CGGVeritas has considerable experience in the deployment of these techniques.

CGGVertias recently announced it would join the 2008 Lapérouse expedition by providing scientific and technological expertise and highly skilled personnel to help advance the study. The resources, deployed by CGGVeritas seismic crews around the world providing images that make it possible to see natural resources within the subsurface, will be adapted to meet the specific objectives of the expedition.

Geophysical surveys will be made prior to archeological excavation work to assist with locating the camps of survivors of the Lapérouse expedition, which completely disappeared in 1788. The CGGVeritas crew will deploy several of its advanced geophysical techniques, including ground-penetrating radar, surface-wave seismic tomography, and electromagnetism. The combined use of these techniques will provide highly precise images of the subsurface area being explored.

CGGVeritas has considerable experience in the deployment of these techniques, typically used to detect subsurface cavities and buried objects such as oilfield pipelines or underground networks in urban areas.

Jean-François de Galaup de La Pérouse led one of the most impressive single voyages of exploration by a French expedition in the 18th century. The voyage ended with the disappearance of the expedition when the ships were sunk at Vanikoro, most likely due to a hurricane. In 1827 Peter Dillon found the wreckage of the ships in the Santa Cruz Islands.

Robert Brunck, chairman and chief executive officer of CGGVeritas, said, “We are proud to take part in this exciting quest of discovery to find out what happened to the crew and scientists who vanished so long ago. Their pioneering spirit, commitment to the advance of science and exploration of the natural world serve as an example to us all today. These values are fundamental to our own profession and drive us forward as the leading international partner of our customers in developing natural resources through geophysics.”