Low-Frequency Passive Seismic Experiments in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: Implications For Hydrocarbon Detection

Geophysical Prospecting doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2478.2009.00835.
Low-frequency passive seismic experiments in Abu Dhabi, United Arab

Emirates: implications for hydrocarbon detection
Mohammed Y. Ali1∗ , Karl A. Berteussen1 , James Small2‡ and Braham Barkat1
1 The Petroleum Institute, P.O. Box 2533, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and 2 Managing Consultant, Norway
Received July 2009, revision accepted August 2009
ABSTRACT
Low-frequency passive seismic experiments utilizing arrays of 3-component broad-
band seismometers were conducted over two sites in the emirate of Abu Dhabi in the
United Arab Emirates. The experiments were conducted in the vicinity of a produc-
ing oilfield and around a dry exploration well to better understand the characteristics
and origins of microtremor signals (1–6 Hz), which had been reported as occurring
exclusively above several hydrocarbon reservoirs in the region.
The results of the experiments revealed that a strong correlation exists between
the recorded ambient noise and observed meteorological and anthropogenic noises.
In the frequency range of 0.15–0.4 Hz, the dominant feature is a double-frequency
microseism peak generated by the non-linear interactions of storm induced surface
waves in the Arabian Sea. We observed that the double-frequency microseism displays
a high variability in spectral amplitude, with the strongest amplitude occurring when
Cyclone Gonu was battering the eastern coast of Oman; this noise was present at
both sites and so is not a hydrocarbon indicator. Moreover, this study found that
very strong microtremor signals in the frequency range of 2–3 Hz were present in
all of the locations surveyed, both within and outside of the reservoir boundary and
surrounding the dry exploration well. This microtremor signal has no clear correlation
with the microseism signals but significant variations in the characteristics of the
signals were observed between daytime and nighttime recording periods that clearly
correlate with human activity.
High-resolution frequency-wavenumber (f -k) spectral analyses were performed on
the recorded data to determine apparent velocities and azimuths of the wavefronts
for the microseism and microtremor events. The f -k analyses confirmed that the
double-frequency microseism originates from wave activity in the Arabian Sea, while
the microtremor events have an azimuth pointing towards the nearest motorways,
indicating that they are probably being excited by traffic noise. Results drawn from
particle motion studies confirm these observations. The vertical-to-horizontal spectral
ratios of the data acquired in both experiments show peaks around 2.5–3 Hz with no
dependence on the presence or absence of subsurface hydrocarbons. Therefore, this
method should not be used as a direct hydrocarbon indicator in these environments.
Furthermore, the analyses provide no direct evidence to indicate that earthquakes
are capable of stimulating the hydrocarbon reservoir in a way that could modify the
spectral amplitude of the microtremor signal.
∗ E-mail:
[email protected]
‡ Formerlyat The Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi, United Arab
Emirates.

C 2009 European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers 1
2 M.Y. Ali et al.
plication of downhole measurements and seismic refraction

INTRODUCTION
profiles (Liu et al. 2000; Louie 2001; Di Giulio et al. 2006).
The ambient noise of the Earth is generated by many indepen- In addition, microtremor data have been used to image sub-
dent sources that affect the overall frequency band of the natu- surface sedimentary structures. Draganov et al. (2007, 2009)
ral background wavefield. Frequencies below 1 Hz are largely used seismic interferometery to cross-correlate ten hours of
generated by oceanic and large-scale meteorological events microtremor data acquired in desert areas of Saudi Arabia
(Longuet-Higgins 1950; Peterson 1993; Webb 2007). At fre- and Northern Africa. The cross-correlation revealed several
quencies above 1 Hz, the noise wavefield in urban settings is P-wave reflection events that correlated well with reflections
dominated by cultural sources, particularly traffic, whereas in deduced from an active seismic survey at the same locations.
remote sites wind generated noise is the predominant source In more recent times it has been suggested that microtremor
(Peterson 1993; Withers et al. 1996; Young et al. 1996; Wil- measurements can be used to determine the location, depth
son et al. 2002; McNamara and Buland 2004; Marzorati and and thickness of hydrocarbon reservoirs. Anomalously high
Bindi 2006; Bonnefoy-Claudet, Cotton and Bart 2006b). Cul- spectral amplitudes of microtremor signals in the 1–6 Hz
tural noise typically exhibits daily and weekly cyclical vari- frequency range, with a peak around 3 Hz, have been ob-
ations linked to human activities (Yamanaka, Dravinski and served and reported over a number of hydrocarbon reser-
Kagami 1993; Bonnefoy-Claudet et al. 2006b). voirs, primarily in a gas field in Austria and several sites in the
The measurement of ambient noise in the frequency band Middle East, including some oilfields in Abu Dhabi (Singer
below 1 Hz can help in our understanding of the interaction et al. 2002; Dangel et al. 2003; Holzner et al. 2005a,b,
between the solid earth, oceans and the atmosphere (Greve- 2006a,b,c, 2007a,b; Frehner et al. 2006, 2007; Rached 2006,
meyer, Herber and Essen 2000; Kedar and Webb 2005). 2009; Lambert et al. 2007, 2009a,b; Steiner, Saenger and
Ambient noise in the 1–10 Hz frequency range (commonly Schmalholz 2007; 2008a; Saenger et al. 2007b, 2009a; van
known as microtremor) can provide a low-cost and non- Mastrigt and Al-Dulaijan 2008; Nguyen et al. 2008, 2009;
invasive exploration solution in urban sites where geotech- Goertz et al. 2009; Saenger, Torres and Artman 2009c). These
nical information is often difficult to obtain. As a result mi- studies have claimed that a strong correlation exists between
crotremor measurements have been used in many studies to microtremor spectral anomalies and the presence of hydro-
determine fundamental resonant frequencies, shear-wave ve- carbons over several established oilfields. Their findings sug-
locities and thicknesses of unconsolidated shallow sediments gest that microtremor anomalies diminish towards the rim
(Ohori, Nobata and Wakamatsu 2002; Hartzell et al. 2003; of hydrocarbon reservoirs and are totally absent above non-
Scherbaum, Hinzen and Ohrnberger 2003; Chavez-Garcia reservoir locations.
and Luzon 2005; Kind, Faeh and Giardini 2005; Picozzi, Furthermore, it has also been suggested that microtremor
Parolai and Richwalski 2005; Maresca, Galluzzo and Del analysis has several potential applications in hydrocarbon ex-
Pezzo 2006; Cho, Tada and Shinozaki 2006; Bonnefoy- ploration and production. These include reconnaissance of
Claudet et al. 2006a; Tada, Cho and Shinozaki 2006, 2007; frontier exploration areas, optimization of well placement,
Chavez-Garcia and Rodriguez 2007; Dutta et al. 2007; reservoir monitoring and as a complementary tool to struc-
Wathelet et al. 2008; Stephenson et al. 2009). These data tural imaging to reduce drilling risk (Holzner et al. 2005c;
can be used to predict local amplification of ground mo- Schmalholz et al. 2006; Bloch and Akrawi 2006; Graf et al.
tion during earthquakes and for the preparation of seismic 2007; Saenger et al. 2007a, 2009b). Some studies have sug-
microzonation maps (Gaull, Kagami and Taniguchi 1995; gested that a linear relationship can be derived between
Ansal, Iyisan and Gullu 2001; Tuladhar et al. 2004; Bhat- the observed microtremor signal and the total thickness of
tarai 2005). Such information is crucial for seismic hazard hydrocarbon-bearing layers from various oilfields, mainly in
assessment. Predictions based on microtremor data have been the Middle East (Dangel et al. 2003; Holzner et al. 2005c;
verified using other seismic techniques. For example, patterns Bloch and Akrawi 2006; Saenger et al. 2007a). Other studies
of ground motion amplification observed during earthquakes have claimed that these anomalous microtremor signals are
are comparable to amplification patterns modelled from mi- produced from resonant scattering and amplification within
crotremor data (Horike, Zhao and Kawase 2001; Rodriguez the porous multi-phase (or partially-saturated) reservoir rocks
and Midorikawa 2003; Cara et al. 2008; Haghshenas 2008). (Holzner et al. 2005c, 2009; Schmalholz et al. 2006; Graf et al.
Similarly shallow shear-wave velocities determined from the 2007; Saenger et al. 2007a, 2009a,b; Walker 2008; Frehner,
analyses of microtremor data have been verified through ap- Schmalholz and Podladchikov 2009). In these theories, it is

