Wayne Baldwin
2016
Physiographic Zones of the Sea Floor for Vineyard and western Nantucket Sounds, Massachusetts (polygon shapefile, Geographic, WGS84)
1
vector digital data
Open-File Report
2016-1119
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA
U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program
https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2016/1119/GIS_catalog/PhysiographicZones/VineyardNantucketSound_Pzones.zip
Wayne E. Baldwin
David S. Foster
Elizabeth A. Pendleton
Walter A. Barnhardt
William C. Schwab
Brian D. Andrews
Seth D. Ackerman
2016
Shallow Geology, Sea-Floor Texture, and Physiographic Zones of Vineyard and western Nantucket Sounds, Massachusetts
1
Open-File Report
2016-1119
Reston, VA
U.S. Geological Survey
https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2016/1119/
Geologic, sediment texture, and physiographic zone maps characterize the sea floor of Vineyard and western Nantucket Sounds, 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.
These sea floor physiographic zones were created from geophysical and sample data collected from Vineyard and western Nantucket Sounds, and are used to characterize the sea floor in the area. Physiographic zone maps are important data layers for marine resource managers charged with protecting fish habitat, delineating marine boundaries, and assessing environmental change due to natural or human impacts.
20010905
20110831
ground condition of the source data that this interpretation is based on
None planned
-71.029685
-70.430489
41.561614
41.320506
None
U.S. Geological Survey
USGS
Coastal and Marine Geology Program
CMGP
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
WHCMSC
Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management
CZM
Sea floor
Marine Geology
Interpretation
Bathymetry
Backscatter
Slope
Topography
Esri Shapefile
Physiographic Zones
Rocky Zone
Hard-bottom Plain
Nearshore Ramp
Nearshore Basin
Outer Basin
Ebb-tidal Delta
Coastal Embayment
Shell Zone
Shoal\Sand Wave
ISO keywords
oceans
None
Vineyard Sound
Nantucket Sound
Atlantic Ocean
Cape Cod
Succonnesset Point
Falmouth
Woods Hole
Gosnold
Elizabeth Islands
Nonamesset Island
Naushon Island
Pasque Island
Nashawena Island
Cuttyhunk Island
Martha’s Vineyard
Aquinnah
Menemsha
Vineyard Haven
Oak Bluffs
Edgartown
Cape Poge
Lucas Shoal
Middle Ground Shoal
L'Hommedieu Shoal
Succonnesset Shoal
Hedge Fence Shoal
Squash Meadow Shoal
None
Sea floor
None
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.
Additionally, there are limitations associated with qualitative sediment mapping interpretations. Because of the scale of the source geophysical data and the spacing of samples, not all changes in sea floor texture are captured. The data were mapped between 1:5,000 and 1:20,000, but the recommended scale for application of these data is 1:25,000.
Wayne Baldwin
U.S. Geological Survey
Geologist
mailing and physical address
U.S. Geological Survey
384 Woods Hole Road
Woods Hole
MA
02543-1598
USA
508-548-8700 x2226
508-457-2310
wbaldwin@usgs.gov
https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2016/1119/GIS_catalog/PhysiographicZones/VineyardNantucketSound_Pzones.png
Image of the physiographic zone shapefile for Vineyard and western Nantucket Sounds
PNG
ESRI ArcCatalog 9.3.1.4095
Kelley, J.T.
Barnhardt, W.A.
Belknap, D.F.
Dickson, S.M.
Kelley, A.R.
1998
The Seafloor Revealed: The Geology of the Northwestern Gulf of Maine Inner Continental Shelf
1.0
document
Maine Geological Survey Open-File Report
96-6
Augusta, Maine
Maine Geological Survey, Natural Resources Information and Mapping Center
http://www.maine.gov/dacf/mgs/explore/marine/seafloor/96-6.pdf
Barnhardt, W.A.
Kelley, J.T.
Dickson, S.M.
Belknap, D.F.
1998
Mapping the Gulf of Maine with Side-scan Sonar: a New Bottom-type Classification for Complex Seafloors
1.0
document
Journal of Coastal Research
14(2)
Royal Palm Beach, FL
Coastal Education and Research Foundation, Inc.
McMullen, K.Y.
Paskevich, V.F.
Poppe, L.J.
2011
GIS data catalog (version 2.2), in Poppe, L.J., Williams, S.J., and Paskevich, V.F., eds., 2005, USGS East-coast Sediment Analysis: Procedures, Database, and GIS Data
2.2
tabular digital data
Open-File Report
2005-1001
Reston, VA
U.S. Geological Survey
https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2005/1001/htmldocs/datacatalog.htm
Ford, K.H.
