Holocene fluvial and estuarine (Qfe) and nearshore marine (Qmn) sediment thickness offshore of western and southern Martha's Vineyard and north of Nantucket, Massachusetts

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
Holocene fluvial and estuarine (Qfe) and nearshore marine (Qmn) sediment thickness offshore of western and southern Martha's Vineyard and north of Nantucket, Massachusetts
Abstract:
Geologic, sediment texture, and physiographic zone maps characterize the sea floor south and west of Martha's Vineyard and north of Nantucket, Massachusetts. These maps were derived from interpretations of seismic-reflection profiles, high-resolution bathymetry, acoustic-backscatter intensity, bottom photographs, and surficial sediment samples. The interpretation of the seismic stratigraphy and mapping of glacial and Holocene marine units provided a foundation on which the surficial maps were created. This mapping is a result of a collaborative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey and the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management to characterize the surface and subsurface geologic framework offshore of Massachusetts.
Supplemental_Information:
This data release is a companion publication to USGS OFR 2018-1181: Pendleton, E.A., Baldwin, W.E., Ackerman, S.D, Foster, D.S., Andrews, B.D., Schwab, W.C., and Brothers, L.L. 2018, Sea-floor texture and physiographic zones of the inner continental shelf from Aquinnah to Wasque Point, Martha’s Vineyard, and Eel Point to Great Point, Nantucket Island, Massachusetts: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2018–1181, https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20181181. The data in the source contributions used for this compilation are from field activities 2007-011-FA (https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2007-011-FA), 2011-004-FA (https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2011-004-FA), and 2013-003-FA (https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2013-003-FA).
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    U.S. Geological Survey, 2018, Holocene fluvial and estuarine (Qfe) and nearshore marine (Qmn) sediment thickness offshore of western and southern Martha's Vineyard and north of Nantucket, Massachusetts: data release DOI:10.5066/P9E9EFNE, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    This is part of the following larger work.

    Pendleton, Elizabeth A., Baldwin, Wayne E., Foster, David S., Ackerman, Seth D., Andrews, Brian D., Brothers, Laura L., and Schwab, William C., 2018, Geospatial Data Layers of Shallow Geology, Sea-Floor Texture, and Physiographic Zones from the Inner Continental Shelf of Martha’s Vineyard from Aquinnah to Wasque Point, and Nantucket from Eel Point to Great Point: data release DOI:10.5066/P9E9EFNE, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    Suggested citation: Pendleton, E.A., Baldwin, W.E., Foster, D.F., Ackerman, S.D., Andrews, B.D, Brothers, L.L., and Schwab, W.C., 2018, Geospatial data layers of shallow geology, sea-floor texture, and physiographic zones from the inner continental shelf of Martha's Vineyard from Aquinnah to Wasque Point, and Nantucket from Eel Point to Great Point: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9E9EFNE.
  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -70.8554
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -70.0314
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 41.3893
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 41.1946
  3. What does it look like?
    https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/5bfd605be4b0815414ca39dd/?name=MV_ACK_postGisopach_browse.png (PNG)
    Browse image of GeoTIFF grid representing Holocene fluvial, estuarine (Qfe) and nearshore marine (Qmn) sediment thickness in meters. The browse graphic is derived from the companion OFR (Pendleton and others, 2018).
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Beginning_Date: 09-Aug-2007
    Ending_Date: 11-Jun-2013
    Currentness_Reference:
    ground condition of the source data from which this interpretation was created
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: raster digital data
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?
      This is a Raster data set. It contains the following raster data types:
      • Dimensions 512 x 1717 x 1, type Grid Cell
    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?
      Grid_Coordinate_System_Name: Universal Transverse Mercator
      Universal_Transverse_Mercator:
      UTM_Zone_Number: 19
      Transverse_Mercator:
      Scale_Factor_at_Central_Meridian: 0.9996
      Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -69.0
      Latitude_of_Projection_Origin: 0.0
      False_Easting: 500000.0
      False_Northing: 0.0
      Planar coordinates are encoded using row and column
      Abscissae (x-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 40.0
      Ordinates (y-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 40.0
      Planar coordinates are specified in meters
      The horizontal datum used is WGS_1984.
      The ellipsoid used is WGS 84.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.0.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257223563.
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
    Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
    There are no attributes associated with this floating point 32-bit GeoTIFF. Pixel values represent thicknesses of post-glacial sediment in meters, and range from 0 to 14.7 m.
    Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation: U.S. Geological Survey

