DOCSLIB.ORG

Shallow Structure

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

IBRARY CO Atlantic Continental Shelf and Slope of the United States Shallow Structure GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 529·1 Atlantic Continental . r.. Shelf and Slope of The United States- Shallow Structure By ELAZAR UCHUPI GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 529-I Description of the subsurface morphology of the shelf and slop~ (continental terrace) ·and some speculations on the evolution of the sedimentary framework of the terrace UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON 1970 • UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR WALTER J. HICKEL, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY William T. Pecora, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 - Price $1 (paper cover) CONTENTS P11ge Pllge Abstract------------------------------------------- 11 Continental shelf from Cape lioa to Virginia___________ 113 Introduction---------------------~----------------- 1 Continental slope from· Georges Bank to Cape Hatteras_ 15 Acknowledgments _____________________________ _ 2 Continental shelf from Cape Hatteras to Cape Romain___ 19 Topographic setting ___________________ --- _____ ---- __ 2 Blake Plateau area__________________________________ 19 Methods of study __________________________________ _ 2 Straits of Florida ___________ :... _______________ :._______ 30 Scotian Shelf area _________________________________ _ 5 Geologic maP-------------------------------------- 31 5 Isopach maps_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 33 Gulf of Maine and Bay of FundY-------------~------­ Northeast and Great South Channels----------------- 9 Conclusion___ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 38 Georges Bank _____________________________________ _ 11 Nature of the con tinen tal shelf and slope_ - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 38 Long Island, Block Island, Rhode Island, and Vineyard Formation of the continental terrace-_____________ 38 Sounds, and Buzzards Bay ________________________ _ 12 References cited____________________________________ 41 ILLUSTRATIONS Pal{e PLATE 1. Bathymetric map of the shelf, slope, and rise between Nantucket Shoals and Chesapeake Bay____ -____ In pocket FIGURE 1. Bathymetric chart showing physiographic provinces of the continental margin _______________________ -__ I3 2. Bathymetric chart showing locations of seismic-reflection profiles ___________________________ --- ___ ---- 4 3-5. Seismic profiles: ' 3. Off Nova Scotia and south of Georges Bank_________________________________________________ 5 4. Off Nova Scotia, Maine, and Long Island _______________________________________ --_-- ___ ---- 6 5. In the Gulf of Maine ________________________________________________________________ -____ 7 6. Bathymetric chart showing locations of seismic profiles in the Gulf of Maine ___________________ - _____ -- 8 7. Echo-sounding profile in the Gulf of Maine-------------------------------------------------------- 9 8. Map and seismic-pro filer record showing buried erosional remnants in Cape Cod Bay ___________ - ______ - 9 9-11. Seismic profiles: . · 9. Northeast Channel and Georges and Franklin Basins---------------------------------------- 10 10. Great South Channel-------------------------------------------------------------------- 11 11. Across Georges Bank-------------------------------------------------------------------- 12 12. Bathymetric map showing sand shoals on Georges Bank and Nantucket Shoals_________________________ 13 13. Seismic profiles of Long Island Sound and other sounds off New England__________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 14 14. Seismic profiles across the inface slope of the shelf cuesta_____________________________________________ 16 15. Bathymetric map showing locations of profiles across cuesta----------------------------------.-------- 17 16. Seismic profiles across zone of disturbed sediments south of Martha's Vineyard ________________________ - 18 17. Photograph of seismic recording across zone of disturbed sediments____________________________________ 18 18. Seismic profiles of outer shelf and slope between Georges Bank and western Long Island ________ :_________ 19 19. Seismic profiles of lower slope and rise------------------------------------------------------------- 19 20. Photographs of two seismic-reflection profiles ________________________________ ~______________________ 20 21. Bathymetric map showing location of profiles in figures 19 and 20------------------------------------ 21 22-28. Seismic profiles: 22. Shelf, slope, and upper rise between New Jersey and Chesapeake Bay_________________________ 22 23. Between Chesapeake Bay and Cape Lookout----------------------------------------------- 22 24. Shelf parallel to shore _______________________________________________________ -~-___________ 22 25. Continental margin between Capes Lookout and Fear________________________________________ 23 26. Depressions and coral bank on Blake Plateau----------------------------------------------- 23 27. Across Florida-Hatteras Slope____________________________________________________________ 24 28. Continental margin from Charleston to Cape KennedY--------------------------------------- 25 m IV CONTENTS Page FIGURE 29. Bathymetric map showing locations of profiles in figures 28, 30, and 3L _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ I26 30. Seismic profiles in area of JOIDES holes----------------------------------------------------------- 27 31. Stratigraphic units from JOIDES holes superimposed on seismic profile________________________________ 28 32. Echo-sounding profiles across algal ridge along the shelf-break________________________________________ 29 33. Seismic profiles of Straits of Florida-------------------------------------------------------------- 30 34. Pre-Quaternary geologic map of the margin________________________________________________________ 32 35. Seismic profiles across the Fundian fault zone______________________________________________________ 34 36-37. Isopach maps: 36. Triassic and post-Triassic strata_________________________________________________________ 35 37. Tertiary sediments______________________________________________________________________ 36 38. Sediment distribution and isopach maps of Holocene deposits in Gulf of Maine and cross section_________ 37 39. Schematic diagrams showing structural cross sections off New Jersey, Blake Plateau, and Straits of Florida__ 40 ATLANTIC CONTINENTAL SHELF AND SLOPE OF THE UNITED STATES-SHALLOW STRUCTURE 1 By ELAZAR UcHUPI, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION The con tinental terrace (con tinental shelf and slope) off the The continental m·argin off the east coast of the east coast of the United States can be qivided into two segments. North of Cape Hatteras, N.C., the shelf is immed.ia.tely adjacent tJ nited States is probably one of the best surveyed to the continental slope; south of Cape Hatteras, the shelf is submarine areas in the world. Its bathymetry has either separated from the sl·ope by a marginal plateau (Blake been described in considerable detail (Garrison and Plateau) or is cut in two by a marginal trough (Straits of McMaster, 1966; Heezen and others, 1959; Hurley, FlOTida). The northern segment of the continental terrace was formed 1964; Hurley and others, 1962; Jordan and others, 1964; by upbuilding on the shelf and outbuilding on the slope atop Jordan and Stewart, 1961; Murray, 1947; Pratt, 1968; subsiding Triassic and Jurassic rocks and the Paleoroic base­ Pratt ·and Heezen, 1964; U.S. Coast ·and Geod. Survey ment. Strata .on some sections of the shelf, in both the northern and U.S. Bur. Commercial Fisheries, 1967; Uchupi, and southern segments, have been slightly worked into broad 1965, 1966a--e; Veatch and Smith, 1939). Total sediment ridges at right angles and parallel to shore. Within the southern segment, the slope east of the Blake Plateau (Blake Es:caTJ)ment) thickness atop the pre-Triassic basement has been deter­ was formed by carbonate accretion or reef buildup. Carbonate mined for most of the margin by seismic-refraction accretion, possibly accompanied by folding and faulting, alSIO methods (Antoine and Henry, 1965; Drake and others, formed the side slope of the S·tJraits of Florida. The shelf and 1959; Hersey ·and others, 1959; Sheridan and others, }"'lorida-Hatteras Slope west of the Blake Plateau were formed by 1966). Systematic coring, dredging (Ericson and others, upbuilding on the shelf .and outbuilding on the slope in the direction of .the Blake Plateau. 1952, 1961; Gibson, 1965; Gibson and others, 1968; The framework of the continental terrace was modified con­ Heezen and Sheridan, 1966; Northrop and Heezen, siderably during the Pleistocene. Progl·acial fluvial and glacial 1951; Stetson, 1949), and drilling (Joint Oceanog. Inst. e~sion deepened the normally shallow shelf east of New York. Deep Earth Sampling Program, 1965) have yielded Fluvial and marine erosion and deposition formed the channels, data on the stratigraphy of the region. Recent surveys deltas, ·and .terraces on the shelf's surface west of Georges Bank. Turbidity currents, slumping, and gravitational sliding deeply using seismic-reflection profilers have added consider­ eroded ·and steepened the normally gentle continental slope narth able information on the subsurface of several segments of Cape Hatteras. Erosion by the Gulf Stream modified the Blake of the margin (Emery and Uchupi, 1965; Ewing and Plateau and Florida-Hatteras Slope. lf'arther south, deposition
Recommended publications
  • Enormous Carnivores, Microscopic Food, and a Restaurant That's Hard to Find

