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At least 721 records · Page 40Linked to original sources

Maps showing composition of surficial sediments on the insular shelf of southwestern Puerto Rico

The limited availability of onshore sand deposits for use in construction appears to be a future major problem in Puerto Rico (U.S. Bureau of Mines, 1972; Committee on Puerto Rico and the Sea, 1974). Consequently, the mining of offshore sand deposits as supplemental sources of construction aggregate may becom e necessary. For this reason, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Department of Natural Resources of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico have conducted investigations of potential offshore sand deposits on the Puerto Rico insular shelf. This report provides information on the composition of surficial sediments on the southwestern Puerto Rico shelf (fig. 1), an area that may be one of the more favorable potential sites for offshore sand resources. Water depths over most of the study area are less than 22 meters (m). The sea floor is composed of live and dead patch and fringing reefs, areas of rock exposures, and sedim ent-covered areas. The adjacent coastline includes prominent embaym ents and a conspicuous rock promontory (Cabo Rojo) connected by a tombolo to the mainland of Puerto Rico. The study area is in the belt of northeast trade winds. Waves approach the coast predominantly from the southeast, resulting in a predominantly westward littoral drift along the south coast (Grove and Trumbull, 1978). Local sand movement on the southern shelf is shown by an active sand wave field south of Bah1a Sucia in which the sand wave crests have migrated toward the southwest (Grove and Trumbull, 1978). The presence of the sand wave field suggests that large volumes of sand having potential for mining are locally present in the study area.

Puerto Rico↗

Morphology and textures of modern sediments on the inner shelf of South Carolina's Long Bay from Little River Inlet to Winyah Bay

High-resolution sea-floor mapping techniques, including sidecan-sonar, seismic-reflection, swath bathymetric systems, and bottom sampling, were used to map the geologic framework offshore of the northern South Carolina coast in order to provide a better understanding of the physical processes controlling coastal erosion and shoreline change. Four general sea floor environments were identified through analysis of sidescan-sonar, swath bathymetry, and surface sediment texture: inlet shoal complexes, shore-detached shoals, hardground, and mixed zones. Inlet shoal complexes generally lie offshore of modern inlet systems, with the exception of a shore-detached shoal lying offshore of Myrtle Beach. The shoals show 1 - 3 m in relief and comprise the largest accumulations of modern sediment within the inner shelf survey area. Surficial sediments within the shoal complexes are characterized by a low-backscatter, moderately sorted fine sand. Hardground areas are characterized by exposures of Cretaceous and Tertiary strata and Pleistocene channel-fill deposits. These areas display little to no bathymetric relief and are characterized by high-backscatter, coarser grained sand. Mixed zones show small-scale spatial variations in bathymetry, surface texture and backscatter. These areas are characterized by a thin layer of modern sediment (< 1 m) and exposures of Cretaceous strata and Pleistocene channel-fill deposits. Textural and geomorphic variations suggest a long-term net southerly flow within the study area. The general acoustic and textural character of the inner shelf within Long Bay suggests long-term erosion, reworking and continued modification of inner-shelf deposits by modern nearshore processes.

South Carolina↗

High-resolution boomer seismic-reflection profiles of the shelf off southern California from cruise A-1-00-SC: Santa Monica Bay to San Diego

High-resolution boomer data were collected in the California Continental Borderland as part of the southern California Earthquake Hazards Task of the Southern California Coastal and Marine Geology Regional Investigations Project. During the period from 1997 to 2002, five data-acquisition cruises collected seismic-reflection data using several different systems from offshore Santa Barbara, California, south to the Exclusive Economic Zone boundary with Mexico. A key mission of this project was to map late Quaternary deformation in addition to improving our understanding of which offshore fault zones might have potential to damage highly populated areas of southern California. State regulations concerning the use of seismic-reflection equipment within three miles of the coastline precluded the routine gathering of high-resolution multichannel data in that swath adjacent to the coast. Boomer seismic-reflection data, however, can be obtained within the state 3-mile limit provided the operation receives authorization from the California State Lands Commission. The Geopulse boomer data accessible through this report were collected on the cruise A-1-00-SC, which was the only survey where we requested permission to work inside the 3-mile limit of the State of California. These data are critical to discovering connections between onshore and offshore faults, the overall lengths of which are related to the potential size of an earthquake that might be generated along them. The 2000 survey was designed to fill the gap between onshore data and reflection data obtained in deeper water on previous cruises as well as data anticipated from future surveys. This report includes trackline maps showing the location of the data, as well as both digital data files (SEG-Y) and images of all of the profiles.

