Seismic tests at Southern Ute Nation coal fire site

Abstract:

We conducted a near surface seismic test at the Southern Ute Nation coal fire site near Durango, CO. The goal was to characterize and image the coal fire and to help plan any future surveys. We collected data along two transects. Data from Line $1$, which overlies unburned coal, shows useful frequency content above $100$ Hz and a reflection that we interpret to originate at approximately 11 m depth. Data from Line 2, which crosses the burn front and many fissures, is of lower quality, with predominantly jumbled arrivals and some evidence of reflected energy at one or two shot points. It seems that neither refractions nor reflections image down to the coal layer; in part this is attributed to the presence of unexpected high-velocity layers overlying the coal. The consequence is that possible information about the coal is hidden behind the events from shallow layers. Based on these data, we suggest that further seismic work at the site is unlikely to successfully characterize the coal fire zone of interest.

Seismic tests at Southern Ute Nation coal fire site