Visual description sheets of sediment cores from the New England Mud Patch collected on USGS Field Activity 2016-001-FA

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
Visual description sheets of sediment cores from the New England Mud Patch collected on USGS Field Activity 2016-001-FA
Abstract:
Variability in sediment properties with depth and the thickness of individual sedimentary layers are critical determinants of seabed acoustic response. The New England Mud Patch (NEMP), located south of Cape Cod, is an unusual feature on the U.S. Continental Shelf in that it is composed of fine-grained sediment layers containing a relatively-homogeneous mix of sand, silt, and clay-sized particles bounded by more typical sandy shelf sediments. The unique characteristics and nature of this deposit is due to a derivation of sediments that have been transported to, and deposited in, a basal bowl-shaped depression since the last glacial maximum. Ninety-two piston, vibra-, and gravity cores with a maximum length of 8.2 meters were collected from across the New England Mud Patch during a 2-leg, 10-day cruise aboard the R/V Endeavor in the spring of 2016. Geologic characterization and analysis of a subset of the cores including grain size, CaCO3, mineral composition, and bulk index properties (undrained shear strength, water content, density, and porosity) of discrete samples was carried out at the USGS Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center's (WHCMSC) Sediment Analysis Laboratory. This data release contains the results of these analyses, along with visual core descriptions and summary sheets for each core analyzed for this study.
Supplemental_Information:
Cores were collected on the 2016 R/V Endeavor cruise EN577 from April 19, 2016 to May 2, 2016. Information about this expedition, also known as USGS Field Activity 2016-001-FA, is available at https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2016-001-FA
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    Boggess, A.A., Buczkowski, B.J., and Chaytor, J.D., 20210819, Visual description sheets of sediment cores from the New England Mud Patch collected on USGS Field Activity 2016-001-FA: data release DOI: 10.5066/P9ZYK3PX, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    This is part of the following larger work.

    Boggess, A.A., Buczkowski, B.J., and Chaytor, J.D., 20210618, Sedimentological and geotechnical analyses of marine sediment cores from the New England Mud Patch: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    Suggested citation: Boggess, A.A., Buczkowski, B.J., and Chaytor, J.D., 2021, Sedimentological and geotechnical analyses of marine sediment cores from the New England Mud Patch: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9ZYK3PX.
  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -70.7979
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -70.4370
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 40.5952
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 40.3058
  3. What does it look like?
    https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/60552e10d34e1894882d0ab5/?name=MudPatchCores_BrowseGraphic.png (PNG)
    Browse image of the core collection locations and spatial extent of the study area
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Beginning_Date: 19-Apr-2016
    Ending_Date: 02-May-2016
    Currentness_Reference:
    ground condition
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: Portable Data Format (PDF) Documents
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?
    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
    Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
    This dataset contains scanned images of hand-written, visual core descriptions of sediment cores collected aboard the R/V Endeavor on the 2016 EN577 cruise. After collection and splitting, the sediment cores were observed for visual changes grain-size texture, color, lithology, and sedimentary structures. Visual description sheets also contain location information, identifiable macrofossils and shell fragments, and torque gauge measurements for calculating shear strength. The dataset is composed of multiple PDF files, each pertaining one of the core types (piston, trigger, acoustic/gravity, and vibracore cores)collected during the 2016-001-FA field activity. A list of core IDs and sampling locations for this field activity are listed in "Collection Locations of Sediment Cores from the New England Mud Patch" within the greater work.
    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)
    • A.A. Boggess
    • B.J. Buczkowski
    • J.D. Chaytor
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
    Jason Chaytor
    U.S. Geological Survey, Northeast Region
    Research Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA
    US

    508-548-8700 x2351 (voice)
    jchaytor@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