California↗

Geologic Map of the Goleta Quadrangle, Santa Barbara County, California

This map depicts the distribution of bedrock units and surficial deposits and associated deformation underlying those parts of the Santa Barbara coastal plain and adjacent southern flank of the Santa Ynez Mountains within the Goleta 7 ?? quadrangle at a compilation scale of 1:24,000 (one inch on the map = 2,000 feet on the ground) and with a horizontal positional accuracy of at least 20 m. The Goleta map overlaps an earlier preliminary geologic map of the central part of the coastal plain (Minor and others, 2002) that provided coverage within the coastal, central parts of the Goleta and contiguous Santa Barbara quadrangles. In addition to new mapping in the northern part of the Goleta quadrangle, geologic mapping in other parts of the map area has been revised from the preliminary map compilation based on new structural interpretations supplemented by new biostratigraphic data. All surficial and bedrock map units are described in detail in the accompanying map pamphlet. Abundant biostratigraphic and biochronologic data based on microfossil identifications are presented in expanded unit descriptions of the marine Neogene Monterey and Sisquoc Formations. Site-specific fault-kinematic observations (including slip-sense determinations) are embedded in the digital map database. The Goleta quadrangle is located in the western Transverse Ranges physiographic province along an east-west-trending segment of the southern California coastline about 100 km (62 mi) northwest of Los Angeles. The Santa Barbara coastal plain surface, which spans the central part of the quadrangle, includes several mesas and hills that are geomorphic expressions of underlying, potentially active folds and partly buried oblique and reverse faults of the Santa Barbara fold and fault belt (SBFFB). Strong earthquakes have occurred offshore within 10 km of the Santa Barbara coastal plain in 1925 (6.3 magnitude), 1941 (5.5 magnitude) and 1978 (5.1 magnitude). These and numerous smaller seismic events located beneath and offshore of the coastal plain, likely occurred on reverse-oblique-slip faults that are similar to, or continuous with, Quaternary reverse faults crossing the coastal plain. Thus, faults of the SBFFB pose a significant earthquake hazard to the approximately 200,000 people living within the major coastal population centers of Santa Barbara and Goleta. In addition, numerous Quaternary landslide deposits along the steep southern flank of the Santa Ynez Mountains indicate the potential for continued slope failures and mass movements in developed areas. Folded, faulted, and fractured sedimentary rocks in the subsurface of the coastal plain and adjacent Santa Barbara Channel are sources and form reservoirs for economic deposits of oil and gas, some of which are currently being extracted offshore. Shallow, localized sedimentary aquifers underlying the coastal plain provide limited amounts of water for the urban areas, but the quality of some of this groundwater is compromised by coastal salt-water contamination. The present map compilation provides a set of uniform geologic digital coverages that can be used for analysis and interpretation of these and other geologic hazards and resources in the Goleta region.

Open-File Report↗

High-resolution chirp and mini-sparker seismic-reflection data from the southern California continental shelf — Gaviota to Mugu Canyon

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collected high-resolution shallow seismic-reflection data in September, 2007, and June-July, 2008, from the continental shelf offshore of southern California between Gaviota and Mugu Canyon, in support of the California's State Waters Mapping Program. Data were acquired using SIG 2mille mini-sparker and Edgetech chirp 512 instruments aboard the R/V Zephyr (Sept. 2007) and R/V Parke Snavely (June-July 2008). The survey area spanned approximately 120 km of coastline, and included shore-perpendicular transects spaced 1.0-1.5 km apart that extended offshore to at least the 3-mile limit of State waters, in water depths ranging from 10 m near shore to 300 m near the offshore extent of Mugu and Hueneme submarine canyons. Subbottom acoustic penetration spanned tens to several hundred meters, variable by location. This report includes maps of the surveyed transects, linked to Google Earth software, as well as digital data files showing images of each transect in SEG-Y, JPEG, and TIFF formats. The images of sediment deposits, tectonic structure, and natural-gas seeps collected during this study provide geologic information that is essential to coastal zone and resource management at Federal, State and local levels, as well as to future research on the sedimentary, tectonic, and climatic record of southern California.

