, the acquisition deviates from the NSR programme to date through the use of a much deeper towed streamer at 18 metres depth to concentrate on low frequencies. The principal objective was to improve imaging of prospective Palaeocene clastic sediments interbedded within the basaltic flows and the potentially prospective Mesozoic and Palaeozoic section concealed beneath. The deeper towed streamer also allows the acquisition of data in poor sea-states, resulting in less downtime and extension of the season.
