GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 870 

U.S. Geological Survey Program 

of Offshore Resource and 

Geoenvironmental Studies, 

Atlantic-Gulf of Mexico Region, 

from September 1,1976, 

to December 31,1978 

U.S. Geological Survey Program 

of Offshore Resource and 

Geoenvironmental Studies, 

Atlantic-Gulf of Mexico Region, 

from September 1,1976, 

to December31, 1978 

By David W. Folger and Sally W. Needell 

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 870 

19113 
United States Department of the Interior 

JAMES G. WATT, Secretary 

Geological Survey 

Dallas L. Peck, Director 

Library of Congress Catologing in Publication Data 

Folger, David W. 

U.S. Geological Survey program of offshore resource and geoenvironmental studies, Atlantic-Gulf of Mexico region, from 

September 1, 1976 to December 31, 1978. 

(Geological Survey circular; 870) 

Bibliography: p. 

Supt. of Docs. no.: I 19.4/2:870 

1. Mineral resources in submerged lands-Atlantic States. 2. Mineral Resources in submerged lands-Mexico, Gulf of. 3. Submarine geology-Altantic States. 4. Submarine geology-Mexico, Gulf of. 5. Environmental protection-Atlantic States. 6. 

Environmental protection-Mexico, Gulf of. I. Needell, Sally W. II. Title. Ill. Title: U.S. Geological Survey program of offshore resource and geoenvironmental studies and topical investigations, Atlantic-Gulf of Mexico region. IV. Series. 

QE75.C5 no. 870 557.3s 553'.0973 82-600244 

[TN264] 

Use of trade names is for descriptive purposes only and does not constitute 

endorsement by the U.S. Geological Survey. 

Free on application to Distribution Branch, Text Products Section, 

U. S. Geological Survey, 604 South Pickett Street, Alexandria, VA 22304 
~bstract __________________________________________ _ 

Introduction --------------------------------------- Resource exploitation on the U.S. ~tlantic and Gulf of 

Mexico continental margins ----------------

Purpose --------------------------------------- History ----------------------------------------

~cknowledgments ------------------------------ Funding, cooperative programs, and users of Marine 

Geology Program products ---------------~----­

Cooperative programs and funding ----------------

Relation of programs to Federal initiatives ---------- User groups ___________________________________ _ 

Program activities ----------------------------------

C>verview -------------------------------------- Program products ------------------------------ Summary of program results in fiscal years 1977 and 

1978 ---------------------------------------- Resource assessment ----------------------------

~tlantic ----------------------------------- North ~tlantic (Georges Bank Basin) _____ _ 

Middle ~tlantic (Baltimore Canyon Trough) 

South ~tlantic (Southeast Georgia Embayment>----------------------------

Gulf of Mexico -----------------------------

CONTENTS 

Page 

1 

2 

2 

2 

3 

5 

5 

5 

5 

7 

8 

8 

9 

10 

lO 

10 

12 

12 

12 

13 

Summary of program results in fiscal years 1977 and 

1978-Continued 

Environmental assessment -----------------------

~tlantic -----------------------------------

North ~tlantic (Georges Bank Basin) _____ _ 

Middle ~tlantic (Baltimore Canyon Trough) 

South ~tlantic (Southeast Georgia Embayment) ---------------------------

Gulf of Mexico ----------------.-------------

South Texas C>uter Continental Shelf-------

Mississippi Delta ------------------------

Lake studies -------------------------------

Inner Shelf studies --------------------------

Future programs ------------------------------------

New capabilities ------------------------------------

References cited ------------------------------------

Reports resulting from the Atlantic-Gulf of Mexico 

Marine Geology Program that were published 

or prepared from September 1976 through 

December 1978 -------------------------------

ILLUSTRATIONS 

FIGURE 1. Map of the Eastern United States showing locations of program personnel and showing principal offshore operating 

Page 

15 

15 

15 

17 

19 

19 

19 

23 

25 

25 

41 

44 

57 

58 

Page 

areas of the Atlantic-Gulf of Mexico Marine Geology Program ----------------------------------------- 3 

2. Map showing locations of exploratory wells on the U.S. Atlantic C>uter Continental Shelf, Baltimore Canyon 

Trougharea------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4 

3. Diagram showing funding sources and cooperators of the Atlantic-Gulf of Mexico Marine Geology Program during 

fiscal years 1978 and 1979 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6 

4-6. Mapsshowing: 

4. Locations of major basins and related.tectonic features along the U.S. ~tlantic continental margin------- 11 

5. Locations of geologic and geographic features and drilling sites along the U.S. ~tlantic continental margin 

and light-hydrocarbon and hydrologic data for AMCC>R sites---------------------------------- 14 

6. Locations of tracklines along which common-depth-point seismic profiles were collected for resource 

studies of the U.S. ~tlantic continental margin----------------------------------------------- 16 

7-10. Diagrammatic cross sections: 

7. Along common-depth-point line 1 across central Georges Bank ------------------------------------- 18 

8. ~long common-depth-point line 25 of the Baltimore Canyon Trough -------------------------------- 19 

9. Based on common-depth-point line BT-l across the Carolina Platform and Carolina Trough----------- 20 

10. Based on common-depth-point line FC-3 across the Blake Plateau Basin----------------------------- 21 

11. Map showing tracklines along which common-depth-point data were collected in the Gulf of Mexico------------- 22 

12. Map showing the three main lease areas on the U.S. Atlantic continental margin------------------------------ 24 

13. Photograph of the U.S. Geological Survey tripod system-------------------------------------------------- 26 

14-24. Map showing: 

14. Tracklines over the U.S. North ~tlantic continental margin along which data were collected by the USGS 

in 1977-79 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 27 

15. Tracklines over the U.S. Middle ~tlantic continental margin along which data were collected by the USGS 

in 1977-78 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 35 

16. Tracklines over the U.S. South ~tlantic continental margin along which data were collected by the USGS 

in 1977-78 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 37 

III 
Page 

17. Locations of sampling stations, South Texas Outer Continental Shelf-------------------------------- 39 

18. Northern part of the Gulf of Mexico showing areas where seismic data have been collected for the U.S. 

Geological Survey Continental Slope Project, areas where sediment is unstable, and locations of 

unstable features common off the Mississippi River complex ----------------------------------- 42 

19. Bathymetry of Lake Ontario and superimposed U.S. Geological Survey- New York State Geological 

Survey cruise tracks and fault structures under investigation ----------------------------------- 44 

20. Locations of seismic profiles and vibracores offshore north and south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and 

glacial moraines onshore coastal Massachusetts ---------------------------------------------- 45 

21. Locations where 17 cores were collected on the Potomac River in October 1978----------------------- 47 

22. Working areas, Puerto Rico Marine Geology Cooperative Project, fiscal years 1977, 1978, and 1979 

(throughMarch1979>-------------------------------------------------------------------- 48 

23. Tracklines along which submarine geologic data were collected around the Virgin Islands during 1977-79 _ 51 

24. Corpus Christi Bay and Nueces, Bay, Texas----------------------------------------------------- 52 

25. Graph showing percentages of the budget of the Atlantic-Gulf of Mexico Marine Geology Program for 

1979-84 being allocated for resource, environmental, and marine geology studies of different environments in 

and off the Eastern United States------------------------------------------------------------------ 53 

26. Map showing sample sites and locations of mineral resources on the U.S. South Atlantic continental margin ------ 54 

27. Photographs of some of the vessels that were used in the Atlantic-Gulf of Mexico Marine Geology Program for 

fieldwork in 1977 and 1978 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 55 

28. Photograph of research vessel Neecho ------------------------------------------------------------------ 56 

TABLE 

TABLE 1. Cruises conducted in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico by the U.S. Geological Survey from September 1976 to December 1978 and types of data collected------------------------------------------------------------------- 30 

IV 
U.S. Geological Survey Program of Offshore 

Resource and Geoenvironmental Studies, 

Atlantic-Gulf of Mexico Region, from 

September 1, 1976, to December 31, 1978 

By David W. Folger and Sally W. Needell 

ABSTRACT 

Mineral and energy resources of the continental margins of the 

United States are important to the Nation's commodity independence and to its balance of payments. These resources are 

being studied along the continental margins of the Atlantic Ocean 

and the Gulf of Mexico in keeping with the mission of the U.S. 

Geological Survey ''to survey the geologic structures, mineral 

resources, and products of the national domain." (Organic Act of 

1879). 

An essential corollary to these resource studies is the study of 

potential geologic hazards that may be associated with offshore 

resource exploration and exploitation. In cooperation with the 

U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the Geological Survey, 

through its Atlantic-Gulf of Mexico Marine Geology Program, 

carries out extensive research to evaluate hazards from sediment 

mobility, shallow gas, and slumping and to acquire information on 

the distribution and concentration of trace metals and biogenic 

and petroleum-derived hydrocarbons in sea-floor sediments. All 

these studies are providing needed background information, including information on pollutant dispersal, on the nearshore, 

estuarine, and lacustrine areas that may be near pipeline and 

nuclear powerplant sites. Users of these data include the Congress, 

many Federal agencies, the coastal States, private industry, 

academia, and the concerned public. 

The results of the regional structural, stratigraphic, and resource 

studies carried out under the Atlantic-Gulf of Mexico Marine 

Geology Program have been used by the Geological Survey and the 

Bureau of Land Management to select areas for future leasing and 

to aid in the evaluation of tracts nominated for leasing. 

Resource studies have concentrated mostly on the Atlantic 

Outer Continental Shelf frontier areas. Geologic detailing of five 

major basins along the U.S. Atlantic margin, where sediments are 

as much as 14 km thick, have been revealed by 25,000 km of 

24-and 48-channel common-depth-point seismic data, 187,000 km 

of aeromagnetic data, and 39,000 km of gravity data, plus 10,000 

samples and logs obtained from U.S. Geological Survey and industry drillin$ (for example, coreholes of the Atlantic Slope Program, Joint Oceanographic Institutions Deep Earth Sampling, 

Continental Offshore Stratigraphic Tests, and the Atlantic Margin 

Coring Program). A sedimentary section of Jurassic and 

Cretaceous age grades from terrigenous clastic rocks nearshore to 

carbonate rocks offshore; this section is part of an extensive buried 

bank-platform complex that could contain large reserves of 

natural gas and oil. 

The volume of sediment deposited offshore far exceeds the 

volume deposited onshore where extensive accumulations of oil, 

1 

gas, and minerals have been found. Commercial exploratory drilling offshore thus far has been limited to the Baltimore Canyon 

Trough area off New Jersey, where at least two holes have found 

gas; leasing has taken place in the Southeast Georgia Embayment, 

where drilling was scheduled to begin in 1979, and is imminent in 

the Georges Bank area off New England. 

In addition, hydrogeologic and hydrochemical data obtained 

from the drilling studies have delineated freshwater-bearing submarine extensions of land aquifers that are important coastal 

ground-water resources. 

Hazards in the Georges Bank area include sand mobility 

associated with strong currents and storm-driven waves; high concentrations of suspended sediment in the water column that, when 

mixed with spilled oil, may sink to the bottom; and slumping along 

the upper slope. In the Baltimore Canyon, high sediment mobility 

accompanies major winter storms, and slumped material may 

cover as much as 20 percent of the upper slope. Potentially 

unstable slope areas are being studied in great detail to provide 

data on timing, triggering mechanisms, and rates of sediment 

movement. In the Southeast Georgia Embayment and Blake 

Plateau Basin, strong Gulf Stream flow poses a major problem to 

all offshore operations. 

In the Gulf of Mexico, studies of Holocene stratigraphy and 

structure, trace-metal distribution, and recent faulting have provided important data to environmental sludies being conducted on 

the South Texas Outer Continental Shelf and the upper Continental Slope. Concentrated studies of geologic hazards in the 

Mississippi Delta area by a U.S. Geological Survey-Louisiana 

State University-Texas A&M University cooperative group have 

shown wide areas of unstable sea floor, even though slopes are 

.commonly less than 1 o. This instability arises in areas marked by 

high sedimentation rates, fine-textured materials, and abundant 

biogenic gas; it has resulted in widespread failure of structures and 

pipelines in the area. USGS studies are documenting the rates, 

character, and causes of movement. 

Scientific results of these studies conducted in 1977 and 1978 

have been published as abstracts, articles in professional journals, 

and U.S. Geological Survey Professional Papers, Bulletins, Circulars, Miscellaneous Field Studies Maps and Open-File Reports. 

During the next 5 years, emphasis will shift from resource and 

environmental surveys of the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Continental Shelves to similar studies of the Continental Slope and 

Rise. Nearshore research probably will increase also through the 

1980's. 
INTRODUCTION 

Of major importance in the fight against inflation 

is the development of natural resources in the United 

States and the concomitant reduction of our 

dependence on foreign markets. New offshore 

sources of hydrocarbons, uranium, thorium, 

manganese, titanium, and sand and gravel for construction will help to reestablish our commodity independence, strengthen the dollar, and reduce 

unemployment. An essential corollary to exploration 

for and exploitation. of our continental margin frontier areas is the proper evaluation of associated environmental hazards and early application of appropriate measures to reduce them. 

The U.S. Geological Survey is studying the U.S. 

continental margins in keeping with its mission "to 

survey the geologic structures, mineral resources, and 

products of the national domain." (Organic Act of 

1879). These studies provide information required to 

carry out responsibilities delegated to the USGS for 

the management of exploration for and development 

of mineral and energy resources beneath the Nation's 

Continental Shelves and adjacent Continental 

Slopes. 

Extensive offshore resource and geoenvironmental 

studies and topical investigations along the Atlantic 

and Gulf of Mexico coasts are conducted under the 

Atlantic-Gulf of Mexico Marine Geology Program of 

the USGS (fig. 1). This report describes the scope and 

goals of these studies, relates the studies to activities 

associated with other Geological Survey functions 

and Federal Programs, and records selected accomplishments of the 2 years from September 1, 

1976, to December 31, 1978. It partly replaces and 

updates USGS Open-File Report 77-320 (Behrendt, 

1977), which provided comparable data on activities 

of the Atlantic-Gulf of Mexico Marine Geology Program before 1977. 

RESOURCE EXPLOITATION ON THE U.S. ATLANTIC AND 

GULF OF MEXICO CONTINENTAL MARGINS 

The amount of oil produced from United States 

wells exceeded the amount of oil discovered 

domestically each year from 1945 to 1977, except 

1948, 1949, and 1968 (Moody, 1978). The cumulative 

reduction in our reserves by 1977 was about 37 billion 

barrels. We are using up domestic oil found before 

1945 and are dependent, to a larger and larger extent, 

on imported oil. One effect on the entire economy of 

2 

the resulting trade deficit has been serious inflation. 

Potentially productive offshore area almost equals 

productive onshore area in the United States, but 90 

percent of the onshore area is leased and only 2 percent of the offshore area is leased. Obviously, we 

need to exploit the frontier offshore areas where 

large reserves of oil and gas may exist. 

The production values of minerals and energy 

resources extracted from the U.S. Outer Continental 

Shelves have risen every year since 1947 when oil was 

first discovered 20 km off the coast of Louisiana; the 

resources produced in 1978 were worth more than $7 

billion. The bulk of these resources has continued to 

come from the shelf off the Gulf of Mexico coast 

where an increasing proportion of the Nation's oil 

and gas is being pumped from deposits that lie below 

the sea floor. The recovery of oil and gas, as well as I 

salt and sulfur, from this area has given us high 

hopes of finding resources elsewhere on the Continental Shelves of the United States. 

Two of the first ten holes drilled in the Baltimore 

Canyon Trough off the Middle Atlantic States by 

January 1979_have significant shows of hydrocarbon 

(fig. 2). Because the normal success ratio is 1:19 for 

exploratory offshore holes in unproven areas 

(Tucker, 1978), the results are encouraging for the 

entire Atlantic margin. However, no commercial 

production has·. been established as yet. 

Mineral-resource development on the Continental 

Shelves, like that on land, has occasionally been 

marred by accidents that resulted in loss of life and 

property and contamination of the environment. 

Many of these accidents had natural causes, such as 

foundation failures due to unstable subsurface 

sediments, high waves, and strong currents. Prior to 

extensive development of the frontier areas, potential 

natural hazards must be assessed properly to 

minimize the loss of natural resources and to protect 

the environment. An increasing population density 

along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts, active 

fisheries, and diverse recreational activities mandate 

that the "Federal government must assume responsibility for the minimization or elimination of any 

conflict associated with such exploitation" (43 U.S. 

Code 1804). 

PURPOSE 

The purpose of this report is to describe our 

resource- and environmental-assessment programs 

(those that are mainly associated with oil and gas ex-
96° 92° 88° 84° 80° 76° 72° 

48° 

400 

44° 

100 0 100 200 GEORGES H H I BANK MILES BASIN 100 0 100 200 A A ES"'3 GREAT LAKES 36° KILOMETERS 

40° 

.!DENVER 

36° ~~ 32° 

FIGURE l.-Locations of program personnel (starred locations) and principal offshore operating areas of the Atlantic-Gulf of Mexico 

Marine Geology Program. 

ploration and development) and our basic research in 

marine geology. All this work is essential ta determine the processes responsible for the accumulation 

of mineral reserves and the potential natural hazards 

associated with their recovery. Thus, this document 

is intended to provide Government agencies, Congress, State agencies, private industry, academia, and 

the concerned public with a clear outline of our activities and their relation to other programs. For example, as part of the USGS Geologic Division, we 

work closely with the USGS Conservation Division 

in the selection and withdrawal of lease tracts; with 

3 

the U.S. Bureau of Land Management on environm~ntal geologic hazards; with the U.S. Department of Energy on improving equipment; with such 

States as Texas, Georgia, and Massachusetts, with 

the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and with the 

U.S. Virgin Islands on estuarine and inner shelf 

research; with industry to devise new methods and 

techniques; and with many university and college 

groups performing research in the earth sciences. 

HISTORY 

The U.S. Geological Survey began marine geology 

studies of the Atlantic continental margin during 
EXPLORATORY WELLS 

ON THE 

ATLANTIC OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF 

BALTIMORE CANYON TROUGH 

AS OF JANUARY 1979 

0 

0 

ril 

PROPOSED SITE 

(APPROVAL PENDING) 

PROJECTED WELL 

(SITE AFPROVED) 

DRILLING WELL 

BOUNDARIES OF BLOCKS 

LEASED IN SALE 40 

"""'- BATHYMETRIC CONTOURS 

IN METERS 

C-C = CONOCO ET. AL. 

Ex =EXXON 

G =GULF 

Hom =HOUSTON OIL 8 MINERAL 

Mo =MOBIL 

Sh =SHELL 

Tx =TEXACO 

Tn =TENNECO 

6 =USGS AM COR PROJECT 

COMPLETED WELLS 

ACTIVE PLUGGED AND 

ABANDONED 

GAS WELL * SHOW OF GAS 

AND OIL 

DRY HOLE 

0 10 20 30 

NAUTICAL MILES 

0 10 20 30 

KILOMETERS 

FIGURE 2.-Locations of exploratory wells on the U.S. Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf, Baltimore Canyon Trough area. AM COR, U.S. 

Atlantic Margin Coring Program; B-2, B-3, Continental Offshore Stratigraphic Tests. 

4 
1962 and of the Gulf of Mexico margin during 1967. 

These regional studies encompassed bathymetry, 

physical and chemical characteristics of surficial 

sediments, high-resolution and single-channel 

geophysical data, and some biology. The early work 

was accomplished off the Atlantic and Gulf coasts in 

close cooperation with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution under the leadership of K. 0. 