California↗

Effects of proposed sediment borrow pits on nearshore wave climate and longshore sediment transport rate along Breton Island, Louisiana

As part of a plan to preserve bird habitat on Breton Island, the southernmost extent of the Chandeleur Islands and part of the Breton National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to increase island elevation with sand supplied from offshore resources. Proposed sand extraction sites include areas offshore where the seafloor morphology suggests suitable quantities of sediment may be found. Two proposed locations east and south of the island, between 5.5&ndash;9 kilometers from the island in 3&ndash;6 meters of water, have been identified. Borrow pits are perturbations to shallow-water bathymetry and thus can affect the wave field in a variety of ways, including alterations in sediment transport and new erosional or accretional patterns along the beach. A scenario-based numerical modeling strategy was used to assess the effects of the proposed offshore borrow pits on the nearshore wave field. Effects were assessed over a range of wave conditions and were gaged by changes in significant wave height and wave direction inshore of the borrow sites, as well as by changes in the calculated longshore sediment transport rate. The change in magnitude of the calculated sediment transport rate with the addition of the two borrow pits was an order of magnitude less than the calculated baseline transport rate.

Louisiana↗

Effects of proposed navigation channel improvements on sediment transport in Mobile Harbor, Alabama

A Delft3D model was developed to evaluate the potential effects of proposed navigation channel deepening and widening in Mobile Harbor, Alabama. The model performance was assessed through comparisons of modeled and observed data of water levels, velocities, and bed level changes; the model captured hydrodynamic and sediment transport patterns in the study area with skill. The validated model was used to simulate changes in sediment transport for existing conditions and with the proposed modifications to the navigational channel (with-project), with and without accounting for 0.5 meter (m) of sea level rise (SLR). Each scenario was simulated for 1 year with a wave climatology representative of the year 2010 as well as for 10 years with a longer-term wave climatology spanning from 1988 to 2016. Bed level differences for the existing and with-project 2010 simulations were minimal, ranging from −0.11 to 0.11 m offshore of Pelican Island and −0.81 to 0.22 m offshore of the Fort Morgan Peninsula. For the simulations accounting for 0.5 m of SLR, differences in bed levels from −0.20 to 0.32 m near Pelican Island and −0.38 to 0.34 m offshore of the Fort Morgan Peninsula. The proposed modifications reduced the channel shoaling volume by 4.77 and 8.09 percent for the 2010 simulations without and with 0.5 m of SLR, respectively. For the 10-year simulations, bed level differences for the existing and with-project simulations ranged from −3.17 to 3.94 m for the simulation without SLR and −1.92 to 1.47 m for the simulation with 0.5 m of SLR. The with-project condition reduced the entrance channel shoaling volume by 5.54 percent for the simulation without SLR and 14.98 percent for the simulation with 0.5 m of SLR.

Alabama↗

Climate change vulnerability assessment for the California coastal national monument—Trinidad and Point Arena-Stornetta units

Executive Summary The California Coastal National Monument protects islets, reefs, and rock outcropping habitats in six onshore units, including the Trinidad and Point Arena-Stornetta Units. The California Coastal National Monument provides crucial habitat for resident and migratory species of seabirds, marine mammals, and invertebrates, which includes several federally listed threatened and endangered species. Also, the California Coastal National Monument encompasses important tribal, cultural, and historical sites along the coastline of California. We used three approaches to assess the climate change vulnerability of the Trinidad and Point Arena-Stornetta Units: (1) a qualitative approach using peer-reviewed literature and previous work done in the Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment for the North-central California Coast and Ocean (Hutto and others, 2015), (2) interactive workshops with local stakeholders to identify specific resources, and (3) spatial analysis to estimate sea-level rise vulnerability for the rocky shoreline and key resources within the units. Information from stakeholder workshops held (in 2017) in the cities of Point Arena and Trinidad identified climate change impacts as an important management concern for the resilience, health, and ecosystem services of the California Coastal National Monument units. Impacts that were identified included sea-level rise, changes in precipitation and fog, warming oceans, and loss of species (birds, fisheries, marine mammals). Boat surveys were done for each unit to estimate the number of rocky features and the biota using the rocks. At the Trinidad Unit, 138 rocks were surveyed and 17 different wildlife species were observed, whereas at the Point Arena-Stornetta Unit, 40 rocks were surveyed and 10 different wildlife species were observed. Individual rocky features surveyed within the units were then ranked on sea-level rise exposure and vulnerability scales with 1 being the least vulnerable/exposed and 5 the most. Forty-nine and fifty-eight percent of surveyed rocks had a sea-level rise exposure ranking of 4 or 5 (high) for the Trinidad Unit and Point Arena-Stornetta Units respectively. Forty-eight percent of offshore rocks had a sea-level rise vulnerability score of 3 or greater (high) for the Trinidad Unit, and forty-three percent of rocks had a vulnerability score of 3 or greater for the Point Arena-Stornetta Unit. When examining guild use of vulnerable rocks (vulnerability score greater than 3), at the Trinidad Unit alcid species (here defined as common murres and pigeon guillemots) were observed on only 28 percent of vulnerable rocks, shorebirds on 30 percent, sea lions on 40 percent, gulls on 43 percent, seabirds on 58 percent, and mammals on 75 percent, whereas at the Point Arena-Stornetta Unit alcid species were observed on 0 percent of vulnerable rocks, gulls on 33 percent, seabirds on 57 percent, and mammals on 50 percent. Sea-level rise has the potential to submerge small low-relief offshore rocks and make them uninhabitable for birds and marine mammals but could provide more intertidal and subtidal rocky habitats. We found that nearly half of the offshore rocks at both sites are vulnerable and have the potential to realize this outcome; however, the larger and tall-relief rocks at these sites are less vulnerable to sea-level rise and are expected to continue to provide habitat for avian species.