Voss, S.E
2010
Seafloor Sediment Composition in Massachusetts Determined Using Point Data
1.0
document
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Technical Report
TR-45
New Bedford, MA
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/dfg/dmf/publications/tr-45.pdf
These data were drawn and vetted for accuracy using the source input rasters and point sample data described in the processing steps and source contributions. Overlapping features and unintentional gaps within the survey area were identified using the topology checker in ArcMap (version 9.3.1) and corrected or removed.
Not all digitized sea floor features contained sample information, so often the sea floor texture is characterized by the nearest similar feature that contains a sample. Conversely, sometimes a digitized feature contained multiple samples and not all of the samples within the feature were in agreement (of the same texture). In these cases all data were considered, and the dominant sediment texture from sample analyses did not necessarily determine the primary texture assigned to a polygon. Samples from rocky areas often only consist of bottom photographs, because large particle size often prevents the recovery of a sediment sample. Bottom photo classification can be subjective, such that determining the sediment type that is greater than 50% of the view frame is estimated by the interpreter and may differ among interpreters. Bottom photo transects often reveal changes in the sea floor over distances of less than 100 m and these changes are often not observable in acoustic data. Heterogeneous sea floor texture can change very quickly, and many small-scale changes will not be detectable or mappable at a scale of 1:25,000. The boundaries of polygons are often inferred on the basis of sediment samples, and even boundaries that are traced on the basis of amplitude changes in geophysical data are subject to migration. Polygon boundaries should be considered an approximation of the location of a change in texture.
These physiographic zones are defined for areas where source data exists. In general, gaps in the coverage coincide with gaps in the source data. However, some small data gaps were interpreted through extrapolation. Areas of lower data quality and incomplete coverage are noted in a data confidence attribute field.
These data were produced qualitatively from acoustic and sample data with varying resolutions. Horizontal uncertainty associated with sample collection especially, can be quite high (100's of meters), much higher than positional uncertainty associated with acoustic data (usually less than <10's of meters). The date of sample collection and ship station positioning all contribute to sample position uncertainty. These qualitatively derived polygons outlining sea floor features are estimated to be within 50 meters, horizontally, but locally may be higher when sediment texture delineation is based on sample information alone.
Poppe, L.J.
Ackerman, S.D.
Foster, D.S.
Blackwood, D.S.
Butman, B.
Moser, M.S.
Stewart, H.F.
2007
Sea-floor character and surface processes in the vicinity of Quicks Hole, Elizabeth Islands, Massachusetts
Open-File Report
2006-1357
Reston, VA
U.S. Geological Survey
https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2006/1357/
online
20040810
20050617
ground condition
Poppe and others, 2007
This publication provides the source geophysical data (backscatter and bathymetry) and bottom photographs and sediment samples for the Quicks Hole area. Two 29-foot launches deployed from the NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson were used to acquire bathymetric and backscatter data during 2004. The multibeam bathymetric data were collected with hull-mounted 455-kHz RESON 8125 and 240-kHz RESON 8101 systems. The sidescan-sonar data were acquired with a hull-mounted Klein 5250 system operating at 100 kHz. Sediment samples and bottom photos were collected aboard the R/V Rafael with a modified Van Veen grab sampler and SEABOSS, respectively.
Poppe, L.J.
McMullen, K.Y.
Foster, D.S.
Blackwood, D.S.
Williams, S.J.
Ackerman, S.D.
Moser, M.S.
Glomb, K.A.
2010
Geological interpretation of the sea floor offshore of Edgartown, Massachusetts
Open-File Report
2009-1001
Reston, VA
U.S. Geological Survey
https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2009/1001/
online
20040814
20080909
ground condition
Poppe and others, 2010
This publication provides the source geophysical (backscatter and bathymetry) and bottom photographs and sediment samples in the vicinity of Edgartown. Two 29-foot launches deployed from the NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson were used to acquire bathymetric and backscatter data during 2004. The multibeam bathymetric data were collected with hull-mounted 455-kHz RESON 8125 and 240-kHz RESON 8101 systems. The sidescan-sonar data were acquired with a hull-mounted Klein 5250 system operating at 100 kHz. Sediment samples and bottom photos were collected aboard the R/V Rafael with a modified Van Veen grab sampler and SEABOSS, respectively.
Pendleton, E.A.
Twichell, D.C.
Foster, D.S.
Worley, C.R
Irwin, B.J.
Danforth, W.W.