Emery. Such cooperation was endorsed subsequently 

by a Commission of the House of Representatives in 

January 1969 in House Document No. 91-42 entitled 

"Our Nation and the Sea", which notes (p. 29): "In 

recent years Federal marine-oriented laboratories 

have been located near universities with strong 

marine programs. In fact, this is a statutory requirement of the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration. Active cooperation between the university and Federal laboratory usually has resulted in the 

benefit of both. Such location and cooperation, of 

course, should be encouraged further." This effort at 

Woods Hole was noted in the annual report of the 

President to the Congress on Marine Resources and 

Engineering Development (U.S. National Council on 

Marine Resources and Engineering Development, 

1970, p. 71): "The Geological Survey began concerted offshore mapping in 1962 by sponsoring a 

cooperative program with Woods Hole 

Oceanographic Institution on the Atlantic continental margin." 

In 1973, the 10 USGS research scientists at Woods 

Hole and the 8 at Corpus Christi were combined with 

4 others from Washington, D.C., to form the Branch 

of Atlantic-Gulf of Mexico Geology. As the necessity 

for energy-resource assessment and environmentalhazard studies became clearer, this program was expanded substantially so that, at the present time, it 

includes almost 200 people in Woods Hole, Mass.; 

Corpus Christi, Texas; Reston, Va.; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Denver, Colo. They include representatives from other branches of the USGS (such as 

Regional Geophysics, Oil and Gas Resources, and 

Paleontology and Stratigraphy) who contribute to 

the program. 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

The material used to compile this report was written by many people within the USGS and by some 

outside sources. Only the outside sources have been 

referenced within the text. Other material was taken, 

5 

some of it verbatim, from reports, papers, and 

abstracts that are included in the bibliography (p. 58) 

and thus is representative of most aspects of the program activity. 

FUNDING, COOPERATIVE PROGRAMS, 

AND USERS OF 

MARINE GEOLOGY PROGRAM PRODUCTS 

COOPERATIVE PROGRAMS AND FUNDING 

Principal funding to carry out program objectives 

for FY 78 (fiscal year 1978) and FY 79 came from 

four sources: the Geologic Division, USGS (56 percent); the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 

(33 percent); the Conservation Divison, USGS (7 percent); and the U.S. Department of Energy (3 

percent). The U.S. Bureau of Mines, the Water 

Resources Divison of the USGS, the Department of 

Natural Resources of the Commonwealth of Puerto 

Rico, and the Department of Public Works of the 

Commonwealth of Massachusetts have contributed 

or will contribute about 1 percent of the annual 

budget as matching funds for USGS input to 

cooperative programs (fig. 3). In addition, other 

Federal agencies such as the U.S. National Oceanic 

and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the 

Nuclear Regulatory Commission have provided 

funding, data input, or vessel support. 

Cooperation with other program elements in the 

USGS extends to several areas. The Earthquake 

Hazards Program provides direct support for studies 

of coastal or lacustrine areas adjacent to powerplant 

sites; personnel from the Branch of Paleontology and 

Stratigraphy extend regional stratigraphic correlations offshore as more data are gathered by drilling; 

and the Oil and Gas Resources Program processes 

some offshore seismic data and uses Marine Geology 

Program data to estimate resources. 

Interaction involving varying levels and kinds of 

support for State and private universities is extensive 

(fig. 3). Cooperation with industrial groups, aside 

from those contracted for services, mainly involves 

platform stability. 

RELATION OF PROGRAMS TO FEDERAL INITIATIVES 

The U.S. Geological Survey has a statutory 

responsibility to classify the public lands and to examine the geological structures, mineral resources, 

and products of the National domain (43 U.S. Code 

31 (a)) and in areas outside the National domain that 

are "determined by the Secretary [of the Interior] to 
GEOLOGIC 

DIVISION 

USGS 

CONSERVATION 

DIVISION 

USGS 

U.S. BUREAU 

OF LAND 

MANAGEMENT 

U.S. BUREAU . OF NRC 

MINES 

ATLANTIC-GULF OF MEXICO 

MARINE GEOLOGY PROGRAM 

FEDERAL COOPS 

OUTSIDE USGS 

BLM 

NOAA 

NRC 

U.S. BUREAU OF MINES 

U.S ARMY CORPS OF ENG 

U.S. NAVY 

DSDP 

NSF 

STATE UNIVERSITY 

COOPS 

LOUISIANA STATE U. 

TEXAS AS M 

U. GEORGIA (SKIDAWAY) 

PURDUE 

W. GEORGIA COLL. 

U. SOUTH FLORIDA 

U. RHODE ISLAND 

NO. ILLINOIS U. 

NO. COLORADO U. 

U. DELAWARE 

GEORGI A S.W. COLL. 

U. NEW HAMPSHIRE 

U. MINNESOTA 

VIRGINIA INSTITUTE OF 

MARINE SCIENCE 

FIGURE 3. -Funding sources (above) and cooperators 

(below) of the Atlantic-Gulf of Mexico Marine Geology Program during fiscal years 1978 and 1979. BLM, U.S. Bureau 

of Land Management; COOP, Cooperative Program; DOE, 

U.S. Department of Energy; DSDP, Deep Sea Drilling Project; LOGO, Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory; 

STATE AND 

TERRITORY COOPS 

DELAWARE 

GEORGIA 

MASSACHUSETTS 

PUERTO RICO 

SOUTH CAROLINA 

TEXAS 

FLORIDA 

MAINE 

NEW JERSEY 

NEW YORK 

ILLINOIS 

VIRGIN ISLANDS 

PRIVATE UNIVERSITY 

COOPS 

6 

WHOI-MIT 

LOGO (COLUMBIA U.) 

MIAMI U. 

DUKE U. 

CORNELL 

DARTMOUTH 

NOVA 

LEHIGH 

EMERY U. 

COLGATE 

FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 

MASS. COOP, Massachusetts Cooperative Program; 

NOAA, U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; NRC, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission; 

NSF, National Science Foundation; WHOI-MIT, Woods 

Hole Oceanographic Institution-Massachusetts Institute of 

Technology; and WRD, Water Resources Division of USGS. 
be in the national interest" (43 U.S. Code 31(b)). Specific Geological Survey responsibilities for the Outer 

Continental Shelf are described in documents such as 

the Memorandum of Understanding among the 

USGS, BLM, and NOAA (May 19, 1975). This 

Memorandum describes USGS responsibilities as 

follows: "1) to obtain a fundamental knowledge of 

regional marine geologic conditions and the processes involved in the formation of hydrocarbon 

deposits in order to increase capability for resource 

production and evaluation; 2) to identify potential 

areas for mineral exploration and development; and 

3) to provide geologic information on resource(s) ... that is needed by Federal, State, local 

and private planners, managers, and others." 

For environmental programs, the Outer Continental Shelf Hazards Act of 1953 and subsequent 

amendments (for example, that of 1968 (43 U.S. 

Code 1804) charged the Secretary of the Interior with 

responsibility for leasing and regulating the exploration and development of the submerged lands of the 

Continental Shelf seaward of lands belonging to the 

coastal States. The National Environmental Policy 

Act of 1969 requires analysis of the potential effects 

of every proposed Federal project that alters the 

quality of the human environment. 

USER GROUPS 

Data produced under the Atlantic-Gulf of Mexico 

Marine Geology Program are used by a broad spectrum of the Federal, State, academic, and industrial 

communities. Many users are involved directly in the 

program either through input of funding or participation in program planning and execution (fig. 3). 

The USGS Conservation Division and the U.S. 

Bureau of Land Management use these data to select 

lease areas and to prepare environmental impact 

statements. Federal cooperator-users include the 

Department of Energy, which is funding part of our 

instrument research, and the National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration, which is supporting 

construction and deployment of ocean-bottom 

seismometer systems and which has participated in 

sediment-stability studies of the Mississippi Delta. In 

FY 79, the Water Resources Division of the USGS 

will continue to fund some seismic surveys and sediment collection in the Potomac River estuary, and 

the U.S. Bureau of Mines will be funding research on 

seismic systems capable of analyzing geologic 

hazards to mines below bodies of water. 

Input from other program elements of the 

Geological Survey includes support from the Earth7 

quake Hazards Analysis Program for assessment of 

earthquake hazards in coastal areas and lakes, support from the Oil and Gas Resources Program for 

research on geopressured reservoirs, support from 

the Regional Geophysics Program for tectonic 

studies, and manpower support from the Branch of 

Paleontology and Stratigraphy for study of problems 

in offshore stratigraphy. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has provided funding for 

earthquake-hazards research; the U.S. Army Corps 

of Engineers has funded surveys to locate disposal 

sites for dredge spoil; and the National Science Foundation (NSF) allows the USGS to use NSF-sponsored 

University National Oceanographic Laboratory 

System (UNOLS) vessels. 

In addition to those mentioned, other States 

cooperate in the program. Delaware provides data 

for geophysical studies; Georgia was involved in 

coastal plain resource studies; Florida and South 

Carolina provide well data; Maine has participated in 

estuarine and nearshore research; New York has participated in Lake Ontario and Lake George studies; 

and Illinois and Minnesota are involved in Great 

Lakes studies. 

Industrial cooperatives have centered mainly 

around problems of rig and pipeline stability. Both 

oil-producing companies and the petroleum industry 

service companies have shown great interest in USGS 

studies, particularly those being carried out in the 

Gulf of Mexico, where rigs are numerous and where 

stability problems are severe. 

State universities such as Louisiana State University and Texas A&M University have provided an enormous amount of research on the design and deployment of instruments to monitor changes in sediment 

stability and on the study of Gulf Coast sedimentation in general. The Uriiversity of Georgia (Skidaway 

Institute) and University of South Carolina have carried out extensive surveys of hardgrounds and 

geologic hazards in the Southeastern Georgia Embayment. Georgia College, Georgia Southwestern 

College, and Emory University have produced maps 

summarizing the petroleum potential of the Georgia 

coastal plain. 

The University of South Florida has participated in 

surveys of suspended matter and bottom sediment in 

the Southeast Georgia Embayment and Baltimore 

Canyon Trough areas. The University of Texas at 

Galveston has collected COP (common-depth-point) 

seismic data for use in regional gulf tectonic synthesis, and the University of Texas at Austin has been 

a major cooperator on Gulf Coast nearshore and 
estuarine studies. University of Rhode Island (URI) 

students carry out various aspects of our program; 

equipment is often shared with URI, and in FY 79, 

URI will provide significant ship and personnel support. 

Northern Illinois University has aided us in the interpretation of our CDP seismic data. University of 

Northern Colorado personnel have led submersible 

cruises, interpreted seismic records, and synthesized 

environmental data. University of Delaware personnel have interpreted seismic records and collaborated 

with our geophysicists on studies of continental 

margin evolution. Cooperative gravity studies have 

been carried out with the University of New Hampshire, and seismic data will be collected jointly in FY 

79. 

Corpus Christi State University is the host for our 

Corpus Christi office. The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is host for the Woods 

Hole office and also provides extensive computer, 

technological, shop, ship, and other support services. 

Many scientists at WHOI also work on joint projects 

with USGS scientists. 

Among other private academic institutions, 

Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory of Columbia University will be involved with the USGS in a 

joint study of deep-sea stratigraphy. Recently, the 

University of Miami has provided most of our ship 

support for acquisition of geophysical data. Duke 

University has been involved in environmental 

studies off the Southeastern and Middle Atlantic 

States. Cornell and Lehigh Universities have provided valuable geotechnical advice for activities concerned with sediment instability. Nova University has 

carried out virtually all the current-meter preparation 

for our 10 bottom tripods used for studies of bottomsediment dynamics. Colgate University faculty and 

students have provided assistance in a variety of 

resource and environmental studies. Similarly, personnel from the West Indies Laboratory of Fairleigh 

Dickinson University have provided support for, and 

have participated in, several studies off St. Croix 

Island. 

PROGRAM ACTIVITIES 

OVERVIEW 

Research activities being conducted under the 

Atlantic-Gulf of Mexico Marine Geology Program 

are studies related to offshore oil and gas, environmental investigations, and studies in marine 

8 

geology. Within that framework, the objectives of 

the offshore geologic surveys are: 

(1) To provide publicly available oil- and gasresource data in support of the U.S. Department of Interior's oil and gas leasing program 

on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). 

(2) To determine areas that have significant petroleum potential for future OCS sales. 

(3) To provide resource data and analysis to the 

Federal government, coastal States, and the 

concerned public for long-term planning and 

for international boundary determinations, 

and for Law of the Sea negotiations. 

(4) To conduct environmentally related geologic research that will characterize regionally the 

nature of offshore hazards and provide information necessary for the safe exploration and 

development of oil and gas resources on the 

Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico OCS. 

(5) To evaluate subsea hydrogeology, with special 

reference to coastal ground-water supplies. 

(6) To locate and study deposits of sand, gravel, 

phosphorite, and other minerals on the Continental Shelves and in the deep ocean basins. 

(7) To conduct geologic research on coastal, 

estuarine, and lacustrine processes in support 

of all USGS stratigraphic investigations and 

State coastal zone activities. 

Regional resource studies of the Atlantic margin 

have been underway since 1973. From 1976 to 1978, 

the data collected have been of sufficient quantity 

and quality to produce an integrated synthesis of 

margin geology and evolution that has no parallel in 

the public sector. The broad resource implications of 

these studies include (1) the delineation of four major 

sedimentary basins and the discovery of a fifth, (2) 

the location of what appears to be a shelf -edge 

paleoreef complex, which could contain petroleum, 

along much of the Atlantic margin, (3) the locus of 

probable salt-piercement structures that elsewhere in 

the world are associated commonly with petroleum 

accumulation, and ( 4) the outline of structural 

features near the present shelf edge similar to those 

where oil and gas shows have been common in other 

areas. Further work is designed to study areas within 

the basins where structural and stratigraphic relations are complex, but where oil and gas potential 

may be high. 

Synthesis of the regional structure in the entire 

Gulf of Mexico has been underway for several years 

and will serve as the basis for future data collection. 

New resource studies on the west Florida shelf and 
slope are outgrowths of this work. To date, 

petroleum exploration in this area has been neither 

extensive nor successful. 

Environmental studies in areas where leasing has 

taken place (Baltimore Canyon Trough and 

Southeast Georgia Embayment) or is about to take 

place (Georges Bank Basin) have been pursued 

vigorously on the Atlantic margin since 1975 (fig. 1). 

These studies have focused on surficial sediment 

dynamics, composition and chemistry of surficial 

sediment, geotechnical sediment characteristics, 

petrogenic and biogenic gas content of subbottom 

sediments, heavy Ct s + hydrocarbon geochemistry, 

shallow stratigraphy, and faulting, all of which relate 

to the safe operation of marine facilities used in the 

exploration and development of natural gas and liquid hydrocarbon reserves. Present emphasis now is 

shifting to the Continental Slope, where sediment 

stability may be a major potential geologic hazard. 

Since 1974, Gulf Coast environmental studies have 

been keyed to management of the extensive 

hydrocarbon resources on the Continental Shelf. The 

two main study areas have been the South Texas 

Outer Continental Shelf (where topics of study include the geochemistry of the sediments, the nature 

and movement of suspended sediments, and shallow 

stratigraphy and structure) and the Mississippi Delta 

area (where topics of investigation include submarine 

landslides, the role of biogenic methane in sediment 

instability, storm waves as triggers for sediment 

failure, and the internal characteristics of weak, 

unstable subbottom sediments in areas of rapid 

deposition). Many environmental problems associated with petroleum and natural-gas development 

can be studied in the delta area, where production is 

extensive and where rigs, pipelines, and platforms are 

abundant. 

In addition, a major reconnaissance survey of 

geologic hazards on the Gulf of Mexico upper Continental Slope north of lat 26° N. and between water 

depths of 100 and 1,000 m was completed. During 

this study, more than 25,000 km of high-resolution 

seismic data were gathered. 

Analyses of pore water in cores recovered during 

the Atlantic Margin Coring Program revealed that 

fresh to brackish waters are common beneath much 

of the Continental Shelf. The results of this regional 

survey will guide future, more detailed studies of offshore freshwater resources. 

Studies of offshore aggregate reserves will be increasingly important as land deposits are exhausted 

and (or) covered by housing developments. 

9 

Cooperative studies of offshore sand and gravel are 

underway presently in Massachusetts, Puerto Rico, 

and the Virgin Islands. Other studies of hard 

minerals (phosphates, manganese, uranium, and 

thorium) in the area off Florida and elsewhere in the 

United States' exclusive economic zone are ready to 

be initiated when funding is available. 

Studies of estuarine, inner shelf, and lake environments will be expanded during the next few 

years in response to growing pressure for multiple use 

of these areas. Present studies address earthquake 

hazards and powerplant siting, mining hazards, 

pipeline routes, and pollutant distribution. 

In summary, Atlantic resource studies are now 

reaching the stage of regional synthesis based on extensive grids of COP seismic, gravity, and magnetic 

data and data from many drill holes. No further contract 48-channel seismic data collection is contemplated for the next year or two. However, a 

cooperative 24-channel seismic survey by the 

Bundesanstalt fiir Geowissenschaften and Rohstoffe 

(Geological Survey of the Federal Republic of Germany) will help to fill in the existing grid. New inhouse 12-channel work will focus on detailed structure and stratigraphic problems that relate to potential resource areas, and an excellent synthesis of the 

drilled stratigraphy has been conducted by members 

of the USGS at Woods Hole. Resource studies in the 

Gulf will focus on the west Florida shelf and slope 

where production is yet to be established. 

For environmental studies in the Gulf of Mexico, 

the focus of regional studies will shift from the South 

Texas Shelf to the middle and northern gulf. 

Mississippi Delta studies will continue, but more emphasis will be placed now on in situ gas studies; data 

will be collected by a pressure core barrel and a 

geophysically instrumented sediment probe. In the 

Atlantic, sediment-mobility studies on the shelf will 

continue off the entire U.S. coast during FY 79, and 

then emphasis probably will shift to the Continental 

Slope, where additional information is needed to 

evaluate the effects of storms, currents, and internal 

waves as potential causes of sediment mass movement. On both the Atlantic and Gulf Continental 

Slopes, new emphasis will be placed on the nature of 

slumps and on the mechanisms that cause them. 

PROGRAM PRODUCTS 

Research results are reported in a variety of 

publications. Publication form depends upon the 

nature of the research, the urgency of the need for it, 

and the audience for which it is intended. These 
results range in sophistication from raw data 

deposited with NOAA's Environmental Data Service 

(EDS) to USGS Professional Papers and equivalent 

publications in outside professional journals. Thirty 

days after a ship returns, cruise reports are submitted 

to EDS in a Report of Observations/Samples Collected by Oceanographic Programs form. After some 

cruises, sample-inventory reports are submitted as a 

followup Second Level Inventory Report. Geophysical data are normally submitted as a Marine 

Geophysical Data Inventory to the National 

Geophysical and Solar-Terrestrial Data Center of 

EDS after 1 year, and sample data are submitted as 

available. Thus, information becomes available for 

public use as soon as it is processed to the point of being manageable. 

Specific reports about lease areas are required by 

mutual agreement between the USGS Geologic Division (GD) and the USGS Conservation Division 

(CD). The Branch of Atlantic-Gulf of Mexico 

Geology selects areas having the potential to produce 

petroleum and recommends them to the CD and 

BLM. Prior to a Call for Lease Nominations, GD 

and CD prepare a short summary of the geologic, 

resource, and environmental characteristics of the 

area. Subsequently, an extensive summary of all the 

available data in the area is prepared for use in the 

draft environmental impact statement issued by the 

BLM. Following lease-tract selections, members of 

the CD and GD meet to assess the environmental 

hazards in the area and to withdraw or place stipulations on hazardous tracts. 