    Enormous Carnivores, Microscopic Food, and a Restaurant That's Hard to Find

    Enormous Carnivores, Microscopic Food, and a Restaurant That's Hard to Find MARK F. BAUMGARTNER, CHARLES A. MAYO, AND ROBERT D. KENNEY April 1986 Cape Cod Bay We'd known for a long time that there were places east of Cape Cod where pow+l tidal impulses meet the sluggiih southward-moving coastal cur- rent, places where right whales lined up along the rips where plankton con- centrate. On a windless day in early April 1986, we decided to see ifright whales hadfoundsuch an area. The winter season, when right whales come to Cape Cod, had been a hard one, and calm hys like this were few, so we could at last get to the more distant convergence and, as localjshermen do, see what we could catch. It was gloomy and nearly dzrk when we lefi the port. For those of us who study whales, expectations are usually tempered by realip; we were lookingfor one of the rarest of all mammals in the shroud of the ocean. To- day, however, spirits were high as the hybreak was filed with springtime promise. Along the great outer beach of the Cape, so close to shore that we couldsmell the land nearb, thefist right whale was spotted working along one of those current rips. And as the sun climbed out of the haze, the whale rose and opened that great and odd mouth and skimmed the su$ace in a silence broken only ly the sizzle of water passing through its huge filtering Enormous Carnivores, Microscopic Food 139 apparatus. Our earlier optimism was warranted, andfor several hours we drzFedjust clear of the linear rip that the whale was working, recording the complex pattern of its movements.
  • Evaluation of Northern Right Whale Ship Strike Reduction Measures in the Great South Channel of Massachusetts

    Evaluation of Northern Right Whale Ship Strike Reduction Measures in the Great South Channel of Massachusetts

    NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE-202 Evaluation of Northern Right Whale Ship Strike Reduction Measures in the Great South Channel of Massachusetts U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service Northeast Fisheries Science Center Woods Hole, Massachusetts March 2007 Recent Issues in This Series: 184. A Large Marine Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management and Sustainability. By Frank J. Gable. August 2004. v + 84 p., 38 figs., 10 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB2005-101435. [Online publication only.] 185. Revised and Updated Edition of F. Bruce Sanford's 1957 "Planning Your Scientific Research Paper." By Jon A. Gibson. August 2004. x + 36 p., 5 figs., 12 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB____-______. 186. Essential Fish Habitat Source Document: Silver Hake, Merluccius bilinearis, Life History and Habitat Characteristics. 2nd ed. By Meredith C. Lock and David B. Packer. August 2004. v + 68 p., 28 figs., 6 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB2005-101436. [Online publication only.] 187. Essential Fish Habitat Source Document: American Plaice, Hippoglossoides platessoides, Life History and Habitat Character- istics. 2nd ed. By Donna L. Johnson. August 2004. vi + 72 p., 23 figs., 6 tables. NTIS Access. No. PB2006-102421. [Online publication only.] 188. Northeast Regional Commercial Fishing Input-Output Model, by Scott R. Steinback and Eric M. Thunberg. NTIS Access. No. PB2007-104394. April 2006. v + 54 p., 2 figs, 15 tables. [Online publication only.] 189. Essential Fish Habitat Source Document: Sea Scallop, Placopecten magellanicus, Life History and Habitat Characteristics. 2nd ed. By Deborah R. Hart and Antonie S. Chute. September 2004. v + 21 p., 6 figs., 2 tables.
  • The Sedimentology of Cay Sal Bank - an Incipiently Drowned Carbonate Platform