California↗

Sediments, structural framework, petroleum potential, environmental conditions, and operational considerations of the United States South Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf

The area designated for possible oil and gas lease sale in Bureau of Land Management memorandum 3310 #43 (722) and referred to therein as part of the United States South Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) contains about 98,000 square kilometres of the continental margin seaward of the 3 mile offshore limit and within the 600 metre isobath. The designated area, offshore of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, encompasses parts of three physiographic provinces: the Continental Shelf, the Florida-Hatteras Slope, and the Blake Plateau. The structural framework of the U.3. South Atlantic region is dominated by the Southeast Georgia Embayment --an east-plunging depression recessed into the Atlantic Coastal Plain and shelf between Cape Fear, North Carolina and Jacksonville, Florida. The embayment is bounded to the north by the Cape Fear Arch and to southeast by the Peninsular Arch. Refraction data indicate a minor basement(?) ridge beneath the outer shelf between 30° and 32°N at 80°W. Drill hole data also suggest a gentle fold or accretionary structure (reef?) off the east coast of Florida. Several other structural features have been identified by refraction and reflection techniques and drilling. These are the Yamacraw Uplift, Burton High, Stone Arch, and the Suwannee Channel. Gravity and magnetic anomalies within the area probably result from emplacement of magma bodies along linear features representing fundamental crustal boundaries. Of these anomalies, the most prominent, is a segment of the East Coast Magnetic Anomaly which crosses the coast at Brunswick, Georgia. This anomaly has been interpreted as representing an ancient continental boundary where two formerly separate continental plates collided and were welded together. There may be as much as 5,000 m of sedimentary rocks in the Southeast Georgia Embayment out to the 600 m isobath. Basement rocks beneath the Southeast Georgia Embayment are expected to be similar to those exposed in the Appalachian Piedmont province. Triassic deposits are likely to exist beneath the inner Continental Shelf, and probably consist of nonmarine arkosic sandstones, shales, basalt flows, and diabase intrusions deposited in relatively narrow northeast-trending grabens. Jurassic marine carbonates in the Bahamas grade northward to carbonates, shales, sand, and arkose in North Carolina. Salt may be present in the basal Jurassic section in the Southeast Georgia Embayment. Up to 4,000 m of Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous rocks are expected out to the 600 m water depth. Lower Cretaceous rocks in southern Florida are shallow-water marine limestone and dolomites with beds of anhydrite. In coastal North Carolina the Lower Cretaceous is a marine section made up of shales, sand, and sandy limestone. The Upper Cretaceous is composed almost entirely of marine carbonates in southern Florida grading northward to nonmarine to marginal marine, sandstones and shales with minor amounts of carbonates. In general, Upper Cretaceous rocks will probably maintain a fairly constant thickness (600 m) on the Continental Shelf and grade downdip from terrigeneous sands and shales to more marine chalks, limestones, and dolomites. The Cenozoic rocks are predominantly shallow-water marine carbonates in Florida grading northward into a marginal marine to marine clastic facies composed of sands, marls, and limestones. The offshore Cenozoic section is expected to range in thickness from 600 to 1100 m.