Reports are presented in a variety of USGS formats. The simplest is the USGS Open-File Report, 

which receives a minimum of editing and is designed 

mainly to get information before the public quickly. 

Other USGS publications, in order of increasing 

sophistication, include Miscellaneous Field Studies 

Maps, Circulars, Bulletins and Professional Papers. 

All are used extensively, but those requiring less time 

for publication are more appropriate avenues for information on leasing and environmental hazards that 

must be available for Federal and State decisionmaking. 

Publication in professional journals is the route 

preferred by most program scientists because there 

the work receives wide exposure to the scientific community. During 1977 and 1978, more than 125 journal articles were published as a result of this program. 

Participation in national and regional professional 

society meetings serves as one of the most rapid 

10 

methods to disseminate findings. Program scientists 

have convened, chaired, and participated in many 

symposia concerned with resourcet environmental, 

and marine geologic problems on the Atlantic and 

Gulf of Mexico margins. Many abstracts were 

published during 1977-78 for these meetings and 

symposia. 

SUMMARY OF PROGRAM RESULTS IN FISCAL 

YEARS 1977 AND 1978 

RESOURCE ASSESSMENT 

ATLANTIC 

For the entire Atlantic margin, the integration of 

magnetic and multichannel seismic-reflection data 

shows that basin and platform locations in the North 

American and African margins were influenced 

strongly by the initial rifting patterns in the Early 

Jurassic, which are evident in depth-to-magneticbasement maps as small initial offsets (about 10-30 

km); these offsets are propagated as fracture zones in 

the adjacent oceanic crust. The outer edges of the 

deep, sediment-filled basins such as the Georges 

Bank Basin, the Baltimore Canyon Trough, and the 

Carolina Trough are marked by a magnetic basement 

high along the East Coast Magnetic Anomaly 

(ECMA) (fig. 4). The area of this anomaly is evident 

on seismic profiles as a region of carbonate bank or 

reefal buildup and is the location of most of the 

diapirs found south of the Gulf of Maine. 

Data from the U.S. Geological Survey's 1974-76 

digital, high-sensitivity aeromagnetic survey were 

used to study the ECMA. This anomaly marks the 

seaward edge of the deep, sediment-filled basins that 

parallel the continental margin and the landward 

edge of oceanic crust (fig. 4). The Jurassic magnetic 

quiet zone seaward of the ECMA is interpreted to be 

underlain by oceanic crust because of the character 

of the 10- to 50-nT (nanotesla) linear magnetic 

anomalies and the acoustic character of the seismic 

basement. Depths to magnetic basement calculated 

by the Werner deconvolution method suggest that a 

ridge or dike complex underlies the ECMA at a depth 

ranging from 6 to 8 km and that it extends more or 

less continuously from the Georges Bank area south 

to the Blake Spur fracture zone off Charleston, S.C. 

Source of the ECMA appear~ to be the combination 

of shortwave-length anomalies caused by this basement ridge and an edge effect due to the contrast of 

the oceanic crust seaward of the ECMA with flatlying adjacent nonmagnetic sedimentary rocks (as 
ISOBATH$, l()()()m INTERVAL 

FIGURE 4.- Locations of major basins and related tectonic features along the U.S. Atlantic continental margin. Approximate scale 

1:15,000,000. (Modified from Klitgord and Behrendt, 1979.) 

much as 14-15 km thick) in the basins beneath the 

Continental Shelf. 

Analyses of the 1 0-mgal free-air gravity-anomaly 

map (Grow, Bowin, and Hutchinson, 1979) indicate 

that the Atlantic continental margin consists of a 

series of regional platforms and basins. Major 

sedimentary basins contain 10 to 14 km of sediments 

and are characterized by regional free-air gravity 

lows of - 10 to - 20 mgal. Isostatic anomalies across 

11 

the Shelf, Slope, and Rise are variable. In most areas, 

such as off Delaware and Cape Cod, the isostatic 

anomalies have small values (20 mgal). In a few 

areas, anomalies range from 30 to 50 mgal. The 

ocean/continent transition zone varies in width from 

80 km off Cape Cod to about 200 km off the Middle 

Atlantic States. 

In 1976, the Atlantic Margin Coring (AMCOR) 

Program was completed. During this program, 
boreholes penetrated to depths of as much as 310 m 

at 19 sites along the Continental Shelf and Slope (fig. 

5A). The drilling program delineated rocks from 

Pleistocene to Late Cretaceous age, encompassing 

phosphoritic Miocene strata, widespread Eocene carbonate beds that account for strong seismicreflection horizons, and several regional unconformities. Two sites off Maryland and New Jersey showed 

light-hydrocarbon gases having a molecular composition and stable isotope ratios in the range of those of 

mature petroleum (fig. 5B). Pore-fluid studies 

showed that relatively fresh to brackish waters are 

present beneath much of the Atlantic Continental 

Shelf (fig. 5C). However, off Georgia and the 

Florida-Hatteras Slope, high salinity of pore waters 

suggests buried evaporitic strata. Analyses of engineering properties of sediment cores demonstrated 

that sediments range from those having good foundation strength to those having potential for severe 

loss of strength under cyclic loading conditions. 

North Atlantic (Georges Bank Basin) 

In the Georges Bank Basin, 5,000 km of 

48-channel CDP seismic data were collected during 

1977 and 1978 (fig. 6). Interpretation of these data 

delineated four major stratigraphic units: (1) a probable terrigenous clastic evaporite volcanic sequence 

(Triassic to Lower Jurassic) associated with deeply 

buried fault blocks, (2) a carbonate platform and reef 

sequence that formed during Jurassic time along the 

ancestral shelf/slope break, (3) a marine/nonmarine 

sequence built over the carbonate rocks as the shelf 

prograded seaward during Cretaceous time, and (4) a 

moderately thick prism of sediments of Tertiary and 

younger age that formed the Continental Rise. Much 

of the present Continental Slope is an erosional surface cut into lower Tertiary and Upper Cretaceous 

strata during Tertiary marine regressions as sediment 

moved downslope to build the Rise. The total section 

is approximately 8 to 10 km thick and is composed 

mostly of Jurassic sedimentary rock; Cretaceous 

rocks are less than one-fourth as thick as those of the 

Jurassic and Triassic sequence (fig. 7). Potential 

hydrocarbon traps are most likely to be on drape 

structures above deeply buried fault blocks, diapirs, 

and buried reef structures. 

Middle Atlantic (Baltimore Canyon Trough) 

Analyses of approximately 9,600 km of multichannel seismic-reflection data collected over the Continental Shelf, Slope, and Rise between Cape Hat12 

teras and Long Island reveal that the history of rifting and subsidence during the Mesozoic in this area is 

similar to the Mesozoic history of the North Atlantic. 

Three thousand kilometers of data collected in 1978 

are being analyzed now (fig. 6). These data are being 

tied to the stratigraphy penetrated in COST (Continental Offshore Stratigraphic Test) B-2 and COST 

B-3 wells (fig. 2), and the sonic logs run in these holes 

are being used for better velocity control. The data 

reveal several large, deeply buried fault blocks and 

broad arches in addition to a Jurassic and Cretaceous 

shelf-edge carbonate(?) complex that extends 20 km 

seaward of the present shelf edge to the present Continental Slope. Total sediment section under the Continental Shelf exceeds 14 km in the deepest part of the 

basin and is composed predominantly of Jurassic 

nonmarine, evaporitic, and carbonate sedimentary 

rocks. Under the Slope, the depth to basemenC,exceeds 12 km, and some structures identified in 

seismic data may be hydrocarbon traps (fig. 8). The 

recent discovery of gas in the COST B-3 well is good 

evidence for this conclusion. The middle Cretaceous 

black shales beneath the Continental Rise may be 

source beds for Atlantic margin oil and gas reserves. 

Analyses of cores, well cuttings, and electric logs in 

the COST B-2 well reveal potential reservoir sands 

having porosities as high as 40 percent in the section 

between 1,000 m and 4,300 m. Organic geochemistry 

studies reveal that several Cretaceous units are possible source beds for natural gas because of their high 

(as high as 12 percent) organic carbon content that is 

due to coaly kerogen types. However, the organic 

matter is not yet thermally mature, though natural 

gas is forming. Original estimates of an 85 percent 

marginal probability that liquid petroleum and 

natural gas in commercially recoverable quantities 

will be found have not as yet been substantiated. 

However, significant occurrences of gas have been 

found under both the outer shelf and upper slope. 

South Atlantic (Southeast Georgia Embayment) 

Nine thousand kilometers of 48-channel CDP 

seismic data (fig. 6), gravity data, and magnetic data 

reveal that the continental margin off the Southeastern United States consists of the Carolina Trough, a 

narrow basin containing 10 to 11 km of Jurassic to 

Holocene sedimentary rocks (fig. 9), and a large 

broad basin to the south (Blake Plateau Basin) containing as much as 14 km of post-Triassic sedimentary rocks (fig. 10). The basin center is beneath the 

inner Blake Plateau. The continental margin in this 
area began to form during the Triassic as rifting of 

the continental crust began. 

In the Early Jurassic (185 m.y. (million years) to 

175 m.y. ago), intrusions and extrusions of mafic 

material extensively mixed with continentally derived 

sediments to form new transitional basement beneath 

the Blake Plateau; marine waters flooded the subsiding zone, and reefs began to form on fault-block 

highs. About 175 m.y. ago, reorganization of plate 

movement resulted in a 200-km eastward jump of the 

spreading center, closer to the African continent. 

About 140 m.y. ago, a reef began to develop at the 

location of the Blake Escarpment; the reef grew upward for 5 km before dying out in the Early 

Cretaceous. A broad carbonate platform behind this 

reef, and, after it died, another reef formed 70 km 

west of the initial one. The second reef died at the 

end of Early Cretaceous time. During Late 

Cretaceous and Paleocene time, quiet-water deposition of chalk and terrigenous mud characteristic of 

slope depths covered the plateau and Outer Continental Shelf. In post-Paleocene time, sediments 

were extensively eroded because the Gulf Stream 

began to flow across the inner Blake Plateau. The 

present Continental Shelf has been constructed largely through sedimentary outbuilding; its seaward edge 

reflects the interplay of sedimentation coupled with 

periodic erosion by the Gulf Stream. 

Data from thermal measurements, color alteration 

of kerogen, temperature of maximum pyrolysis yield, 

carbon-preference index, and primary vitrinite reflectance from the COST GE-l well in the Southeast 

Georgia Embayment (see fig. 6) indicate that sourcerock organic material is thermally immature at 

depths less than 3,000 m as far as liquid gaseous 

hydrocarbon generation is concerned. Below this 

depth, the sedimentary rocks are largely nonmarine 

to nearshore, and, although they are thermally 

mature, they must be viewed as having little or no 

potential as petroleum source rocks because of their 

low organic carbon content. Sandstone and limestone reservoirs having good porosity and 

permeability are present in the section between 1, 700 

m and 3,000 m. If these sandstones interfinger with 

mature marine shales seaward, excellent potential for 

oil and gas accumulation may exist in the Blake 

Plateau Basin. 

Unpublished data ofT. M. Chowns (1976) show 

that the subsurface of the Georgia coastal plain is 

characterized by five terranes: (1) a medium- to highgrade metamorphic terrane representing the subsurface continuation of the Piedmont Province that extends 10 to 12 km southeast of the Fall Line, (2) a 

red-bed association intruded by numerous dolerites 

inferred to be of Triassic age and occupying a complex graben beneath the Apalachicola Embayment, 

(3) a group of fossiliferous Lower Ordovician to Upper Devonian sandstones and shales that form the 

nucleus of the peninsular arch of Florida and extend 

into the southern part of Georgia, (4) a lower 

Paleozoic felsic volcanic terrane and associated 

granite plutons that underlie the Suwanee Saddle and 

Southeast Georgia Embayment and appear to correlate with similar rocks on the south side of the 

peninsular arch and in the Apalachicola Embayment, 

and (5) an area of very mafic crust causing highamplitude gravity and magnetic anomalies in a zone 

extending along the northeastern margin of the 

Triassic red beds in South Carolina. 

GULF OF MEXICO 

A tectonic map of the Gulf of Mexico is being 

prepared by members of the USGS; the map will portray the structure and geologic framework of the 

Continental Slope of the northern Gulf of Mexico. 

The slope is the seaward &ace of the petroleum-rich 

Gulf Coast Continental Shelf and includes all the 

steeply sloping floor from the shelf edge (at 200m 

below sea level) to the Abyssal Plain (at 3,200 m). 

Structural grain and topography of the slope are controlled primarily by salt movement; virtually the entire province is underlain by salt stocks and pillowlike 

swells. Areas between salt domes commonly contain 

as much as 3.5 km of sediment, most of which is 

muddy slump deposits containing a few sandy turbidite zones. Despite the apparently low incidence of 

turbidite sands, those of reservoir quality are probably present in intraslope basins, especially in 

Pleistocene strata that accumulated when shorelines 

and sediment sources were close to the present shelf 

edge. Prospects in the upper slope province include 

strata of Pliocene and Pleistocene age in the area seaward of the Mississippi Delta and strata of mainly 

Pleistocene age elsewhere. Potential r~servoirs are expected in regressive wedges of neritic sand; in turbidite accumulations; along the shelf-edge, where 

they may be bounded by growth faults; and on the 

flanks of salt structures. 

New resource data acquired in 1977-78 to be used 

in compiling the regional tectonic map of the gulf included 7,600 km of multichannel COP-processed 

seismic data recorded in the north-central and eastern 

Gulf of Mexico (fig. 11). These data were procured 

13 
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from the University of Texas Marine Science Institute at Galveston. 

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT 

ATLANTIC 

Environmental assessment studies of the Atlantic 

continental margin have concentrated largely on sediment mobility and stability characteristics. The emphasis of these studies has been slightly different in 

each of the three main lease areas (fig. 12) because of 

differences in the relative magnitude of various 

hazards. For example, instrumented tripods (fig. 13) 

have revealed that, in the Georges Bank region of the 

Continental Shelf, high tidal currents and, to a lesser 

extent, major storms are responsible for most of the 

vigorous circulation that redistributes sediment either 

in the water column or as large mobile sand waves. In 

the Baltimore Canyon Trough on the shelf, storms 

are responsible for most sediment movement. On the 

upper Continental Slope, slumping may be a major 

potential hazard in some lease tracts. Insufficient 

data concerning the geometry, mechanisms, and timing of slumps resulted in the withdrawal of 27 lease 

tracts from Lease Sale 49. In the Southeast Georgia 

Embayment, the strong currents associated with the 

Gulf Stream constitute a hazard to the many operational activities associated with exploration and 

development and to bottom stability; bottom scour 

has been well documented. The ubiquitous distribution of hardgrounds, which are typically populated 

by concentrations of benthic organisms and fish 

constitutes a further limit on the location of drillin~ and development activities. 

North Atlantic (Georges Bank Basin) 

Research cruises to the Georges Bank areas have 

included studies ranging from studies of suspendedFIGURE 5.-Locations of geologic and geographic features and 

drilling sites along the U.S. Atlantic continental margin and 

light-hydrocarbon and hydrologic data for AMCOR sites. A, 

Locations of drilling sites on the U.S. Atlantic continental 

margin. AMCOR, Atlantic Margin Coring Program; JOIDES, 

Joint Oceanographic Institutions Deep Earth Sampling; ASP, 

A~lantic Slope Project; DSDP, Deep Sea Drilling Project; L T, 

Light Tower; COST, Continental Offshore Stratigraphic Test; 

TT, Texas Tower; USN-ACMR; United States Navy-Air Combat Maneuvering Range; and AGS, Atlantic Generating Station. 

B, Geologic and geographic features and light-hydrocarbon data 

for AMCOR sites. C, Hydrologic data for AMCOR sites. Insets 

show chlorinity variations with depth below sea level of selected 

sites. Numbers accompanying each site show the minimum 

chlorinity value and the depth below sea level at which that value 

existed. (Modified from Hathaway and others, 1979.) 

15 

matter distribution to single-channel seismic surveys. 

Figures 14A, B, and C show tracklines along which 

data were collected in 1977-79, and table 1 summarizes the kinds of data collected by scientists on 

USGS cruises in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico in 

1976-78. 

Concentrations of particulate matter in the waters 

of the Georges Bank area are typically between 0.05 

and 1.0 mg/L. However, concentrations as high as 15 

mg/L were measured south of Nantucket during a 

winter storm. Such high levels are significant because 

they exceed the estimated levels of suspended-matter 

concentration (3-5 mg/L) necessary to cause crude 

oil to sink to the bottom. Current measurements and 

preliminary carbon-14 and lead-210 data from the 

cores collected south of Martha's Vineyard (fig. 14C) 

suggest that fine-grained sediment is actively accumulating there. This large area of clay and silt may 

not be relict, as previous reports have indicated, but 

may have been derived from fine-grained material 

being winnowed from the Georges Bank/Nantucket 

Shoals area (fig. 14C). This area of fine-grained sediment appears to be the principal site on the Continental Shelf off the Northeastern United States where 

pollutants introduced by offshore development activity in the Georges Bank area may actually concentrate. In part, the reason for this phenomenon is the 

clockwise residual water flow around Georges Bank 

and westward flow along the Continental Shelf. 

In the bottom sediment of Georges Bank, total 

concentrations of iron, lead, zinc, barium, copper, 

nickel, vanadium, chromium, and cadmium and 

leachable concentrations of zinc, copper, and 

chromium are low and are characteristic of areas 

having uncontaminated coarse-grained sediment. 

Profiles of the concentrations of these elements and 

sediments near the water/sediment interface give no 

indication of recent trace-metal accumulation. 

Vibracores collected in till-like material near the 

presumed Pleistocene ice limit south of Nantucket 

Island and west of Great South Channel reveal 

carbon-14 dates between 20,000 and 30,000 years 

B.P. (before present). These dates indicate that the 

till was dropped by ice in the glacial late Wisconsinan 

Stage. 

Preliminary analysis of high-resolution seismicreflection profiles on the Continental Slope off 

Georges Bank indicates that slumping and mass 

movement of material have taken place in this area 

and that the scale of the mass movement ranges from 

small to large; styles range from simple creep to major dislocation and translation. However, sop his-
-3-~ 

DSDP 

®"' · DSDP 

®.105 

,~~ 

---- . . ~ '\: ' . \.. 

FIGURE 6.-Locations of tracldines along which common-depth-point seismic profiles were collected for resource studies of the U.S. Atlantic continental margin. Heavy lines indicate data 

collection sites for 1977 and 1978. Some wells (starred locations) are shown for reference: DSDP, Deep Sea Drilling Project; COST, Continental Offshore Stratigraphic Test. Approximate scale 1:13,750,000. (Modified from Folger and others, 1979.) 
ticated analysis of the data is continuing because 

masses may be easily confused with unconformities 

or with acoustical artifacts in terrain cut by submarine canyons. 

In situ observations of the Outer Continental Shelf 

and upper Continental Slope south of Georges Bank 

reveal small slump scars characterized by slopes of 

20° to 45°, by clay outcrops, and by burrows and 

depressions inhabited by a diversity of megabenthic 

organisms. Step topography, reverse slopes, and 

hummocky sea floor were observed below the scars. 

Areas where slumps are absent are characterized by 

smooth, gently dipping sea floor and sparse fauna. 