    The Sedimentology of Cay Sal Bank - an Incipiently Drowned Carbonate Platform

    Nova Southeastern University NSUWorks HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations HCNSO Student Work 4-30-2019 The edimeS ntology of Cay Sal Bank - an Incipiently Drowned Carbonate Platform Luis Ramirez [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/occ_stuetd Part of the Geology Commons, Marine Biology Commons, and the Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons Share Feedback About This Item NSUWorks Citation Luis Ramirez. 2019. The Sedimentology of Cay Sal Bank - an Incipiently Drowned Carbonate Platform. Master's thesis. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from NSUWorks, . (503) https://nsuworks.nova.edu/occ_stuetd/503. This Thesis is brought to you by the HCNSO Student Work at NSUWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of NSUWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Thesis of Luis Ramirez Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science M.S. Marine Environmental Sciences Nova Southeastern University Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography April 2019 Approved: Thesis Committee Major Professor: Sam Purkis, Ph.D Committee Member: Bernhard Riegl, Ph.D Committee Member: Robert Madden, Ph.D This thesis is available at NSUWorks: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/occ_stuetd/503 HALMOS COLLEGE OF NATURAL SCIENCES AND OCEANOGRAPHY The Sedimentology of Cay Sal Bank, an Incipiently Drowned Carbonate Platform By Luis F. Ramirez Submitted to the Faculty of Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science with a specialty in: Marine Environmental Science Nova Southeastern University May 2019 Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Masters of Science: Marine Environmental Science Luis F.
  • Line 5 Straits of Mackinac Summary When Michigan Was Granted

    Line 5 Straits of Mackinac Summary When Michigan Was Granted

    Line 5 Straits of Mackinac Summary When Michigan was granted statehood on January 26, 1837, Michigan also acquired ownership of the Great Lakes' bottomlands under the equal footing doctrine.1 However before Michigan could become a state, the United States first had to acquire title from us (Ottawa and Chippewa bands) because Anglo-American law acknowledged that we owned legal title as the aboriginal occupants of the territory we occupied. But when we agreed to cede legal title to the United States in the March 28, 1836 Treaty of Washington ("1836 Treaty", 7 Stat. 491), we reserved fishing, hunting and gathering rights. Therefore, Michigan's ownership of both the lands and Great Lakes waters within the cession area of the 1836 Treaty was burdened with preexisting trust obligations with respect to our treaty-reserved resources. First, the public trust doctrine imposes a duty (trust responsibility) upon Michigan to protect the public trust in the resources dependent upon the quality of the Great Lakes water.2 In addition, Art. IV, § 52 of Michigan's Constitution says "conservation…of the natural resources of the state are hereby declared to be of paramount public concern…" and then mandates the legislature to "provide for the protection of the air, water and other natural resources from 3 pollution, impairment and destruction." 1 The State of Michigan acquired title to these bottomlands in its sovereign capacity upon admission to the Union and holds them in trust for the benefit of the people of Michigan. Illinois Central Railroad Co. v. Illinois, 146 U.S. 387, 434-35 (1892); Nedtweg v.
  • Lighthouses – Clippings

    Lighthouses – Clippings

    GREAT LAKES MARINE COLLECTION MILWAUKEE PUBLIC LIBRARY/WISCONSIN MARINE HISTORICAL SOCIETY MARINE SUBJECT FILES LIGHTHOUSE CLIPPINGS Current as of November 7, 2018 LIGHTHOUSE NAME – STATE - LAKE – FILE LOCATION Algoma Pierhead Light – Wisconsin – Lake Michigan - Algoma Alpena Light – Michigan – Lake Huron - Alpena Apostle Islands Lights – Wisconsin – Lake Superior - Apostle Islands Ashland Harbor Breakwater Light – Wisconsin – Lake Superior - Ashland Ashtabula Harbor Light – Ohio – Lake Erie - Ashtabula Badgeley Island – Ontario – Georgian Bay, Lake Huron – Badgeley Island Bailey’s Harbor Light – Wisconsin – Lake Michigan – Bailey’s Harbor, Door County Bailey’s Harbor Range Lights – Wisconsin – Lake Michigan – Bailey’s Harbor, Door County Bala Light – Ontario – Lake Muskoka – Muskoka Lakes Bar Point Shoal Light – Michigan – Lake Erie – Detroit River Baraga (Escanaba) (Sand Point) Light – Michigan – Lake Michigan – Sand Point Barber’s Point Light (Old) – New York – Lake Champlain – Barber’s Point Barcelona Light – New York – Lake Erie – Barcelona Lighthouse Battle Island Lightstation – Ontario – Lake Superior – Battle Island Light Beaver Head Light – Michigan – Lake Michigan – Beaver Island Beaver Island Harbor Light – Michigan – Lake Michigan – St. James (Beaver Island Harbor) Belle Isle Lighthouse – Michigan – Lake St. Clair – Belle Isle Bellevue Park Old Range Light – Michigan/Ontario – St. Mary’s River – Bellevue Park Bete Grise Light – Michigan – Lake Superior – Mendota (Bete Grise) Bete Grise Bay Light – Michigan – Lake Superior
  • High-Resolution Seismic-Reflection Surveys in the Nearshore of Lower