C 2009 European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers, Geophysical Prospecting, 1–25
Low-frequency passive seismic experiments 3
assumed that the low-frequency ambient noise (microseisms) The field has a moderate relief anticlinal structure and is lim-
of the Earth is the stimulus for the anomalous microtremor ited by three major faults, two NW-SE trending and a WNW-
signals observed. These studies also claimed that non-linear in- ESE trending fault system. The anticline is interpreted to have
teraction of the microseism signal with liquid hydrocarbons, resulted from vertical movements due to basement tectonics
water and the pore-rock materials in the reservoirs distorts and later compressional stress related to regional tectonics as-
the ambient noise, resulting in the anomalously high vertical- sociated with the obduction of the Oman ophiolites in the
component microtremor ground velocities above hydrocar- Late Cretaceous. In addition, the field is affected by the col-
bon reservoirs. To date there has not been any published work lision of the Arabian Plate with central Iran along the Za-
that successfully applies modelling or mathematical expres- gros suture, together with the culmination of the Musandam
sions to link microtremor signals with subsurface hydrocar- peninsula during Oligocene-Miocene times. This resulted in
bon reservoirs. deformations related to strike-slip movements. However, the
Steiner, Saenger and Schmalholz (2008b) applied time re- main phase of deformation occurred during the Late Creta-
verse modelling to argue that microtremor data can accurately ceous. The shallow subsurface structure of the field consists
determine locations, depths and thicknesses of hydrocarbon mainly of soft Quaternary sediments overlying hard Tertiary
reservoirs. However, it has since been noted that the time re- carbonates.
verse modelling presented in that study was largely controlled The producing zones are all within a series of stacked reser-
by the a priori velocity model and was minimally affected by voirs of the Lower Cretaceous Shuaiba and Kharaib For-
the microtremor wavefield (Green and Greenhalgh 2009). mations, all from the Thamama Group (Barremien to Late
Furthermore, a growing number of case studies have cast Aptian) (Fig. 2). These carbonate reservoir intervals are sep-
doubt upon the applicability of the microtremor technique arated by very low porosity intervals that are commonly re-
for hydrocarbon detection. Berteussen (2008a,b) and Ali et al. ferred to as dense zones. The reservoir zones correspond to
(2007, 2009a,b,c,d) showed that the observed anomalous mi- the late transgressive and highstand system tracts character-
crotremor signals are not related to body waves originating ized by parasequence sets that show shoaling upward trends
from hydrocarbon reservoirs. Rather, they are caused by low of predominantly aggradational and progradational stacking
apparent velocity surface waves travelling through shallow patterns.
sediments. In another study, Hanssen and Bussat (2008) anal- The vertical closure at the main reservoir level is approxi-
ysed ambient noise recorded over an oilfield in the Sahara mately 40 m. This oilfield was selected as a suitable site for the
desert of Libya and suggested that high spectral amplitude experiment because it has a clear and well-defined oil/water
microtremor noise does not originate from the underlying contact (OWC) mapped from 3D seismic and well data ac-
reservoir but rather are surface waves caused mainly by an- cording to geoscientists currently working on the field. How-
thropogenic noises. ever, there is a slight possibility that deeper reservoirs (e.g., in
In this paper we present the results of microtremor in- the Upper Jurassic Arab and Permian Khuff Formations) may
vestigations carried out over an onshore carbonate oilfield exist in the field. Nevertheless, the oilfield provides a unique
and around a dry exploration well in Abu Dhabi, United environment in which to measure and study the microtremor
Arab Emirates. The aims of the experiments were to de- signal both above and outside the reservoir.
termine the characteristics and origin of microtremor sig-
nals and to investigate whether microtremor signals can be Dry exploration well
used as a hydrocarbon indicator. We performed frequency,
The deep exploration well is located about 100 km south-
joint time-frequency, V/H (vertical-to-horizontal) spectral ra-
east of Abu Dhabi city (Fig. 1a,b). The well was drilled with
tio, frequency-wavenumber and particle motion analyses to
a near-surface geology characterized by tens of metres of
characterize the recorded ambient noise.
poorly-consolidated aeolian Quaternary sediments. The seis-
mic interpretation indicated the presence of small closures at
SURVEY AREAS
Kharaib Formation level. The well targeted a closure with
Geological setting an elongated structural feature striking in a NW-SE direction
encompassing two culminations, being bound from the west
Oilfield
by a normal fault dipping to the west. The main exploration
The oilfield for the study is located onshore in the Abu Dhabi objectives of the well were to investigate the hydrocarbon
Emirate, about 50 km southwest of Abu Dhabi city (Fig. 1a,b). potential and reservoir development of the Mishrif, Shuaiba

4 M.Y. Ali et al.
Figure 1 a) Regional satellite map showing the study areas. Stars show the location and date/time of Cyclone Gonu. b) Local satellite map
showing the study areas. Red lines show major motorways. c) Location map of the survey on the oilfield showing the oil/water contact (OWC).
Red triangles represent the position of the seismometers above the oil reservoir, whereas blue triangles represent the location of the seismometers
above the water saturated zone. d) Location map of the survey on the abandon exploration well. Red triangles indicate the position of the
seismometers.

