Any use of trade, product, or firm names in this publication is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the 

U.S. Government

This map was printed on an electronic plotter directly from digital files. Dimensional calibration may vary between electronic plotters 

and between X and Y directions on the same plotter, and paper may change size due to atmospheric conditions; therefore, scale and 

proportions may not be true on plots of this map.

For sale by U.S. Geological Survey, Information Services, Box 25286, Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225, 1–888–ASK–USGS

Digital files available at https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20181024

Suggested Citation: Cochrane, G.R., Hartwell, S.R., and Johnson, S.Y., 2018, Marine benthic habitats from the Coastal and Marine 

Ecological Classification Standard Marine Benthic Habitats, Offshore of Point Conception map area, California, sheet 6 in Johnson, 

S.Y., Dartnell, P., Cochrane, G.R., Hartwell, S.R., Golden, N.E., Kvitek, R.G., and Davenport, C.W. (S.Y. Johnson and S.A. Cochran, eds.), 

California State Waters Map Series—Offshore of Point Conception, California: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2018–1024, 

pamphlet 36 p., 9 sheets, scale 1:24,000, https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20181024.

ISSN 2331-1258 (online)

https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20181024

Figure 1. Map showing video-observation locations, sample localities, and seismic tracklines for Offshore of Point Conception map area.

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120°25'

120°25'

120°30'

120°30'

34°30'

34°30'

34°25'

34°25'

3-nautical-mile limit of California’s State Waters

Sample locality

Seismic tracklines

Video observation

EXPLANATION

#

Approximate modern shoreline—From National

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s

(NOAA’s) Shoreline Data Explorer

Bathymetric contours—Derived from 

modified 2-m-resolution bathymetry grid.

Contour interval: 10 m

Map-unit

label

Area,

in square meters

S1 79,521,877

S2 7,569,000

S3 23,757,954

S4 4,200,360

S5 233,981

S6 11,751,758

S7 253,503

S8 1,152,962

S10 2,591,275

S12 3,496

S14 77,285

585,047

5,385,351

L1

L2

Table 1. Total area, in square meters, of each 

marine benthic habitat class from Coastal 

and Marine Ecological Classification 

Standard mapped in Offshore of Point 

Conception map area.

20

L2

L1

S14

S12

S10

S8

S7

S6

S5

S3

S4

S2

S1

DESCRIPTION OF MAP UNITS

CONTINENTAL/ISLAND SHELF

Transform Continental Margin. Continental/Island Shelf. Ripples. Medium Sand. Soft Substrate 

Induration. Decades Persistence

Transform Continental Margin. Continental/Island Shelf. Ripples. Rock Outcrop. Sand. Bedrock. 

Mixed Substrate Induration. Years Persistence

Transform Continental Margin. Continental/Island Shelf. Rock Outcrop. Bedrock. Hard Substrate 

Induration. Centuries Persistence

Transform Continental Margin. Continental/Island Shelf. Pockmark Field. Fine Unconsolidated 

Substrate. Soft Substrate Induration. Decades Persistence

Transform Continental Margin. Continental/Island Shelf. Sandy Gravel. Soft Substrate Induration. 

Decades Persistence

Transform Continental Margin. Continental/Island Shelf. Sandy Silt-Clay. Soft Substrate Induration. 

Decades Persistence

Transform Continental Margin. Continental/Island Shelf. Scour Depression. Gravelly Sand. Soft 

Substrate Induration. Decades Persistence

Transform Continental Margin. Continental/Island Shelf. Sediment Wave Field. Slightly Gravelly Sand. 

Soft Substrate Induration. Years Persistence

Transform Continental Margin. Continental/Island Shelf. Tar Mound. Rock Substrate. Hard Substrate 

Induration. Centuries Persistence

Transform Continental Margin. Continental/Island Shelf. Wreck. Centuries Persistence

Transform Continental Margin. Continental/Island Shelf. Apron. Gravelly Sand. Soft Substrate 

Induration. Decades Persistence

CONTINENTAL SLOPE

Transform Continental Margin. Continental/Island Slope. Runnel/Rill. Silty Sand. Soft Substrate 

Induration. Decades Persistence

Transform Continental Margin. Continental/Island Slope. Sandy Silt-Clay. Soft Substrate Induration. 