Florida, Georgia, South Carolina↗

Geological Survey and selected U.S. Bureau of Mines and Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys reports and maps on Alaska released during 1975, indexed by quadrangle

All Geological Survey reports and maps on Alaska published or released to open files during 1975 are listed by the quadrangles (scale 1:250,000) into which Alaska has been divided for topographic mapping (p. 3). Also listed are U.S. Bureau of Mines reports on the geology and mineral resources of Alaska, but not those that deal exclusively with other subjects such as economics. Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys published and open-filed reports and maps that were received by the Alaskan Geology Branch of the U.S. Geological Survey before March 1, 1976 are listed; the availability of several other reports and maps was publicly announced, but the documents were not available to me in time for them to be included here. Most of the reports and maps in this index bear a 1975 imprint date. Others bear earlier imprint dates, but were not released until 1975. All Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys open-file reports and maps were withdrawn in 1974 for revision, consolidation, or assignment of new identification numbers. Those reissued reports and maps that I received before March 1, 1976 are listed in this index, no matter what imprint date they may bear. Also included are a few reports that were released before 1975, but hitherto had escaped my attention. Reports that deal with Alaska as a whole, with areas that can not be identified with a specific quadrangle, or that are mainly statistical presentations are listed under ALASKA - GENERAL, as are indexes and the like. Reports and maps that deal with offshore areas not within quadrangle boundaries are listed under OFFSHORE AREAS. The ALASKA - GENERAL and OFFSHORE AREAS lists appear before the alphabetically arranged quadrangle listings.

Alaska↗

The Lisburne Group: A potential major hydrocarbon objective of the Arctic Slope, Alaska

The Lisburne Group, a thick carbonate rock unit of Mississippian and Pennsylvanian age, is one of the most widespread potential reservoir rock units in northern Alaska. A comprehensive review of the Lisburne in the subsurface of the eastern Arctic Slope indicates attractive reservoir characteristics in a favorable source and migration setting where numerous trapping mechanisms appear to be available. Evaluation of this group as a potential exploration objective is particularly timely in view of impending offshore sales in the Beaufort Sea and current exploration programs underway in the Prudhoe Bay area and the Naval Petroleum Reserve. Dolomite and sandstone have been identified as reservoir rocks. Oolitic grainstone is a common rock type, but all observations to date indicate little reservoir potential owing to complete void filling by calcite cement. The most important reservoir rock as judged by thickness, areal extent, and predictability is microsucrosic (10-30 μ) dolomite of intertidal to supratidal origin. It is present throughout the Lisburne and is most abundant near the middle of the sequence. Northward it decreases in thickness from 1,000 feet (300 m) to less than 100 feet (30 m). Porosity of the dolomite as determined in selected wells averages between 10 and 15 percent and attains a maximum of slightly more than 25 percent. Net thickness of reservoir rocks (i.e., rocks with greater than 5 percent porosity) varies in these wells from 140 feet (40 m) to 390 feet (120 m). Oil shows are common, and drill-stem tests have yielded as much as 1,600 bbls/day oil and 22 MMcf/day gas in the Lisburne pool of the Prudhoe Bay Field and as much as 2,057 bbls/day saltwater outside the field area. The occurrence of dolomite over such a large area makes its presence in the offshore Beaufort Sea and adjacent Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 4 fairly certain. The occurrence of sandstone as thick as 140 feet (40 m) in the middle and upper part of the Lisburne in two coastal wells suggests that larger areas of sandstone may be found to the north in offshore areas. Shows of oil and gas and a saltwater flow of 1,470 bbls/day have been recorded from this sandstone facies. Shales of Permian and Cretaceous age unconformably overlie the Lisburne, providing adequate sealing beds above potential reservoirs. Impermeable limestone (completely cemented grainstone) and thin beds of shale may serve as seals within the Lisburne, but the possibility of fractures in these units may negate their sealing capability. The most favorable source rock for Lisburne hydrocarbons appears to be Cretaceous shale that unconformably overlies the Lisburne east of Prudhoe Bay. This shale is reported by Morgridge and Smith (1972) to be a rich source rock and is the most likely source for the entire Prudhoe Bay Field. A source within the Lisburne or within the underlying Kayak Shale is postulated to explain oil shows in the southernmost Lisburne wells. This postulated source may be in a more basinal facies of the Lisburne and may be similar to dark shale in the upper Lisburne found in thrust slides in the Brooks-Range. Coal in the underlying Endicott Group is a possible source for dry gas. It is inferred that at the present time much of this coal is in a gas—generating regime downdip from the Prudhoe Bay Field area. Stratigraphic traps involving the Lisburne Group may exist as a result of widespread Permian and Cretaceous unconformities. Structural traps related to normal faulting may occur along the trend of the Barrow Arch, and faulted anticlines are numerous in the foothills of the Brooks Range. Combination traps are possible along the trend of the Barrow Arch at places where both stratigraphic and structural trap might exist.