B225NW
(c)
B225NE A1800NW
B
B15NW B15NE A900NW A1800NE
B15SW B15SE
A450NW A900NE
B225SW Location A A225 A450NE
NW
A225NE
A225SW
A225SE
Well W1
A450SW
OWC
Location B B225SE A450SE
A900SW
B1800NW A900SE
A1800SW
Location B
B900NW B1800NE A1800SE
B900NE A112NW
A112NE
A56NW
A56NE
B900SW A15NW A15NE
A5SW Well 1 (A)
B1800SW B900SE
A15SW A15SE
A56SW
A56SE
A112SW
B1800SE
500 0 500 1000 1500
(meters)
Location A A112SE
(d) D1
D5
C1
C5
B1
B5 BH Well
A5 A1
A2
B2
C2
A4
A3
B4
B3
C4
C3
D4
50 0 50
D3
(m e te rs )
Figure 1 Continued.

6 M.Y. Ali et al.
Figure 2 Summary of stratigraphic column of the UAE foreland basin showing petroleum systems of Mesozoic and Tertiary. Modified from Ali
and Watts (2009).
(Middle-Lower Cretaceous) and the deeper Upper Jurassic voirs were insignificant. Moreover, open hole drillstem tests
Formations (Fig. 2). The well eventually penetrated more than (DST) and production tests of the reservoirs were all found
16 500 ft of Mesozoic and Cenozoic sediments but logging to be water-bearing. While this area was specifically chosen
data indicated that the characteristics of all prospective reser- for the study primarily because of the lack of hydrocarbons

present, there is always the possibility that deeper reservoirs surements. The seismometers have a flat frequency response
could exist (e.g., in the Khuff Formation). However, the seis- from 0.33–100 Hz, with a sensitivity of 2000 V/m/s. A sam-
mic data show no clear structures that could trap signifi- pling rate of 200 Hz was used for the first experiment and
cant accumulation of hydrocarbons below the Upper/Middle 100 Hz for the second experiment. The sensors were covered
Jurassic Formations. and buried up to 0.5 m deep where possible for firm ground
contact and wind shielding.
Data acquisition Data processing

The survey over the oilfield was carried out between 21 May Time, frequency and joint time-frequency analyses were per-
and 17 June of 2007. During the acquisition of the data, a formed to characterize the recorded ambient noise. Data were
powerful tropical cyclone (Cyclone Gonu) hit the coast of first converted into units of metres per second by correcting
Oman (Fig. 1a). Cyclone Gonu developed in the eastern Ara- for the digitizer output and the seismometer gain factor. A
bian Sea on 1 June attaining peak wind speeds of 240 km/h processing window of 60 seconds with a 5% cosine taper was
on 3 June. Cyclone Gonu made landfall on the eastern coast applied to the data to reduce spectral leakage. Fourier ampli-
of Oman on 5 June with sustained wind speeds of approxi- tude spectra were analysed, both without smoothing applied
mately 150 km/h, becoming the strongest tropical cyclone to and with the smoothing procedure of Konno and Ohmachi
hit the Arabian Peninsula in recorded times (De Bhowmick (1998), using a b-value of 40. The mean was removed and
et al. 2007; le Comte 2008). It then turned northward into excessively noisy sections of the signal were excluded from
the Gulf of Oman and dispersed after moving ashore along the analyses before stacking the data. Figure 3 shows that
southern Iran on 7 June. strong local wind conditions and regional earthquakes can
The survey consisted of a single 2D profile running be- contaminate the signal by generating high-frequency (>6Hz)
tween locations A and B, with several detailed studies con- and low-frequency (<2 Hz) noises respectively. Such noisy
ducted around each of these locations using arrays of sen- data were removed prior to analyses.
sors (Fig. 1c). The array geometry was designed to opti- Time-frequency representations were used to analyse the
mize the detection of microseism and microtremor signals. spectral content of the data. Time-frequency representations
Location A is situated over the maximum oil column of the have been successfully used for signal recovery at low signal-
reservoir, whereas location B was positioned over an area to-noise ratio, for accurate estimation of the instantaneous
that presumably contained no oil. The 2D seismic profile was frequency, for signal detection in communication, for radar
recorded simultaneously and intended to connect the two sites. and for the design of time-varying filters (Cohen 1995). The
Two seismometers were placed at locations A and B to con- time-frequency representation technique that was used in this
tinuously record throughout the entire survey and to monitor study is the short-time Fourier transform, defined as
any long-term variations in the ambient noise. The deploy- ∞
ment of the sensor arrays consisted of 7 individual configura- X(t, f ) = x(τ )h(τ − t)e−j2π f τ dτ (1)
−∞
tions centred at location A and 4 configurations at location
B, each with varying aperture sizes (from 30–3600 m). Each where x(τ ) is the signal under investigation and h(t) is a win-
array consisted of 5 broadband stations and utilized a typical dow function centred around t = 0. The Fourier transform
recording period of 24 hours. is generated by shifting the window so that it is centred on
The survey over the dry exploration well was carried out a time of interest, multiplying x(τ ) by the shifted version of
in January of 2009 and included the deployment of four ar- h(t) and then taking the Fourier transform of the resultant
rays with varying aperture sizes (50–500 m) centred at the windowed signal. The window can be shifted such that the
well (Fig. 1d). Recording times for the arrays varied from resulting time intervals are contiguous or overlapping. In the
1–24 hours. examples below (Figs 6 and 10), contiguous windows were
The signals were recorded using 3-component broadband considered.
seismometers, Guralp CMG-6TD for the first experiment over
ANALYSIS OF AMBIENT NOISE
the oilfield and CMG-3EX for the second experiment around
the dry exploration well. Each sensor was equipped with an in- Continuous recording over a period of 27 days allowed the
ternal 24-bit digitizer and external global positioning system time response of the ambient seismic noise to be correlated
(GPS) receiver to allow precise synchronization of the mea- with large-scale meteorological conditions and anthropogenic

8 M.Y. Ali et al.
Figure 3 Time series of vertical particle velocity showing a) a regional earthquake that occurred in southern Iran on early morning (local time)
of 8 July 2007. b) A noisy data set probably due to windy conditions. c) Quiet data set. d) Spectral amplitudes of the records displayed in
Fig. 3(a–c).

