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Interpretation of the seabed geologic substrates in quadrangle 5 of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary region offshore of Boston, Massachusetts based on data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey from 1993-2019

Metadata Updated: July 6, 2024

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the National Marine Sanctuary Program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has conducted seabed mapping and related research in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (SBNMS) region since 1993. The interpretive datasets and source information presented here are for quadrangle 5, which is one of 18 similarly sized segments of the 3,700 square kilometer (km2) SBNMS region. The seabed of the SBNMS region is a glaciated terrain that is topographically and texturally diverse. Quadrangle 5 includes the shallow, rippled, coarse-grained sandy crest and upper eastern and western flanks of southern Stellwagen Bank, its fine-grained sandy lower western flank, and the muddy seabed in Stellwagen Basin. Water depths range from <25 m on the bank crest to ~100 m in the basin. The data presented here for quadrangle 5 are the foundation for Scientific Investigations Map 3515 (Valentine and Cross, 2024), which presents maps of seabed topography, ruggedness, backscatter intensity, distribution of geologic substrates, sediment mobility, distribution of fine- and coarse-grained sand, and substrate mud content. The maps of quadrangle 5 show the distribution of substrates across the southern part of Stellwagen Bank and the adjacent basins. Bathymetric and seabed backscatter imagery, photographs, video, and grain-size analyses were used to create the geologic interpretations presented here and have been reprocessed and released in segments to supports these interpretations. For the quadrangle 5 interpretations, data from 729 stations were analyzed, including 620 sediment samples. The seabed geology map of quadrangle 5 shows the distribution of 20 substrate types ranging from boulder ridges to mobile and rippled sand, to mud. Substrate types are defined or inferred through sediment grain-size composition, surface morphology, sediment layering, the mobility or immobility of substrate surfaces, and water depth range. Scientific Investigations Map 3515 portrays the major geological elements (substrates, topographic features, processes) of environments within quadrangle 5. It is intended to be a basis for the study of sediment transport processes that affect a shallow, offshore bank, for the study of the ecological requirements of invertebrate and vertebrate species that use these substrates, and to support seabed management in the region.

Access & Use Information

Public: This dataset is intended for public access and use. License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

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Dates

Metadata Created Date April 2, 2024
Metadata Updated Date July 6, 2024

Metadata Source

Harvested from DOI EDI

Additional Metadata

Resource Type Dataset
Metadata Created Date April 2, 2024
Metadata Updated Date July 6, 2024
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Maintainer
@Id http://datainventory.doi.gov/id/dataset/c332299924c86f07075c69b4cb49ab1d
Identifier USGS:63a09167d34e0de3a1f27731
Data Last Modified 20240320
Category geospatial
Public Access Level public
Bureau Code 010:12
Metadata Context https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.jsonld
Metadata Catalog ID https://datainventory.doi.gov/data.json
Schema Version https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema
Catalog Describedby https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.json
Harvest Object Id c3924e6a-8ee7-49b0-96c7-a8efd77da544
Harvest Source Id 52bfcc16-6e15-478f-809a-b1bc76f1aeda
Harvest Source Title DOI EDI
Metadata Type geospatial
Old Spatial -70.41111,42.20278,-70.22222,42.32222
Publisher Hierarchy White House > U.S. Department of the Interior > U.S. Geological Survey
Source Datajson Identifier True
Source Hash 2fca720c1a12d6facbf44bb9e7720875ff0206116e68e0021346661296bbc4cb
Source Schema Version 1.1
Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": -70.41111, 42.20278, -70.41111, 42.32222, -70.22222, 42.32222, -70.22222, 42.20278, -70.41111, 42.20278}

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