    High-Resolution Seismic-Reflection Surveys in the Nearshore of Lower

    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR GEOLOGICAL SURVEY HIGH-RESOLUTION SEISMIC-REFLECTION SURVEYS IN THE NEARSHORE OF OUTER CAPE COD, MASSACHUSETTS David S. Foster and Lawrence J. Poppe U.S. Geological Survey Woods Hole, MA 02543 Open-File Report 03-235 May 2003 This report is preliminary and has not been reviewed for conformity with U.S. Geological Survey editorial standards and stratigraphic nomenclature. Any use of trade names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Geological Survey. Table of Contents Introduction Previous Work Geologic Setting Data Acquisition and Processing Seismic-Reflection Interpretation Integration with Land-based Stratigraphy Conclusions Acknowledgements References Cited Introduction The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Woods Hole Field Center (WHFC), in cooperation with the USGS Water Resources Division conducted high-resolution seismic-reflection surveys along the nearshore areas of outer Cape Cod, Massachusetts from Chatham to Provincetown, Massachusetts (Fig. 1). The objectives of this investigation were to determine the stratigraphy of the nearshore in relation to the Quaternary stratigraphy of outer Cape Cod by correlating units between the nearshore and onshore and to define the geologic framework of the region. Previous Work Earlier seismic-reflection surveys of Cape Cod Bay and east of Cape Cod began with Hoskins and Knott (1961) who collected high-resolution seismic profiles in Cape Cod Bay and defined a seismic stratigraphic framework of the region. Oldale and O’Hara (1990) established the relationship of the onshore regional geology of the Cape (Oldale, 1982) and the stratigraphy of the Gulf of Maine to the seismic stratigraphy of Cape Cod Bay.
  • JAMES E. ANDREWS Department of Oceanography, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822 FRANCIS P

    JAMES E. ANDREWS Department of Oceanography, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822 FRANCIS P

    JAMES E. ANDREWS Department of Oceanography, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822 FRANCIS P. SHEPARD Geological Research Division, University of California, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California 92037 ROBERT J. HURLEY Institute of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Miami, Miami, Florida Great Bahama Canyon ABSTRACT Recent surveys and sampling of the V-shaped rock, rounded cobbles, and boulders along their canyon that cuts into parts of the broad troughs axes, as well as ripple-marked sand to indicate the separating the Bahama Banks have given a greatly importance of currents moving along the canyon improved picture of this gigantic valley and the floor. Further evidence that erosion has at least processes operating to shape it. The canyon has kept the valleys open as the Bahama Banks grew two major branches, one following Northwest comes from the winding courses and the numerous Providence Channel and the other the Tongue of tributaries that descend the walls from the shallow the Ocean, which join 15 mi north of New Provi- Banks, particularly on the south side of Northwest dence Island, and continue seaward as a submarine Branch. The possibility that limestone solution has canyon with walls almost 3 mi high. These, so lar been important comes from the finding of more as we know, are the world's highest canyon walls depressions along Northwest Branch than in other (either submarine or subaenal), and the canyon submarine canyons of the world, and the discovery length, including the branch in Northwest Provi- ol caverns along the walls by observers during deep dence Channel, is at least 150 mi, exceeded only by dives into Tongue Branch in the Alvin and two submarine canyons in the Bering Sea.
  • CPB1 C10 WEB.Pdf

