Geologic Mapping of the Massachusetts Seafloor
Science Center Objects
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) is conducting geologic mapping of the sea floor to characterize the surface and shallow subsurface geologic framework within the Massachusetts coastal zone. The long-term goal of this mapping effort is to produce high-resolution geologic maps and a Geographic Information System (GIS) that will serve the needs of research, management and the public. This project page provides a description of the mapping program and links to data and publications produced for this project and other Massachusetts mapping efforts. Link to interactive map.
Image showing a study area from Boston Harbor to the mouth of Cape Cod Bay including some images of geophysical and sample data available in the associated report.
Geologic mapping of the Massachusetts inner continental shelf is a cooperative effort that was initiated in 2003 by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM). The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – National Ocean Service (NOAA-NOS) is also an important partner and contributes hydrographic data that are integrated into the maps. The overall goal of this cooperative is to determine the geologic framework of the sea floor within the Massachusetts coastal zone, using high-resolution geophysical techniques, sediment sampling, and sea floor photography. Water depths in the study area range from about 2 m (6 ft) along the coast to 90 m(295 ft) in offshore areas.
The products and knowledge developed by this project have broad application to regional science and resource-management issues. The geologic and bathymetric maps help us understand the processes that have shaped the coast and how it has evolved over time, and thereby help evaluate the vulnerability of coastal environments to storms, sea-level rise, and long-term climate change. Accurate maps that depict the distribution of bottom types on the inner continental shelf provide scientific guidance for appropriately siting offshore development such as sand mining, pipelines, and renewable energy projects. The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) uses the maps to monitor habitat recovery following pipeline construction in Massachusetts Bay and to conduct fisheries research. Ultimately, these maps will support the Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan, an integrated, multi-use, proposal for the management of Massachusetts waters.
Acoustic backscatter intensity data are an indication of the relative hardness or softness of the sea floor, which is closely related to sediment texture and cohesion. The map shows acoustic backscatter intensity of the sea floor in the Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. In general, higher values (light tones) represent rock, boulders, cobbles, gravel, shell reefs, and coarse sand. Lower values (dark tones) generally represent fine sand and muddy sediment. Within Buzzards Bay, high acoustic backscatter is most often associated with glacial deposits, such as moraines and meltwater fans. Low acoustic backscatter in the basins of Buzzards Bay are Holocene marine and estuarine muddy deposits.
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Year Published: 2019Shallow geology, sea-floor texture, and physiographic zones of the inner continental shelf from Aquinnah to Wasque Point, Martha’s Vineyard, and Eel Point to Great Point, Nantucket, Massachusetts
A series of interpretive maps that describe the shallow geology, distribution, and texture of sea-floor sediments, and physiographic zones of the sea floor along the south and west shores of Martha’s Vineyard and the north shore of Nantucket, Massachusetts, were produced by using high-resolution geophysical data (interferometric and multibeam...
Pendleton, Elizabeth A.; Baldwin, Wayne E.; Ackerman, Seth D.; Foster, David S.; Andrews, Brian D.; Schwab, William C.; Brothers, Laura L.Attribution: Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Region 1: North Atlantic-AppalachianView CitationPendleton, E.A., Baldwin, W.E., Ackerman, S.D., Foster, D.S., Andrews, B.D., Schwab, W.C., and Brothers, L.L., 2019, Shallow geology, sea-floor texture, and physiographic zones of the inner continental shelf from Aquinnah to Wasque Point, Martha’s Vineyard, and Eel Point to Great Point, Nantucket, Massachusetts: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2018–1181, 37 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20181181.
High-resolution geophysical data from the Inner Continental Shelf: South of Martha's Vineyard and north of Nantucket, Massachusetts
The U.S. Geological Survey and the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management have cooperated to map approximately 185 square kilometers of the inner continental shelf south of Martha’s Vineyard and north of Nantucket, Massachusetts. This report contains geophysical data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey during a survey in 2013. The...
Ackerman, Seth D.; Brothers, Laura L.; Foster, David S.; Andrews, Brian D.; Baldwin, Wayne E.; Schwab, William C.
Shallow geology, sea-floor texture, and physiographic zones of Vineyard and western Nantucket Sounds, Massachusetts
Geologic, sediment texture, and physiographic zone maps characterize the sea floor of Vineyard and western Nantucket Sounds, Massachusetts. These maps were derived from interpretations of seismic-reflection profiles, high-resolution bathymetry, acoustic-backscatter intensity, bottom photographs/video, and surficial sediment samples collected...
Baldwin, Wayne E.; Foster, David S.; Pendleton, Elizabeth A.; Barnhardt, Walter A.; Schwab, William C.; Andrews, Brian D.; Ackerman, Seth D.