-6
x 10
10
Iran earthquake - A900 SW
Spectrum amplitude (m/s)

8 June at 01:00-01:30
Wind - Location A
1.0 26 May at 17:00-17:30
Quiet record - A15 NE

27 May at 01:30-02:00
0.1
(d)
0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 2 4 6 8 10
Frequency (Hz)
Figure 3 Continued.
noises. Figure 4 shows the ambient noise observed at the two oil reservoir (location A) or over the water saturated zone
sites. Many of the features of the figure are well understood (location B), with no significant differences in the spectral
and include microseism (0.1–1 Hz) and microtremor (2–6 Hz) amplitudes of microtremors signal inside or outside the reser-
signals. In this section the noise spectra amplitude estimated voir boundary. In addition, all three components (vertical,
for the two survey areas in these bands are detailed. north-south and east-west) for all stations recorded the signal
(Fig. 4). This observation is confirmed by the second exper-
Frequencies below 1 Hz iment over the dry exploration well, which shows a distinct
microtremor signal at about 2.5 Hz on all three components
Figure 4(a-c) shows representative spectral amplitudes of the
(Fig. 5b). The figure shows that the spectral amplitude of mi-
ambient noise recorded at locations A and B of the oilfield
crotremors at the dry well are much higher than that of the
and close to the dry exploration well, respectively. In the fre-
oilfield.
quency range 0.15–0.4 Hz, the noise spectrum is dominated
The spectral amplitude of microtremor signals recorded in
by a strong and easily recognizable peak at 0.25 Hz called
these surveys exhibited distinctive cyclical day-to-night and
the double-frequency peak (Longuet-Higgins 1950). The peak
weekdays-to-weekend variations. During the daytime a strong
of the double-frequency microseism spectrum occurs at a fre-
microtremor signal consistently appears, whereas during the
quency nearly twice that of the ocean surface waves (Longuet-
night only weak microtremor signals were detected (Fig. 6a,b).
Higgins 1950; Bromirski and Duennebier 2002). It is believed
The 24-hour cycle has minimum amplitude at around 1 am
that this double-frequency microseism occurs as a result of
local time and maximum amplitude late in the morning. In
the non-linear interaction between two ocean swells with the
addition, low microtremor amplitudes were observed during
same frequency, propagating in opposite directions (Longuet-
the weekend (Fridays in the United Arab Emirates) compared
Higgins 1950; Friedrich, Krüger and Klinge 1998; Kedar and
with a typical weekday. In the dry well location, differences of
Webb 2005; Tanimoto 2007; Webb 2007). The conditions
spectral amplitude of the microtremor signal were observed
that generate a double-frequency microseism arise in shallow
between daytime and nighttime measurements. In contrast,
water due to the interaction of incident ocean swells and re-
the microseism signal shows negligible day and night varia-
flected/scattered wave energy from coastal areas (Bromirski
tion, suggesting that the source of the signal is not dependant
and Duennebier 2002; Bromirski, Duennebier and Stephen
on the local anthropogenic activity.
2005). This noise occurs at all sites and thus can not be cor-
These microtremor signals have been attributed to the non-
related with the presence of hydrocarbons.
linear interaction of the microseism signal with the hydrocar-
bon reservoir, causing enhanced vertically polarized P-waves
Frequencies above 1 Hz
in the microtremor band above the reservoir compared with
Figure 5(a) shows the spectral amplitude of the 2D profile positions away from the reservoir (Holzner et al. 2005c; Graf
running from location A to location B of the survey over et al. 2007; Walker 2008; Saenger et al. 2009b). However,
the oilfield. The figure shows a distinct spectral microtremor the fact that all three components have recorded the signal
anomaly that peaks at about 2.5 Hz. The microtremor sig- means that the signal cannot possibly be a direct P-wave trav-
nal is observed on all stations whether positioned over the elling vertically up from below the sensors, unless it has been

10 M.Y. Ali et al.
-6
x 10
(a)

10
Double-frequency Microtremor
microseism peak peak
(distant source) High-frequency
noise
1.0
Vertical
North-South
East-West
0.1
0.1 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 2 4 6 8 10
-6 Frequency (Hz)
x 10
(b)
10
Double-frequency Microtremor
microseism peak peak
(distant source) High-frequency
noise
1.0
Vertical
North-South
East-West
0.1
0.1 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 2 4 6 8 10
-6
Frequency (Hz)
x 10
10
(c) Microtremor
peak
Double-frequency
1.0 microseism peak
(distant source)
High-frequency
noise
Vertical
0.1 North-South
East-West
0.1 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 2 4 6 8 10

Frequency (Hz)
Figure 4 Examples of typical spectral amplitudes of 60 minute periods of ambient noise recorded on vertical and horizontal components at
a) location A of the oilfield survey, 7 June 2007 at 00:00–01:00. b) Location B of the oilfield survey, 7 June 2007 at 00:00–01:00. c) Close
to the dry exploration well, 21 January 2009 at 00:00–01:00. All locations show double-frequency microseism at a frequency of around
0.25 Hz, microtremor at around 2.5 Hz and high-frequency noise. Microseism and microtremor signals were observed on all three seismometer
components (vertical, north-south and east-west) at all recording stations. For sensor locations see Fig. 1.
scattered or converted. In addition, the strong diurnal varia- amplitude variations with minimums recorded at midnight
tion in the microtremor signal suggests that the source respon- and maximums at midday (Yamanaka et al. 1993; Bonnefoy-
sible is possibly related to surface waves caused by the cou- Claudet et al. 2006b).
pling of anthropogenic noise (e.g., traffic, production instal-
lations), which tend to have minimums at night and on week-
COMPARISON OF AMBIENT NOISE
ends due to the cyclical nature of cultural noise. Such daily
WITH METEOROLOGICAL DATA
and weekly variations in spectral amplitudes of microtremor
signals have been reported in many other studies that have The correlation between the double-frequency microseism
attributed cultural activities revealed by regular daily spectral peak and the presence of ocean storms is supported by the