Middle Atlantic (Baltimore Canyon Trough) 

Most of the detailed seismic profiling on the Shelf 

in the Baltimore Canyon Trough was carried out 

prior to the time covered by this report. Surveys conducted along tracklines shown in figures 15A include 

mainly submersible, suspended-matter, sidescansonar, and single-channel seismic surveys (table 1). 

Seismic surveys of the Slope were initiated in 1978 

along tracklines shown in f~gure 15B. Measurements 

during FY 77 and FY 78 ofbottom currents, temperature, turbidity, and suspended matter and 

photographs of the bottom demonstrate that, in this 

area, surficial bottom sediment moves primarily in 

response to winter storms, surface waves, and tidal 

currents in waters as much as 60 to 80 m deep. These 

agents cause transport along the shelf ranging from 

10 to 20 km and transport cross the shelf ranging 

from 5 to 10 km; thus, fine material probably can be 

distributed over wide areas of the shelf each year. 

The consistency of measurements taken by identical 

tripod systems spaced far apart on the shelf suggests 

that instruments on one tripod can monitor conditions over a large area of the Continental Shelf. 

Seismic investigations of shallow strata have 

previously indicated that well-defined sand waves are 

present only in the area near the head of Wilmington 

Canyon (fig. 15A). The bedforms there are 1 to 8 m 

high, and crests having wavelengths of 100 to 600 m 

are oriented northwest-southeast. The bedforms are 

symmetrical to the southwest and show internal 

southwest-dipping foreset beds. These waves are 

close to a lease area and would pose a potential 

stability problem for pipelines. The best evidence to 

17 

date suggests that these beds are not in motion or that 

they move only in response to extremely large storms. 

Vibracores of the upper few meters of sediment 

have revealed that silty-clayey strata underlie the surficial sand sheet across most of the shelf in the 

Baltimore Canyon Trough area. Information from 

drilling during the AMCOR Program suggests that 

this fine-textured sediment unit is as much as 300 m 

thick under the Continental Shelf. Measurements of 

cores from the unit indicate that, on the Continental 

Shelf, much of this fine-textured material is overconsolidated, probably owing to ground-water circulation when sea level was much lower. 

Many of the high-resolution seismic profiles collected on the Continental Slope reveal possible 

slumping or mass movement. Within a closely 

surveyed area (fig. 15B), possible slumped sediments 

constitute about 15 percent of the area. Submersible 

observations of small slumps in the area reveal steep 

slopes and outcrops of stiff clay, heavily burrowed 

by benthic faun~ at the slump heads. Downslope 

from the slump scars, blocks of sediment and step 

topography are common. Outside the slump areas, 

the sea floor is smooth, and megabenthic fauna are 

sparse. The potential hazard from slumping has yet 

to be fully determined because the geometry, age, 

and frequency of slumping are not well documented. 

If the slumping was all associated with the last sealevel lowering and preceding sea-levellowerings, then 

it probably will not constitute a major problem. On 

the other hand, if much of the sediment on the upper 

slope does move during earthquakes, as it did off the 

Grand Banks of Newfoundland in 1929, then slumping may be an important hazard. 

As part of an effort to characterize the background 

geochemical character of surficial sediment in the 

Middle Atlantic area, we have shown that the Cu + 

heavy hydrocarbon (paraffin) concentration flux correlates with the seasonal changes in the intensity of 

sediment transport motion along and across the 

shelf. Other factors that are known to influence the 

natural seasonal flux distribution and the fate of the 

component hydrocarbons are (1) the chemical, 

biological, and microbial degradation in situ, (2) the 

influence of temperature, salinity, and pressure gradients on the residence time of particulate matter that 

carries sorbed hydrocarbons, (3) the sorption of 

hydrocarbons by humic and fulvic acids, (4) circulation envelopes, (5) clay-mineral type, composition, 
NW CENOZOIC SE IMENTS SE 

SEA LEVELn~~~~~~0~~~~K~M~~:1' 

-

VERTICAL EXAGGERATION X 15 

EXPLANATION 

/F Fault 

I ~"d Continental basement rocks 

Transitional basement rocks 

~ Igneous rocks 

fiJ Oceanic basement rocks 

~ Carbonate rocks 

~ Terrigenous clastic rocks 

!ill Limestone and shale 

I ..:t~ Marl and calcareous shale 

II Evaporite rocks 

~ Continental deposits 

Rift deposits 

FIGURE 7. -Diagrammatic cross section along common-depth-point line 1 across central Georges Bank showing a thlck sequence of 

Jurassic and Cretaceous sedimentary rocks overlying Triassic and Jurassic red beds(?) and faulted crystalline basement. The location 

of line 1 is shown in figure 6. Explanation applies to figures 7 to 10. (Modified from Schlee, 1978.) 

18 
i= 

w 

~ 15 

l.L ::::I:Q 

....._ 

Wo 0.... (f) 30 

Oz 

<( 

(f) 

645 

:r: 

t::. 

w 

GREAT STONE DOME 1oo 

E 

5 

FIGURE 8.-Diagrammatic cross section along common-depth-point line 25 of the Baltimore Canyon Trough. The location of line 25 is 

shown in figure 6. Potential hydrocarbon traps include the arched sediments associated with the Great Stone dome and salt diapir 

and also the structural and stratigraphic traps in the carbonate (reef) complex. See explanation of lithologic units in figure 7. (Modified from Grow, Mattick, and Schlee, 1979.) 

and charge deficiency, and (6) the bottom topography. 

The concentrations of the saturated paraffin 

(aliphatic) hydrocarbons are generally less than 1 

p.g/ g (1.0 ppm, parts per million) and are 

predominantly biogenic rather than anthropogenic. 

The aromatic hydrocarbons, also less concentrated 

than 1 p.g/g (1.0 ppm), are believed to have a source 

different from that of the aliphatics; possibly they 

are associated with atmospheric particulate matter. 

South Atlantic (Southeast Georgia 

Embayment) 

Single-channel seismic and sidescan-sonar surveys 

plus tripod observations, bottom-sediment coring, 

and submersive observations were carried out in 1977 

and 1978 on the U.S. South Atlantic continental 

margin (figs. 16A, B; table 1). These observations indicate that the major environmental hazard to 

mineral exploration on the Blake Plateau is strong 

currents associated with the Gulf Stream that cause 

extensive bottom scour, steep bathymetry, and cut 

and fill on many unconformity surfaces. No major 

faulting was found in the Blake Plateau or Slope; 

small faults, delineated by using high-resolution 

seismic data, appear to be related to differential compaction or slumping. 

Piston coring and rock dredging on the Blake 

Plateau reveal that most surface areas·are covered by 

lag phosphorites or manganese nodules. Large living 

coral reefs, mounds, and thickets (ahermatypic 

varieties of coral) are ubiquitous, particularly under 

19 

the Gulf Stream. Steep escarpments appear to be topped by lag gravels, reefs, and indurated rock. Reefs 

and hardgrounds associated with abundant benthic 

and demersal activity are discontinuous on the shelf. 

These reefs and hardgrounds are of three general 

morphotypes: (1) generally flat-lying low-relief (0.5 

m) rock outcrops, which are periodically covered and 

uncovered by a layer of surficial sand, (2) attached 

reefs and areas having 2m or more of relief, which 

consist of interfingered ridges and troughs of micritecemented sand or shelly rocks, and (3) shelf-edge 

reefs having 5 to 30 m of relief, which are discontinuous along the shallow part of the Continental 

Slope. Hardgrounds (probably relict beach rock or 

shelf-edge reefs) are least common off the central 

Georgia coast and are more common both to the 

south off Florida and to the north off South 

Carolina. 

Benthic and demersal productivity on the Blake 

Plateau appears to be related to relief; productivity is 

low in areas of low relief, and hard and soft corals, 

sea whips, sponges, and algae are abundant in higher 

relief areas. 

GULF OF MEXICO 

South Texas Outer Continental Shelf 

During 1977 and 1978, extensive studies for the 

U.S. Bureau of Land Management on the South 

Texas OCS were completed and synthesized by the 

USGS. These studies included the interpretation of 

20,000 km of high-resolution seismic data and 
~ 

CAROLINA 

PLATFORM 

CAROLINA 

TROUGH 

NW ~c~~~L.T FLOWS~ 175M.Y. OLD 

i= 

w 

w 

LL 

~LL 15 

1-0 

f!i~ OZ3Q <( 

CJ) 

~ 

~45 

1-

-

100 

BLAKE RIDGE 

VERTICAL EXAGGERATION X 5 

SE 

5 -::E 

~ 

-

~ 

1- 10 Q. 

w 

0 

15 

FIGURE 9.-Diagrammatic cross section based on common-depth-point line BT-l across the Carolina Platform and Carolina Trough. The location of line BT-l is shown in figure 6. See 

explanation of lithologic units in figure 7. (Modified from Folger and others, 1979.) 
t'l:) 

'"""" 

-.,_ 

LLJ 

LLJ 

LL 15 

zLL .,_o 

Q.CI) 

LLJC 

cz 

<( 

~45 0 

:J: 

.,_ 

w 

FLORIDA 

PLATFORM BLAKE PLATEAU BASIN 

E 

BLAKE BASIN 

VERTICAL EXAGGERATION X 5 

5"i ~ 

-:I: 

10 t: 

15 

LLJ 

0 

FIGURE 10.-Diagrammatic cross section based on common-depth-point line FC-3 across the Blake Plateau Basin. The location of line FC-3 is shown in figure 6. See explanation of lithologic 

units in figure 7. (Modified from Folger and others, 1979.) 
98• 

96• 94° 92" 90" 

MISSISSIPPI I LOUISIANA 

30° 

TEXAS \ 

.--) 

28° 

26• -

O 50 100 KILOMETERS 

CONTOURS IN METERS 

96• 94" 90° 92" 

FIGURE 11.-Tracklines along which common-depth-point seismic data were collected in the Gulf of Mexico. These data were acquired 

analysis of 234 samples of suspended matter and 66 

piston cores (figs. 11A, B). 

Concentrations of suspended sediment (mainly 

quartz, montmorillonite, and illite) were highest over 

the north and inner central parts of the shelf. Principal sources apparently were the inlets along the 

northern part of the South Texas OCS, the Mississippi River, and smaller rivers. The dispersal patterns 

of trace metals were similar to dispersal patterns of 

total suspended matter. The trace metals in suspension on the inner shelf are associated with the common terrestrially derived particulate matter and the 

22 

large amounts of suspended biological constituents. 

High concentrations of trace metals on the outer 

shelf probably are due to specific biological components but may be due in part to natural-gas 

seepage. 

Bottom sediments can be classified on the basis of 

textural analyses into three classes: relict deposits of 

the ancestral Rio Grande, redeposited relict 

sediments, and modern deposits transported to the 

shelf during Holocene time. Widespread discrete 

sand layers show that large quantities of coarse sediment are carried periodically seaward beyond mid-
sa· 86° 84° 82° 

GEORGIA 

... ______ ------------- --------------------------------... 

\ __ ..t 

30° 

FLORIDA ~ D 

of 

26° 

24° 

86° 

from the University of Texas Marine Science Institute to be used in compiling a regional tectonic map of the Gulf of Mexico. 

shelf, probably during hurricanes that floor the bays 

and cause strong ebbtides that transport turbid water 

and sand across the shelf. 

Studies of lead-210 dates indicate that rates of 

sedimentation on the shelf during the last 150 years 

have ranged from 0 to 9 mm/yr. Highest rates were 

measured in sediments deposited on the northern 

part of the shelf. 

Isopachs of the shallow strata define areas of 

variable uplift and subsidence due to diapirism, sediment loading, and fluctuations in sea level due to 

glaciation. The main depocenter has migrated north23 

ward since early Holocene time from just north of 

the ancestral Rio Grande delta to its present position 

on the northern part of the OCS. Faulting has been 

continuous since late Pleistocene time and has 

migrated seaward across the shelf. 

Mississippi Delta 

Studies of bottom-sediment instability on the Continental Shelf and Slope off the Mississippi Delta 

since 1974 have revealed a complex of slumps and 

slides. The documentation of these features has 
BALTIMORE 

CANYON 

TROUGH 

LEASE AREA 40,49 

38" 

68" 

36" 

70" 

FIGURE 12.-The three main lease areas 

on the U.S. Atlantic Continental Margin. 
steadily improved as more sophisticated techniques 

and better equipment have been brought to bear on 

the problem (figs. 18A, B, C). Instability of various 

types is common off the modern Mississippi Delta 

complex. The instability is due mainly to the high 

rates of sedimentation (as high as 80 m/100 yr), to 

weak clays having water contents in excess of 100 

percent, and to differential loading of clay 

sediments. The kinds of instabilities that now have 

been documented include: 

(1) Peripheral slumping, which may cover an area 

200 m by 100 m in a stairstep configuration; 

downslope movement may be as much as 700 

m/yr. 

(2) Shallow diapiric intrusions ranging in diameter 

from a few hundred meters to 2 km and having vertical displacements from 200 to 500 m 

at rates of several meters per year. 

(3) Radial grabens 200 to 800 m wide and several 

kilometers long showing downslope movement of as much as 5 m/yr. 

(4) Circular collapse depressions having diameters 

of 50 to 500 m. 

(5) Surface mudflows that commonly are more than 

35 m thick and extend for distances of as 

much as 100 km as a complex of lobes that 

move as fast as several hundred meters per 

year. 

(6) Shelf-edge arcuate slumps having 100 m of 

displacement. 

(7) Deep-seated faults. 

All these features may result in failure of support 

for platforms or pipelines constructed on or near 

them. Of greatest concern are the submarine landslides, which are especially destructive. These slides 

take place on slopes having inclinations as low as 

0.2° to 1.5° and in water 5 to 100m deep. They include collapse depressions, bottleneck slides, 

elongate slides and slumps, mudflow gullies, and 

overlapping mudflow lobes. The basic mechanism of 

movement is the downslope translation of thin slabs 

of sediment debris. Movement rates of several hundred meters per year have been documented. Large 

surges of these features may result from complex 

temporal and spatial relations of wave-induced 

stresses, sediment loading, and inherent loss of shear 

strength due to high pressures of pore water and 

methane gas. 

LAKE STUDIES 

To serve as a basis for future Great Lakes studies, 

all the publicly available geological and geophysical 

25 

data have been assembled in a series of USGS 

Miscellaneous Field Studies Maps (Hutchinson and 

Wold, 1979a, b; Wold and Hutchinson, 1979a, b, c). 

During compilation of available data already acquired on the geology of central Lake Michigan (fig. 

1}, a fault in east-central Lake Michigan was 

discovered on seismic profiles. The fault has more 

than 100m of offset. 

Analysis of seismic-reflection data collected in central Lake Ontario (fig. 19) shows that a bathymetric 

ridge having 30 m of relief crosses the lake and is controlled by underlying bedrock. Magnetic data collected from the lake, and magnetic and gravity data 

collected earlier in western New York, show that the 

bathymetric ridge and the Clarendon-Linden structure coincide with a linear magnetic trough and the 

west flank of a series of circular Bouguer gravity 

highs. The source of these geophysical anomalies appears to be in the Proterozoic crystalline basement; 

thus, the deformation observed in the Paleozoic carbonate rocks may be inherited from a preexisting 

structure in the Proterozoic rocks. Although the unconsolidated lake sediments show no evidence of 

Holocene movement on the fault, the magnetic and 

gravity evidence indicates that the Clarendon-Linden 

structure continues across central Lake Ontario. 

A survey of Lake George, which is south of Lake 

Champlain (fig. 1}, was undertaken mainly to investigate the possibility that recent uplift of the adjacent Adirondack Mountains massif has produced 

faulting in recent sediments. Leveling studies have 

shown that the Adirondacks are possibly rising at a 

rate of about 3.7 mm/yr (lsachsen, 1975). This 

survey, which included both high-resolution 

geophysical data and coring, may provide evidence to 

support or disprove this theory. 

INNER SHELF STUDIES 

Studies in Massachusetts coastal waters (figs. 20A, 

B) reveal that parts of the Buzzards Bay and Sandwich moraines appear to have been formed when advancing ice dragged and thrust glacial and fluviallacustrine deposits upward and laterally to their present position. The moraine on Nantucket also is 

glaciotectonic in origin, but it was not overridden by 

ice and consists of glacial lacustrine deposits displaced by ice push when the ice front was north of the 

island. Seismic records reveal that, off Cape Ann, a 

bathymetric high is underlain by deformed beds that 

overlie undeformed ponded deposits. The high is inferred to be a glaciotectonic end moraine formed 

when ice readvanced during the late Wisconsinan 
FIGURE 13. -U.S. Geological Survey tripod system. A, current sensor (this photograph is of a modifed system having 

two savonius rotors); B, pressure sensor; C, transmissometer; D, camera (wrapped in protective plastic bag to 

26 

enclose anti-fouling ring); E, strobe light; F, camera battery 

pack; G, Sea Data electronics; H, battery pressure housing; 

I, acoustic release transponder; J, rope canister; K, recovery 

float; L, lead anchor feet; M, current vane. 
X 

40° 

·=· . !·~... NOVA:.·.". 

: .. SCOTIA.:. . . . .. · 

::: . .. . . . 

.... ... ·: ..... . . . . . . . ·. · .. ·· ·.: 

... 

.. . . . •.· 

.·· 

. . .. o· . :· !1,0 • .·I 

. . . . . . . . 

: 

. ... x.· .. 

.. 

. 

. 

.. 

. 

.· 

. 

... 

... . -:·.. .. ·-::: . . : :• X .. .. 

. : . .. . 

: ... • • •• I 

X 

X 

... ~· ..... . .. 

.· X 

.. . · 

X 

0 50 IOOKM 

X 

CONTOURS IN METERS 

360 

76°~~~~~~~~----~~~L-~~----------~~--------------~~~70° 72° 36° 

FIGURE 14.-Tracklines over the U.S. North Atlantic continental margin along which data were collected by the USGS in 1977-79. 

A, 1977. 

27 
X 

: !: . .. . . . . . . . . . ::: .... . . . ·.·.:··.:: 

.·. 

... .. :· 

. . .. 

.. . . :: 

.. . 

. . 

. · 

.• ·x 

· .. . . 

. . 

)( 

. . . . . . . . .· 

.. . ... x.· .. 

.. .. 0

. . .· :· l' I 

. 

. 

X 

0 

... X 

X 

X 

50 IOOKM 

FIGURE 14.-Tracklines over the U.S. North Atlantic continental margin along which data were collected by the USGS in 1977-79-

Continued. B, 1978. 

28 
X 

X 

74° 

/.> NOVA:.·.'. 

< .. ·.SCOTIA·.:: 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

::: . .. . . . . . . . ... ·: ..... 

. 

. 

. .. . . . . ·. · .. ·. · .. · 

.·. 

· .... ·.• 

.. 

. 

. 

: 

. 

.. . 

. 

. 

. · . 

. 

38° 

.·· 

.· 

.· 

X 

........ 

. ... ·.x: .. 

. :. 

.. 

. . 

. 

..... : ·.: .. . . .... . · .. ... ·•·.·•· . . .· : .:· X .. . : : . .. . . . . . . . ... . 

X 

X 

. . .. 

X 

X 

0 50 IOOKM 

FIGURE 14.-Tracklines over the U.S. North Atlantic continental margin along which data were collected by the USGS in 1977-79-Continued. C, 1979. 