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
    • U.S. Geological Survey
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
    Elizabeth A. Pendleton
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Rd.
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    508-548-8700 x2226 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    ependleton@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

This data set contains a grid representing Holocene fluvial, estuarine (Qfe) and nearshore marine (Qmn) sediment thickness (in meters) offshore of western and southern Martha's Vineyard and north of Nantucket. These data are useful for assessing relations between geologic framework, sea-bed morphology, and sediment textural trends. Qfe is the lowermost Holocene sedimentary deposit that partially fills the fluvial valleys incised into the surface of Pleistocene glacial drift. Qmn are surficial sediments that also fill valleys and partially blanket the sea floor.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
    Denny and others, 2009 (source 1 of 4)
    Denny, J.F., Danforth, W.W., Foster, D.S., and Sherwood, C.R., 2009, Geophysical data collected off the south shore of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts: Open-File Report 2008-1288, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    The SEG-Y data that was used to interpret geologic units with The KINGDOM Software 2d/3dPAK (ver. 8.8 - 64-bit) can be obtain by contacting the author of the Open-File Report.
    Type_of_Source_Media: online
    Source_Contribution:
    This report provided source geophysical data (sidescan, bathymetry, and seismic-reflection profiles) for the area south of Martha's Vineyard surrounding the Martha's Vineyard Coastal Observatory. The 2007 mapping was conducted on the Megan T. Miller. High-resolution chirp seismic-reflection profiles were collected during U.S. Geological Survey field activity 2007-011-FA using an EdgeTech Geo-Star full spectrum sub-bottom (FSSB) system and SB-0512i towfish. Thorough descriptions of acquisition and processing parameters for the survey are provided by Denny and others (2009) in the report and seismic-reflection metadata. Shallow geologic framework and surficial geology were interpreted from post-processed chirp seismic-reflection profiles.
    Andrews and others, 2014 (source 2 of 4)
    Andrews, B.D., Ackerman, S.D., Baldwin, W.E., Foster, D.S., and Schwab, W.C., 2014, High-Resolution Geophysical Data from the Inner Continental Shelf: Vineyard Sound, Massachusetts: Open-File Report 2012-1006, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    The SEG-Y data that was used to interpret geologic units with The KINGDOM Software 2d/3dPAK (ver. 8.8 - 64-bit) can be obtain by contacting the author of the Open-File Report.
    Type_of_Source_Media: online
    Source_Contribution:
    This report provided source geophysical data (sidescan, bathymetry, and seismic-reflection profiles) for the study area on the western side of Martha's Vineyard. The 2011 mapping was conducted on the Scarlett Isabella during U.S. Geological Survey field activity 2011-004-FA. Chirp seismic-reflection data were collected using an EdgeTech Geo-Star FSSB subbottom profiling system and an SB-0512i towfish. Thorough descriptions of acquisition and processing parameters for each survey are provided by Andrews and others (2014) in the methods section and seismic-reflection metadata. Shallow geologic framework was interpreted from post-processed chirp seismic-reflection profiles. Only the data collected along the western shore of Matha’s Vineyard was used for this dataset.
    Ackerman and others, 2016 (source 3 of 4)
    Ackerman, S.D., L.L., Brothers, Foster, D.S., B.D., Andrews, W.E., Baldwin, and W.C., Schwab, 2016, High-Resolution Geophysical Data From the Inner Continental Shelf: South of Martha's Vineyard and North of Nantucket, Massachusetts: Open-File Report 2016-1168, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    The SEG-Y data that was used to interpret geologic units with The KINGDOM Software 2d/3dPAK (ver. 8.8 - 64-bit) can be obtain by contacting the author of the Open-File Report.
    Type_of_Source_Media: online
    Source_Contribution:
    This report provided source geophysical data (sidescan, bathymetry, and seismic-reflection profiles) for the majority of this study including offshore of southern Martha's Vineyard and north of Nantucket. These areas were surveyed with the Scarlett Isabella 2013 during U.S. Geological Survey field activity 2013-003-FA. Seismic-reflection data were collected using an EdgeTech Geo-Star FSSB subbottom profiling system and an SB-0512i towfish. Thorough descriptions of acquisition and processing parameters for each survey are provided by Ackerman and others (2016) in the methods section and seismic-reflection metadata. Shallow geologic framework and surficial geology were interpreted from post-processed chirp seismic-reflection profiles.
    Andrews and others, 2018 (source 4 of 4)
    Andrews, Brian, Baldwin, Wayne, Sampson, Daniel, and Schwab, William, 2018, Continuous Bathymetry and Elevation Models of the Massachusetts Coastal Zone and Continental Shelf: data release DOI:10.5066/F72806T7, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Type_of_Source_Media: online
    Source_Contribution:
    This report provided composite bathymetry for the study area including offshore of southern Martha's Vineyard and north of Nantucket. Thorough descriptions of the merging and processing parameters are provided by Andrews and others (2017) in the metadata.
  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
    Date: 2017 (process 1 of 4)
    Chirp seismic reflection SEG-Y data were interpreted using The KINGDOM Software 2d/3dPAK (ver. 8.8 - 64-bit) seismic interpretation software. Interpretation consisted of identifying and digitizing erosional unconformities defining the boundaries between Holocene and Pleistocene seismic units, and digitizing the extent over which each of the defined sub-surface seismic units crops out on the sea floor. The horizons representing the boundary between glacial and post glacial sedimentary units, and a horizon representing the sea floor were exported from the KINGDOM as ASCII text with columns of X,Y,line,amplitude, and two-way travel time. Person who carried out this activity:
    Elizabeth Pendleton
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Rd.
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    508-548-8700 x2259 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    ependleton@usgs.gov
    Date: 2017 (process 2 of 4)
    The ASCII text files were imported into ArcMap (10.5) as point features using the 'Add XY data' function, then saved as a point shapefile (UTM, Zone 19N, WGS84). Depth fields were created by converting two-way travel time to a depth using a constant speed of sound estimate of 1500 meters per second. Person who carried out this activity:
    Elizabeth A Pendleton
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Rd.
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    508-548-8700 x2259 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    ependleton@usgs.gov
    Date: 2017 (process 3 of 4)
    The new point shapefiles were used as input for the ArcMap (10.5) Spatial Analyst > Interpolation > Natural Neighbor tool to create interpolated elevation grids for the seafloor and the Ur/Ut unconformity with 40 meter cell sizes. The grids were also clipped ('Clip' - data management) to the surficial geology extent and filtered ('Filter') with a low pass filter to remove linear artifacts resulting from gridding the horizon data. Sediment thickness was created using 'Raster Calculator' to take the absolute value of the depth to the glacial - post glacial surface minus the depth to the seafloor. Person who carried out this activity:
    Elizabeth A Pendleton
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Rd.
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    508-548-8700 x2259 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    ependleton@usgs.gov
    Date: 07-Aug-2020 (process 4 of 4)
    Added keywords section with USGS persistent identifier as theme keyword. Person who carried out this activity:
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: VeeAnn A. Cross
    Marine Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA

    508-548-8700 x2251 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    vatnipp@usgs.gov
  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?
    O'Hara, Charles J., and Oldale, Robert N., 1980, Maps showing geology and shallow structure of eastern Rhode Island Sound and Vineyard Sound, Massachusetts: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-1186, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: 5 sheets
    O'Hara, Charles J., and Oldale, Robert N., 1987, Maps showing geology, shallow structure, and bedforms of Nantucket Sound, Massachusetts: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-1911, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: 4 sheets
    U.S. Geological Survey, 2013, Geologic Mapping of the Massachusetts Seafloor: U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    Geologic mapping of the Massachusetts inner continental shelf is a cooperative effort that was initiated in 2003 by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM). The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA-NOS) is also an important partner and contributes hydrographic data that are integrated into the maps. The overall goal of this cooperative is to determine the geologic framework of the sea floor inside the 3-mile limit of State waters, using high-resolution geophysical techniques, sediment sampling, and sea-floor photography. Any source data used to generate interpretative maps and data products are cited in detail in the source citation section of this metadata file.
    Baldwin, Wayne E., Foster, David S., Pendleton, Elizabeth A., Barnhardt, Walter A., Schwab, William C., Andrews, Brian D., and Ackerman, Seth, 2016, Shallow geology, sea-floor texture, and physiographic zones of Vineyard and western Nantucket Sounds, Massachusetts: Open-File Report 2016-1119, US Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Foster, David S., Baldwin, Wayne E., Barnhardt, Walter A., Schwab, William C., Ackerman, Seth D., Andrews, Brian D., and Pendleton, Elizabeth A., 2015, Shallow geology, sea-floor texture, and physiographic zones of Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts: Open-File Report 2014-1220, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Pendleton, Elizabeth E., Barnhardt, Walter A., Baldwin, Wayne E., Foster, David S., Schwab, William C., Andrews, Brian D., and Ackerman, Seth D, 2015, Sea-floor texture and physiographic zones of the inner continental shelf from Salisbury to Nahant, Massachusetts, including the Merrimack Embayment and Western Massachusetts Bay: Open-File Report 2015-1153, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Pendleton, Elizabeth A., Baldwin, Wayne E., Barnhardt, Walter A., Ackerman, Seth D., Foster, David S., Andrews, Brian D., and Schwab, William C., 2013, Shallow Geology, Seafloor Texture, and Physiographic Zones of the Inner Continental Shelf from Nahant to Northern Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts: Open-File Report 2012-1157, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?

