Other ID: FAY 011, Leg Alpha; CORPUS 31/37
Status: Completed
Organization(s): USGS, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
Funding Program(s):
Principal Investigator(s): Louis E. Garrison
Affiliate Investigator(s):
Information Specialist(s):
Data Type(s): Sampling: Geology, Seismics: Sparker, Seismics: Sub Bottom Profiler, Sampling: Biology, Biological Field Study: Experiments (biological), Imagery: Photo, Environmental Data: Dissolved Oxygen, Environmental Data: Temperature, Location-Elevation: Navigation
Scientific Purpose/Goals: General objective of the Gulf of Mexico Continental Slope project is to define the possible extent of unstable sediments on the slope and estimate the degree of instability in selected areas. The first phase of the slope project involved acquisition and interpretation of 11,233 statute miles of high-resolution seismic data throughout the study area. Western Geophysical Company of America collected the geophysical data incuding fathometer profiles, 3.5 kHz sub-bottom profiles and 1000 joule sparker profiles. From these data, a map of the shallow surface geological features of the slope was produced. Using this information, specific sites were chosen for deep gulf cruises aboard the FAY. High density seismic profiling was done at each site followed by a sediment sampling program.
Vehicle(s):
Start Port/Location: Corpus Christi, TX
End Port/Location: New Orleans, LA
Start Date: 1976-03-10
End Date: 1976-03-25
Equipment Used: Single channel hydrophone, Hydroplastic corer, EG&G sparker, 3.5 kHz, Smith-MacIntyre grab, Gravity corer, Benthos model 372 camera and strobe, InterOceans temperature, depth and dissolved oxygen profiling instrument, Integrated Navigation System, Piston corer
Information to be Derived: Grain size analysis; Sea floor map; Morphology;
Summary of Activity and Data Gathered: Minisparker profile: 1248 km; 3.5 kHz EDO: 125 km; Piston cores: 5; Hydroplastic cores: 16; Smith-MacIntyre samples: 16; Dissolved oxygen traces: 11; Bottom photo stations: 10; Gravity cores: 0; Core log: #37A; Sparker log: #37B; Sparker log #37C.
Staff: Louis E. Garrison, Ronald J. Miller, Robert Vitaglione, Cynthia Rice, Kenneth Roberts, Michael Dorsey, Carroll Pyle
Affiliate Staff:
Tom Tatum
Jim Woods
Scott Heald
Dee Haines; Univ. Wisconsin: Scudder Mackey
Jay van Tassel; Texas A&M Univ.: Lester Shepard; Texas A&I Univ.: Kathy Williamson; Western Geophysical: Hendrick Hinkes
Notes: Original Center People field contained: Louis Garrison-Ch. Sci., Ronald Miller, Bob Vitaglione, Jack Kindinger, Cindy Rice, Tom Tatum, Ken Roberts, Mike Dorsey, Jim Woods, Scott Heald, Dee Haines, and Cary Pyle.
Project = Gulf of Mexico Continental Slope, Gulf of Mexico Continental Slope
Information from Foghorn: EG&G minisparker;EDO Western 3.5 kHz sub-bottom profiler;Smith-MacIntyre grab sampler;Piston corer;Gravity corer;Benthos underwater camera;InterOceans temperature, depth and dissolved oxygen profiling instrument;
Location:
outer continental shelf, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, United States, Gulf of Mexico, North America, North Atlantic;
| Boundaries | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| North: 31 | South: 17 | West: -100 | East: -80 |
Platform(s):
 Fay |
Booth, J.S., 1979, Results of laboratory tests on surficial sediments from the upper continental slope, northern Gulf of Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 79-579, 11 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr79579.
| Title | Survey Equipment | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cruise report | (document not focused on specific equipment) | Chief Scientist's daily log of ship movement, equipment and data acquisition notes, personnel, track maps. The information also applies to field activities 1976-007-FA, 1076-011-FA, and 1976-013-FA. |
| Cruise report | (document not focused on specific equipment) | Manual for successive Fay cruises conducted between March and June 1976 in the Gulf of Mexico including daily log of ship movement, equipment and data acquisition notes, personnel, track maps. Very extensive report including figures of data with explanations. Includes information for the following field activities: 1976-004-FA, 1976-005-FA, 1976-007-FA, 1976-011-FA, 1976-013-FA, 1976-015-FA. 1976-005-FA: |
| Survey Equipment | Survey Info | Data Type(s) | Data Collected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single channel hydrophone | --- | Air Gun / Water Gun Boomer Bubble Gun Sparker Sub Bottom Profiler | 1976-005-FA-SE-001 (microfilm of GULF SEISMIC PROFILES (sparker)) |
| Hydroplastic corer | --- | Geology | |
| EG&G sparker | --- | Sparker | |
| 3.5 kHz | --- | Sub Bottom Profiler | |
| Smith-MacIntyre grab | --- | Biology Geology | |
| Gravity corer | --- | Geology | |
| Benthos model 372 camera and strobe | --- | Photo | |
| InterOceans temperature, depth and dissolved oxygen profiling instrument | --- | Dissolved Oxygen Temperature | |
| Integrated Navigation System | --- | Navigation | 1976-005-FA-LN-001-02 (Track Map Alpha VIII (pdf file) Plotted track map Alpha VIII, Lines 1 through 8 with shotpoints.) 1976-005-FA-LN-001-05 (Track Map Alpha II (pdf file) Plotted track map Alpha II, Lines 1A through 15 with shotpoints.) 1976-005-FA-LN-001-04 (Track Map Alpha V/VA (pdf file) Plotted track map Alpha V/VA, Lines 1 through 25 and 25A through 30 with shotpoints.) 1976-005-FA-LN-001-03 (Track Map Alpha IV (pdf file) Plotted track map Alpha IV, Lines 1 through 7 with shotpoints.) 1976-005-FA-LN-001-01 (Track Map Alpha I (pdf file) Plotted track map Alpha I, Lines 1-1 through 1-12 with shotpoints.) 1976-005-FA-LN-002 (Digital tape(s) of NV, ) |
| Piston corer | --- | Geology |