29 
~ 

0 

.8 

~ 

~ 

025 

77-1 

026 

77-2 

017 

77-3 

TABLE 1.-Cruises conducted in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico by the U.S. Geological Survey from September 1976 to December 1978 and types of data collected 

[XBT, expendable bathythermograph cast. CTD, conductivity-temperature depth] 

., 

~ 

0 

Location of 

cruise 

Name of 

vessel 

~ 

~ 

~ Cll'9 0 c 

~~ 

9-21-76 SouthAt1antic _______ Fay-------------- 266 

to 

10-10-76 

10-04-76 Coastal Massachusetts Asterias___________ 16 

to 

10-16-76 

10-05-76 Puerto Rico--------- Jean A ----------- 12 

to 

10-08-76 

10-16-76 Lake George-------- Seabiskit ---------

to 

10-22-76 

9 

10-16-76 South Atlantic ------- Fay -------------- 60 

to 

10-25-76 

10-18-76 Puerto Rico--------- Jean A -----------

to 

10-21-76 

10-26-76 North and 

12 

to 

10-31-76 

Middle Atlantic____ Whitefoot -------- 10 

10-29-76 South Texas OCS ____ Ida Green--------- 55 

to 

11-03-76 

12-03-76 North Atlantic------ Oceanus 

to 

12-10-76 

12-17-76 North Atlantic______ Whitefoot --------

to 

12-29-76 

1-21-77 Puerto Rico--------- Jean A -----------

to 

1-22-77 

1-25-77 Puerto Rico--------- Jean A-----------

2-18-77 Puerto Rico--------- Jean A -----------

2-14-77 Puerto Rico --------- Eastward ---------

to 

2-16-77 

48 

6 

6 

2 

2 

6 

3-08-77 North Atlantic ------ Whitefoot -------- 53 

to 

3-17-77 

3-16-77 Puerto Rico-------- McKee ----------- 4 

3-17-77 Gulf of Mexico______ Decca Profiler ----- 60 

to 

3-21-77 

e 

~ 

i 

~ c -g it 

; ·a ..c, 

y t 

li 

3310 

~ § 

~ ;:l 

250 

110 

~ 

t 

~ 

:I: 

..:.: 

~ ·a 

:i s 

3310 

110 

~ 

:I: 

..:.: 

~ 

.. 

0 

.,., 

..; 

40 

e 

~ 

~ ~ 

J 

00 

108 

e 

~ 

-~ 

g 

~ 

., 

~ 

5560 3310 

110 

! 

~ .&l 

g .&l 

I 

> 

18 

2 

-g ~ OS 0 

>- <> 

-~ § 

~·~ 

16 

12 

i 

e sg 

~ -~ = tl 

~ 

~ 

I 

78 

65 

78 

~ 

~ 

t 

>< 

21 

83 

41 

5 -o e 

; ~ ., 5l 

5 8 'f e 

&.~ 

~~ 

26 

95 

41 

J 

1 

·c: 

E-o 

"' 

~ .!! 

.&l .E 

! 

l 

0 

iS. t-8 

l> "' e t 0 0 Zl e 

·a= 

~ ~ E-o e 

2 

26 

22 

~ .! 

~ 

16 

19 

1 .. 8 ~ e e-... =l 

~~ ::s ., U-o 

212 

2/2 

212 
77-4 3-31-77 Puerto Rico --------- Jean A ----------- 29 

to 

4-10-77 

4-05-77 Gulf of Mexico ______ Chem-Mist ------- 76 1125 

to 

S-06-11 

4-19-77 Middle Atlantic ______ SubSig II --------- 140 306 154 80 

to 

S-{}2-77 

77-6 5-13-77 St. Croix, U.S. V.I. __ Jean A ----------- 15 220 

to 

5-21-77 

5-24-77 South Texas OCS ____ Decca Projiler _____ 44 78 26 26 

to 

5-27-77 

5-28-77 South Texas OCS ____ Decca Profiler ----- 90 500 600 so to 

6-{}S-11 

027 6-08-77 Middle Atlantic ------ Oceanus ---------- 72 643 558 740 

to 

6-14-77 

C.t.:l 77-7 6-15-77 Puerto Rico --------- Jean A ----------- 47 38 12 18 ........ to 

7-01-77 

029 7-06-77 North and 

to Middle Atlantic ____ Oceanus ---------- 56 209 8 4 

7-13-77 

7-22-77 Coastal Massachusetts Asterias 16 181 

to 

7-27-77 

8-03-77 North Atlantic ______ Eileen B ---------- 32 

to 

8-06-77 

8-{}5-77 South Atlantic ------- Advance II-------- 4 

to 

8-{}7-77 

8-19-77 Middle and 

to South Atlantic _____ Coral Seal -------- 151 4500 

10-29-77 

9-07-77 South, Middle and 

to North Atlantic ____ Advance II-------- so 179 9 

9-23-77 

9-13-77 Virgin Islands ______ Alianora --------- 90 1260 

to 

10-01-77 

1-77 9-18-77 Middle Atlantic _____ Annandale ------- 42 377 20 

to 

9-25-77 

2-77 9-27-77 Coastal Massachusetts Annandale------- 25 20 

to 

10-02-77 
~ 

~ 

TABLE 1. -Cruises conducted in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico by the U.S. Geological Survey from September 1976 to December 1978 and types of data collected-Continued 

i 

-~ u ~ Location of 

cruise 

Name of 

vessel 

~ 

Ol 

~ cn"' 

~ ~ ;:>~ 

77-09 11-07-77 Puerto Rico--------- McKee ----------- 20 

to 

11-16-77 

78-2 12-05-77 Puerto Rico--------- Jean A ----------- 20 

to 

12-07-77 

78-3 12-15-77 Puerto Rico--------- Jean A ----------- 12 

to 

12-17-77 

038 1-19-78 North and 

039-1 

78-4 

039-2 

E2E-78 

to 

1-26-78 

Middle Atlantic Oceanus ---------- 63 

2-02-78 North, Middle and 

to 

2-06-78 

South Atlantic _____ Oceanus ---------- 40 

2-06-78 Puerto Rico --------- Jean A ----------- 50 

to 

2-15-78 

2-07-78 Virgin Islands------- Oceanus---------- 88 

to 

2-15-78 

2-16-78 Virgin Islands------- Sarima ----------- 40 

to 

2-25-78 

3-18-78 St. Thomas, U.S. V.I. Caribe Diver------ 110 

to 

3-28-78 

4-02-78 South Atlantic ------- Eastward -------- 55 

to 

4-13-78 

045 5-10-78 North and 

039-4 

78-1 

to 

5-18-78 

Middle Atlantic____ Oceanus---------- 81 

5-14-78 South and 

to North Atlantic ____ Westward -------- 10 

5-24-78 

5-15-78 North Atlantic______ Cape Hen/open____ 10 

to 

5-20-78 

5-20-78 Middle Atlantic ------ Captain John Smith 

to 

5-25-78 

16 

e 

~ 

1 

~ :::11 

e 

~ 

= ~ ~ 

; ·a Vt 

i~ i:i3 ~ 

~ 

~ ~ ;:> 

941 

~ t 

..loll 

~ ·a 

:i 

90 

200 

600 

115 

~ 

= ..loll 

~ 

5 

941 

~ 

= ..loll 

!::! 

5 

..; "' 

400 

~ 

~ ~ 

J 

iii 

240 160 

368 

673 

~ ... 

·~ 

0 

~ .rJ 

ll 

~ 

:::11 

600 

1 

~ 

0 

18 

6 

~ .s 

> 

"0 ~ i 

; ~ B 

-~ ~ g § e ~ ~ ·; o ·a ~ -= 

51 

10 

i 

~ 

J 

~ 

] 

~ 

127 

138 

~ ] ~ 

~ ~ ! e 

"?;-

Q. ·a ~~ 

130 

95 

121 

I 

8. 

·c 

1-< 

4 

~ 

I 

l 

~ k)-8 

i ~ ~ 1 

"8 = ~ ~ ~ 8 

~ :a 

en 

~ 

6 

'il 

t 

> t 0 

1~ =l <I> 0 

!3]. 

U"' 

16/16 
5-22-78 South Texas OCS ____ Egret ------------ 48 700 6 

to. 

6-02-78 

5-29-78 North, Middle 

thru and South Atlantic ___ Carino and Gyre ___ 4813 

11-06-78 

78-6 6-01-78 Puerto Rico --------- Zodiac ----------- 54 ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- 114 ---- 26 

to 

8-10-78 

6-19-78 Texas OCS ---------- Longhorn -------- 8 4 4 

to 

6-20-78 

7-07-78 South Atlantic ------- Whitejoot -------- 10 ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- 2 ---- ---- ---- ---- 10 10 

to 

7-18-78 

78-1 7-30-78 Middle and 

and to North Atlantic State Arrow 80 564 28 6 4 24 

78-2 8-09-78 

78-5 7-11-78 Puerto Rico --------- Jean A ----------- 15 45 

to 

7-13-78 

78-3 8-15-78 South Atlantic _______ State Arrow ------- 24 38 44 22 

to 

8-19-78 

7-78-1 8-18-78 Middle Atlantic ______ Iselin ------------ 216 2050 2100 2100 22 

to 

~ 9-04-78 

~ 78-07 8-19-78 Middle Atlantic ______ Gyre ------------- 117' ---- 8 3 286 

to 

9-01-78 

78-7 9-05-78 Puerto Rico --------- Jean A ----------- 12 42 ----

to 

9-08-78 

7-78-2 9-08-78 North Atlantic ------ Iselin ------------ 198 2142 2669 218 

to 

9-27-78 

9-11-78 Coastal Massachusetts Asterias ---------- 56 250 

to 

9-21-78 

78-8 9-18-78 Puerto Rico --------- Jean A ----------- 20 64 48 

to 

9-22-78 

103 9-28-78 Middle and 

to North Atlantic ____ Atlantis II -------- 88 18 7 94 5 6 

10-05-78 
~ 

TABLE I.-Cruises conducted in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico by the U.S. Geological Survey from September 1976 to December 1978 and types of data collected-Continued 

1! 

8 

i 

~ 7-78-3 

001 

., 

'Ol 

0 

Location of 

cruise 

9-29-78 South Atlantic------- Iselin 

to 

10-19-78 

Name of 

vessel 

10-17-78 Potomac River______ Orion ------------

to 

10-20-78 

10-30-78 North Atlantic ______ Whitefoot --------

10-30-78 Puerto Rico--------- Jean A -----------

11-01-78 St. Croix, U.S. V.I. Sarima -----------

to 

11-18-78 

~ 

'Ol 

"' 

~ 

(9"% 

rll 01 ;:J::!: 

200 

24 

4 

6 

80 

11-26-78 Lake George________ Neecho ----------- 72 

to 

12-07-78 

12-12-78 South Atlantic------- Whitefoot --------

to 

12-14-78 

e 

~ 

1 

j 

e 

~ 

= -g ~ 

; ·ta ~t 

~~ Ci3 ~ 

3570 

37.2 

! 

1 

·a 

;:J 

50 

e 

~ 

iJ 

.I 

:i 

3487 

! ! 

:t 

-"= 

:t 

-"= 

~ 

5 

:::l 

5 

.,.. 

..; 

3565 

130 

e 

~ 

~ Sl 

J 

26 

14.4 

e 

~ 

·f 

0 

e 

~ 

·~ 

l 

i 

~ 

109 

25 

e 

j 

> 

'1;1 rl = .. :. 8 -~ § 

g ·! 

17 

15 

I 

8 "' 0 5 ~ ·~ 

i 

= j 

~ 

i 

~ 

33 

4 

= '1;1 ~ ; ~ ., ~ .. 01 :::1 ., 

'Ol 8 

8..~ 

~~ 

33 

4 

I 

! 

l 

~ 

.~ '1;1 

i :::1 

rll 

1! 

t t~ 

t> "' 8 tl 0 t> ~ 8 

·~ '5 ; I:: .. :::1 f-o v 

~ :a 

_g 

:::1 

~rX 

1! 

~ .. 0 

~ ~ 

~~ 5 ~ 

U'Q ~& 
:·· .. ·· ~· .· :: .·. . . . . ·. . . . . . . 

···. 

·. 

. . 

X 

X 

X 

X 

0 50 IOOKM 

CONTOURS IN METERS 

FIGURE 15.-Tracklines over the U.S. Middle Atlantic continental margin along which data were collected by the USGS in 1977-78. 

A, 1977. 

35 
B // 

/ 

36°7SO 

··:. 

... · ... 

. . 

... ·: 

·:· 

.:.· ... 

. .. ·. 

. ·· 

X 

X 

·: 

.. 

. . . . . . : : .. 

.. 

.. 

X 

·.·· . .. 

X 

0 

X 

50 IOOKM 

CONTOURS IN METERS 

FIGURE 15.-Tracklines over the U.S. Middle Atlantic continental margin along which data were collected by the USGS in 

1977-78-Continued B, 1978. 

36 
/ 

/ 

.. -------.lrc ... . / / s c.-----.. . 

X 

X 

32° 

._ 

: 

\ 

/'. \ / 

,_. 

G~~ X __ ,....~\..-

/ 

84° 

X 

X 

X 

·. 

x·· 

·. 

·. 

X 

0 50 

·. 

... .·· ..... ... ·. 

zoo.:·. 

IOOKM 

"•CONTOURS IN METERS 

FIGURE 16.-Tracklines over the U.S. South Atlantic continental margin along which data were collected by the USGS in 1977-78. A, 

1977. 

glaciation. Understanding the glaciotectonic history 

of the upper Pleistocene deposits along the 

Massachusetts coastal zone is essential for distinguishing such structures from those that could have 

been produced by recent earth movements and, 

37 

hence, that would be a major concern in nuclearplant siting. 

Recently obtained radiocarbon dates from southeastern Massachusetts offshore areas combined with 

previously published dates indicate that relative sea 
/ 

X 

·. 

: X 

X 

: 

X 

28° 

76° 

·. •• X 

·. 

\ . : X .. ... 

..... ... /'. , __ \ 

: 

·. 

·. 

200.:· . 

. . 

x·· : 

0 50 IOOKM 26° 

·CONTOURS IN METERS 

FIGURE 16.-Tracklines over the U.S. South Atlantic continental margin along which data were collected by the USGS in 1977-78-Continued B, 1978. 

level 12,000 years ago was 70 m below its present 

level. From that time to 10,000 years ago, sea level 

rose at a rate of 1.7 m per 100 years. Between 10,000 

years ago and 6,000 years ago, the rate of sea-level 

rise dropped gradually to about 0.3 m per 100 years; 

that rate persisted until about 2,000 years ago. 

In support of interdisciplinary investigations of the 

Potomac River and estuary, 17 cores (fig. 21) were 

collected in October 1978 from fluvial, transitional, 

and estuarine zones of the system between 

Washington, D.C., and the Chesapeake Bay. The 

sediment cores were analyzed to determine sedimen38 
0 10 20 

0 20 40 

CONTOURS IN METERS 

.. 

30 

16 

• 

STUDY AREA\ 

22 21 

• • 

FIGURE 17.-Locations of sampling stations, South Texas Outer Continental Shelf. A, Suspended-matter sampling stations. 

Bathymetry in meters. 

tation rates and stratigraphic distribution of selected 

trace metals. X-radiographs were made of each core, 

and they were subsampled at 2-cm intervals for 

39 

analyses by atomic absorption of selected trace 

metals (Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn, Mn, and Fe) and for 

lead-210 activity. Most of these analyses are com-
X PLANATION 

Grab 

® Piston Core, 

Box Core and 

Bottom Grab 

Sample 

ED Piston Core 

0 40 

I 

KILOMETERS 

FIGURE 17.-Locations of sampling stations, South Texas Outer Continental Shelf-Continued. B, Piston core, box core, and bottom 

grab-sample stations. Bathymetry in meters. 

40 
plete, and more cores will be collected in midsummer 

1979. The results of this study will be incorporated 

into an overall Potomac ecosystem model that will 

describe the response of the system to both physical 

and chemical changes. 

Studies of the insular shelf around Puerto Rico 

(figs. 22A, B, C) revealed several large sources of 

sand that may be used in the future for construction 

and road building. For example, in the Cabo Rojo 

area, off the southwest corner of the island (fig. 

22A ), mapping has delineated a large area of clean, 

coarse, calcareous sand. Coring and seismic work 

show that the sand averages 5 m in thickness in an 

area > 9 km2 • Bulk samples of the sand have been 

tested and found to be entirely satisfactory for concrete manufacturing. Although beach sands in the 

area are mainly biogenic detritus, the composition 

and grain size of the offshore sands are different. 

Apparently, the two areas are sedimentologically 

separate, and mining of the offshore sand probably 

will not adversely affect the shoreline and beaches. 

The results of these studies could assure Puerto Rico 

of a long-term solution to its problem of diminishing 

resources of construction sand. 

Geologic investigations of the northern Puerto 

Rican insular shelf conducted in cooperation with 

Duke University have shown the sedimentation processes to be different from those common on the many 

Puerto Rican continental and insular shelves of the 

world. Most deposits on the Puerto Rican insular 

shelf are not in equilibrium with present conditions; 

they include relict deposits whose characteristics were 

determined by subaerial exposure during the last sealevel lowering and the subsequent sea-level rise. 

However, on the narrow north shelf of Puerto Rico, 

clayey, silty, and sandy sediment has originated 

under present conditions. Seismic profiling clearly 

reveals that the modern sediment is deposited on the 

rougher premodern surface. The profiles also indicate that the sediments in some areas of the upper 

insular slope off the northern coast are unstable. This 

slope instability will need detailed investigation prior 

to exploitation if the petroleum exploration planned 

by the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is successful. 

Studies of sedimentation off the Virgin Islands 

(fig. 23) began in September 1977 as a search for offshore sand sources. Three of the seven target areas 

were examined in detail, and two were found to 

contain significant deposits of sand. The textural 

signature of these deposits is very close to that of the 

sand found on the beaches, which has been used in 

the past for construction. The deposits are apparently relict and show no recent additions within the last 

800 years. 

Studies of Corpus Christi Bay and Nueces Bay, 

Tex. (fig. 24), reveal the presence of the filled ancient 

valley of the Nueces River 20 to 30 m below present 

sea level. Apparently this valley filled when sea level 

rose rapidly and extensive oyster reefs formed. Rapid 

deposition of sediment resulted in incomplete compaction and, therefore, in low shear strengths that 

could be hazardous when the material is subjected to 

loading. 

Studies of the water column in Corpus Christi Bay 

show that sediment is being redistributed primarily in 

response to wind conditions, runoff from adjacent 

fluvial systems, and shelfwarq incursion of open 

Gulf Waters. Wind seems to be the primary factor in 

the distribution of material from source areas 

throughout Corpus Christi Bay. 

Geochemical studies along the Texas coast reveal 

clear evidence of the effect of urbanization (increases 

in lead and cadmium) in many bays and estuaries. 

The areas of increased lead and cadmium concentrations are enlarging across the shelf at a rate of 2 km 

per year. 

FUTURE PROGRAMS 

Whatever the outcome of present exploration efforts on the Atlantic Continental Shelf, resource 

studies there will decline continuously during the next 

3 to 4 years in favor of Continental Slope and Rise 

evaluations. Research in those important areas also 

will increase in the Gulf of Mexico. Major impetus to 

slope and rise studies will come from the International Phase of Ocean Drilling-11 drilling initiatives 

in 1981 as site surveys begin. Additional project input 

will come in 1984 or 1985 when drilling begins. Presumably, technologic problems associated with deepwater drilling will be solved in the next few years, and 

the possible traps beneath the upper Continental 

Slope of the Middle Atlantic States will be drilled. 

The utility of the COP data collected thus far will 

be enhanced greatly by advanced processing carried 

out by contract groups and by use of the USGS' 

PHOENIX computer in Denver. The acquisition of a 

more sophisticated supplementary computer system 

during the next 5 years will strengthen the Geological 

Survey's capability in this important area. 