-7
x 10
10
(a) Location A

8 A900SW
1800SW
6 OWC
B2700NE
B1800NE
4
Location B
2
0
2 4 6 8 10
x 10
-6 Frequency (Hz)
(b) BH well
4
B1
B2
3 B3
B4
B5
2
0
2 4 6 8 10
Frequency (Hz)
Figure 5 a) Spectral amplitudes of vertical components of the sensors located along a profile from location A to B on the oilfield on 7 June
2007 at 00:00–01:00. b) Spectral amplitudes of sensors with array aperture of 100 m centred at the exploration dry well on 20 January 2009
at 00:00–01:00. All locations (above and outside the oilfield) show distinct microtremor signal.
temporal variation of spectral levels observed in the first sur- ing microseisms in Southern California which were generated
vey during the occurrence of Cyclone Gonu in 2007 (Figs 1a by Hurricane Ktarina in New Orleans some 2700 km away.
and 7a). Spectral amplitudes of the double-frequency micro- Comparing Fig. 7(a,b) over the duration of the survey in-
seism increased as Cyclone Gonu developed then reached dicates there is no direct relationship between the strength of
their maximum on 6 June as Gonu approached the eastern the microtremor and the microseism signals. During the pe-
Omani coast. The spectral amplitudes immediately dropped riod in which Cyclone Gonu was battering the eastern Omani
back again once the cyclone had passed the region. There- coast the spectral amplitude level of the microseism signal in-
fore, the appearance of Cyclone Gonu over the Arabian Sea creased by a factor of about 10. This increase is seen to be
during 4–6 June effectively explains the larger spectral ampli- essentially identical for both the vertical and horizontal com-
tudes of double-frequency microseisms observed during the ponents, whereas the microtremor signal remained seemingly
survey. unchanged. Hanssen and Bussat (2008) also noted that there
It is not surprising that microseism waves were recorded is no correlation between the low-frequency (1–6 Hz) band
even at a distance of more than 500 km from the Omani and microseism signal (<0.25 Hz). This is inconsistent with
coast. The microseism energy propagates primarily as funda- the assertion made by Holzner et al. (2005c, 2009) that the
mental Rayleigh waves through the Earth’s crust and hence driving force in the generation of the anomalous microtremor
does not attenuate rapidly and may be observed at conti- signals are microseism events.
nental sites far removed from the coastlines (Haubrich and Winds can be considered as broadband sources produc-
McCamy 1969; Barstow, Sutton and Carter 1989; Bromirski ing large amplitudes of noise at high frequencies (>1 Hz),
and Duennebier 2002; Bonnefoy-Claudet et al. 2006b). For representing fluctuations in response to the variation of
example, Gerstoft, Fehler and Sabra (2006) reported observ- the wind intensity (Withers et al. 1996; Young et al.

12 M.Y. Ali et al.
Figure 6 a) Time frequency display for data recorded from the vertical component of the seismometer at location A of the oilfield on 26 May
2007. b) Time frequency display for data recorded from the vertical component of the seismometer close to the dry exploration well on 20
January 2009. On both locations the microtremor signal exhibits strong diurnal variations with a strong signal during the day and a weaker
signal at night.
1996). Hence, we compared the microtremor measurements erage wind speed (2–3 km/s) and relatively low temperature
with local wind speed and temperature obtained from a (33◦ C). The highest temperature (>45◦ C), which occurs at
weather station located approximately 30 km north-east of the around midday, correlates well with a period of relatively
oilfield. low microtremor spectral amplitude, which is probably due
Figure 8(a-c) shows a comparison of microtremor signals to there being less cultural noise at that time (lunch and prayer
recorded on the oilfield with meteorological data (wind speed breaks). The lack of a direct correlation between the fluctu-
and temperature). The figure shows that the maximum spec- ations in spectral amplitudes of the microtremor and wind
tral amplitude of microtremor signal occurs at about 8:00 am speed is probably due to the isolating effects of burying the
local time, which corresponds to the period with lowest av- seismometers to a depth of 0.5 m. However the separation

-6
x 10
50 (a)
45
40
35
Spectrum amplitude (m/s) 30
25
20
15 North-South
East-West
10 Vertical
Cyclone Gonu
5
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Days (June 2007)
-7
x 10
10
(b)
Friday Friday Friday

6
Thur Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Thur Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat
1 2 3 4 5 6 Wed 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Days (June 2007)
Figure 7 a) Peak spectral amplitude of horizontal and vertical components of double-frequency microseism (about 0.25 Hz) obtained at
location B of the oilfield. b) Peak spectral amplitude of microtremor signal (2.5 Hz) horizontal and vertical components recorded at location B
of the oilfield. The spectral amplitudes of microseisms increased dramatically when Cyclone Gonu approached the coast of Oman, whereas the
microtremor signal remained unchanged. Spectral amplitudes of microtremor signals exhibit strong daily and weekly cyclical variations. Signals
were significantly stronger during normal working hours on weekdays compared with nighttimes and across weekends (Fridays in the United
Arab Emirates).
(30 km) between the weather station and the survey may also plification factors of the uppermost soft layers (Nakamura
affect this. 1989; Lermo and Chavez-Garcia 1994; Konno and Ohmachi
1998).
It has been suggested that the dominant amplitude peak
VERTICAL/HORIZONTAL SPECTRAL
of the ratio of vertical to horizontal components (V/H) in
RATIOS
the microtremor range is higher over hydrocarbon reservoirs
The H/V spectral ratio technique (Nakamura 1989) consists of (Lambert et al. 2007). The proponents of this assertion rea-
estimating the ratio between the Fourier amplitude spectra of son that hydrocarbon reservoirs emit distinctive P-waves that
the horizontal and the vertical components of the microtremor cause an increased vertical polarization of the ambient noise
recorded at the ground surface. The method takes advantage wavefield at the surface. This suggestion has resulted in the
of the fact that, in a soft soil layer, horizontal ground move- premise that high V/H values (>1) can be used as a direct hy-
ments (mainly Rayleigh waves) are more strongly amplified drocarbon indicator (Walker 2008; Lambert et al. 2009a,b;
than the vertical movements. As a result, there is a correla- Saenger et al. 2009b; Goertz et al. 2009; Nguyen et al.
tion between the H/V peak frequency and the fundamental 2009).
resonance frequency of the site. The technique provides reli- For each station in this study, the spectral amplitudes for
able estimates of fundamental resonance frequency and am- the horizontal and vertical components were calculated over