  1. How well have the observations been checked?
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
    Navigational accuracy of the seismic-reflection data used for this interpretation was assumed to be ± 10 to 20 meters. Refer to seismic trackline metadata in Denny and others (2009), Ackerman and others (2016), and Andrews and others (2014) in the source information for specific seismic data acquisition parameters and accuracy reports. Additional navigational uncertainty in this interpretation arises from subjective digitizing of the seismic reflectors, sampling of the interpreted horizons along track, and interpolation of horizon data using geospatial software.Total positional uncertainty is assumed to be within 50 meters.
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
    The nominal vertical resolution of the chirp seismic-reflection systems is 0.5 meter. Additional uncertainty was introduced by converting the thicknesses measured in two-way travel time to meters using a constant speed of sound of 1500 m/s.
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    All chirp seismic-reflection data collected within the study area during USGS Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center field activities 2007-011-FA, 2011-004-FA, and 2013-003-FA were used to interpret the subsurface geologic units. The grid contains no data zones where it was not possible to make continuous interpretations regarding the thicknesses of subsurface units.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    Chirp seismic-reflection data collected during USGS Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center field activities 2007-011-FA, 2011-004-FA, and 2013-003-FA were used to interpret the geologic framework offshore of western and southern Martha's Vineyard and north of Nantucket. All seismic reflection data used in this report were interpreted by the same person that conducted the processing steps. All interpretations were conducted in Kingdom Suite software, and horizon gridding was conducted in ArcGIS. Any differences in collection vessel and system are noted in the source contributions.

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?
Access_Constraints None
Use_Constraints Public domain data from the U.S. Government are freely redistributable with proper metadata and source attribution. Please recognize the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as the source of this information.
  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: GS ScienceBase
    Denver Federal Center, Building 810, Mail Stop 302
    Denver, CO
    United States

    1-888-275-8747 (voice)
    sciencebase@usgs.gov
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set? MV_ACK_postGisopach.tif is a GeoTIFF isopach of Holocene fluvial and estuarine (Qfe) and nearshore marine (Qmn) sediment thickness offshore of western and southern Martha's Vineyard and north of Nantucket, MA. The dataset also contains a browse graphic and the associated CSDGM metadata in XML format.
  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
    Neither the U.S. Government, the Department of the Interior, nor the USGS, nor any of their employees, contractors, or subcontractors, make any warranty, express or implied, nor assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, nor represent that its use would not infringe on privately owned rights. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by the U.S. Geological Survey in the use of these data or related materials. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government
  4. How can I download or order the data?
  5. What hardware or software do I need in order to use the data set?
    This file is a 32-bit GeoTIFF image compressed using the LZW compression format with a world file. To utilize these data an image processing or GIS software package capable of importing a 32-bit TIFF image with LZW compression is needed. Standard image viewing software cannot translate a 32-bit image.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 19-Mar-2024
Last Reviewed: 2017
Metadata author:
Elizabeth A Pendleton
U.S. Geological Survey
Geologist
384 Woods Hole Rd.
Woods Hole, MA
USA

508-548-8700 x2259 (voice)
508-457-2310 (FAX)
whsc_data_contact@usgs.gov
Contact_Instructions:
The metadata contact email address is a generic address in the event the person is no longer with USGS. (updated on 20240319)
Metadata standard:
FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
This page is <https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/catalog/whcmsc/SB_data_release/DR_P9E9EFNE/MV_ACK_postGisopach_meta.faq.html>
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