During the next 5 years, environmental shelf 

studies will probably decline whereas the fairly high 

level of Continental Slope and Rise study that is 

already underway will be maintained (fig. 25). Certainly, the next 5 years will be needed to explore 

41 
~ 

gao gso g4° g2o 

30° 

28° 

26° 

goo 88° 

AREASm 8 nz: 

LINES 88-178 

6.4-KM x 6.4-KM GRID 

~~~'!1Joor11 

0 100 KILOMETERS 

I I I 

0 100 MILES 

86° 84° 

.·. ·-~~ 

···~ 

AREA ll 

LINES 179-214 

16.1-KM x 16.1-KM GRID 

82° 

30° 

28° 

26° 

I I I 

24° 

gao 

~·L-~U---~~~--L---~~----L---~~----L---~~----L----:~--~L_ g6° g4° g2o goo __ _jl_ __ ~--i:~~~=:====j 88° 86° 84° 

24° 

82° 

FIGURE 18. -Areas in northern part of the Gulf of Mexico where seismic data have been collected for the U.S. Geological Survey Continental Slope Project. areas where sediment is unstable. and locations of unstable features common off the Mississippi River complex. A. Areas 1-V are areas where seismic data were collected at different intervals. 
3QO 

24° ~~-UL-~-L~--~----~----~--~~--~----~----~----~--~~--~----~~~~~~~--~ 24° 

98° 96° 94° 92° 90° 88° 86° 84° 82° 

FIGURE 18. -Areas in northern part of the Gulf of Mexico where seismic data have been collected for the U.S. Geological Survey Continental Slope Project, areas where sediment is unstable, and locations of unstable features common off the Mississippi River 

complex-Continued. B, Areas 1, 2, 4-8, SA, 9, 9A, and 10-15 are areas of sediment instability. 

c 

,....._PERIPHERAL FAULTS 

'-..... AXIS OF 'GRABEN FAULTS 

6 SMALL DIAPIRS (MUDLUMPS) 

+ GAS SEEPS AND MUD VOLCANOES 

...... MUDFLOWS 

~ARCUATE SLUMPS 

•••• DEEP-SEATED FAULTS THAT CUT SURFACE 

~ SHELF EDGE TRUNCATIONS WITH SLUMPS 

lllllllll LARGE SHALLOW-SEATED DIAPIRS 

[] SALT DOMES 

~ ZONE OF CONTORTED BEDDING AND 

POOR SEISMIC RETURN 

0 20 Nautical Miles 

I I 50 Kilometers 

I 

FIGURE 18.-Areas in northern part of the Gulf of Mexico where seismic data have been collected for the U.S. Geological Survey Continental Slope Project, areas where sediment is unstable, and locations of unstable features common off the Mississippi River 

complex-Continued. C, Types of instability common off the Mississippi River complex. 

43 
~ ~ w w r-------,-------~------~--------~------~-------T--------r-------. 

CONTOURS IN METERS 

10 2ll MILES 

2ll 40 KILOMETERS 

ROCHESTER • 

4~--------~--------~--------~----~--~--------L-------~--------~--------~ 

FIGURE 19. -Bathymetry of Lake Ontario (modified from Canadian Hydrographic Service, 1970; Thomas and others, 1972) and 

superimposed U.S. Geological Survey-New York State Geological Survey cruise tracks (solids lines) and fault structures under investigation (dashed lines). (From Hutchinson and others,1979.) 

thoroughly the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Continental Slopes. If significant amounts of petroleum 

are found and can be produced, activity will obviously have to be expanded. 

Surveying on the inner shelf, estuaries, and lakes 

will probably continue at present levels until about 

1981 when National priorities may shift to problems 

in these areas. At that time, more information will 

probably be needed for environmental hazards 

studies associated with reactors, pipeline routes, 

mine safety, sand and gravel mining, phosphorite 

mining, and tracking of pollutants. These studies will 

be carried out in consultation and close cooperation 

with State agencies. 

The Marine Geology Program has provided regional data for input to assessments of mineral 

resources and potential resources along the Atlantic, 

Gulf of Mexico, and Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands continental margins; these assessments will be used by a 

U.S. Department of the Interior task force. The task 

force is conducting a study that will contribute to 

policy decisions on the possible end of a 10-year 

moratorium on the leasing of offshore tracts for 

mineral exploration. 

If leasing is implemented, some of the vast sand 

and building aggregate resources on the shelf will be 

among the first materials sought as environmental 

44 

problems and the competition for land rapidly shrink 

supplies along populated coastal areas. Leases for 

other resources, such as ferromanganese concretions 

on the Blake Plateau (fig. 26), will probably follow. 

NEW CAPABILITIES 

As a result of a Memorandum of Understanding 

with the National Science Foundation, the USGS can 

transfer as much as $1 million per year for ship time 

aboard UNOLS vessels. Because contracting for 

vessels from the private sector has met with but 

limited success, access to UNOLS ships represents a 

major breakthrough in operating capability. Not 

only are the vessels designed and maintained primarily for research, but also crews have gaine.d the experience and capabilities necessary to make cruises 

far more cost effective. From a fleet, the proper-sized 

vessel usually can be selected for the specific research 

task, making data collection more efficient and cost 

effective. At present, UNOLS vessels from Woods 

Hole Oceanographic Institution, University of 

Miami, Duke University, Texas A&M University, 

University of Texas, and University of Rhode Island 

are being used in research from the nearshore region 

to the deep sea. 
N.H. 

.. ,.. .. ___ ,i 

---- ___ J· 

A 

NANTUCKET IS. 

1g B:EH[EHIJA{]H:rj~E::::::::=310===2:f~~=~33::0::::==4E~:::::::::::::::::350 KILOMETERS 

GULF 

OF 

MAINE 

41°~----------------~----------------------------------._--------------~41° 71° 70° 

FIGURE 20.-Locations of seismic profiles and vibracores offshore north and south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and glacial moraines 

onshore coastal Massachusetts. A, Locations of 3,000 km of high-resolution seismic profiles and 100 vibracores (dots) obtained in 

Cape Cod Bay, Buzzards Bay, eastern Rhode Island Sound, Vineyard Sound, and Nantucket Sound, Massachusetts. (From O'Hara 

and Oldale, 1979.) 

45 
42° 

A . 

BLOCK 

B ISLAND 

41° 

71° 

MASSACHUSETTS 

BAY 

CAPE 

coo 

BAY 

SANDWICH 

MORAINE 

SOUND 

-- NANTUCKET 

~~fr~~; -4 

M~ ..... ' .. · .... ,. 

GULF 

OF 

MAINE 

~ ~ 

(J~ V)~ 

...... ~ 

:q:~ 

~G Q) 

\ 

NANTUCKET 

0 50Km 

I I 

70° 

42° 

41° 

FIGURE 20.-Locations of seismic profiles and vibracores offshore north and south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and glacial moraines 

onshore coastal Massachusetts-Continued. B, Glacial moraines (black) of coastal Massachusetts. (From O'Hara and Oldale, 1979.) 

46 
0 10 20 30 

KILOMETERS 

FIGURE 21.- Locations where 17 cores were collected on the Potomac River in October 1978. 

During 1977-78, 31 different vessels were used in 

the program. These ranged in size from motorboats 

(7 m long) to the research vessel (R/V) Atlantis (10m 

long). Many of these vessels are shown in figure 27. 

A totally new capability has been added to the 

Marine Geology Program's inventory of _equipment 

through the acquisition of a 12-m-long nearshore 

research craft, the R/V Neecho (fig. 28). 

The vessel can be put on a trailer and moved quickly from estuary to estuary or to inland lakes. It is fully equipped with instruments for geophysical and 

geological surveys in restricted waters and will be 

used in investigations of shallow structures, 

stratigraphy, and geochemistry in response to needs 

for earthquake-hazard assessment, drilling- and 

mining-hazards assessment, and pollutant tracking. 

47 

A smaller boat (9 m long) for studies of Gulf Coast 

estuaries has been acquired recently from the Coast 

Guard. It will replace the aging 7 -m craft that has 

been used for the past 8 years for nearshore studies. 

The capabilities of the marine geotechnical laboratory in the Corpus Christi office are being expanded 

so that equipment in the laboratory can be used to 

assess the engineering properties of bottom sediments 

from areas where petroleum is being, or may be, produced. This will be the first laboratory of its kind in 

the Geological Survey, and it will serve as a research 

center for government, academic, and industry 

geotechnical problems. 

Three systems for acquisition of geophysical data 

have been improved during 1977 and 1978. The first 

is a geophysically instrumented sediment probe 
~ 

sao 30' 67° 30' 66° 30' --~-------r-------6~!~0 

ATLANTIC 0 C E A N 

, .. -zoO"'' jrao, raol "' 30 30' 

sao 

:\J 

"'...') 

PUERTO RIC 0 

Cabo Rojo ' 1 ~ 

I ,," ,_, -,, ___ ,,, ... , -loo, .. 

0 50 KILOMETERS l I I I I I 

0 30 STATUTE MILES CARIBBEAN SEA 

30' 67° 

A 

.-' ,' 

Grt~IIPI•r Balik 

"----,::~ 

660 

CULEBRA I. 

~ 17-1 

11-6 St. Croix 

~ 

FIGURE 22.-Working areas, Puerto Rico Marine Geology Cooperative Project, fiscal years 1977, 1978, and 1979 (through March 1979). A, 1977. 

65° 
~ 

co 

68° 30' 67° 30' 66° 30' 65° 

ATLANTIC OCEAN, 

18° I I , • t r· - .... _, __ -~ __ .,._,_ __ ~--,,.. ~ T8-7 ,,-t oe------- ISC' 

TA-A :(: l; ;; !> ~::;::;:::s:R;._,,,-1~--> > 130' 30'1 

~i: .. CULEBRA 1. 

~- rl r..."> ,., ,. 

I} PUERTO RIC 0 

I .:Z:i I I I 

\ 

' I I .... , MONA \ I. 

18° I -. ' I t & I 1 z ........... _ 

o ~4< ~. flao 

0 50 KILOME:T'ERS I I I I I I 

0 30 STATUTE MILES 

68° 30' 67° 

,.,..,""', .... _,, , - ', -, ~ , I I 

,_, ......... ___ .... ..., _, ... -100.,,' 

CARIBBEAN SEA 

B 

tl,.,,., .,,, 4\--:,::~ 

660 30 .. 

FIGURE 22.-Working areas, Puerto Rico Marine Geology Cooperative Project, fiscal years 1977, 1978, and 1979 (through March 1979)-Continued. B, 1978. 

6!50 
01 

0 

S8° 301 S7° 30' SS0 30' S5° 

ATLANTIC 0 C E AN 

c':!---200•- 79-2 ,oo,_,,- 1801 I -~: ~ .. ______ ? ~------- ,~----- _J .. , _____ .r=:l __ •. .-: I ij ----........_ _.; 30 

.. , 

,., ,. 

.... ,-, 

·-·':20011 

t)I ' \ 

I I ... , 

,,, 

\, !.' .• 

'...."') 

\ 

' \ 

CULEBRA I. 

~-

PUERTO RIC 0 

--- I 

MONA I. 

18°1 \ I » 2 I I 7' L::: 0 l ~· I 118° \ 

\ 

\ 

0 !50 KILOMETERS I I I I I I 

0 30 STATUTE MILES 

S8° 301 S7° 

# ,' 

,_ .. -...... ___ ...... _ .... -2oo ... ' 

, 

CARIBBEAN SEA 

c 

660 

firtiWJI•r Bt111t "--.:, ... _, .,_, 

30' S5° 

FIGURE 22.-Working areas, Puerto Rico Marine Geology Cooperative Project, fiscal years 1977, 1978, and 1979 (through March 1979)-Continued. C, 1979 (through March 1979). 
451 

151 

151 

451 64°301 

FIGURE 23. - Tracklines along which submarine geologic data were collected around the Virgin Islands during 1977-79. 

51 
25' 201 

45 1 

25' 

15' 

5 1 I 

C H R I 

10' 

10' 

451 

0~ 

~ 

(, ~" 

KILOMETERS 

2 4 6 8 

NAUTICAL MILES 

FIGURE 24.-Corpus Christi Bay and Nueces Bay, Texas. 

(GISP) that will monitor sediment stress as a function of depth. The GISP system consists of a 10-m 

probe having pressure transducers (piezometers) at 

depths of 0, 3, 7, and 10m and a recorder/electronics 

package that is commanded to the surface after a 

30- to 40-day deployment. The record from these 

systems will yield a scalar stress measurement 

(modulus of stress vector) as a function of time at 

four depths. Sediment overpressure and shear stress, 

both leading to instability, can be assessed by these 

measurements. Five GISP's will be ready for deployment in 1980. 

The second, an ocean-bottom seismometer, is a 

device to record earthquakes. Five systems were 

deployed recently on the Continental Shelf off 

Charleston, S.C. Five more instruments will be 

deployed off the Aleutian Islands during the summer 

of 1979. 

The third, a 12-channel CDP seismic-reflection 

system, will be used to conduct detailed surveys on 

areas of the Continental Shelf and Slope where our 

regional40-km-spaced grid suggests possible oil and 

gas accumulation. A modification of the system will 

be used for high-resolution multichannel surveys in 

shallow waters. Such a system is essential to resolve 

details of shallow structure that may be critical to 

52 

reactor siting and mining safety. A pressure core barrel, which has been worked on since 1976, has been 

tested recently. It is designed to study the in situ 

characteristics of gas-charged sediments common on 

the Mississippi Delta and on Continental Slopes; the 

texture and structure of these sediments normally 

change when a conventional sediment core is brought 

to the surface where it releases its gas at atmospheric 

pressure. 

During 1977-78, nine tripods bearing instruments 

have been designed and constructed to measure in 

situ current speed and direction, wave height, 

temperature, and water turbidity and to take continuous bottom photographs. These systems have 

produced an enormous amount of new information 

concerning shelf sediment dynamics that is pertinent 

to rig, platform, and pipeline design in the potentially productive areas of the OCS. 

Additional equipment acquired in 1977 and 1978 

includes a variety of geophysical gear such as air 

guns, sparkers, tuned transducer systems, sidescan 

sonars, seismic streamers, various flat-bed recorders, 

navigation systems such as loran receivers, satellite 

navigators and radar, a variety of winches, and supporting equipment such as generators. 
1979 1980 1981 1982 

LAKES ~ VVVD<D<P<J VWixLKIXI WVIXIXIXI 

INNER SHELF 

OUTER SHELF 

SLOPE AND RISE 

~~ RESOURCE 

~ 

~ 

EXPLANATION 

§m ENVIRONMENT 

1983 1984 

1-

w 

(!) 

0 

::::::> 

CD 

_J 

<! 

1-

0 

1-

LL 

0 

1-

z 

w 

(.) 

0::: 

w 

a.. 

~ MARINE GEOLOGY 

FIGURE 25.- Percentages of the budget of the Atlantic-Gulf of Mexico Marine Geology Program for 1979-84 being allocated for 

resource, environmental, and marine geology studies of different environments in and off the Eastern United States. 

53 
GA. 

KEY WEST ~ 

. . . 

• ••• . 

•• 3 

A 

100 

KILOMETERS 

EXPLANATION 

CONCRETION 

~ DEPTH CONTOURS IN METERS 

• SEDIMENT SAMPLE A DRILL CORES 

EXTENSIVE CHEMICAL FORMATION 

FIGURE 26. -Sample sites and locations of mineral resources on the U.S. South Atlantic continental margin. Bathymetry in 

meters. 

54 
FIGURE 27. -Some of the vessels that were used in the Atlantic-Gulf of Mexico Marine Geology Program for fieldwork in 1977 and 1978. 

A, R/ V Advance II; B, RIV Jean A; C, R/ V Columbus Iselin; D, State Arrow; E, Tug Whitefoot; F, R/V Oceanus; G, R/V Sarima; 

H, R/ V Decca Profiler; I, R/ V Orion; J, R/V Neecho; K, R/ V Eastward; L, R/ V Asterias; M, R/V Fay; N, R/V Annandale; 0, 

R/ V Gillis; P, R/ V Bluefin; Q, R/ V SubSig II; R, R/ V Atlantis II; and S, R/ V Coral Seal. 

55 
FIGURE 28.-Research vessel Neecho. 

56 
REFERENCES CITED 

Behrendt, J. C., 1977, U.S. Geological Survey programs of resource assessment, geologic environmental studies, and 

marine geology investigations of the continental margin adjacent to deep sea areas in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico: 

U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-320, 64 p. 

Canadian Hydrographic Service, 1970, Bathymetric chart of Lake 

Ontario: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Department of Energy, 

Mines and Resources, scale 1:400,000. 

Folger, D. W., Dillion, W. P., Grow, J. A., Klitgord, K. D., and 

Schlee, J. S., 1979, Evolution of the Atlantic continental 

margin of the United States, in Talwani, Manik, Hay, 

William, and Ryan, W. B. F., eds., Deep drilling results in the 

Atlantic Ocean-Continental margins and paleoenvironment: 

American Geophysical Union, Maurice Ewing Series 3, p. 

87-108. 

Grow, J. A., Bowin, C. 0., and Hutchinson, D. R., 1979, The 

gravity field of the U.S. Atlantic continental margin: Tectonophysics, v. 59, p. 27-52. 

Grow, J. A., Mattick, R. E., and Schlee, J. S., 1979, Multichannel 

seismic depth sections and interval velocities over Outer Continental Shelf and upper Continental Slope between Cape 

Hatteras and Cape Cod, in Watkins, J. S., Montadert, Lucien, and Dickerson, P. W., eds., Geological and geophysical 

investigations of continental margins: American Association 

of Petroleum Geologists Memoir 29, p 65-83. 

Hathaway, J. C., and others, 1979, U.S. Geological Survey core 

drilling on the Atlantic shelf: Science, v. 206, no. 4418, p. 

515-527. 

Hutchinson, D. R., Pomeroy, P. W., Wold, R. J., and Halls, 

H. C., 1979, A geophysical investigation concerning the continuation of the Clarendon-Linden fault across Lake Ontario: 

Geology, v. 7, no. 4, p. 206-210. 

Hutchinson, D. R., and Wold, R. J., 1979a, Lake Ontario geological and geophysical data sources: U.S. Geological Survey 

Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-1103, sheet 1, scale 

1 :400,000; sheet 2, scale 1 :800,000. 

--1979b, Lake Erie geological and geophysical data sources: 

U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map 

MF-1102, 3 sheets, scale 1:400,000. 

lsachsen, Y. W., 1975, Possible evidence for contemporary doming of the Adirondack Mountains, New York, and suggested 

implication for regional tectonics and seismicity: Tectonophysics, v. 29, p. 169-181. 

Klitgord, K. D., and Behrendt, J. C., 1979, Basin structure of the 

U.S. Atlantic margin, in Watkins, J. S., Montadert, Lucien, 

and Dickerson, P. W., eds., Geological and geophysical investigations of continental margins: American Association of 

Petroleum Geologists Memoir 29, p. 85-112. 

Moody, John, 1978, Where oil and gas stand in the energy and 

ecology dilemmas: Oil and Gas Journal, v. 76, no. 35, p. 

185-186, 188, 190. 

O'Hara, C. J., and Oldale, R.N., 1979, United States Geological 

Survey research in the Massachusetts coastal zone, in Aubrey, 

D. G., ed., Proceedings of a Workshop on Coastal Zone 

Research in Massachusetts, Nov. 27-28, 1978: Woods Hole 

Oceanographic Institution Technical Report 79-40, p. 

100-108. 

Schlee, J. S., 1978, Geology of Georges Bank, in Fisher, J. J., ed., 

New England marine geology, new concepts in research and 

teaching and bibliography of New England marine geology, 

1870-1970: Conference of New England Association of 

Geology Teachers, 2d, Kingston, R. I., April 21-23, 1978, 

Proceedings, p. 88-92. 

Thomas, R. L., Kemp, A. L. W., and Lewis, C. F. M., 1972, Distribution, composition and characteristics of the surficial 

sediments of Lake Ontario: Journal of Sedimentary 

Petrology, v. 42, no. 1, p. 66-84. 

Tucker, L. R., 1978, The habitat of oil: A reconsideration of old 

principles: Oil and Gas Journal, v. 76, no. 33, p. 154-160. 

U.S. National Council on Marine Resources and Engineering 

Development, 1970, Marine science affairs: Selecting priority 

programs: Washington, D.C., U.S. Government Printing Office, 284 p. 

Wold, R. J., and Hutchinson, D. R., 1979a, Lake Michigan geological and geophysical data sources: U.S. Geological Survey 

Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-1095, sheets 1 and 2, 

scale 1:500,000; sheet 3, scale 1:1,000,000. 

