Seafloor Mapping

Here we describe the data collection methods and techniques of the California Seaflor Mapping Program: mapping, video and photography ground-truthing, and seismic profiling data collection.

USGS and the California Ocean Protection Council (COPC) are supporting development of peer-reviewed map sets for California’s mainland State Waters.

The map sheets display seafloor morphology and character, identify potential marine benthic habitats, and illustrate both the surficial seafloor geology and shallow (to about 100 m) subsurface geology. The total number of sheets varies by area.

California Seafloor Mapping Program data and map publications have and will be used for a large range of applications in coastal zone management and research.

Information about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center's oceanographic studies offshore of San Francisco Bay, from 1989-2003.

Information about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center's Crater Lake mapping project in the summer of 2000.

Information about the 1997-1998 study by USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center , to map the floor of San Francisco Bay in order to reveal the bay's shipping hazards.

Information about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center's studies of giant underwater landslides in 1986 and 1988.