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Bottom Simulating Seismic Reflectors (BSR)

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Encyclopedia of Marine Geosciences

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

Definition

A seismic reflection occurring in the upper few hundred meters of marine sediments mimicking the seafloor, crosscutting sediment layers, and showing a phase reversal is known as a “bottom-simulating reflector.” Such a gas hydrate-related BSR originates from a large impedance contrast between a layer of gas-hydrated sediment above and a free gas layer below. A diagenetic-related BSR occurs at the opal-A/opal-CT transition zone, lies often deep and outside the base of the gas hydrate stability zone, shows no phase reversal, and does not always mimic the seafloor.

Introduction

The intent of this article is to describe the two most commonly observed bottom-simulating reflectors (BSRs). The term BSR stems from their principal characteristic that these reflectors mimic the seafloor topography in marine seismic reflection data thereby crosscutting sedimentary strata. BSRs are known to occur in continental margin sediments in regions of gas hydrate and free gas (Shipley et al., 1979...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate (CAGE), UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Dramsveien 201, N-903, Tromsø, Norway

    Jürgen Mienert & Stefan Bünz

Authors
  1. Jürgen Mienert
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  2. Stefan Bünz
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jürgen Mienert .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland

    Jan Harff

  2. University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany

    Martin Meschede

  3. GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Kiel, Germany

    Sven Petersen

  4. Institute of Earth Science, KÖPPEN-Laboratory, Saint Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia

    JÖrn Thiede

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Mienert, J., Bünz, S. (2016). Bottom Simulating Seismic Reflectors (BSR). In: Harff, J., Meschede, M., Petersen, S., Thiede, J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Marine Geosciences. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6238-1_133

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