In today's shot the four seismic vibrators are working their way, single file, along a bulldozed track and shaking the foothills of the escarpment.
In the shadow of a boulder stands one of the Observers and the driver of the spare vibrator. That boulder is bigger than once of the vibs!
This is pretty much the end of the line – well, the end of this section of the line. The Observer and driver were there to help these guys turn their machines around safely so they could drive on out.
These birdwagen Mark IIIs articulated between the cab and the Failing Y1100 vibrator, mounted in the middle of the vehicle. The engine was at the rear. This made them pretty maneuverable. In this image the front and rear vibs both have their pads raised and the middle two vibs have their pads on the ground which suggests to me that they're about to move forward for the next sweep (once the middle two raise their pads).
The engine – I believe these were Detroit Diesel V6 units – powered the hydraulics for the vibrator and also for the motion. With separate motors on each wheel, it was possible to drive one axle forward and the other axle in reverse!
Looking at the Sercel SN348 boxes in this photo that show the location of the line, the second vib from the front is straddling the cables which means the lead vib is probable sitting on top of the geophone array. If this gear wasn't buried properly, it was a recipe for broken gear and wasted time.
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