Potential geologic hazards and constraints for blocks in proposed North Atlantic OCS oil and gas lease sale 42

Analysis of side-scan sonar, 3.5 kHz subbottom profiler, sparker, and fathometer data (approximately 9,900 km) from 206 blocks originally selected for proposed Outer Continental Shelf Lease Sale 42 disclosed potential hazards to oil and gas exploration and development operations. These potential hazards are a shallow gas deposit in one proposed lease sale block and shallow faulting (or possible buried slumping) in 16 proposed lease sale blocks.

Other features considered merely to be developmental constraints can be accommodated by existing standard design and engineering technology. These include sand waves, scour, potentially unstable slopes (due to gradient and/or presence of possible slump-related features), filled channels, shipwrecks, and unidentified bottom objects.