    CPB1 C10 WEB.Pdf

    338 ¢ U.S. Coast Pilot 1, Chapter 10 Chapter 1, Pilot Coast U.S. 70°45'W 70°30'W 70°15'W 71°W Chart Coverage in Coast Pilot 1—Chapter 10 NOAA’s Online Interactive Chart Catalog has complete chart coverage http://www.charts.noaa.gov/InteractiveCatalog/nrnc.shtml 71°W 13279 Cape Ann 42°40'N 13281 MASSACHUSETTS Gloucester 13267 R O B R A 13275 H Beverly R Manchester E T S E C SALEM SOUND U O Salem L G 42°30'N 13276 Lynn NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN Boston MASSACHUSETTS BAY 42°20'N 13272 BOSTON HARBOR 26 SEP2021 13270 26 SEP 2021 U.S. Coast Pilot 1, Chapter 10 ¢ 339 Cape Ann to Boston Harbor, Massachusetts (1) This chapter describes the Massachusetts coast along and 234 miles from New York. The entrance is marked on the northwestern shore of Massachusetts Bay from Cape its eastern side by Eastern Point Light. There is an outer Ann southwestward to but not including Boston Harbor. and inner harbor, the former having depths generally of The harbors of Gloucester, Manchester, Beverly, Salem, 18 to 52 feet and the latter, depths of 15 to 24 feet. Marblehead, Swampscott and Lynn are discussed as are (11) Gloucester Inner Harbor limits begin at a line most of the islands and dangers off the entrances to these between Black Rock Danger Daybeacon and Fort Point. harbors. (12) Gloucester is a city of great historical interest, the (2) first permanent settlement having been established in COLREGS Demarcation Lines 1623. The city limits cover the greater part of Cape Ann (3) The lines established for this part of the coast are and part of the mainland as far west as Magnolia Harbor.
  • Sedimentary Framework of the Western Gulf of Maine and the Southeastern Massachusetts Offshore Area

    Sedimentary Framework of the Western Gulf of Maine and the Southeastern Massachusetts Offshore Area

    7 Sedimentary Framework of the Western Gulf of Maine and the Southeastern Massachusetts Offshore Area ~ ....,------------------------------------ ZU· G E 0 L 0 G I c A L s u R v E y p R 0 F E s s I 0 N A L p A p E R 7 5 7 oo) -13 75-7 Sedimentary Framework of the Western Gulf of Maine and the Southeastern Massachusetts Offshore Area By R. N. OLDALE, ELAZAR UCHUPI, and K. E. PRADA ~---------------------------------------------------- [0$ G E 0 L 0 G I C A L S U R V E Y P R 0 F E S S I 0 N A L P A P E R 7 5 7 Four sedimentary units ranging in age from Cretaceous to Holocene have been inferred from a seismic survey J and a preglacial drainage system has been delineated UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON: 1973 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ROGERS C. B. MORTON, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY V. E. McKelvey, Director Library of Congress catalog-card No. 72-600378 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402 Price: Paper Cover- $1.75, domestic postpaid; $1.50, GPO Bookstore. Stock No. 2401~0304 CONTENTS Pase J\bstract ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Introduction ------------------------------------------------------------- 1 J\cknowledgT.nents ---------------------------------------------------- 3 Methods of investigation -------------------------------------------------- 3 Interpretation of seismic profiles ------------------------------------------- 8 Bathymetry --------------------------------------------------------- 3 Basement
  • Transport, Potential Vorticity, and Current/Temperature Structure Across Northwest Providence and Santaren Channels and the Florida Current Off Cay Sal Bank

    Transport, Potential Vorticity, and Current/Temperature Structure Across Northwest Providence and Santaren Channels and the Florida Current Off Cay Sal Bank

    JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH, VOL. 100, NO. C5, PAGES 8561-8569, MAY 15, 1995 Transport, potential vorticity, and current/temperature structure across Northwest Providence and Santaren Channels and the Florida Current off Cay Sal Bank Kevin D. Leaman,' PeterS. Vertes, 1 Larry P. Atkinson,2 Thomas N. Lee,' Peter Hamilton,3 and Evans WaddelP Abstract. Currents and temperatures were measured using Pegasus current profilers across Northwest Providence and Santaren Channels and across the Florida Current off Cay Sal Bank during four cruises from November 1990 to September 1991. On average, Northwest Providence (1.2 Sv) and Santaren (1.8 Sv) contribute about 3 Sv to the total Florida Current transport farther north (e.g., 27°N). Partitioning of transport into temperature layers shows that about one-half of this transport is of" 18°C" water (17°C-19.SOC); this can account for all of the "excess" 18°C water observed in previous experiments. This excess is thought to be injected into the 18°C layer in its region of formation in the northwestern North Atlantic Ocean. Due to its large thickness, potential vorticities in this layer in its area of formation are very low. In our data, lowest potential vorticities in this layer are found on the northern end of Northwest Providence Channel and are comparable to those observed on the eastern side of the Florida Current at 27°N. On average a low-potential-vorticity l8°C layer was not found in the Florida Current off Cay Sal Bank. 1. Introduction the Florida Current/Gulf Stream cross-stream structure was carried out using Pegasus profiler data at 27°N as well as at Because of its importance to the overall general circula­ 29°N and off Cape Hatteras [Leaman et al., 1989].
  • Geologic Framework and Petroleum Potential of the Atlantic Coastal Plain and Continental Shelf