14 M.Y. Ali et al.
-7
x 10
10
(a) North-South
East-West
Vertical

8
6
Friday Friday Friday
Thur Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Thur Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat
1 2 3 4 5 6 Wed 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Days (June 2007)
30 (b)
Wind speed (km/hr)
25
20
15
10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Days (June 2007)
(c)
45
Temperature (°C)
40
35
30
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Days (June 2007)
Figure 8 Comparison of a) peak spectral amplitude of microtremor signal with b) wind speed and c) temperature. Maximum spectral amplitude
of microtremor occurs at around 08:00 am local time, which is close to when the wind speed is slowest. Highest temperature at midday correlates
well with relatively low spectral amplitude, which is probably due to lunch and prayer break.
a continuous 60-minute period of ambient noise. The Fourier noise generated by the structures immediately surrounding
amplitude spectra were then smoothed, following the method well A. The results from V/H analysis for the second exper-
of Konno and Ohmachi (1998) and the quadratic mean of iment over the dry well show an identical V/H peak also at
the horizontal amplitude spectrum was divided by the corre- about 2.5 Hz. Hence, these results would indicate that the
sponding vertical spectrum. The final result was obtained by V/H method could not be used as a hydrocarbon indicator in
averaging the H/V ratios from all windows and then inverting this case.
to obtain the V/H ratio.
The V/H spectral ratios measured over the oilfield (Fig. 9)
EARTHQUAKE TRIGGERED
indicate that a peak (>1) exists at 2–3 Hz on most of the sta-
MODIFICATION
tions whether measured over oil-saturated or water-bearing
areas. The anomalous V/H curve obtained at location A, for It has been suggested that hydrocarbon reservoirs can be stim-
frequencies higher than 3 Hz, is probably related to localized ulated by earthquake activity to temporarily alter the local

1.8
(a)
1.4
V/H
1.0
Location A
A900SW
1800SW
0.6 OWC
B2700NE
B1800NE
Location B
0.2
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Frequency (Hz)
1.8
(b)
1.4
V/H
1.0
BH well
B1
0.6 B2
B3
B4
B5
0.2
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Frequency (Hz)
Figure 9 a) Mean V/H spectral ratio of microtremor data recorded at the oilfield for 60 minutes on 7 June 2007 at 00:00–01:00. b) Mean V/H
spectral ratio of microtremor measurement at the dry well for 60 minutes on 20 January 2009 at 00:00–01:00. V/H spectral ratios of 2.5–3 Hz
are observed on both sites. The V/H peaks of 2.5–3.0 Hz are observed on both sites. The peaks are not related to the location of the hydrocarbon
reservoir.
ambient noise wavefield (Nguyen et al. 2008). This stimula- FREQUENCY-WAVENUMBER ANALYSIS
tion is said to result in a significant spectral increase of the AND WAVE PROPAGATION ACROSS
microtremor signal above the reservoir both during the earth- THE ARRAYS
quake and for at least an hour after the event. To test this
Frequency-wavenumber analyses of array data provide an
observation, teleseismic and regional earthquakes that were
excellent means for discriminating the seismic wavefield by
recorded during the survey over the oilfield were examined.
phase velocity, propagation azimuth and frequency. These
An earthquake that occurred in southern Iran on 8 June (lo-
in turn provide detailed information on the source genera-
cal time) with magnitude of 4.2, for example, is shown in
tion and propagation modes of noise wavefield (Capon 1969;
Figs 3(a) and 10. The onset of this event is apparent with a
Haubrich and McCamy 1969; Cessaro 1994; Satoh, Kawase
sharp increase in the amplitudes of all three components over
and Matsushima 2001; Okada 2003; Chevrot et al. 2007). In
a wide frequency band. However, there is no clear indica-
this study, we applied high-resolution frequency-wavenumber
tion as to whether the spectral amplitude of the microtremor
(f -k) spectral analysis to the array data, as proposed by Capon
signal is amplified during or after the earthquake. Both the
(1969). In doing so, we were able to identify the directions of
vertical and north-south components actually indicate a slight
approach and dominant phase velocities of the microseism
decrease of spectral amplitude for the microtremor frequen-
and microtremor waves as they moved over the array, thereby
cies immediately after the earthquake, which is inconsistent
distinguishing body waves from surface waves and possibly
with observations reported by Nguyen et al. (2008).
identifying their origins. The method assumes plane waveform

16 M.Y. Ali et al.
Figure 10 Time frequency display for data recorded from a) vertical component and b) north-south component. c) East-west component showing
that a regional earthquake occurred in southern Iran on early morning (local time) of 8 June 2007 with magnitude of 4.2. The earthquake has
a well-defined signature characterized by a vertical streak of high energy over a wide frequency band.

