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: Data, Tools, and Technology, Mapping, Remote Sensing, and Geospatial Data, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Massachusetts, United States of AmericaView 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 collected within Red Brook Harbor, Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, in 2009
The U.S. Geological Survey conducted a high-resolution geophysical survey within Red Brook Harbor, Massachusetts, from September 28 through November 17, 2009. Red Brook Harbor is located on the eastern edge of Buzzards Bay, south of the Cape Cod Canal. The survey area was approximately 7 square kilometers, with depths ranging from 0 to...
Turecek, Aaron M.; Danforth, William W.; Baldwin, Wayne E.; Barnhardt, Walter A.
Sea-floor geology and sedimentary processes in the vicinity of Cross Rip Channel, Nantucket Sound, offshore southeastern Massachusetts
Gridded multibeam bathymetry covers approximately 10.4 square kilometers of sea floor in the vicinity of Cross Rip Channel in Nantucket Sound, offshore southeastern Massachusetts. Although originally collected for charting purposes during National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hydrographic survey H12007, these acoustic data, and the sea-...
Poppe, L.J.; McMullen, K.Y.; Ackerman, S.D.; Schaer, J.D.; Wright, D.B.
Geophysical and sampling data from the inner continental shelf: Northern Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) have cooperated to map approximately 480 km2 of the inner continental shelf in northern Cape Cod Bay, MA. This report contains geophysical and sampling data collected by the USGS during five research cruises between 2006 and 2008. The geophysical data...
Andrews, Brian D.; Ackerman, Seth D.; Baldwin, Wayne E.; Barnhardt, Walter A.
Geophysical and sampling data from the inner continental shelf: Duxbury to Hull, Massachusetts
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) have cooperated to map approximately 200 km² of the Massachusetts inner continental shelf between Duxbury and Hull. This report contains geophysical and geological data collected by the USGS on three cruises between 2006 and 2007. These USGS data are...
Barnhardt, Walter A.; Ackerman, Seth D.; Andrews, Brian D.; Baldwin, Wayne E.
Geological Interpretation of the Sea Floor Offshore of Edgartown, Massachusetts
Gridded bathymetry and sidescan-sonar imagery together cover approximately 37.3 square kilometers of sea floor in the vicinity of Edgartown Harbor, Massachusetts. Although originally collected for charting purposes during National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hydrographic survey H11346, these acoustic data, and the sea-floor stations and...
Poppe, L.J.; McMullen, K.Y.; Foster, D.S.; Blackwood, D.S.; Williams, S.J.; Ackerman, S.D.; Moser, M.S.; Glomb, K.A.
Geophysical Data Collected off the South Shore of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts
The U.S. Geological Survey Woods Hole Science Center conducted a nearshore geophysical survey offshore of the southern coast of Martha's Vineyard, in the vicinity of the Martha's Vineyard Coastal Observatory in 2007. This mapping program was part of a larger research effort supporting the Office of Naval Research Ripples Directed-Research...
Denny, J.F.; Danforth, W.W.; Foster, D.S.; Sherwood, C.R.
High-Resolution Geologic Mapping of the Inner Continental Shelf: Cape Ann to Salisbury Beach, Massachusetts
The geologic framework of the Massachusetts inner continental shelf between Cape Ann and Salisbury Beach has been shaped by a complicated history of glaciation, deglaciation, and changes in relative sea level. New geophysical data (swath bathymetry, sidescan sonar and seismic-reflection profiling), sediment samples, and seafloor photography...
Barnhardt, Walter A.; Andrews, Brian D.; Ackerman, Seth D.; Baldwin, Wayne E.; Hein, Christopher J.
Enhanced Sidescan-Sonar Imagery Offshore of Southeastern Massachusetts
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) have been working cooperatively to map and study the coastal sea floor. The sidescan-sonar imagery collected during NOAA hydrographic surveys has been included as part of these studies. However, the...
Poppe, Lawrence J.; McMullen, Kate Y.; Williams, S. Jeffress; Ackerman, Seth D.; Glomb, K.A.; Forfinski, N.A. Sea-Floor Character and Sedimentary Processes in the Vicinity of Woods Hole, Massachusetts
Continuous-coverage multibeam bathymetric models and sidescan-sonar imagery have been verified with high-resolution seismic-reflection profiles, sediment sampling, and bottom photography. Together these data layers provide detailed base maps that yield topographic, compositional, and environmental perspectives of the sea floor in the vicinity of...
Poppe, Lawrence J.; McMullen, Katherine Y.; Foster, David S.; Blackwood, Dann S.; Williams, S. Jeffress; Ackerman, Seth D.; Barnum, Steven R.; Brennan, Rick T.
