GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 669 Mineral Resources Off the Northeastern Coast of the United States Mineral Resources Off the Northeastern Coast of the United States By Frank T. Manheim GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 6 6 9 Washington 19 72 United States Department of the Interior ROGERS C. B. MORTON, Secretary Geological Survey V. E. McKelvey, Director Free on application to the U.S. Geological Survey, Washington, D.C. 20242 CONTENTS Page 1 1 7 ~~:~:~~:::~===========================================================j=Offshore extensions of land deposits ---------------------------------------- 11 Manganese nodules, phosphorite, and other authigenic minerals formed on or below the sea floor ------------------------------------------~--------­ 11 Deeper in-place ore deposits ----------------------------------------------­ 13 Sand, gravel, and mud ---------------------------------------------------­ 13 Environmental factors ---------------------------------------------------­ 18 References cited ---------------------------------------------------------- 27 ILLUSTRATIONS Page FIGURE 1. Simplified bathymetric map of northeastern offshore region, United States and maritime Canada --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 2. Schematic diagram showing maximum glacial advance off Northeastern United States ------ 3 3. Map showing distribution of calcium carbonate in bottom sediments off Northeastern United States ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 4. Generalized geologic map of coastal Northeastern United States and part of the Maritime Provinces of Canada --------------------------------------------------------------- 5 5. Structure cross sections of the Gulf of Maine ------------------------------------------- 6 6. Maps showing location of sampling stations of the U.S. Geological Survey-Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Continental Margin Program ----------------------------- 9 7. Map showing distribution of middle Tertiary phosphate-bearing sediments along the eastern continental margin of North America ------------------------------------------------ 12 8. Schematic drawing showing transport of material from outcrop by glacial action ---------- 13 9-17. Maps showing: 9. Copper and zinc content of moraine near the Noranda ore body, Canada ----------- 14 10. Distribution of spotted schist pebbles on the southeastern Scotian Shelf ---------- 15 11. Distribution of sand on the continental margin off Northeastern United States ---- 16 12. Distribution of sand and gravel off New Jersey --------------------------------- 17 13. Distribution of sand in the inner Gulf of Maine and Massachusetts Bay ------------ 19 14. Distribution of gravel on the continental margin off Northeastern United States ----- 20 15. Distribution of gravel in the inner Gulf of Maine and Massachusetts Bay ---------- 21 16. Offshore distribution of sediments that can be used in an innovative ceramic manu- facturing process ---------------------------------------------------------- 22 17. Directions of residual current along the bottom on the continental shelf and directions and magnitudes of sand movement on the beaches ---------------------------- 24 18. Diagram showing balance of dredge spoil and consumption of sand and gravel for Atlantic Coast States ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 26 III TABLES Page TABLE 1. Chemical and modal analyses of typical sea-floor deposits on the northeastern continental margin of the United States ---------------------------------------------------------------- 11 2. Quantity and value of sand and gravel production for various uses in the United States in 1970 14 3. Quantity and value of sand and gravel and stone produced by some northeastern States, 1970 _ 14 IV Mineral Resources off the Northeastern Coast of the United States By Frank T. Manheim ABSTRACT glaciers some 15,000 years ago or was affected Sand, gravel, and mud represent not only the largest by outwash from melting glaciers. Ice-rafted potential but also the most immediately useful.sea-floor material that ranges in size from sand to resources off the coast of the Northeastern United boulders is found on the sea bottom well beyond States. Reserves of surficial sand grading 75 percent or more amount to more than 400 billion tons in the upper the shelf break into the continental-slope region. 