propagation through the seismic array and aims to improve then they should arrive simultaneously at all seismometers
the resolution in wavenumber space. (i.e., the apparent velocity would be infinite and the azimuth
In this study the propagation azimuth and slowness of the undefined).
microseism and microtremor bands were measured in each On the basis of these observations, the origin of the anoma-
array by finding the peak power in slowness space of con- lous microtremor events is interpreted as comprising surface-
tinuous 60-minute signal samples. The wavenumber domain coupled waves excited mainly by traffic noise from motor-
was computed on a uniformly sampled grid in f -k space using ways that cross the survey areas at a distance of about 10–
vertical component signals from the array recordings. 15 km (Fig. 1b). This analysis correlates with the interpre-
Figure 11(a,b) shows the slowness maps for microseism tation drawn from the spectral amplitude analyses but con-
bands (centre frequency of 0.25 Hz) in the oilfield from cross- trasts with other studies that have attributed the spectral peaks
shaped arrays with apertures of 3600 m at locations A and B of the microtremor events with the location of subsurface
respectively. While such a cross-shaped array does not have hydrocarbon reservoirs (Dangel et al. 2003; Holzner et al.
an isotropic mapping pattern, this does not dramatically af- 2005c; Walker 2008; Saenger et al. 2009b; Lambert et al.
fect the detection of the azimuth of the approaching wave- 2009a).
field. A straight arrow denotes the corresponding propaga-
tion back azimuth for the wavenumber vector at the peak
PARTICLE MOTION
spectrum amplitude. The signal across both arrays exhibits
high coherency, showing a single well-defined peak at slow- Assuming that the particle motion of double-frequency mi-
ness corresponding to that of crustal Rayleigh waves with croseisms and microtremors (which are mainly composed of
apparent velocity of approximately 3600 m/s. This high ap- Rayleigh waves) are elliptical and that the medium is az-
parent velocity indicates that the wavefield has interacted with imuthally isotropic, then the wave should have a rotational
deeper more compacted carbonate rocks, consistent with these motion in a vertical plane oriented in the azimuthal direction
low frequencies. The propagation back azimuth (i.e., direc- (i.e., in the direction of wave propagation) (Barstow et al.
tion from the array pointing back towards the source) of the 1989; Bromirski and Duennebier 2002; Tanimoto, Ishimaru
wavefront varies from 305–327◦ , with the slight difference and Alvizuri 2006; Bonnefoy-Claudet et al. 2006b). If, for
on propagation azimuth most likely due to change in source example, the wave is actually a Love wave then the motion
positions. The wavefront is interpreted as being microseismic will be transverse to this. To test this proposition, processing
events generated by wave activity in the Arabian Sea, far to the of the data in this study was initially band-pass filtered into
south-east. a selected frequency window. An azimuth of approach was
Figure 11(c) illustrates the slowness map for the mi- assumed and the horizontal signals were rotated into a ra-
crotremor (centre frequency of 2.5 Hz) signal recorded at the dial component in the assumed direction of approach and the
oilfield, with array aperture of 225 m. The propagation az- transverse component at 90◦ to this azimuth. The root-mean-
imuth is relatively scattered although the maximum energy square (rms) of each of the radial and transverse components
response is about 180◦ pointing in the direction away from a were calculated. Finally the ratio of the radial energy and
major motorway (Fig. 1b). The apparent velocity of the wave- transverse energy were computed. This process was repeated
fronts is about 1150 m/s. Figure 11(d) illustrates the slowness for all azimuths from zero to 180◦ .
map for microtremor (centre frequency of 2.5 Hz) measure- In Fig. 12 the ratio between maximum and minimum en-
ment recorded at the dry well with array aperture of 200 m. ergy levels of horizontal components for a one hour inter-
Examination of the phase velocities of the wavefront indi- val (18:00–19:00 local time for the days 3 and 5 to 8 June)
cates a tendency to cluster at approximately 800 m/s with a are presented. The time period reflects the days immediately
propagation azimuth of 165◦ , again pointing to the nearest prior to Cyclone Gonu striking the coast of Oman up until
motorway (Fig. 1b). it dispersed two days later. For the frequency band 0.25 Hz
The study area is composed of shallow unconsolidated sed- (double-frequency microseism) a clear correlation exists be-
iments, which lie directly over hard carbonate layers with tween the azimuth of maximum energy and the movement of
P-wave velocities far above 1150 m/s. Therefore, it is unlikely the cyclone along the Omani coast. Before the cyclone had
that the observed wavefront is an ordinary P-wave originating approached the coast, the particle motion tends to be more
from the subsurface hydrocarbon reservoir. If the recorded focused with an azimuth of approach pointing around N98◦ E
waves were actually coming directly from below the array, (i.e., south-east towards the Arabian Sea). As the cyclone

18 M.Y. Ali et al.
Figure 11 Normalized energy response in slowness space for arrays of varying aperture sizes at a) location A, oilfield: centre frequency = 0.2 Hz,
array aperture = 3600 m, 4 June 2007 at 00:00–01:00. b) Location B, oilfield: centre frequency = 0.2 Hz, array aperture = 3600 m, 16 June
2007 at 00:00–01:00. c) Location A, oilfield: centre frequency = 2.5 Hz with array radius of 225 m, 26 May 2007 at 00:00–01:00. d) Dry well:
centre frequency = 2.5 Hz with array radius of 100 m, 20 January 2009 at 00:00–01:00. For locations of the sensors see Fig. 1. In each figure
the symbol ‘X’ indicates the peak values. The distance between the centres and ‘X’ gives the slowness of the waves at the frequency and the line
at the centre to ‘X’ gives the direction of the wave propagation. The phase velocity and propagation azimuth (from the source) determined from
the maximum peak are written in the lower left-hand corner in each plot.

(a) (b)
10 4
3 June 2007 3 June 2007
Energy
5 2
0 0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180
10 4
5 June 2007 5 June 2007
Energy
5 2
0 0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180
10 4
6 June 2007 6 June 2007
Energy
5 2
0 0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180
10 4
7 June 2007 7 June 2007
Energy
5 2
0 0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180
10 4
8 June 2007 8 June 2007
Energy
5 2
0 0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180
Azimuth (Degrees) Azimuth (Degrees)
Figure 12 Ratio between maximum and minimum energy of the horizontal components plotted as a function of azimuth a) for microtremor,
centre frequency 2.5 Hz and b) for microseism, centre frequency 0.25 Hz. The arrow points the azimuth for maximum energy.
approaches the coast the azimuth shifts towards the east and
DISCUSSION
north-east, whilst becoming less coherent. This effect could be
expected as the storm gets nearer to the coast and produces a The characteristics of ambient noise recorded over an oilfield
wider distribution of sources. After the cyclone finally dissi- and an abandoned exploration well have been investigated
pates the azimuth of maximum energy returns to the previous in relation to recent claims that signals in the microtremor
direction. range can be applied to hydrocarbon detection. The anal-
For the duration of the cyclone, the microtremor signals yses of the data provide a better understanding of the na-
exhibit minimal notable changes. A de-focusing of the am- ture and origin of anomalously high microtremor signals that
plitudes can be observed on 6 June but there is no visible have reportedly been observed over several hydrocarbon reser-
change to the peak azimuth. These results are consistent with voirs in the region. The results for this study indicate that
the results obtained from the frequency-wavenumber analy- high levels of microtremor signals are present above the hy-
sis and would indicate an independence of sources for the drocarbon reservoir as previously claimed but that similar
microtremors and microseism signals. levels of this signal are also observed over nearby assumed

