Field Activity Details for field activity 1974-014-FA

Other ID: KNKE BLM-Leg Bravo; CORPUS 23/29

Status: Completed

Organization(s): USGS, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Funding Program(s):

Principal Investigator(s): Gerald L. Shideler

Affiliate Investigator(s):

Information Specialist(s):

Data Type(s): Environmental Data: Temperature, Imagery: Photo, Sampling: Biology, Sampling: Geology, Environmental Data: Current, Seismics: Sub Bottom Profiler

Scientific Purpose/Goals: The overall objective of the program is to acquire the necessary geological, chemical, and biological baseline data for an environmental assessment of the South Texas Outer Continental Shelf. The data acquisition phase of the program is to be completed prior to leasing of the area for energy-resource development. The geological phase of this program is concerned primarily with determining the nature of sea floor sediments and substrate, as well as the nature of suspended sediment within the water column.

Vehicle(s):

Start Port/Location: Corpus Christi, TX

End Port/Location: Port Brownsville, TX

Start Date: 1974-11-11

End Date: 1974-11-25

Equipment Used: XBT, Camera- deep sea, Smith-MacIntyre grab, Gravity corer, Box corer, Current Drift Bottle, 3.5 kHz

Information to be Derived: Samples and chemical analysis; Bathymetric maps; Morphology;

Summary of Activity and Data Gathered: The 3.5 kHz seismic reflection profiles suggest some possible hydrocarbon seeps associated with faulting near the edge of the continental shelf. Ferro-manganese encrusted reef rock was obtained in 98 meters of water in the southeastern corner of the North Padre Island Area. A cursory inspection of XBT records suggests that the inner shelf waters are generally homogeneous, or else exhibit slightly increasing temperature gradients. This may possibly be attributed to pronounced mixing associated with the high wind velocities and sea state conditions experienced during the cruise. In contrast, the middle and outer shelf waters exhibit increasingly higher degrees of thermal stratification with increasing water depth. Relatively warm surface water masses generally overlie colder deeper masses, with well-defined thermoclines. There is also some indication of a relatively warm intermediate-depth layer at some of the deeper stations. The bottom sediments throughout most of the Texas OCS area that was sampled during BLM Leg Bravo consist of grayish-olive or olive-brown mud. Sand was found to be a minor constituent, and gravel detritus was not observed in any significant quantity. Water samples: 49 (3 at each of 13 stations plus 10 for quality control); XBTs: 44 stations; Bottom photographs: 19 stations; Smith-MacIntyre grab samples: 71 stations (6 subsamples at each); Gravity cores: 26 stations; Box cores: 39 stations; Samples for organic analyses: 34 stations; Benthic faunal collections: 110 (from grabs and box cores); Drift bottle casts: 24 stations; Seismic reflection profiles (3.5 kHz) and bathymetry: all stations.

Staff: Gerald L. Shideler, Robert E. Miller, Michael Dorsey, Ronald J. Miller, Robert Vitaglione, Kenneth Roberts

Affiliate Staff:
Michael English (Navigator - Decca)
Robert Trice (Navigator - Decca); Rod Jackson (Geological Field Assistant)
Michael Coleman (Geological Field Assistant)
Douglas Watson (Geological Field Assistant)
Steven Rabalais (Geological Field Assistant)
Ted Nehrkorn (Geological Field Assistant)

Notes:
Project = Marine geological survey of the South Texas OCS, Marine geological survey of the South Texas OCS

Location:

south Texas outer continental shelf, Texas, United States, Gulf of Mexico, North America, North Atlantic;

Platform(s):

Publications

Portals/Viewers

Documents associated with this activity

Data Acquired