3 meters (10 ft) of the sea floor; this is enough to The shelf break generally begins at a depth of supply the sand needs of the Northeastern States of from 120 to 140 m (meters), but most of the the United States and Maritime Provinces of Canada shelf is considerably shallower than this, except for several thousand years. for basins deeper than 200 m in the Gulf of Utilization of fine muds may be possible through innovative technology and should be encouraged. The Maine. Below the shelf break, finer and more mounting quantity of spoils produced by dredging of carbonate-rich sediments dominate (fig. 3). harbors and waterways otherwise poses a threat to the Oil, gas, and sulfur are not included in this environment. summary, which focuses on relatively shallow Significant placer or other ores are not promising in earth materials found on the shelf and in bays, surficial deposits. In the Gulf of Maine the existence of ores beneath glacial deposits remains unknown in the estuaries, and tidal rivers along the coast. The absence of core drilling to probe pre-Tertiary sedi­ kinds of sediment found in the offshore sea mentary and metamorphic rocks. bottom reflect in part the geology of the ad­ No leasing is now permitted pending reevaluation of joining land (fig. 4), but some long distance Federal and State regulatory guidelines. Improved transport is involved, and an enormous amount investigatory and regulatory systems are essential to determine the guidelines for and to permit judicious of mixing and homogenization was performed and environmentally compatible management of offshore by the scraping actions of the ice sheets, com­ resources. bined with the postmelting processes of deposi­ tion by streams and transport and winnowing INTRODUCTION by waves and currents. The area off the coast of the Northeastern Because of the blanket of glacially related United States to the edge of the continental sediments over much of the shelf, knowledge of shelf encompasses about 250,000 km2 (square the subsurface is based chiefly on geophysical kilometers) or about 100,000 square miles (seismic, gravity, magnetic) measurements, (fig. 1). This area is only a little smaller than samples from outcrops of bedrock in submarine the combined area of New Jersey, New York, canyons at the shelf break, and extrapolation of Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New land geology. The subsurface geology off New Hampshire, and Maine. Except for bays and Jersey and New York consists largely of estuaries, and basins within the Gulf of Maine, Quaternary-to-Mesozoic sedimentary layers dip­ most of the area is covered with relic sand, silt, ping seaward. North of Long Island, however, and gravel, which are remnants of glacial or only shallow layers of sediment, a few tens or glachil-outwash deposits. As may be seen in hundreds of meters thick, overlie complex pre­ figure 2, the entire area was either covered by Triassic metamorphic or crystalline rocks in 1 100 200 KM FIGURE 1.-Simplified bathymetric map of northeastern offshore region, United States and maritime Canada (modified from Emery and others, 1970). Solid circles indicate seamounts off New England. 1, gold deposits near Lunenberg Bay, Nova Scotia; 2, coal mines off Sydney-Glace Bay, Cape Breton Island; 3, copper-zinc district, Penobscot Bay, Maine. Contours in meters. the nearshore region (fig. 5) . Farther offshore, began in 1962. 2 Location of the sampling sta­ wedges of Tertiary-to-Mesozoic sedimentary tions, raw data from which are available in a rocks thicken rapidly seaward. Petroleum pros­ recent computerized compilation (Hathaway, pects are restricted to the thicker sedimentary 1971), are given in figure 6. These collections rocks, as noted by Maher (1971) and work were largely made by surface grab samples cited therein and by Tucker.1 which obtained material from a depth of 10 to The largest body of data on the sediments of about 30 em (centimeters). Gravity and piston the shelf region has been accumulated through cores have been obtained chiefly by coring in surface-sediment samplings by the U.S. Geo­ muddy basins in the Gulf of Maine, Buzzards logical Survey-Woods Hole Oceanographic In­ Bay, canyons, and estuaries; such coring is stitution Continental Margin Program, which 2 The Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, Woods Hole (now North 1 L. R. Tucker, 1971, East coast oil and gas potential: Report Atlantic Fisheries Research Center, National Oceanic and Atmos­ presented at Conference on World Ocean Resources, New York pheric Administration), also collaborated in the program and has Univ., November 1971. tabulated faunal populations noted in the bottom sediments. 2 I -----' 1:1:) I I 25 0 25 50 75 100 KILOMETERS CONTOURS IN METERS FIGURE 2.-Schematic diagram showing maximum glacial advance off Northeastern United States. Arrows indicate major currents of movement of the ice sheet. From Schlee and Pratt (1970, fig. 15). 0 IOOKM l \r .... "&"~,~)~ @ GEO"JES {I BANK v 90.. FIGURE 3.-Distribution of calcium carbonate in bottom sediments off Northeastern United States (from Htilsemann, 1967; re­ printed from "Sedimentology': with permission