Sea-floor character and sedimentary processes of Great Round Shoal Channel, offshore Massachusetts
The imagery, interpretive data layers, and data presented herein were derived from multibeam echo-sounder and sidescan-sonar data collected in the vicinity of Great Round Shoal Channel, the main passage through shoals located at the eastern entrance to Nantucket Sound, Massachusetts, and from the stations occupied to verify these acoustic data (...
Poppe, Lawrence J.; Ackerman, Seth D.; Foster, David S.; Blackwood, Dann S.; Williams, S. Jeffress; Moser, M.S.; Stewart, H.F.; Glomb, K.A.
Processes influencing the transport and fate of contaminated sediments in the coastal ocean: Boston Harbor and Massachusetts Bay
Most of the major urban centers of the United States including Boston, New York, Washington, Chicago, New Orleans, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle—are on a coast (fig. 1.1). All of these cities discharge treated sewage effluent into adjacent waters. In 2000, 74 percent of the U.S. population lived within 200 kilometers (km) of the...
Bothner, Michael H.; Butman, Bradford; Alexander, P. Soupy; Baldwin, Sandra M.; Blackwood, Dann S.; Borden, Jonathan; Casso, Michael A.; Crusius, John; Goudreau, Joanne; Kalnejais, Linda H.; Lamothe, Paul J.; Martin, William R.; Martini, Marinna A.; Rendigs, Richard R.; Sayles, Frederick L.; Signell, Richard P.; Valentine, Page C.; Warner, John C.
Sea-floor character and surface processes in the vicinity of Quicks Hole, Elizabeth Islands, Massachusetts
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (MA CZM), is producing detailed geologic maps of the coastal sea floor. The imagery, interpretive data layers, and data presented herein were derived from multibeam echo-sounder...
Poppe, Lawrence J.; Ackerman, Seth D.; Foster, David S.; Blackwood, Dann S.; Butman, Bradford; Moser, M.S.; Stewart, H.F.-
Date published: December 10, 2018Geospatial 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.
Surficial Geology Map of Nantucket and Marthas Vineyard, MA
Map showing the surficial geology from this study and Baldwin and others (2016) with equivalent onshore geology (adapted from Stone and DiGiacomo-Cohen, 2009). The areal extents over which offshore subsurface geologic units crop out at the sea floor were interpreted from seismic-reflection data.
Sediment textures distribution from Nantucket and Marthas Vineyard, MA
The distribution of sediment textures within the study area. The bottom-type classification is from Barnhardt and others (1998) and is based on 16 sediment classes. The classification is based on four sediment units that include gravel (G), mud (M), rock (R), and sand (S). If the texture is greater than 90 percent, it is labeled with a single letter. If the composition of
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Nantucket and Marthas Vineyard geologic illustrations
Geologic sections (C-C', D-D', and E-E') illustrating the general distributions and thicknesses of seismic stratigraphic units and major unconformities in the Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket study areas. The geologic sections were produced from chirp seismic-reflection profile interpretations.The Ul unconformity is a dashed line to denote that it is
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Surficial Geology of Vineyard and western Nantucket Sounds
Map showing the surficial geology of Vineyard and western Nantucket Sounds with equivalent onshore geology (adapted from Stone and DiGiacomo-Cohen, 2009). The areal extents over which offshore subsurface geologic units crop out at the sea floor were interpreted from seismic-reflection data.
Map showing distribution of physiographic zones in Buzzards Bay, MA
Map showing the distribution of physiographic zones within the Buzzards Bay study area. The physiographic zone classification is adapted from Kelley and others (1998), and the zones are delineated on the basis of sea-floor morphology and the dominant texture of surficial material.
Bottom Photographs
Some of the organisms visible in these images are: A, clam shells, B, sand dollars (Echinarachnius parma), C, Atlantic rock crab (Cancer irroratus) and clam shells, and D, organisms attached to angular cobbles: pink crustose ("bubblegum") algae, barnacles, and chitons (Tonicella sp.). Organisms (and many more too small to see at this scale) identified courtesy of Adrienne
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Shaded relief image of Vineyard Sound, MA Shoals
Shaded relief image of Vineyard Sound, MA Shoals
Acoustic Backscatter Intensity
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
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Shaded relief image of Vineyard Sound MA
Shaded relief image of Vineyard Sound, MA
Image showing a study area from Boston Harbor to the mouth of Cape Cod
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.
Shaded relief image of Northern Cape Cod Bay, MA
Shaded relief image of Northern Cape Cod Bay, MA
Swath Bathymetry
Swath bathymetry and derivative products such as slope, hillshaded relief, and rugosity maps provide information not only on water depth, but also the roughness and smoothness of the sea floor, which correlates with sea floor texture and depositional environment. The shaded-relief bathymetry image of the sea floor offshore of northeastern Massachusetts between Cape Ann and
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Date published: February 27, 2019Marine 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.