Alaska↗

Selected Geological Survey, U.S. Bureau of Mines, and Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys reports and maps on Alaska released during 1976, indexed by quadrangle

This open-file report lists all Geological Survey, U.S. Bureau of Mines, and State of Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys reports and maps on the geology, geophysics, and mineral and water resources of Alaska published or released to open files in 1976. They are listed by the quadrangles (scale 1:250,000) into which Alaska has been subdivided for topographic mapping (p. 3). As these three agencies also issued reports and maps on other subjects, the following lists are selected in the sense that such documents are not included. Most of the listed reports and maps bear a 1976 imprint date; a few with a 1975 imprint date actually were not delivered until 1976. Also included are a few that I overlooked when I prepared a similar index of reports and maps issued in 1975. Reports that deal with regional tectonic hypotheses, regional syntheses, Alaska as a whole, or with areas that can not be identified with a specific quadrangle are listed under Alaska - General, as are statistical presentations, indexes, and the like. Reports and maps that deal with offshore areas not within quadrangle boundaries are listed under Offshore Areas. The Alaska - General and Offshore Areas lists appear before the alphabetically arranged quadrangle listings. This index is intended to bring up to date the other indexes of this series, which are listed on p. 2.

Alaska↗

Selected Geological Survey, U.S. Bureau of Mines, and Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys reports and maps on Alaska released during 1977, indexed by quadrangle

This open-file report lists all Geological Survey, U.S. Bureau of Mines, and State of Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys reports and maps on the geology, geophysics, and mineral and water resources of Alaska published or released to open files in 1977. They are listed by the quadrangles (scale 1:250,000) into which Alaska has been subdivided for topographic mapping (p. 3). As these three agencies also issued reports and maps on other subjects, the following lists are selected in the sense that such documents are not included. Most of the listed reports and maps bear a 1977 imprint date; a few with earlier imprint dates actually were not delivered until 1977. Reports that deal with regional tectonic hypotheses, regional syntheses, Alaska as a whole, or with areas that can not be identified with a specific quadrangle are listed under Alaska - General, as are statistical presentations, indexes, and the like. Reports and maps that deal with offshore areas not within quadrangle boundaries are listed under Offshore Areas. The Alaska - General and Offshore Areas lists appear before the alphabetically arranged quadrangle listings. This index is intended to bring up to date the other indexes of this series, which are listed on p. 2.

Alaska↗

Alaskan papers and abstracts published in American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, 1950-1978, indexed by quadrangle

This open—file report lists all papers and abstracts on the geology and mineral resources of Alaska published in the American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin from 1950 through 1978. They are listed by the quadrangles (scale 1:250,000) into which Alaska has been subdivided for topographic mapping (p. 2). Reports that deal with regional tectonic hypotheses, regional syntheses, Alaska as a whole, or with areas that can not be identified with specific quadrangles, and the annual reports of developments in Alaska are listed under Alaska — General. Most abstracts appear in this section because they are so worded that locations can not be determined accurately enough to restrict areas discussed to specific quadrangles. Reports that deal with offshore areas not within quadrangle boundaries are listed under Offshore Areas. The Alaska — General and Offshore Areas lists appear before the alphabetically arranged quadrangle listings.

Alaska↗

Alaskan papers and abstracts published by the Geological Society of America, 1890-1978, indexed by quadrangle

This open—file report lists most papers and abstracts on the geology and mineral resources of Alaska published by the Geological Society of America from 1890 through 1978. They are listed by the quadrangles (scale 1:250,000) into which Alaska has been subdivided for topographic mapping (p. 2). Not included are papers and bibliographies on systematic paleontology. Reports that deal with regional tectonic hypotheses, regional syntheses, Alaska as a whole, or with areas that cannot be identified with specific quadrangles and bibliographies are listed under Alaska — General. Many abstracts appear in this section because they are so worded that locations cannot be determined accurately enough to restrict areas discussed to specific quadrangles. Reports that deal with offshore areas not within quadrangle boundaries are listed under Offshore Areas. The Alaska — General and Offshore Areas lists appear before alphabetically arranged quadrangle listings.