Sea-floor texture and physiographic zones of the inner continental shelf from Salisbury to Nahant, Massachusetts, including the Merrimack Embayment and Western Massachusetts Bay
A series of maps that describe the distribution and texture of sea-floor sediments and physiographic zones of Massachusetts State waters from Nahant to Salisbury, Massachusetts, including western Massachusetts Bay, have been produced by using high-resolution geophysical data (interferometric and multibeam swath bathymetry, lidar bathymetry,...
Pendleton, Elizabeth E.; Barnhardt, Walter A.; Baldwin, Wayne E.; Foster, David S.; Schwab, William C.; Andrews, Brian D.; Ackerman, Seth D.
Geological sampling data and benthic biota classification: Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound, Massachusetts
Sea-floor sample collection is an important component of a statewide cooperative mapping effort between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM). Sediment grab samples, bottom photographs, and video transects were collected within Vineyard Sound and Buzzards Bay in 2010 aboard the research...
Ackerman, Seth D.; Pappal, Adrienne L.; Huntley, Emily C.; Blackwood, Dann S.; Schwab, William C.
Shallow geology, sea-floor texture, and physiographic zones of Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts
Geologic, sediment texture, and physiographic zone maps characterize the sea floor of Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. These maps were derived from interpretations of seismic-reflection profiles, high-resolution bathymetry, acoustic-backscatter intensity, bottom photographs, and surficial sediment samples. The interpretation of the seismic...
Foster, David S.; Baldwin, Wayne E.; Barnhardt, Walter A.; Schwab, William C.; Ackerman, Seth D.; Andrews, Brian D.; Pendleton, Elizabeth A.
High-resolution swath interferometric data collected within Muskeget Channel, Massachusetts
Swath interferometric bathymetery data were collected within and around Muskeget Channel and along select nearshore areas south and east of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. Data were collected aboard the U.S. Geological Survey research vessel Rafael in October and November 2010 in a collaborative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey and the...
Pendleton, Elizabeth A.; Denny, Jane F.; Danforth, William W.; Baldwin, Wayne E.; Irwin, Barry J.
Bathymetry of the waters surrounding the Elizabeth Islands, Massachusetts
The Elizabeth Islands in Massachusetts that separate Vineyard Sound from Buzzards Bay are the remnants of a moraine (unconsolidated glacial sediment deposited at an ice sheet margin; Oldale and O’Hara, 1984). The most recent glacial ice retreat in this region occurred between 25,000 and 20,000 years ago, and the subsequent rise in sea level that...
Pendleton, Elizabeth A.; Andrews, Brian D.; Ackerman, Seth D.; Twichell, Dave
High-resolution geophysical data collected aboard the U.S. Geological Survey research vessel Rafael to supplement existing datasets from Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound, Massachusetts
Geophysical and geospatial data were collected in Buzzards Bay, in the shallow-water areas of Vineyard Sound, and in the nearshore areas off the eastern Elizabeth Islands and northern coast of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, on the U.S. Geological Survey research vessel Rafael between 2007 and 2011, in a collaborative effort between the U.S....
Pendleton, Elizabeth A.; Andrews, Brian D.; Danforth, William W.; Foster, David S.
Shallow geology, seafloor texture, and physiographic zones of the Inner Continental Shelf from Nahant to northern Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts
The Massachusetts inner continental shelf between Nahant and northern Cape Cod Bay has been profoundly affected by the occupation and retreat of glacial ice sheets and relative sea-level change during the Quaternary. Marine geologic mapping of this area is a component of a statewide cooperative effort involving the U.S. Geological Survey and the...
Pendleton, Elizabeth A.; Baldwin, Wayne E.; Barnhardt, Walter A.; Ackerman, Seth D.; Foster, David S.; Andrews, Brian D.; Schwab, William C.
Construction of a 3-arcsecond digital elevation model for the Gulf of Maine
A system-wide description of the seafloor topography is a basic requirement for most coastal oceanographic studies. The necessary detail of the topography obviously varies with application, but for many uses, a nominal resolution of roughly 100 m is sufficient. Creating a digital bathymetric grid with this level of resolution can be a complex...
Twomey, Erin R.; Signell, Richard P.
High-Resolution geophysical data from the inner continental shelf at Vineyard Sound, Massachusetts
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) have mapped approximately 340 square kilometers of the inner continental shelf in Vineyard Sound, Massachusetts, under a cooperative mapping program. The geophysical data collected between 2009 and 2011 by the U.S. Geological Survey as part of this...
Andrews, Brian D.; Ackerman, Seth D.; Baldwin, Wayne E.; Foster, David S.; Schwab, William C.