20 M.Y. Ali et al.
(a) Location A
1.4 A900SW
1800SW
OWC
B2700NE
B1800NE
1.2 Location B
H/V 1.0
0.8
0.6
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Frequency (Hz)
(b) BH well
1.4 B1
B2
B3
B4
1.2 B5
H/V
1.0
0.8
0.6
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Frequency (Hz)
Figure 13 a) Mean H/V spectral ratio of 60 minutes microtremor data recorded at the oilfield on 7 June 2007 at 00:00–01:00. b) H/V spectral
ratio of 60 minutes microtremor data recorded at the dry well on 20 January 2009 at 00:00–01:00.
non-reservoir locations. Moreover, the results indicate that methodology is in direct contrast to previous surveys which
the observed anomalous microtremor signals have originated typically relied on simple lines of discrete sensors, thus mak-
from surface waves with a propagation back azimuth pointing it impossible to differentiate individual wave trains based
ing towards the nearest motorways in the area. Similar find- on their propagation characteristics other than frequency con-
ings have been published from other studies. For example, tent. As demonstrated in this study the best approach to dis-
Hanssen and Bussat (2008) examined the relative traveltimes criminating waveforms originating from multiple sources is
of microtremor measurements over an oilfield in Libya and to acquire data in arrays. Also, to minimize the effects of an-
concluded that the observed waveforms were actually surface thropogenic noise in this survey, whenever possible data for
waves caused by anthropogenic sources such as production analysis was specifically selected from the 24 hour records
facilities, traffic and the resonance frequencies of unconsoli- when noise levels were at their lowest (i.e., during the night
dated overburden in the area. and early morning).
Whilst it could be suggested that had weak microtremor Although our results clearly indicate that microtremor anal-
signals from hydrocarbon reservoirs been present in the sur- ysis cannot be used as a hydrocarbon indicator for this area,
vey locations then they may have been masked by the strong the data do however have the potential to significantly con-
anthropogenic noise (e.g., from traffic) and thus not been de- tribute towards geotechnical characterization of shallow sed-
tected at all without the application of an appropriate filter iments for seismic hazard assessment. For example, it is well
such as a f-k filter (Nguyen et al. 2009). However, one of the documented in the literature (Nakamura 1989; Bodin and
key design criteria in the planning of this survey was to utilize Horton 1999; Cara, Di Giulio and Rovelli 2003; Guillier et al.
3-component sensors in graduated arrays that would enable 2005; Stephenson et al. 2009) that unconsolidated shallow
full discrimination of laterally propagating waves from verti- sedimentary layers cause amplification of ambient noise at
cal, and to provide detailed information on the phase velocity distinct frequencies in the range of 1–10 Hz, which are re-
and direction of approach of any coherent wave energy. This lated to the geometry and the seismic properties of the soil

layer. As a result microtremor data can be used to estimate of the microseism increased as Cyclone Gonu approached
fundamental resonant frequencies as well as shear-wave ve- the coast of Oman then declined once the cyclone passed
locities and thickness of the uppermost soft layers. the region. There is no apparent correlation between the mi-
Figure 13 shows the H/V (reciprocal of V/H) spectral ra- crotremor and microseism signals and therefore, the driving
tio of microtremor measurements of the two survey areas. force of the microtremor signal cannot be the microseism
The fundamental resonance frequency of the oilfield peaks at events.
about 1.7 Hz, with greater variability in terms of H/V enve- r Microtremor (2.5–3 Hz) signals are observed over two sites
lope. The dry exploration well shows two well-pronounced (over an oilfield and above a dry well). During the day
peaks at 1.3 Hz and 4.2 Hz. The peak at 1.3 Hz most likely all sensors recorded strong microtremor signal, whereas all
represents the fundamental resonance frequencies of the site, sensors detected only weak signals over night. There is no
whereas the peak at 4.2 Hz may be related to a contrast at direct correlation between the maximum spectral amplitude
deeper depth or industrial origin. of microtremors and meteorological data. Cyclical daily and
Using the observed fundamental resonance frequencies we weekly variations in the microtremor spectral amplitudes
calculated the thickness of the soft soil in both survey areas clearly correlate with human activity.
and then compared that result with the well data, according r V/H spectral ratios of 2.5–3 Hz are observed on both sites.
to the well-known equation (Parolai, Bormann and Milkereit The V/H peak is not related to the location of the known
2002) hydrocarbon reservoir.
f H/V ≈ f0 =
Vs,average
(2) r Analyses of regional earthquake data show no evidence of
4h
earthquake triggered spectral amplitude modification by the
where V s,average and h are the average shear-wave velocity and hydrocarbon reservoir.
the thickness of sediments respectively. The shear-wave veloc- r Particle motion studies clearly show that the microseism
ities were estimated to be 815–1220 m/s from array analysis signal was influenced by the action of Cyclone Gonu, while
using a high-resolution frequency-wavenumber (f -k) spectral the microtremor band displayed no such correlation.
technique and from sonic log data from the well. r The apparent velocity and propagation azimuth (from the
By use of this argument, the thickness of unconsolidated source) of microseism signals were 3500–3650 m/s and
sediments for the oilfield in this study was estimated to be 305–327◦ , respectively for the oilfield. These results sug-
around 120–180 m. This is consistent with the drilling data gest that the source of the microseism is the ocean swells of
close to location A, which penetrated 130 m of Quaternary the Arabian Sea.
age aeolian sediments. The thickness of the unconsolidated r The apparent velocity and propagation azimuth for the mi-
sediments at the dry exploration well was estimated to be crotremor signal recorded at the oilfield and dry well are
154 m but this could not be confirmed as the well did not 800–1150 m/s and 165–180◦ , respectively. These results in-
record any data at shallow levels. dicate that the observed microtremor signals originate from
This study does not conclusively disprove the assertion that surface waves propagating through shallow sediments hav-
the interaction of microseism energy with porous multi-phase ing an azimuth directed from the nearest motorways.
hydrocarbon reservoirs can generate microtremor signals as
reported by Dangel (2003), Lambert (2009a) and Saenger ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
(2009b). However, for the sites investigated and described
We are grateful to the Oil Subcommittee of the Abu Dhabi
in this paper any signals possibly originating from such inter-
National Oil Co. (ADNOC) and its operating companies (Op-
actions have been completely overshadowed by other effects,
Cos) for sponsoring this project. We thank Mr Marwan Hag-
primarily noise caused by cultural activity. These constraints
gag for his logistical support of the fieldwork and in coordi-
plus the complete lack of evidence in favour of the mi-
nating the project and Islam Md. Didarul for providing the
crotremor detection technique make such analyses unsuitable
meteorological data.
for hydrocarbon detection in the environment for this study.
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Low-Frequency Passive Seismic Experiments in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: Implications For Hydrocarbon Detection

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Geophysical Prospecting doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2478.2009.00835.

Low-frequency passive seismic experiments in Abu Dhabi, United Arab

Received July 2009, revision accepted August 2009

plication of downhole measurements and seismic refraction

Data acquisition Data processing

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Spectrum amplitude (m/s) 30

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