ChirCor: A new tool for generating synthetic chirp-sonar seismograms

The long-term successful use of synthetic seismograms in traditional seismic reflection studies suggests that their implementation for high-resolution non-impulsive seismic sources would also be beneficial. We present here ChirCor v1.0, a program for managing physical-log data (P-wave velocity and density) and chirp-sonar seismograms, also equipped with a synthetic-trace generator, that could be used for correlating real seismograms to synthetics. The software, designed with a user-friendly graphic interface, is intended mainly for oceanographers and marine geologists as a tool for correlating high-resolution seismic images and sediment cores. ChirCor v1.0 will be distributed as freeware for non-commercial purposes. We provide instructions regarding the use of the program together with a description of the algorithms implemented in the code; we also include an example of how to operate with the program based on the data collected during the MARMARA2001 marine geological expedition.