Crude Oil Extraction

Most commonly, geologists apply seismology for oil location. In this method, shock waves are created that pass through rock layers and are then reflected back to the surface where they are measured using the seismic equipment. In some ways, this is similar to the way sonar maps surface structures. The basic premise of the seismological technique is that the numbers of sound waves reflected and the speed at which they travel are affected by the density of rock layers through which they must pass. Oil deposits will reflect sound waves differently than solid rock.