--1979b, Lake Superior geological and geophysical data 

sources: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies 

Map MF-1085, sheet 1, scale 1:600,000; sheets 2 and 3, scale 

1:1,200,000. 

--1979c, Lake Huron geological and geophysical data 

sources: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies 

Map MF-1096, sheet 1, scale 1:500,000; sheet 2, scale 

1:1,000,000. 

57 
REPORTS RESULTING FROM THE ATLANTIC-GULF OF MEXICO 

MARINE GEOLOGY PROGRAM THAT WERE PUBLISHED OR 

PREPARED FROM SEPTEMBER 1976 THROUGH DECEMBER 1978 

Aaron, J. M., 1979, A stochastic approach to definition of cyclicity in the Allentown Dolomite (Upper Cambrian), eastern 

Pennsylvania and northwestern New Jersey [abs.]: Geological 

Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 11, no. 1, p. 

1. 

Ambuter, B. F., and Davis, R. E., 1977, An ocean-bottom instrument package (abs.]: Geophysics, v. 42, no. 7, p. 1492. 

Atwater, Tanya, and Klitgord, K. D., 1977, Nature of the 

magnetized layer in young oceanic crust; Clues from deep tow 

and dredge rocks [abs.]: EOS (American Geophysical Union 

Transactions), v. 58, no. 6, p. 378. 

Ball, M. M., Chermak, A., and Harrison, C. G. A., 1977, Variations in crustal magnetization across the Romanche fracture 

zone [abs.]: EOS (American Geophysical Union Transaction), 

v. 58, no. 6, p. 378. 

Ball, M. M., Mattick, R. E., and Schlee, J. S., 1978, Qualitative 

analysis of petroleum potential of Georges Bank [abs.]: 

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 

10, no. 2, p. 31. 

Bayer, K. C., Mattick, R. E., Plafker, George, and Bruns, T. R., 

1978, Refraction studies between Icy Bay and Kayak Island, 

eastern Gulf of Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Journal of 

Research, v. 6, no. 5, p. 625-636. 

Beach, D. K., and Trumbull, J. V. A., 1981, Marine geologic map 

of the Puerto Rico insular shelf, Isla Caja de Muertos area: 

U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Investigations Map 

1-1265, scale 1:40,000. 

Beardsley, R. C., Vermersch, J. A., Jr., Butman, Bradford, and 

Noble, Marlene, 1978, The water structure and mean subsurface currents observed in the Georges Bank and New England 

Continental Shelf region [abs.]: Geological Society of 

America Abstracts with Programs, v. 10, no. 2, p. 32. 

Behrendt, J. C., and Klitgord, K. D., 1978, Origin of the East 

Coast magnetic anomaly [abs.]: EOS (American Geophysical 

Union Transactions), v. 59, no. 4, p. 390-391. 

Behrendt, J. C., Klitgord, K. D., and Hartman, R. R., 1979, High 

sensitivity aeromagnetic survey of the U.S. Atlantic continental margin [abs.]: Geophysics, v. 44, no. 3, p. 356. 

Bell, Henry, III, Daniels, D. L., Popenoe, Peter, and Huff, W. E., 

1978, Comparison of anomalies detected by airborne and 

truck-mounted magnetometers in the Haile-Brewer area of 

South Carolina in Snoke, A. W., ed., Geological investigations of the eastern Piedmont, southern Appalachians: 

Carolina Geological Society Guidebook of Excursions 1978, 

p. 21-27. 

Bell, Henry, Ill, and Popenoe, Peter, 1976, Gravity studies in the 

Carolina slate belt near the Haile and Brewer mines, northcentral South Carolina: U.S. Geological Survey Journal of 

Research, v. 4, no. 6, p. 667-682. 

Berryhill, H. L., Jr., 1977, Integrated environmental studies, 

South Texas Outer Continental Shelf; Approach, techniques, 

results: Offshore Technology Conference, 9th, Houston, 

Texas, May 1977, Proceedings, v. 1, p. 239-249. 

--1978a, South Texas Continental Shelf and Continental 

Slope; Late Pleistocene/Holocene evolution and sea-floor 

stability (an outline and notes relative to geologic hazards on 

the sea floor): U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 

78-514, 98 p. 

58 

---ed., 1978b, Environmental studies, South Texas Outer 

Continental Shelf, 1976; Geology: U.S. National Technical 

Information Service PB-277-337, 626 p., 235 figs. 

---ed., 1978c, Environmental studies, South Texas Outer 

Continental Shelf, 1977; Geology: U.S. National Technical 

Information Service PB-289-144, 306 p., 112 figs. 

Berryhill, H. L., Jr., Holmes, C. W., McGowen, J. H., and 

Morton, R. A., 1978, Marine geologic studies, Texas coastal 

zone, in Coastal Zone '78; Symposium on Technical, Environmental, Socioeconomic and Regulatory Aspects of 

Coastal Zone Management, San Francisco, Calif., March 

14-16, 1978: New York, American Society of Civil Engineers, 

v. 3, p. 2121-2136. 

Booth, J. S., 1978, Recent depositional history of upper Continental Slope, northern Gulf of Mexico as interpreted from consolidation history of sediments [abs.]: American Association 

of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 62, no. 3, p. 499. 

--1979, Recent history of mass-wasting on the upper Continental Slope, northern Gulf of Mexico, as interpreted from the 

consolidation states of the sediment, in Doyle, L. J., and 

Pilkey, 0. H., eds., Geology of Continental Slopes: Society 

of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists Special 

Publication 27, p. 153-164. 

Booth, J. S., and,Garrison, L. E., 1978, A geologic and geotechnical analysis of the upper Continental Slope adjacent to the 

Mississippi Delta: Offshore Technology Conference, lOth, 

Houston, Texas, May 1978, Proceedings, v. 2, p. 1019-1028. 

Bothner, M. H., and Locker, S.D., 1977, Pb-210 in Continental 

Shelf sediments off the Eastern United States; An indicator of 

the depth of reworking [abs.]: Geological Society of America 

Abstracts with Programs, v. 9, no. 7, p. 906-907. 

Bothner, W. A., 1977, Gravity study of Cape Cod Bay: U.S. 

Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-497, 10 p. 1 pl. 

Buffler, R. T., Watkins, J. S., and Dillon, W. P., 1979, Geology 

of the offshore Southeast Georgia Embayment, U.S. Atlantic 

continental margin, based on multichannel seismic reflection 

profiles, in Watkins, J. S., Montadert, Lucien, and Dickerson, P. W., eds., Geological and geophysical investigations of 

continental margins: American Association of Petroleum 

Geologists Memoir 29, p. 11-25. 

Butman, Bradford, and Folger, D. W., 1978, An instrument 

system for long-term sediment transport studies on the Continental Shelf: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 

78-1019, 25 p. 

---1979, An instrument system for long-term sediment transport studies on the Continental Shelf: Journal of Geophysical 

Research, v. 84, no. C3, p. 1215-1220. 

Butman, Bradford, and Noble, M.A., 1978a, In situ observations 

of currents and bottom-sediment movement on Georges Bank 

[abs.]: Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 10, no. 2, p. 35. 

---1978b, Long-term in situ observations of bottom sediment 

movement on the U.S. Atlantic Continental Shelf [abs.]: EOS 

(American Geophysical Union Transactions), v. 59, no. 4, p. 

295. 

Butman, Bradford, Noble, M. A., and Folger, D. W., 1977, 

Observations of bottom current and bottom sediment movement on the mid-Atlantic Continental Shelf [abs.]: EOS 

(American Geophysical Union Transactions), v. 58, no. 6, p. 

408. 
---1979, Long-term observations of bottom current and 

bottom sediment movement on the mid-Atlantic Continental 

Shelf: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 84, no. C3, p. 

1187-1205. 

Butman, Bradford, and Schlee, J. S., 1978, Bottom currents and 

bottom sediment distribution in Massachusetts Bay, with a 

section on Suspended matter in Massachusetts Bay, 

September-October, 1970, by C. J. O'Hara and R. H. Meade: 

U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 78-369, 84 p. 

Butman, Bradford, Vermersch, J. A., Beardsley, R. C., and 

Noble, M. A., 1978, Long-term current observations on 

Georges Bank [abs.]: EOS (American Geophysical Union 

Transactions), v. 59, no. 4, p. 302-303. 

Coleman, J. M., and Garrison, L. E., 1977, Geological aspects of 

marine slope stability, northwestern Gulf of Mexico: Marine 

Geotechnology, v. 2, p. 9-44. 

Coleman, J. M., Prior, D. B., and Garrison, L. E., 1978, Submarine landslides in the Mississippi River Delta: Offshore 

Technology Conference, lOth, Houston, Texas, May 1978, 

Proceedings, v. 2, p. 1067-1074. 

Crouch, R. W., and Poag, C. W., 1978, Amphistegina gibbosa 

(d'Orbigny) from the California Borderlands; The Caribbean 

connection [abs.]: in Correlation of tropical through high 

latitude marine Neogene deposits of the Pacific basin-International Geological Correlation Programme, Project 114, 

Biostratigraphic datum-planes of the Pacific Neogene, Third 

Working Group Meeting, Stanford, California, June 26-28, 

1978, abstracts and program: Stanford University Publications, Geological Sciences, v. 14, p. 12-13. 

---1979, Amphistegina gibbosa d'Orbigny from the California 

Borderlands; The Caribbean connection: Journal of Forminiferal Research, v. 9, no. 2, p. 85-105. 

Dillon, W. P., Folger, D. W., Ball, M. M., Powers, Richard, and 

Wood, Gilbert, Jr., 1978, Summary report of the sediments, 

structural framework, petroleum potential, environmental 

conditions, and operational considerations of the United 

States South Atlantic continental margin: U.S. Geological 

Survey Open-File Report 78-594, 42 p. 

Dillon, W. P., and Klitgord, K. D., 1978, Development of the 

United States continental margin from Cape Fear to Cape 

Canaveral [abs.]: Geological Society of America Abstracts 

with Programs, v. 10, no. 4, p. 167. 

Dillon, W. P., Klitgord, K. D., and Paull, C. K., 1979, Geologic 

setting, in Scholle, P. A., ed., Geological studies of the COST 

GE-l well, United States South Atlantic Outer Continental 

Shelf area: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 800, p. 4-6. 

Dillon, W. P., and Oldale, R.N., 1977, Adjustment of the late 

Quaternary sea-level rise curve on the basis of recognition of 

large glacio-tectonic movements of the Continental Shelf 

south of New England [abs.]: Geological Society of America 

Abstracts with Programs, v. 9, no. 7, p. 951. 

---1978, Late Quaternary sea-level curve; Reinterpretation 

based on glaciotectonic influence: Geology, v. 6, no. 1, p. 

56-60. 

Dillion, W. P., and Paull, C. K., 1978, Interpretation of multichannel seismic-reflection profiles of the Atlantic continental 

margin off the coasts of South Carolina and Georgia: U.S. 

Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-936. 

---1979a, Formation of the continental margin off the Southeastern United States [abs.]: Geological Society of America 

Abstracts with Programs, v. 11, no. 4, p. 177. 

59 

---1979b, Structure and development of the continental 

margin off Georgia based on multichannel seismic profiling 

and COST GE-l well data [abs.]: Symposium on the geology 

of the Southeastern Coastal Plain, 2d, Americus, Ga., March 

S-6, 1979, Program and Abstracts, p. 8. 

Dillon, W. P., Paull, C. K., and Buffler, R. T., 1977, Structure 

and development of Southeast Georgia Embayment-Blake 

Plateau [abs.]: American Association of Petroleum 

Geologists Bulletin, v. 61, no. 5, p. 781. 

Dillon, W. P., Paull, C. K., Buffler, R. T., and Fail, J.P., 1979, 

Structure and development of the Southeast Georgia Embayment and northern Blake Plateau; Preliminary analysis, in 

Watkins, J. S., Montadert, Lucien, and Dickerson, P. W., 

eds., Geological and geophysical investigations of continental 

margins: American Association of Petroleum Geologists 

Memoir 29, p. 27-41. 

Dillon, W. P., Paull, C. K., Dahl, A. G., and Patterson, W. C., 

1979, Structure of the continental margin near the COST No. 

GE-l drill site from a common depth-point seismic-reflection 

profile, in Scholle, P. A., ed., Geological studies of the 

COST GE-l well, United States South Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf area: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 800, p. 

97-107. 

Dillon, W. P., Paull, C. K., Klitgord, K. D., and Grow, J. A., 

1979, Tectonics and structure of the United States continental 

margin south of Cape Hatteras [abs.]: EOS (American 

Geophysical Union Transactions), v. 60, no. 18, p. 374. 

Dillon, W. P., Paull, C. K., Klitgord, K. D., Poag, C. W., and 

Valentine, P. C., 1978, Correlation of acoustic and biostratigraphic units off the southeastern United States [abs.]: 

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 

10, no. 7, p. 389. 

Dillon, W. P., Poag, C. W., Valentine, P. C., and Paull, C. K., 

1979, Structure, biostratigraphy, and seismic stratigraphy 

along a common-depth-point seismic profile through three 

drill sites on the continental margin off Jacksonville, Florida: 

U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map 

MF-1090. 

Doyle, L. J., Blake, N. J., Woo, C. C., and Yevich, Paul, 1978, 

Recent biogenic phosphorite; Concretions in mollusk kidneys: 

Science v. 199, no. 4336, p. 1431-1433. 

Edsall, D. W., and Dillon, W. P., 1977, Geologic development of 

Cenozoic continental margin of Southeast Georgia Embayment [abs.]: American Association of Petroleum Geologists 

Bulletin, v. 61, no. 5, p. 782. 

Emiliani, Cesare, Hudson, J. H., Shinn, E. A., and George, 

R. Y., 1978, Oxygen and carbon isotopic growth record in a 

reef coral from the Florida Keys and a deep-sea coral from 

Blake Plateau: Science, v. 202, no. 4368, p. 627-629. 

Eskenasy, D. M., 1979, The origin of the King Ravine rock glacier, 

Presidential Range, New Hampshire [abs.]: Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 11, no. 1, p. 11. 

Evenden, G. 1., 1978, Automatic typing program (WOLF): Cuppertino, Calif., Hewlett-Packard Co. Library of Contributed 

User Software (LOCUS), part no. 22682-10993, 133 p. 

Firek, Frances, Shideler, G. L., and Fleischer, Peter, 1977, Heavymineral variability in bottom sediments of the Lower 

Chesapeake Bay, Virginia: Marine Geology, v. 23, no. 3, p. 

217-235. 
Fitzgerald, M.G., Parmenter, C. M., and Milliman, J.D., 1979, 

Particulate calcium carbonate in New England shelf waters; 

Result of shell degradation and resuspension: Sedimentology, 

v. 26, no. 6, p. 853-857. 

Flores, R. M., and Shideler, G. L., 1976, Concentrating processes of heavy minerals on the Outer Continental Shelf off 

southern Texas, Gulf of Mexico [abs.]: Geological Society of 

America Abstracts with Programs, v. 8, no. 6, p. 868-869. 

---1977, Downstream heavy-mineral changes of the Rio 

Grande, Texas [abs.]: Geological Society of America 

Abstracts with Programs, v. 9, no. 7, p. 975-976. 

---1978, Factors controlling heavy-mineral variations on the 

South Texas Outer Continental Shelf, Gulf of Mexico: Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, v. 48, no. 1, p. 269-280. 

Folger, D. W., 1978a, Eolian dust in marine sediments, in 

Fairbridge, R. W., and Bourgeois, Joanne, eds., The encyclopedia of sedimentology, v. 6 of Encyclopedia of earth 

sciences series: Stroudsburg, Pa., Dowden, Hutchinson, and 

Ross, p. 276-279. 

---1978b, Geologic hazards of Georges Bank; An overview 

[abs.]: Geological Survey of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 10, no. 2, p. 42. 

Folger, D. W., Butman, Bradford, and Knebel, H. J., 1978, 

Environmental hazards on the Atlantic Outer Continental 

Shelf of the United States: Offshore Technology Conference, 

lOth, Houston, Texas, May 1978, Proceedings, v. 4, p. 

2293-2306. 

Folger, D. W., Dillon, W. P., Grow, J. A., Klitgord, K. D., and 

Schlee, J. S., 1979, Evolution of the Atlantic continental 

margin of the United States, in Talwani, Manik, Hay, 

William, and Ryan, W. B. F., eds., Deep drilling results in the 

Atlantic Ocean-Continental margins and paleoenvironment: 

American Geophysical Union, Maurice Ewing Series 3, p. 

87-108. 

Folger, D. W., Hathaway, J. C., Christopher, R. A., Valentine, 

P. C., and Poag, C. W., 1978, Stratigraphic test well, Nantucket Island, Massachusetts: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 773, 28 p. 

Folger, D. W., Palmer, H. D., and Slater, R. A., 1979, Two waste 

disposal sites on the Continental Shelf off the Middle Atlantic 

States; Observations made from submersibles, in Palmer, H. 

D., and Gross, M. G., eds., Ocean dumping and marine 

pollution; geological aspects of waste disposal at sea: 

Stroudsburg, Pa., Dowden, Hutchinson, and Ross, p. 

163-184. 

Garrison, L. E., 1977, The SEASWAB experiment: Marine Geotechnology, v. 2, p. 117-122. 

Garrison, L. E., and Bea, R. G., 1977, Bottom stability as a factor 

in platform siting and design: Offshore Technology Conference, 9th, Houston, Texas, May 1977, Proceedings, v. 3, p. 

127-133. 

Garrison, L. E., Tatum, T. E., Booth, J. S., and Casby, S.M., 

1977, Geological hazards of the upper Continental Slope of 

the Gulf of Mexico: Offshore Technology Conference, 9th, 

Houston, Texas, May 1977, Proceedings, v. 1, p. 51-58. 

Glass, B. P., and Folger, D. W., 1978, Extraterrestrial material in 

sediments, in Fairbridge, R. W., and Bourgeois, Joanne, eds., 

The encyclopedia of sedimentology, v. 6 of Encyclopedia of 

earth sciences series: Stroudsburg, Pa., Dowden, Hutchinson, 

and Ross, p. 316-319. 

Gohn, G. S., Ackermann, H. D., Campbell, D. L., Dillon, W. P., 

Gottfried, David, Phillips, J.D., and Popenoe, Peter, 1978, 

Buried early Mesozoic graben in the southeastern United 

States [abs.]: International Symposium on the Rio Grande 

60 

Rift, Sante Fe, N. M., Oct. 8-17, 1978, Program and 

Abstracts p. 39-40. 

Goldsmith, Victor, Shideler, G. L., McHone, J. F., and Swift, 

D. J.P., 1977, Beach response in the vicinity of a shoreface 

ridge system; False Cape, Virginia, in Goldsmith, Victor, ed., 

Coastal processes and resulting forms of sediment accumulations, Currituck Spit, Virginia-North Carolina, field trip 

guidebook: Virginia Institute of Marine Science Special 

Report in Applied Marine Science and Ocean Engineering 

143, p. 23-1 to 23-17. 

Green, A. W ., Jr., in press, Analog and digital filtering operations 

in the time and frequency domains [abs.]: Association of 

Geomagnetism and Aeronomy, General Scientific Assembly, 

3d, Proceedings. 

Grove, K. A., and Trumbull, J. V. A., 1978, Surficial geologic 

maps and data on three potential offshore sand sources on the 

insular shelf of Puerto Rico: U.S. Geological Survey 

Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-1017. 

Grow, J. A., and Bowin, C. 0., 1977, Free-air gravity anomalies 

over the U.S. Atlantic continental ma£gin [abs.]: Geological 

Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 9, no. 7, p. 

999. 

Grow, J. A., Bowin, C. 0., and Hutchinson, D. R., 1979, The 

gravity field of the U.S. Atlantic continental margin: Tectonophysics, v. 59, p. 27-52. 

Grow, J. A., Dillon, W. P., Popenoe, Peter, and Sheridan, R. E., 

1979, Diapirs along the Continental Slope southeast of Cape 

Hatteras [abs.]: Geological Society of America Abstracts with 

