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Coastal and Marine Geology Program > Online Science Resource Locator > Sonar Mapping - Central & Southern California

Sonar Mapping - Central & Southern California

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Sonar Mapping:
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Sonar mapping of the sea floor provides CMG researchers with very useful data. Some sonar systems map the topography of the sea floor by recording large swaths of depth measurements. Others collect information useful in determining the geologic makeup of the sea floor and the sub-surface structure.

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Educational Materials

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Photographs
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Publications
Data Sets

Items below are listed from most recently updated to least recently updated.

These are results 1 through 25 of 29 matches.

Publication
Geology of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary - USGS Fact Sheet
Description: The geology and oceanography of the Farallones and surrounding area is atypical and complex. These factors complicate the process of understanding the environmental effects of man's influence such as the disposal of dredge spoils and radioactive wastes. Our goal is to assemble, in a non-crisis mode, geological information to support sound management decisions for any purpose.
updated: 2004-03-02 pages include:

Publication
Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary Geological Processes and Framework - USGS Fact Sheet
Description: The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) will move its Pacific Marine Geology program to a new location at the University of California at Santa Cruz (UCSC) and we are excited about our role in the marine sciences community around Monterey Bay. There is much to learn in the region, not only as a result of new opportunities in the Marine Sanctuary, but also that knowledge gained here may be transferred to our studies of similar environments in other parts of the world.
updated: 2004-03-02 pages include:

Research Project
Pacific Sea-Floor Mapping
Description: Images of the sea floor off the coasts of California, Hawaii, Gulf of Mexico, and Lake Tahoe. Backscatter and swath bathymetry, regular and in 3-D!
updated: 2003-10-29 pages include:

Publication
USGS OFR 03-250 - Bed-Sediment Grain-Size and Morphologic Data from Suisun, Grizzly, and Honker Bays, CA, 1998-2002
Description: The USGS Place Based Studies Program for San Francisco Bay investigates this sensitive estuarine system to aid in resource management. As part of the inter-disciplinary research program, the USGS collected side-scan sonar data and bed-sediment samples from north San Francisco Bay to characterize bed-sediment texture and investigate temporal trends in sedimentation. The study area is located in central California and consists of Suisun Bay, and Grizzly and Honker Bays, sub-embayments of Suisun Bay. During the study (1998-2002), the USGS collected three side-scan sonar data sets and approximately 300 sediment samples. The side-scan data revealed predominantly fine-grained material on the bayfloor. We also mapped five different bottom types from the data set, categorized as featureless, furrows, sand waves, machine-made, and miscellaneous. We performed detailed grain-size and statistical analyses on the sediment samples. Overall, we found that grain size ranged from clay to fine sand, with the coarsest material in the channels and finer material located in the shallow bays. Grain-size analyses revealed high spatial variability in size distributions in the channel areas. In contrast, the shallow regions exhibited low spatial variability and consistent sediment size over time.
updated: 2003-10-29 pages include:

Publication
USGS OFR 03-110 - Cruise Report for A1-02-SC: Southern California CABRILLO project, Earthquake Hazards Task
Description: A two-week marine geophysical survey obtained sidescan-sonar images and multiple sets of high-resolution seismic-reflection profiles in the southern California offshore area between Point Arguello and Point Dume. The data were obtained to support two project activities of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal and Marine Geology (CMG) Program: (1) the evaluation of the geologic hazards posed by earthquake faults and landslides in the offshore areas of Santa Barbara Channel and western Santa Monica Basin and (2) determine the location of active hydrocarbon seeps in the vicinity of Point Conception as part of a collaborative study with the Minerals Management Service (MMS). The 2002 cruise, A1-02- SC, is the fourth major data-collection effort in support of the first objective (Normark et al., 1999a, b; Gutmacher et al., 2000). A cruise to obtain sediment cores to constrain the timing of deformation interpreted from the geophysical records is planned for the summer of 2003.
updated: 2003-10-01 pages include:

Publication
USGS Circular 1198 - Beyond the Golden Gate - Oceanography, Geology, Biology, and Environmental Issues in the Gulf of the Farallones
Description: The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began a major geologic and oceanographic study of the Gulf of the Farallones in 1989. This investigation, the first of several now being conducted adjacent to major population centers by the USGS, was undertaken to establish a scientific data base for an area of 3,400 square kilometers (1,000 square nautical miles) on the Continental Shelf adjacent to the San Francisco Bay region. The results of this study can be used to evaluate and monitor human impact on the marine environment.
updated: 2003-10-01 pages include:

Publication
Saltwater Intrusion in Los Angeles Area Coastal Aquifers--the Marine Connection | FS 030-02
Description: One-third of the water supply for coastal areas of Greater Los Angeles comes from local ground-water sources. Saltwater has penetrated a part of the supply, and a significant part of the remaining supply is at risk. U.S. Geological Survey scientists, working in cooperation with local water agencies, are studying the connection between coastal aquifers and the offshore geology to better understand the processes and pathways of saltwater intrusion.
updated: 2003-03-18 pages include:

Publication
Exposing the Sea Floor: High-Resolution Multibeam Mapping Along the U.S. Pacific Coast, USGS Fact Sheet 013-00
Description: PDF file
updated: 2003-03-18 pages include:

Research Project
Nearshore Benthic Bio-Habitats Project
Description: Geophysical characterization of the coastal sea floor to identify benthic fish and shellfish habitat. Areas include Glacier Bay, Alaska and the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, National Park, and Southern California State Fish Preserves.
updated: 2001-08-14 pages include:

Educational Materials
USGS TerraWeb for Kids!
Description: Satellite and sonar images, remote sensing education, and activities just for KIDS!
updated: 2001-08-01 pages include:

Data Set
Global Inventory of Natural Gas Hydrate Occurance
Description: This updated global inventory reports on natural gas hydrate recovered from 20 places worldwide and includes 79 places where the presence of gas hydrate has been inferred from geophysical, geochemical, or geological evidence.
updated: 2001-01-09 pages include:

General Information
Education and Outreach Information
Description: Helpful information about Activities at the USGS Western Region Coastal and Marine Geology Team.
updated: 2000-11-20 pages include:

Research Project
San Francisco Bay Earthquake Hazards Project
Description: Earthquake Hazard Studies in the San Francisco Bay area, including monitoring of faults through seismic imaging and other geophysical studies.
updated: 2000-07-25 pages include:

Research Project
Gulf of the Farallones Waste-Disposal Issues
Description: Studies about disposal of radioactive waste and dredged material in the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, offshore of San Francisco, California
updated: 2000-07-19 pages include:

Educational Materials
GLORIA Imagery of the Exclusive Economic Zone of the USA
Description: USGS research using GLORIA sidescan sonar to map the sea floor within the 200-mile wide Exclusive Economic Zone.
updated: 2000-07-12 pages include:

General Information
El Niño Home Page
Description: El Niño information with links to a broad range of topics such as Floods, Landslides, Coastal Hazards, Climate, News Releases.
updated: 2000-01-31 pages include:

Educational Materials
Tsunamis & Earthquakes at the USGS
Description: General information on how earthquakes generate tsunamis and summaries of tsunami research using animations and VRML models.
updated: 1999-06-28 pages include:

Publication
OFR 99-360: Pacific Sea-Floor Mapping: Long Beach Shelf
Description: Open File Report discussing multibeam mapping offshore of Los Angeles, CA
updated: 1999-06-15 pages include:

Research Project
Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary Studies
Description: The USGS Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Project gathers, interprets, and distributes geologic information - tools necessary for sound resource protection and preservation of the federally established Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. This web site provides access to that information.
updated: 1999-02-22 pages include:

Map
Sea-floor Morphology between Año Nuevo and Santa Cruz, California
Description: Seafloor map displaying submarine rock exposures found along the northern part of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, with interpretations of side-scan sonar records, seismic-reflection records, and underwater video.
updated: 1999-02-22 pages include:

Publication
Hydrocarbons in Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary
Description: Description and interpretation of hydrocarbons associated with fluid venting processes in Monterey Bay, California.
updated: 1999-02-17 pages include:

Research Project
Contaminated Sea-floor Sediment off Palos Verdes California
Description: Mapping the areal and subbottom distribution of DDT and PCBs to predict the future distribution of these contaminants
updated: 1998-08-03 pages include:

Data Set
CA, OR & WA GLORIA Imagery
Description: GLORIA sidescan sonar imagery of the Exclusive Economic Zone of the West Coast of the USA - Washington, Oregon and California.
updated: 1998-07-02 pages include:

Research Project
Pollution and Waste Disposal Studies, Los Angeles Shelf
Description: Studies of sediment and pollutant transport processes near Los Angeles, CA
updated: 1998-06-10 pages include:

Research Project
USGS TerraWeb: USGS: Seafloor Imagery of the Monterey Bay Continental Shelf
Description: Information and imagery about the collection and image processing of sonar data to create a seafloor map of Monterey Bay. View images and maps hosted on the USGS TerraWeb Remote Sensing Web Server.
updated: 1998-05-28 pages include:

These are results 1 through 25 of 29 matches.

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