    Geologic Framework and Petroleum Potential of the Atlantic Coastal Plain and Continental Shelf

    GEOLOGIC FRAMEWORK AND PETROLEUM POTENTIAL OF THE ATLANTIC COASTAL PLAIN AND CONTINENTAL SHELF ^^^*mmm ^iTlfi".^- -"^ -|"CtS. V is-^K-i- GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 659 cV^i-i'^S^;-^, - >->"!*- -' *-'-__ ' ""^W^T^^'^rSV-t^^feijS GEOLOGIC FRAMEWORK AND PETROLEUM POTENTLY L OF THE ATLANTIC COASTAL PLAIN AND CONTINENTAL SHELF By JOHN C. MAHBR ABSTRACT less alined with a string of seamounts extending down the continental rise to the abyssal plain. The trends parallel to The Atlantic Coastal Plain and Continental Shelf of North the Appalachians terminate in Florida against a southeasterly America is represented by a belt of Mesozoic and Cenozoic magnetic trend thought by some to represent an extension of rocks, 150 'to 285 miles wide and 2,400 miles long, extending the Ouachita Mountain System. One large anomaly, known as from southern Florida to the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. the slope anomaly, parallels the edge of the .continental shelf This belt of Mesozoic and Cenozoic rocks encompasses an area north of Cape Fear and seemingly represents th** basement of about 400,000 to 450,000 square miles, more than three- ridge located previously by seismic methods. fourths of which is covered by the Atlantic Ocean. The volume Structural contours on the basement rocks, as drawn from of Mesozoic and Cenozoic rocks beneath the Atlantic Coastal outcrops, wells, and seismic data, parallel the Appalachian Plain and Continental Shelf exceeds 450,000 cubic miles, per­ Mountains except in North and South Carolina, where they haps by a considerable amount. More than one-half of this is bulge seaward around the Cape Fear arch, and in Florida, far enough seaward to contain marine source rocks in sufficient where the deeper contours follow the peninsula.
  • Deep-Water Biogenic Sediment Off the Coast of Florida

    Deep-Water Biogenic Sediment Off the Coast of Florida

    Deep-Water Biogenic Sediment off the Coast of Florida by Claudio L. Zuccarelli A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The Charles E. Schmidt College of Science In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL May 2017 Copyright 2017 by Claudio L. Zuccarelli ii Abstract Author: Claudio L. Zuccarelli Title: Deep-Water Biogenic Sediment off the Coast of Florida Institution: Florida Atlantic University Thesis Advisor: Dr. Anton Oleinik Degree: Master of Science Year: 2017 Biogenic “oozes” are pelagic sediments that are composed of > 30% carbonate microfossils and are estimated to cover about 50% of the ocean floor, which accounts for about 67% of calcium carbonate in oceanic surface sediments worldwide. These deposits exhibit diverse assemblages of planktonic microfossils and contribute significantly to the overall sediment supply and function of Florida’s deep-water regions. However, the composition and distribution of biogenic sediment deposits along these regions remains poorly documented. Seafloor surface sediments have been collected in situ via Johnson- Sea-Link I submersible along four of Florida’s deep-water regions during a joint research cruise between Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI) and Florida Atlantic University (FAU). Sedimentological analyses of the taxonomy, species diversity, and sedimentation dynamics reveal a complex interconnected development system of Florida’s deep-water habitats. Results disclose characteristic microfossil assemblages of planktonic foraminiferal ooze off the South West Florida Shelf, a foraminiferal-pteropod ooze through the Straits iv of Florida, and pteropod ooze deposits off Florida’s east coast. The distribution of the biogenic ooze deposits is attributed to factors such as oceanographic surface production, surface and bottom currents, off-bank transport, and deep-water sediment drifts.