Programs, v. 11, no. 4, p. 181. 

Grow, J. A., Dillon, W. P., Popenoe, Peter, and Sheridan, R. E., 

1977, Diapirs along the Continental Slope off Cape Hatteras 

[abs.]: Geophysics v. 42, no. 7, p. 1507. 

Grow, J. A., Jaworski, B. L., and Meeder, C. A., 1978, Sedimentary rock velocity trends across Georges Bank [abs.]: 

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 

10, no. 2, p. 45. 

Grow, J. A., Klitgord, K. D., Schlee, J. S., and Mattick, R. E., 

1979, The ocean-continent transition zone off southern New 

Jersey [abs.]: EOS (American Geophysical Union Transactions), v. 60, no. 18, p. 374-375. 

Grow, J. A., and Markl, R., 1977, IPOD-USGS multichannel 

seismic reflection profile from Cape Hatteras to the MidAtlantic Ridge: Geology, v. 5, no. 10, p. 625-630. 

Grow, J. A., Mattick, R. E., and Schlee, J. S., 1977, Depth 

conversion of multichannel seismic-reflection profiles over 

Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf and upper Continental Slope 

between Cape Hatteras and Georges Bank [abs.]: American 

Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 61, no. 5, p. 

790-791. 

---1979, Multichannel seismic depth sections and interval 

velocities over Outer Continental Shelf and upper Continental 

Slope between Cape Hatteras and Cape Cod, in Watkins, 

J. S., Montadert, Lucien, and Dickerson, P. W., eds., 

Geological and geophysical investigations of continental 

margins: American Association of Petroleum Geologists 

Memoir 29, p. 65-83. 

Hathaway, J. C., 1977, Atlantic Margin Coring Project, 1976-

Summary of operations and results [abs.]: American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 61, no. 5, p. 794. 

Hathaway, J. C., Poag, C. W., Valentine, P. C., Miller, R. E., 

Schultz, D. M., Manheim, F. T., Kohout, F. A., Bothner, 

M. H., and Sangrey, D. A., 1979, U.S. Geological Survey 

core drilling on the Atlantic shelf: Science, v. 206, no. 4418, 

p. 515-527. 
Hazel, J. E., Bybell, L. M., Christopher, R. A., Frederiksen, 

N. 0., May, F. E., McLean, D. M., Poore, R. Z., Smith, 

C. C., Sohl, N. F., Valentine, P. C., and Witmer, R. J., 1977, 

Biostratigraphy of the deep corehole (Clubhouse Crossroads 

Corehole 1) near Charleston, South Carolina: U.S. 

GeologiCal Survey Professional Paper 1028-F, p. 71-89. 

Hill, G. W., and Garrison, L. E., 1977, Maps showng drift 

patterns along the north-central Texas coast 1974-1975: U.S. 

Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-839. 

Hirst, T. J., and Richards, A. F., 1977, In situ pore-pressure 

measurement in Mississippi delta front sediments: Marine 

Geotechnology, v. 2, p. 191-204. 

Holmes, C. W., 1977, Effect of dredged channels on trace-metal 

migration in an estuary: U.S. Geological Survey Journal of 

Research, v. S, no. 2, p. 243-251. 

---1978, Virgin Islands sand resource study: U.S. Geological 

Survey Open-File Report 78-919, SS p. 

Holmes, C. W., and Martin, E. A., 1977a, Migration of anthropogenically induced trace metals (barium and lead) in the 

Continental Shelf environment: Annual Conference on Sensing and Pollution in the Environment, American Chemical 

Society, New Orleans, Proceedings, p. 672-676. 

---1977b, Seasonal variability in trace metal content of marine 

sediments [abs.]: Geological Society of America Abstracts 

with Programs, v. 9, no. 7, p. 1021-1022. 

---1978, 22'Radium chronology of Gulf of Mexico slope sediments, in Zartman, R. E., ed., Short papers of the Fourth International Conference, Geochronology, Cosmochronology, 

Isotope Geology, 1978: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File 

Report 78-701, p. 184-187. 

Hottman, W. E., Suhayda, J. N., and Garrison, L. E., 1978, 

SEASW AB II (shallow experiment to access [sic] storm-wave 

affects [sic] on the bottom): Offshore Technology Conference, lOth, Houston, Texas, May 1978, Proceedings, v. 2, 

p. 1059-1066. 

Howard, K. A., Aaron, J. M., Brabb, E. E., Brock, M. R., 

Gower, H. D., Hunt, S. J., Milton, D. J., Muehlberger, 

W. R., Nakata, J. K., Plafker, G., Prowell, D. C., Wallace, 

R. E., and Witkind, I. J., compliers, 1978, Preliminary map 

of young faults in the United States as a guide to possible fault 

activity: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies 

Map MF-916, 2 sheets, scales 1:5,000,000 and 1:7,500,000. 

Hutchinson, D. R., 1977, An investigation of the structure and 

surficial geology of the Central Lake Ontario Basin: Toronto, 

Ontario, University of Toronto, unpublished Master of 

Science thesis, 119 p. 

Hutchinson, D. R., and Grow, J. A., 1979, Deep crustal reflectors 

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Hutchinson, D. R., Pomeroy, P. W., and Wold, R. J., 1977, 

An investigation of the possible continuation of the 

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Geological Society of American Abstracts with Programs, v. 

9, no. 7, p. 1031. 

Hutchinson, D. R., Pomeroy, P. W., Wold, R. J., and Halls, 

H. C., 1979, A geophysical investigation concerning the continuation of the Clarendon-Linden fault across the Lake Ontario: Geology, v. 7, no. 4, p. 206-210. 

Hutchinson, D. R., and Wold, R. J., 1979a, Lake Ontario geological and geophysical data sources: U.S. Geological Survey 

61 

Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-1103, sheet 1, scale 

1 :400,000; sheet 2, scale 1 :800,000. 

--1979b, Lake Erie geological and geophysical data sources: 

U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map 

MF-1102, 3 sheets, scale 1:400,000. 

Isachsen, Y. W., and Wold, R. J., 1977, Geodetic, geological, and 

geophysical evidence for Holocene vertical movements in the 

Adirondack region, New York [abs.]: Geological Society of 

America Abstracts with Programs, v. 9, no. 3, p. 278-279. 

Kent, K. M., Grow, J. A., and Dillon, W. P., 1979, Gravity 

studies of the continental margin off northern Florida [abs.]: 

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 

11, no. 4, p. 184. 

Klasner, J. S., Wold, R. J., Hinze, W. J., Bacon, L. 0., and 

O'Hara, N. W., 1978, Bouguer gravitY anomaly map of 

northern Michigan and Lake Superior and its geological implications [abs.]: EOS (American Geophysical Union Transactions), v. 59, no. 4, p. 226-227. 

Klasner, J. S., Wold, R. J., Hinze, W. J., Bacon, L. 0., O'Hara, 

N. W., and Berkson, J. M., 1978, Bouguer gravity anomaly 

map of the northern Michigan-Lake Superior region: U.S. 

Geological Survey Open-File Map 78-211, scale 1:500,000. 

--1979, Bouguer gravity anomaly map of the northern Michigan-Lake Superior region: U.S. Geological Survey 

Geophysical Investigations Map GP-930, scale 1:1,000,000. 

Klitgord, K. D., 1978, Basement structures of Georges Bank; 

Magnetic studies [abs.]: Geological Society of America 

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anomaly map of the United State Atlantic continental margin: 

U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map 

MF-913, 2 sheets, scale 1:1,000,000. 

---1979, Basin structure of the U.S. Atlantic margin, in 

Watkins, J. S., Montadert, Lucien, and Dickerson, P. W., 

eds., Geological and geophysical investigations of continental 

margins: American Association of Petroleum Geologists 

Memoir 29, p. 85-112. 

Klitgord, K. D., Dillon, W. P., and Popenoe, Peter, 1979, 

Tectonic elements and reconstructions of the southeastern 

U.S. Atlantic continental margin [abs.]: Geological Society of 

America Abstracts with Programs, v. 11, no. 4, p. 185. 

Klitgord, K. D., and Schouten, Hans, 1977, The onset of sea floor 

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the geological development of the New York Bight, Palisades, 

N. Y., Oct. 19, 1977: Palisades, N. Y., Lamont-Doherty 

Geological Observatory, p. 12-13. 

---1978, Jurassic rifting, sea floor spreading, and basin formation in the North Atlantic [abs.]: Symposium on Crustal 

Properties Across Passive Margins, Halifax, Canada, June 

19-23, 1978, Programs and Abstracts, p. 18. 

---1979, Platform and basin structures of the Atlantic continental margin and their relationship to offshore fracture 

zones [abs.]: EOS (American Geophysical Union Transactions), v. 60, no. 18, p. 374. 

Knebel, H. J., 1978, Geologic conditions in the Baltimore Canyon 

Trough area: A summary of USGS second-year environmental studies: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 78-921, 

36 p. 

Knebel, H. J., and Carson, Bobb, 1977, Small-scale slump deposits, Middle Atlantic upper Continental Slope [abs.]: 

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 9, 

no. 7, p. 1053-1054. 
---1979, Small-scale slump deposits, Middle Atlantic Continental Slope, off Eastern United States: Marine Geology, v. 

29, p. 221-236. 

Knebel, H. J., Conomos, T. J., and Commeau, J. A., 1977, Claymineral variability in the suspended sediments of the San 

Francisco Bay system, California: Journal of Sedimentary 

Petrology, v. 47, no. 1, p. 229-236. 

Knebel, H. J., and Spiker, E. C., 1977, Thickness and age of surficial sand sheet, Baltimore Canyon Trough area: American 

Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 61, no. 6, p. 

861-871. 

Knebel, H. J., and Twichell, D. C., 1978, Heavy-mineral variability in the Baltimore Canyon Trough area: U.S Geological 

Survey Journal of Research, v. 6, no. 2, p. 215-219. 

Knebel, H. J ., Twichell, D. C., and Robb, J. M., 1979, Slumping 

in intercanyon areas, Middle Atlantic Continental Slope 

[abs.]: American Association of Petroleum Geologists 

Bulletin, v. 63, no. 3, p. 480. 

Knebel, H. J., and Wood, S. A., 1978, Hudson River: Evidence 

for extensive migration on the Continental Shelf during the 

Pleistocene [abs.]: Geological Society of America Abstracts 

with Programs, v. 10, no. 7, p. 436. 

Knebel, H. J., Wood, S. A., and Spiker, E. ~ .• 1979, Hudson 

River; Evidence for extensive migration on the exposed Continental Shelf during Pleistocene time: Geology, v. 7, no. S, p. 

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Kohout, F. A., 1979a, [Response to Session VIII, Fourth National 

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Water, v. 17, no. 2, p. 180-181. 

--1979b, Relict fresh ground water of the Continental Shelf; 

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Coastal Plain, 2d, Americus, Ga., March S-6, 1979, Program 

and Abstracts, p. 13-14. 

---in press, Aquifer-estuary fresh-salt balance, Miami, Florida, in UNESCO, International Hydrological Programme 

case book on changes in the salt-fresh balance in deltas, 

estuaries, and coastal zones due to structural works and 

ground water exploitation: New York. 

Kohout, F. A., Bothner, M. H., and Manheim, F. T., 1977, Fresh 

groundwater beneath Continental Shelf; Findings of Atlantic 

Continental-Margin Drilling Program [abs.]: American 

Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 61, no. S, p. 

804. 

Kohout, F. A., and Delaney, D. F., 1979, Reply to discussion by 

Michael A. Collins of "Fresh ground water stored in aquifers 

under the Continental Shelf: Implications from a deep test, 

Nantucket Island, Massachusetts": Water Resources Bulletin, 

v. IS, no. 1, p. 252-2~4. 

Kohout, F. A., Hathaway, J. C., Folger, D. W., Bothher, M. H., 

Walker, E. H., Delaney, D. F., Frimpter, M. H., Weed, E. G. 

A., and Rhodehamel, E. C., 1977, Fresh ground water stored 

in aquifers under the Continental Shelf: Implications from a 

deep test, Nantucket Island, Massachusetts: Water Resources 

Bulletin, v. 13, no. 2, p. 373-386. 

Kohout, F. A., Manheim, F. T., Bothner, M. H., and Delaney, 

D. F., 1978, Origin of fresh ground water beneath the U.S. 

Atlantic Continental Shelf [abs.]: Ground Water, v. 16, no. S 

p. 360. 

Krivoy, H. L., and Eppert, H. C., Jr., 1977, Simple Bouger anomaly representation over a part of the Atlantic Continental 

Shelf and adjacent land areas of Georgia, the Carolinas and 

62 

northern Florida: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 

77-316, 3 p., 1 map, scale 1:1,000,000. 

LaGatta, D. P., Dalenberg, Karl, Knebel, H. J., and Sangrey, 

D. A., 1978, Report on laboratory testing of shallow 

sediments, Middle Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf: U.S. 

Geological Survey Open-File Report 78-578, 2SS p. 

Leonard, J. E., Fisher, J. J., Leatherman, S. P., Godfrey, P. J., 

Goldsmith, V., Kaye, C. A., Nilsson, H. P., Oldale, R.N., 

and Rosen, P. S., 1976, Coastal geology and geomorphology 

of Cape Cod-An aerial and ground view, in New England 

Intercollegiate Geological Conference, 68th Annual Meeting, 

Boston, Mass., Oct. 8-10, 1976, Geology of southeastern 

New England; A guidebook for field trips to the Boston area 

and vicinity: Princeton, N.J., Science Press, p. 224-264. 

Lonsdale, P., and Klitgord, K. D., 1978, Structure and tectonic 

history of the eastern Panama Basin: Geological Society of 

America Bulletin. v. 89, no. 7, p. 981-999. 

Manheim, F. T., 1976a, A review of Jones, 0. A., and Endean, 

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---1978, Petroleum potential of U.S. Atlantic Slope, Rise, 

and Abyssal Plain: American Association of Petroleum 

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McGinnis, L. D., Osby, D. R., and Kohout, F. A., in press, 

Paleohydrology inferred from salinity measurements on Dry 

Valley Drilling Project (DVDP) core in Taylor Valley, Antarctica: Antarctic Geoscience, International Union of 

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and Mineralogists Conference, Washington, D.C., June 

12-16, 1977, Program and Abstracts, p. 76. 

---1977b, Hydrocarbons in surface sediments of Mid-Atlantic 

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studies of the COST GE-l well, United States South Atlantic 

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D., and Gary, C., 1979, Hydrocarbon geochemical analysis of 

Mid-Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf sediments; An environmental assessment: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File 

Report 79-363, 54 p. 

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D., 1977, An environmental assessment of hydrocarbons in 

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58, no. 9, p. 889. 

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63 

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frequency bottom pressure fluctuations along the east coast of 

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Transactions), v. 58, no. 6, p. 403. 

---1979, Wind-induced low frequency sea level oscillations 

along the east coast of North America: Journal of 

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Survey research in the Massachusetts coastal zone, in Aubrey, 

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---1978, USGS coastal zone studies in New England, in 

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the inner Continental Shelf of southern New England [abs.]: 

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10, no. 2, p. 78. 

---1978b, Thrusted coastal end moraines and a Woodfordian 

fluctuating ice margin: Evidence from \1assachusetts onshore 

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Abstracts with Programs, v. 10, no. 2, p. 78. 

---1978c, New radiocarbon dates from the inner Continental 

Shelf off southeastern Massachusetts and a local sea-level rise 

curve for the last 12,500 years, in A Marine Geology Symposium Dedicated to K. 0. Emery***, 8-9 November 1978, 

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Mass.: 

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distribution of suspended particulate matter in shelf waters 

off Massachusetts [abs.]: Geological Society of America 

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U.S .. Geological Survey Open-File Report 79-448, 96 p. 

---1979b, The stratigraphy of the Florida-Hatteras shelf and 

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Pilkey, 0. H., Ayers, M. W., Blackwelder, B. W., Howard, J.D., 

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Pilkey, 0. H., Blackwelder, B. W., Howard, J. D., and Knebel, 

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Pilkey, 0. H., Fierman, E. 1., and Trumbull, J. V. A., 1979, Relationship between physical condition of the carbonate fraction and sediment environments, northern Puerto Rico shelf: 

Sedimentary Geology, v. 24, no. 3-4, p. 283-290. 

64 

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---in press, The remarkable occurrence of modern sediments 

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--1978a, Paired foraminiferal ecophenotypes in gulf coast 

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--1978b, Paired foraminiferal ecophenotypes in gulf coast 

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--1978c, Stratigraphy of the Atlantic Continental Shelf and 

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--1979a, A record of global sea level cycles in the Southeast 

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---1979b, Depositional hiatuses, sea level fluctuations and 

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--1979c, Important stratigraphic breaks in COST GE-l well, 

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---1979d, Stratigraphy and depositional environments of Baltimore Canyon Trough: American Association of Petroleum 

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Popenoe, Peter, 1977, A probable major Mesozoic rift system in 

South Carolina and Georgia [abs.]: EOS (American 

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--1978, Geologic hazards of offshore oil exploration [abs.]: 

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---1979, Geologic hazards and constraints to petroleum exploration and development on the southeastern U.S. Continental Shelf, Slope, and Blake Plateau [abs.]: Symposium 

on the Geology of the Southeastern Coastal Plain, 2d, 

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Popenoe, Peter, Coward, E. L., Vazzana, M. E., Ball, M. M., and 

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Prior, D. B., Coleman, J. M., and Garrison, L. E., 1978, Offshore 

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Rodriquez, R. W., Trumbull, J. V. A., and Dillon, W. P., 1977, 

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Rosen, P. S., Barnett, E., Goldsmith, V., Shideler, G. L., Boule, 

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--1979, Structure of the Atlantic Continental Slope off the 

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Schouten, Hans, and Klitgord, K. D., 1977, Map showing 

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65 

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66 
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67 

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