ABSTRACT

Seismic tomographic imaging, based on the same principles as a medical CAT Scan (Computer-Aided-Tomography), has been used for many years in the oil industry for large-scale subsurface stratigraphic characterization, and has most recently been applied to various structure- and stress-related problems in mining. New developments in signal processing have greatly enhanced the speed, resolution, and range of applications of tomographic imaging in underground settings, and recent innovations in data acquisition hardware have further increased data reliability and repeatability. Whereas past structure mapping applications relied on seismic velocity and/or attenuation tomography within an enclosed seismic source and receiver array, recent developments in “True Reflective Tomography” (TRT™) have expanded the application of this technology considerably.