High-resolution geophysical data from the inner continental shelf—Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) have cooperated to map approximately 410 square kilometers (km²) of the inner continental shelf in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. This report contains geophysical data collected by the USGS on three cruises conducted in 2009, 2010, and 2011, and...
Ackerman, Seth D.; Andrews, Brian D.; Foster, David S.; Baldwin, Wayne E.; Schwab, William C.
Geospatial Data Layers of Shallow Geology, Sea-Floor Texture, and Physiographic Zones from the Inner Continental Shelf of Martha’s Vineyard from Aquinnah to Wasque Point, and Nantucket from Eel Point to Great Point
Geologic, sediment texture, and physiographic zone maps characterize the sea floor south and west of Martha's Vineyard and north of Nantucket, Massachusetts. These maps were derived from interpretations of seismic-reflection profiles, high-resolution bathymetry, acoustic-backscatter intensity, bottom photographs, and surficial sediment samples.
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Date published: November 19, 2020Sea-Floor Sediment and Imagery Data Collected in Nantucket Sound, Massachusetts, 2016 and 2017
Two marine geological surveys were conducted in Nantucket Sound, Massachusetts, in May 2016 and May 2017 by the U.S. Geological Survey as part of an agreement with the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management to map the geology of the sea floor offshore of Massachusetts. Samples of surficial sediment and photographs of the sea floor were collected at 76 sampling sites within the survey...
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Date published: February 12, 2018Continuous Bathymetry and Elevation Models of the Massachusetts Coastal Zone and Continental Shelf
Integrated terrain models covering 16,357 square kilometers of the Massachusetts coastal zone and offshore waters were built to provide a continuous elevation and bathymetry terrain model for ocean planning purposes. A Triangulated Irregular Network was created from public-domain bathymetric and LiDAR data using the ArcGIS terrain-model framework and then interpolated into a 32-bit GeoTiff....
Cape Cod Canal Transit
Timelapse of R/V Warren Jr. going through the Cape Cod Canal
Sound velocity casts on Cape Cod Bay
Sometimes the fog can be as thick as pea soup! The captains use radar and keen eyesight to navigate in such conditions. Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center staff, Alex Nichols and Wayne Baldwin, take a sound velocity cast off the back of the boat.
Subbottom profiler deployment on Cape Cod Bay, 2019
Before deploying the subbottom profiler for leg 2 of the seafloor mapping cruise, Wayne Baldwin, Alex Nichols, and Chuck Worley made sure the floats were sufficiently inflated. In the relatively shallow waters of Cape Cod Bay, they want the instrument towed at water's surface for the resolution of the sub seafloor geology.
All Aboard for the Cape Cod Bay Research Cruise
Setting sail from Woods Hole, MA to Cape Cod Bay aboard the R/V Warren Jr. USGS scientific staff will define the geologic framework of Cape Cod Bay to aid the state of Massachusetts in management and assessment of resources and hazards.
Cape Cod Bay Bathy/Backscatter
2270-trackline kilometers of geophysical data and 320 km^2 of continuous bathy/backscatter was collected in Leg 1 of the Cape Cod Bay 2019 seafloor mapping cruise.
Cape Cod Bay Bathy/Backscatter
2270-trackline kilometers of geophysical data and 320 km^2 of continuous bathy/backscatter was collected in Leg 1 of the Cape Cod Bay 2019 seafloor mapping cruise.
Cape Cod Bay Bathy/Backscatter
2270-trackline kilometers of geophysical data and 320 km^2 of continuous bathy/backscatter was collected in Leg 1 of the Cape Cod Bay 2019 seafloor mapping cruise.
Acquisition van on-board the Warren Jr.
Cape Cod Bay Survey 2019. Acquisition van life. Laura Brothers (Woods Hole) inside the Aquisition Van watching all the data come in and eating dinner.
Acquisition van on-board the Warren Jr.
Cape Cod Bay Survey 2019. Acquisition van life. Jake Fredericks (St. Pete) and Wayne Baldwin (Woods Hole) inside the Aquisition Van watching all the data come in and eating dinner.
Deploying the s-boom
USGS deploying the s-boom into Cape Cod Bay during the Cape Cod Bay 2019 Survey.
Deploying the s-boom
USGS deploying the s-boom into Cape Cod Bay during the Cape Cod Bay 2019 Survey.
Marine geologic maps of the inner continental shelf of Massachusetts, where science meets art
Marine geologic maps of the inner continental shelf of Massachusetts, where science, scientists, and art come together to create visually appealing interpretive maps that are critical to aid statewide efforts to inventory and manage coastal and marine resources.