High-Resolution Reflection Seismic for Quantitative Assessment of Shallow Sulphur Deposits

This paper examines the applicability of high-resolution reflection seismic profiling to the quantitative assessment of a shallow sulphur-bearing carbonate interval in the western marginal part of the Osiek Sulphur Mine, SE Poland. The investigated reservoir occurs at a depth of approximately 110–150 m and is typically about 25 m thick. The study combines a newly acquired 2D seismic profile with borehole-based petrophysical information to analyze the geometry of the chemical series and to estimate average porosity and sulphur content along the line. The interpretation is based on amplitudes extracted from the reflection generated at the top of the sulphur-bearing limestone; therefore, the acquisition and processing sequence was designed to retain relative amplitude variations. The final seismic image is characterized by a dominant frequency of about 120 Hz, corresponding to an estimated vertical resolution of approximately 7.5 m within the ore-bearing interval. Comparison with borehole data shows that the amplitude-based estimates differ by less than 2% in relatively homogeneous limestone intervals, whereas discrepancies increase to about 5% where gypsum bodies occur. The results indicate that calibrated seismic amplitudes can support preliminary resource evaluation and help identify prospective zones in structurally complex sulphur-bearing carbonate deposits.