Alaska↗

Selected Geological Survey, U.S. Bureau of Mines, and Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical surveys reports and maps on Alaska released during 1978, indexed by quadrangle

This open—file report lists all Geological Survey, U.S. Bureau of Mines, and State of Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys reports and maps on the geology, geophysics, and mineral and water resources of Alaska published or released to open files in 1978. They are listed by the quadrangles (scale 1:250,000) into which Alaska has been subdivided for topographic mapping (p. 4). As these three agencies also issued reports and maps on other subjects, the following lists are selected in the sense that such documents are not included. Most of the listed reports and maps bear a 1978 imprint date; a few with earlier imprint dates actually were not delivered until 1978. Reports that deal with regional tectonic hypotheses, regional syntheses, Alaska as a whole, or with areas that can not be identified with a specific quadrangle are listed under Alaska — General, as are statistical presentations, indexes, and the like. Reports and maps that deal with offshore areas not within quadrangle boundaries are listed under Offshore Areas. The Alaska — General and Offshore Areas lists appear before the alphabetically arranged quadrangle listings.

Alaska↗

High-resolution seismic-reflection profiling data from the inner continental shelf of southeastern Massachusetts

Six hundred-seventy kilometers of closely spaced high-resolution seismic-­reflection data have been collected from eastern Rhode Island Sound and Vineyard Sound, Mass, by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Public Works. These data were obtained during the June 1975 cruise of the R/V ASTERIAS as part of a continuing regional study of the Massachusetts offshore area to assess potential mineral resources, to evaluate environmental impact of mining of resources and of offshore disposal of solid waste and harbor dredge-spoil materials, and to map the offshore geology and shallow structure. The data were obtained by using a surface-towed EG&G Unit Pulse Boomer* (300 joules: 400 Hz-8kHz frequency) sound source. Reflected acoustic energy was detected by a 4.6-m, a-element hydrophone array, was amplified, was actively filtered (400 Hz-4kHz bandpass), and was graphically displayed on an EPC* dry paper recorder at a 0.25-second sweep rate. System resolution was generally 1 to 1.5 m. Navigational control was provided by Loran C (posi­tional accuracy within 0.2 km) and was supplemented by radar and visual fixes. Positional information was logged at 15-minute intervals and at major course changes. The original records may be examined at the Data Library, U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole, MA 02543. Microfilm copies of the data are available for purchase from the National Geophysical and Solar-Terrestrial Data Center (NGSDC), Boulder, CO 80302.

Open-File Report↗

National assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources, USGS-MMS working paper

In 1981, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) published the results of a 1980 national assessment of undiscovered oil and natural gas resources for the United States, including the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The publication, USGS Circular 860, was entitled "Estimates of Undiscovered Recoverable Conventional Resources of Oil and Gas in the United States" (hereafter referred to as Circular 860). The assessment provided an update to the previous USGS estimates for the Nation (published in 1975 as Circular 725). In 1982, the Minerals Management Service (MMS) was formed from a portion of USGS and other Department of the Interior (DOI) organizations for resource management of Federal offshore areas and for management of revenues collected from onshore and offshore Federal mineral leases. The HMS published estimates of undiscovered oil and natural gas resources for the OCS in 1985 in a report entitled "Estimates of Undiscovered, Economically Recoverable Oil and Gas Resources for the Outer Continental Shelf as of July 1984" (OCS Report MMS 85-0012). The agencies, both part of DOI, agreed in 1985 to conduct a cooperative assessment of the entire United States to estimate undiscovered oil and natural gas based upon a common date. These working papers provide estimates for the onshore and offshore geologic provinces of the Nation and summarize the methodologies, assumptions, and data utilized in the development of those estimates. (Figs. 1.5 and 1.6 are index maps showing the geologic provinces.) The methodologies, assumptions, and data differ from those used in the previous assessments, thereby making direct comparisons between estimates of this and previous assessments difficult to interpret. Therefore, these working papers have been prepared as a means of eliciting comments from peer scientific, academic, and industry experts in the estimation of oil and natural gas resources.

Open-File Report↗