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USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program

Field Activity Details for field activity 1985-028-FA

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Other ID: 85 Leg 2; FRNL 85-2, F285GM

Status: Completed

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

Funding Program(s): Other (Other)

Principal Investigator(s): Bonnie McGregor

Affiliate Investigator(s): Neil Kenyon - IOS

Information Specialist(s): Other

Data Type(s): Electro-Magnetic: Magnetics, Location-Elevation: Navigation, Seismics: Air Gun / Water Gun, Seismics: Sub Bottom Profiler, Sonar: Sidescan, Sonar: Single Beam

Scientific Purpose/Goals: The purpose of the cruise was to map the sea floor between the shelf edge and the seaward limit of the EEZ, using the GLORIA system owned and operated by IOS. Leg 2 focused in the central Gulf of Mexico on the Mississippi Fan seaward of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.

Vehicle(s):

Start Port/Location: New Orleans, LA

End Port/Location: Tampa, FL

Start Date: 1985-09-05

End Date: 1985-09-29

Equipment Used: 10 kHz Bathymetry, GLORIA sidescan, Marine magnetometer, Loran-C, Single channel hydrophone, ABC navigation system, Other, 3.5 kHz, Air gun

Information to be Derived: As part of a cooperative program between the U.S. Geological Survey and the Institute of Oceanographic Sciences (IOS), U.K., a survey of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Gulf of Mexico was conducted aboard the M/V FARNELLA. The purpose of the cruise was to map the sea floor between approximately the shelf edge and the seaward limit of the EEZ, using the GLORIA (Geologic LOng-Range Inclined Asdic) system owned and operated by IOS. Additional geophysical data collected simultaneously with the sidescan data include: 10 kHz, 3.5 kHz, air gun (160 cubic-inch chamber) with two-channel hydrophone, and magnetometer. Navigation was principally based on Loran-C, although transit satellite and Global Positioning System (GPS) data were also logged for comparison. All geophysical data were recorded digitally on magnetic tape and the airgun data were recorded on analog magnetic tape. A preliminary mosaic of the sidescan data was constructed at sea at a scale of 1:375,000, using an anamorphic camera to adjust the images to the ship's track. Post-cruise image processing and enhancement of the data are planned before construction of the final mosaic.

Summary of Activity and Data Gathered: This cruise was very successful. Equipment down time was minimal. The warm surface water temperature continued to limit the GLORIA range necessitating closer line spacing than planned. The presence of the loop current for the last half of the cruise not only provided warm surface water temperatures but also a strong current often approaching 4 knots. The current shear prevented the GLORIA fish from towing parallel to the ship's track, introducing some distortion in the mosaic. In the northeast portion of the Gulf near Desoto Canyon fishing boats with lines set across our proposed track caused a problem requiring several lines to be terminated early. Leg 3A will collect data to cover these data gaps. An additional 8 days will be necessary on Leg 3 to complete the coverage of the Mississippi Fan. The objective of this leg was to map the surface features in the Mississippi Fan area. Although the channel of the Mississippi could be identified on the mid-fan, over much of the fan the channel was obscured by a major submarine slide or slides. Flow patterns were well displayed on the surface and the slide could be mapped to the base of the West Florida Escarpment. Another submarine slide was also present in the Desoto Canyon area. The meandering channel from Desoto Canyon was traced from this slide seaward parallel to the escarpment. Mass wasting appears to be an important process in distributing sediments in the deep water of the central Gulf. The Sigsbee Escarpment was mapped to the east as far as the Mississippi Canyon. Isolated salt diapirs were present to the east of the Mississippi Canyon.

Staff: Ronald C. Circe, John S. Schlee, David Twichell

Affiliate Staff:
Bonnie McGregor - co-Ch. Sci.
USGS-Miami; Neil Kenyon - co-Ch. Sci.
IOS; Martin Beney - Shipboard computing
RVS; Eric Darlington - GLORIA engineer
IOS; Malcolm Harris - GLORIA engineer
IOS; Colin Jacobs - geologist
IOS; Ross Walker - GLORIA engineer
IOS; Robert Wallace - airgun tech
IOS; Stephen Willams - geologist
IOS; John Wagner - geologist
LSU

Notes: image2segy data at PCMSC on FAD
PI's Bonnie McGregor, Neil Kenyon
Platform Farnella
Original Center People field contained: Ronald Circe; John Schlee - geologist; Dave Twichell - Data curator.
Project = GLORIA Gulf of Mexico Survey 1985, GLORIA Gulf of Mexico Survey 1985

Location:

central Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi fan area, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, United States, North America, North Atlantic;

Boundaries
North: 29.25 South: 25 West: -91 East: -85

Platform(s):

photo of Farnella
Farnella

Publications

Lubinski, D.J., and Twichell, D.C., 1989, Magnetic and bathymetric data from R/V FARNELLA cruises FRNL85-1, 85-2, and 85-3 in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico EEZ: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 89-156, 6 p., URL: https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr89156.

