Chevron Donates Seismic Data to American Geological Institute

Chevron and the American Geological Institute (AGI) announced a donation from Chevron to AGI of thousands of miles of historic 2D and 3D seismic data covering offshore California and portions of the West Coast of the U.S. In conjunction, AGI has partnered with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to place the data in a newly created repository called the "National Archive of Marine Seismic Surveys" (NAMSS) enabling academic, government and industrial researchers, marine geologists and environmental engineers throughout the world to have easy access to the data through a website created by the USGS office (http//walrus.wr.usgs.gov/NAMSS/).

Beginning in the early 1960s Chevron acquired seismic data to image and evaluate the geologic potential of the west coast U.S. continental shelf for oil and gas. Over the decades, the magnetic tapes containing the seismic data have been stored in special warehouses but they are rapidly approaching the point where they will no longer be viable.

“The data is a valuable resource for understanding the offshore structural geology, marine sedimentation and even the mapping of the complex fault systems associated with earthquakes, particularly in Southern California," said Stephen Testa, president, American Geological Institute.