The data gained through the analyses of cores collected from the New England Mud Patch help provide a comprehensive understanding of the nature and properties of the sediments found in this geographic location. Visual descriptions of the cores were used as a reference for determining sampling intervals and estimating the depths of major lithologic changes.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
    Chaytor (2021) (source 1 of 1)
    Chaytor, Jason D., Ballard, Megan S., Buczkowski, Brian J., Goff, John A., Lee, Kevin M., Reed, Allen H., and Boggess, Allyson A., 2021, Measurements of Geologic Characteristics and Geophysical Properties of Sediments from the New England Mud Patch: U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    Type_of_Source_Media: Digital and/or Hardcopy
    Source_Contribution:
    Section B3 contains equations for unit conversion of undrained shear strength measurements.
  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
    Date: 2016 (process 1 of 4)
    Sediment cores were cut into sections on the research vessel and later split in half in the laboratory.
    Date: 2020 (process 2 of 4)
    Each core was described in the laboratory. The features observed include color (based on the Munsell color chart), overall texture, and presence of shells and other biogenic material. Distinct and indistinct unit boundaries were identified with sedimentological changes. A torque meter was used to measure the vane shear strength of the material, recorded every 10 cm of depth in fine-grained sediment. Shear strength was not measured in sediment coarser than silt.
    Date: 2019 (process 3 of 4)
    Many of the core description sheets were redrawn from the original copy for clarity, neatness, and in cases where the paper was stained with core material. Each description sheet was scanned as a PDF, and then individual pages were combined into one multi-page PDF document for each core.
    Date: 17-Nov-2021 (process 4 of 4)
    Tweaked a thesaurus name (20211117). 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?
    Chaytor, Jason D., Ballard, Megan S., Buczkowski, Brian J., Goff, John A., Lee, Kevin M., Reed, Allen H., and Boggess, Allyson A., 2021, Measurements of Geologic Characteristics and Geophysical Properties of Sediments from the New England Mud Patch: IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society, Piscataway, NJ.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    This journal article is the publication supported by this data release.

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

  1. How well have the observations been checked?
    Visual descriptions, particularly surface color and sediment texture, are largely qualitative and subject to the observer's interpretations. Lower shear strength (0-9.4 oz in) sediment was measured with a manual torque gauge to an accuracy of 0.1 oz in (ounce-inch), and higher shear strength (6-25 oz in) sediment was measured with a digital torque gauge to an accuracy of 0.01 oz in. Shear strength measurements were later converted to kPa using equations described in Chaytor (2021), the associated publication.
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    Of the 98 cores collected during the R/V Endeavor EN577 cruise, 84 cores are included in this set of visual descriptions.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    Visual description data are qualitative and subjective; this dataset does not contain analytical results.

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:
Not to be used for navigation. The public domain data from the U.S. Government are freely redistributable with proper metadata and source attribution. Please recognize the U.S. Geological Survey as the originator of the dataset.
  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
    U.S. Geological Survey - 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? Data files (EN577_VisualDescriptions_PistonCores.pdf, EN577_VisualDescriptions_TriggerCores.pdf, EN577_VisualDescriptions_AcousticCores.pdf), the browse graphic (MudPatchCores_BrowseGraphic.png) and the FGDC CSDGM metadata in XML format (EN577_VisualCoreDescriptions_Metadata.xml).
  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
    Unless otherwise stated, all data, metadata and related materials are considered to satisfy the quality standards relative to the purpose for which the data were collected. Although these data and associated metadata have been reviewed for accuracy and completeness and approved for release by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the display or utility of the data on any other system or for general or scientific purposes, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty.
  4. How can I download or order the data?

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 17-Nov-2021
Metadata author:
Allyson A Boggess
U.S. Geological Survey, NORTHEAST REGION
Geologist
384 Woods Hole Road
Woods Hole, MA
US

508-548-8700 x2341 (voice)
508-457-2310 (FAX)
aboggess@usgs.gov
Metadata standard:
FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
This page is <https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/catalog/whcmsc/SB_data_release/DR_P9ZYK3PX/EN577_VisualCoreDescriptions_Metadata.faq.html>
Generated by mp version 2.9.50 on Thu Nov 18 14:49:53 2021