USACE, Maryland Geological Survey (MGS), Minerals Management Service (MMS), and academic scientists have studied the seafloor and shoals of the Maryland offshore study area in order to determine their potential use as a source of sand for beach nourishment. Studies conducted by MGS of Fenwick, Weaver, and Isle of Wight Shoals show four general patterns of substrate conditions: 1) Shoal crest - generally is restricted to the undisturbed shoal crest at depths less than 35 it (11.2 m) and, has no discernable bedforms; Shoal crests consist of sand with almost no shell material; Coarser gravels are concentrated in areas of greatest wave and current energies, such as along the shoal crest. 2) Flank- bottom class associated With the shoal crest; primarily found along the shoal flanks between -35 ft and -40 ft, representing transitional bottom, from shoal crest to intershoal bottom type; sand, the texture of which may or may not be significantly different than that of the shoal crest; occasional ripples; sand with some shell and other biogenic materials. 3) Intershoal-associated with the deeper sea bottom (> 40 feet), both disturbed (dredged) and undisturbed intershoal areas or troughs; sandy bottom dominated by small ripples ( 40 feet) in trough or intershoal areas; large patches, ~l00 it in diameter, associated with rippled bottom within the dredged area; interpreted to be soft, finer-grained sediment based on low backscatter intensity return; Patch-mat regions occur between shoals that have muddy substrates, abundant patches/mats of worm tube colonies, and shell beds. Refs: Army Corps of Engineers: Baltimore District, 2007 “Atlantic Coast of Maryland Shoreline Protection Project General Reevaluation Study: Borrow Sources for 2010 – 2044” MMS, BOEM, VIMS, 2000 “Environmental Survey of Potential Sand Resource Sites Offshore Delaware and Maryland”