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Seismic Reflection, EdgeTech SB-424 Chirp shot points collected in the vicinity of Buffalo Reef, Michigan, within Lake Superior during USGS field activity 2018-043-FA, (CSV text and Esri point shapefile, GCS WGS 84)

Metadata Updated: October 22, 2025

In September 2018, the USGS Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHCMSC), in collaboration with the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), conducted high-resolution geophysical mapping and sediment sampling to determine the distribution of historical mine tailings on the floor of Lake Superior. Large amounts of waste material from copper mining, locally known as “stamp sands”, were dumped into the lake in the early 20th century, with wide-reaching consequences that have continued into the present day. Mapping was focused offshore of the town of Gay on the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan, where ongoing erosion and re-deposition of the stamp sands has buried miles of native, white-sand beaches and is steadily encroaching south onto Buffalo Reef, a large area of cobble/boulder substrate that supports productive fisheries in the lake. The objectives of this cooperative mapping project are to develop a framework for scientific research and provide baseline information required for management of resources within the coastal zone of northern Michigan. High resolution bathymetry and backscatter data reveal the irregular topography of the shallow, cobble-covered Buffalo Reef, and the relatively smooth, finer-grained sediment that covers adjacent, deeper parts of the lake floor. Previous research used numerous sediment samples to determine the general distribution of mine tailings on the lake floor in this area, but little information existed on the extent and thickness of the surficial deposits. The main priority of this project is to image the near-surface stratigraphy, specifically the surficial sand and mud that threaten to cover the reef, with seismic-reflection profiling systems. In addition to continuous coverage of bathymetric and backscatter data, this report includes a dense grid of closely spaced seismic profiles and an isopach map of sediment thickness, which will guide efforts to mitigate the impacts on Buffalo Reef from contamination by the shifting stamp sands.

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.

Downloads & Resources

Dates

Metadata Created Date September 13, 2025
Metadata Updated Date October 22, 2025

Metadata Source

Harvested from DOI USGS DCAT-US

Additional Metadata

Resource Type Dataset
Metadata Created Date September 13, 2025
Metadata Updated Date October 22, 2025
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Maintainer
Identifier http://datainventory.doi.gov/id/dataset/usgs-5ddeb161e4b04a30051b9e15
Data Last Modified 2021-01-25T00:00:00Z
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://ddi.doi.gov/usgs-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 84ffc8a3-61e0-44dd-9612-59eed5cd8f62
Harvest Source Id 2b80d118-ab3a-48ba-bd93-996bbacefac2
Harvest Source Title DOI USGS DCAT-US
Metadata Type geospatial
Old Spatial -88.2399889, 47.152425, -88.132397, 47.225725
Source Datajson Identifier True
Source Hash 5bdbccea01f03eb9a44157859990defce7d916314c06b3d999599e11e2c71074
Source Schema Version 1.1
Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": -88.2399889, 47.152425, -88.2399889, 47.225725, -88.132397, 47.225725, -88.132397, 47.152425, -88.2399889, 47.152425}

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