Paskevich, V.F., 1996, Digital mosaics of the GLORIA sidescan sonar data of the Gulf of Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report, https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr96657.

Paskevich, V.F., 2000, Gulf of Mexico GLORIA sidescan sonar geologic interpretation—ArcView data coverages: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2000-019, https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr0019.

Twichell, D.C. Cross, V.A., Paskevich, V.F., Hutchinson, D.R., Winters, W.J., and Hart, P.E., 2006, GIS of selected geophysical and core data in the northern Gulf of Mexico continental slope collected by the U.S. Geological Survey: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2005-1071, DVD-ROM, also available from https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20051071.

Twichell, D.C., McGregor, B.A., and Lubinski, D.J., 1989, Seismic-reflection data from R/V FARNELLA cruises FRNL82-7, FRNL85-1, FRNL85-2, and FRNL85-3A in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico EEZ: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 89-549, 7 p., URL: https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr89549.

Twichell, D.C., and Paskevich, V.F., 1996, GLORIA sidescan-sonar field data and navigation data collected in the Gulf of Mexico during R/V FARNELLA cruises in 1982 and 1985: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 96-707, https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr96707.

Portals/Viewers

Documents associated with this activity

Title Survey Equipment Description
Cruise report (document not focused on specific equipment) Chief Scientist's cruise report includes personnel and a summary for each leg of the operation (covers 2 cruises - 85027 and 85028) as well as trackmaps.
Contractor's report (document not focused on specific equipment) Contract Report (pdf file) Institute of Oceanographic Sciences contract report. Includes personnel, program description, cruise narrative, scientific results and trackmaps. The report specified 4 legs of operation.

Data Acquired

Survey EquipmentSurvey InfoData Type(s)Data Collected
10 kHz Bathymetry --- Single Beam
1985-028-FA-BA-001 (Digital tape(s) of GLORIA, NV,BT, PROCESSED GLORIA, )
1985-028-FA-BA-002 (CD ROM disk of GLORIA ATLANTIC GEOTIFF, GLORIA GULF MEXICO GEOTIFF, GLORIA IMAGES, GLORIA/MOSAIC 1-16, )
NGDC MGD77 data
GLORIA sidescan --- Sidescan
1985-028-FA-SO-002 (CD ROM disk of GLORIA ATLANTIC GEOTIFF, GLORIA GULF MEXICO GEOTIFF, GLORIA IMAGES, GLORIA/MOSAIC 1-16, )
1985-028-FA-SO-001 (Digital tape(s) of GLORIA, NV,BT, PROCESSED GLORIA, )
GLORIA sidescan data
Marine magnetometer --- Magnetics
NGDC MGD77 data
Loran-C --- Navigation
1985-028-FA-LN-001-01 (Trackline map for R/V FARNELLA cruise FRNL85-2)
Nav data
Single channel hydrophone --- Air Gun / Water Gun
Boomer
Bubble Gun
Sparker
Sub Bottom Profiler
1985-028-FA-SE-001 (microfilm of )
1985-028-FA-SE-003 (Collection of single-channel high-resolution seismic paper profiles including 3.5kHz (22 folders FD#1981-2000,4001-4002); airgun 5-sec sweep (5 folders #FD4003-4007; airgun 8-sec sweep (5 folders FD #4008-4012); airgun 2-sec sweep (1 folder FD #4026); airgun 4-sec sweep (2 folders FD #4027-4028); 10kHz (9 folders FD #4013-4021))
1985-028-FA-SE-003-01 (Electronic scans of some paper seismic profiles.)
1985-028-FA-SE-002 (analog tape of seismic data)
ABC navigation system --- Navigation
Other --- --- ---
3.5 kHz --- Sub Bottom Profiler
Air gun --- Air Gun / Water Gun

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