Years Persistence

EXPLANATION OF MAP SYMBOLS

Contact

Area of “no data”—Areas beyond 3-nautical-mile limit of California’s State Waters were not mapped 

as part of California Seafloor Mapping Program

3-nautical-mile limit of California’s State Waters

Bathymetric contour (in meters)—Derived from modified 2-m-resolution bathymetry grid. Contour 

interval: 10 m

DISCUSSION

This map shows physical marine benthic habitats in the Offshore of Point Conception map area. Marine benthic habitats 

represent a particular type of water quality, substrate, geomorphology, seafloor process, or any other attribute that may provide a 

habitat for a specific species or an assemblage of organisms. Marine benthic habitats are classified using the Coastal and Marine 

Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS), developed by representatives from a consortium of federal agencies. CMECS is 

the Federal standard for marine habitat characterization (available at https://www.fgdc.gov/standards/projects/FGDC-standardsprojects/cmecs-folder/CMECS_Version_06-2012_FINAL.pdf). The standard provides an ecologically relevant structure for 

biologic-, geologic-, chemical-, and physical-habitat attributes.

This map illustrates the geoform and substrate components of the standard and their distribution in the Offshore of Point 

Conception map area. Geoform components describe the major geomorphic and structural characteristics of the coast and 

seafloor (that is, the tectonic and physiographic settings and the geological, biogenic, and anthropogenic features). This map was 

derived from the geologic and geomorphic map of the seafloor (see sheet 9) by translation of the map-unit description into the 

best-fit values of the CMECS classes. The map also includes a temporal attribute for each unit that indicates time period of 

persistence, as well as an induration attribute that allows resymbolization of the data-catalog shapefile into a simple map of 

hard-mixed-soft attributes of Essential Fish Habitat assessment (Greene and Bizzarro, 2003). Table 1 shows the total area (in 

square meters) of each CMECS class mapped.

REFERENCE CITED

Greene, H.G., and Bizzarro, J.J., 2003, Essential fish habitat characterization and mapping of the California continental margin: 

Final Report to Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, CFDA #11-454, 14 p., available at http://marinehabitat.psmfc.org/

files/source_docs/EFH_report_with_Appendices.pdf.

120°30' 120° 119°30'

34°

34°30'

Limit of California’s

State Waters

Kilometers 0 5 10

Santa Barbara Channel

Area of

Map

Santa Barbara CALIF.

MAP LOCATION

Anacapa Is.

Santa Cruz Is.

Santa Rosa Is.

San Miguel Is.

Marine Benthic Habitats from the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard, Offshore of Point Conception Map Area, California

By

Guy R. Cochrane, Stephen R. Hartwell, and Samuel Y. Johnson

2018

ONE MILE = 0.869 NAUTICAL MILES

BATHYMETRIC CONTOUR INTERVAL 10 METERS

1 .5 0 1 KILOMETER

1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 FEET

1 1/2 0 1 MILE

SCALE 1:24 000

APPROXIMATE MEAN

DECLINATION, 2018

MAGNETIC NORTH

TRUE NORTH 12 / ° 1 2

Marine benthic habitats from Coastal and Marine Ecological 

Classification Standard mapped by Guy R. Cochrane, Stephen 

R. Hartwell, and Samuel Y. Johnson, 2016. Bathymetric contours 

by Peter Dartnell, 2016

GIS database and digital cartography by Guy R. Cochrane and 

Stephen R. Hartwell

Manuscript approved for publication February 13, 2018

Onshore elevation data from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

(NOAA) Office for Coastal Management’s Digital Coast (available at 

http://www.csc.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/data/coastallidar/) and from U.S. 

Geological Survey’s National Elevation Dataset (available at 

http://ned.usgs.gov/). California's State Waters limit from NOAA Office of Coast 

Survey

Universal Transverse Mercator projection, Zone 10N

NOT INTENDED FOR NAVIGATIONAL USE

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140

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130

S1

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S7

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L2 S2

S10

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S10

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S1

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S3

S10

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S10 S10

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S7

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S3

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S12

S4

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S7 S3

S5

S3

S10

S10

S10

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S3

S3

S10

S7

S2

S3

S2

S10

S4

S2

S2

S12

S10

S2

S10

S10

S10

S4

S3

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S10

S10

S2

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S10

S14

S3

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S10

S2

S10

S3

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S10

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S10

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S2

S3

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S3

S3

S2

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S10

S3

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S10

S3

S10

S4

S14

S3

S3

S10

S10

S3

S10

S3

S4

S10

S3

S10

S3

S10

S10

S3

S3

S6

L2

 Point Conception

120°25'

120°25'

120°30'

120°30'

34°30'

34°30'

34°25'

34°25'

Open-File Report 2018–1024

Sheet 6 of 9

Pamphlet accompanies map

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey