Estimating fiber borehole seismometer orientation using active-source P-wave particle motion analysis

The accurate orientation of the seismometers is crucial for seismic observation and data processing. However, determining the orientation of an all-fiber instrument, such as a fiber optic borehole seismometer, remains a challenge in special environments such as downhole or water. We propose a fiber optic borehole seismometer orientation estimation method to address these challenges using active-source seismic data. We rotate the horizontal component of the seismometer until we find an angle that satisfies the maximum value of the P-wave energy in the radial direction and finally calculate the orientation of the horizontal component from this angle. We applied this method to estimate the orientation of the fiber optic borehole seismometer in Leizhou. The potential applicability of this method may extend beyond fiber borehole seismometers to other borehole instruments, such as traditional borehole broadband seismometers.