2012
High-resolution geophysical data from the sea floor surrounding the Western Elizabeth Islands, Massachusetts
Open-File Report
2011-1184
Reston, VA
U.S. Geological Survey
https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2011/1184/
online
20100909
20100918
ground condition
Pendleton and others, 2012
This report provided source geophysical data (sidescan, bathymetry, and seismic-reflection profiles) for portions of Vineyard Sound adjacent to the western Elizabeth Islands. Surveying was conducted aboard the RV Rafael in September 2010. Interferometric-sonar, sidescan-sonar, and chirp seismic-reflection systems were deployed simultaneously during the cruise. Bathymetric sounding data were collected with an SEA SWATHplus 234-kilohertz (kHz) interferometric sonar system. Sidescan-sonar (acoustic-backscatter) data were acquired with a Klein 3000 dual-frequency (100 and 500 kHz) sidescan-sonar system. High-resolution chirp seismic-reflection profiles were collected using an EdgeTech Geo-Star full spectrum sub-bottom (FSSB) system and SB-424 towfish.
Andrews, B.D.
Ackerman, S.D.
Baldwin, W.E.
Foster, D.S.
Schwab, W.C.
2014
High-Resolution Geophysical Data from the Inner Continental Shelf at Vineyard Sound, Massachusetts
2
Open-File Report
2012-1006
Reston, VA
U.S. Geological Survey
https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2012/1006/
online
20090528
20110517
ground condition
Andrews and others, 2014
This report provided the source geophysical data (sidescan, bathymetry, and seismic-reflection profiles) for Vineyard and western Nantucket Sounds. The mapping was conducted during research cruises aboard the Megan T. Miller (2009 and 2010) and the Scarlett Isabella (2011). Bathymetric data were acquired using a Systems Engineering and Assessment, Ltd. (SEA) SWATHplus-M 234-kilohertz (kHz) interferometric sonar system, acoustic backscatter data were collected with a Klein 3000 dual-frequency sidescan-sonar (132 and 445 kHz), and chirp seismic-reflection data were collected using an EdgeTech Geo-Star FSSB subbottom profiling system and an SB-0512i towfish.
Pendleton, E.A.
Andrews, B.D.
Danforth, W.W.
Foster, D.S.
2014
High-resolution geophysical data collected aboard the U.S. Geological Survey research vessel Rafael to supplement existing datasets from Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound, Massachusetts
Open-File Report
2013-1020
Reston, VA
U.S. Geological Survey
https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2013/1020/
online
20071005
20110413
ground condition
Pendleton and others, 2014
This report provided the source geophysical data (sidescan, bathymetry, and seismic-reflection profiles) for central portions of Vineyard and western Nantucket Sounds. These areas were surveyed with the RV Rafael in 2010 and 2011. In 2010, seismic-reflection data were acquired with a boomer source and GeoEel 8-channel streamer. Interferometric-sonar, sidescan-sonar, and Knudsen seismic-reflection systems were deployed simultaneously during cruise 2011. Bathymetry data were collected with an SEA SWATHplus 234-kilohertz (kHz) interferometric sonar, Sidescan-sonar (acoustic-backscatter) data were acquired with a Klein 3000 dual-frequency (100 and 500 kHz) sidescan sonar, and high-resolution chirp seismic data were collected using a dual frequency (3.5 and 200 kHz) Knudsen Engineering Limited (KEL) Chirp 3202 system.
Ford, K.H.
Huntley, E.C.
Sampson, D.W.
Voss, S.
Unpublished Material
Massachusetts Sediment Database
vector digital data
This sample database has been compiled and vetted from existing samples and datasets by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management. The data are currently unpublished, but may be acquired by contacting the CZM office:
251 Causeway St Boston, MA 02114
(617) 626-1000
czm@state.ma.us
digital vector
19950101
20110101
ground condition
CZM sample database
Sediment sample databases of Ford and Voss (2010) and McMullen and others (2011) were combined then edited and supplemented with NOAA chart sampling data and bottom photos and descriptions by a group of GIS specialists at the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (Emily Huntley, personal communication). These data contained sediment laboratory statistics when available, visual descriptions if sediment analysis was not performed or if the site was a bottom photograph, and classification fields of Barnhardt and others (1998), Shepard (1954), and Wentworth (1922) as well as average sediment statistics and phi size, when laboratory analysis was conducted.
Poppe, L.J.
McMullen, K.Y.
Foster, D.S.
Blackwood, D.S.
Williams, S.J.
Ackerman, S.D.
Barnum, S.R.
Brennan, R.T.
2008
Sea-floor character and sedimentary processes in the vicinity of Woods Hole, Massachusetts
1.0
raster digital data
Open File Report
2008-1004
Reston, VA
U.S. Geological Survey
https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1004/
online
20010905
20071119
ground condition
Poppe and others, 2008
This publication provides the source geophysical data (backscatter and bathymetry) and bottom photographs and sediment samples for Woods Hole. Two 29-foot launches deployed from the NOAA Ship Whiting were used to acquire bathymetric and backscatter data during 2001. The bathymetric data were collected with a hull-mounted 240-kHz RESON 8101 shallow-water system aboard launch 1005. The sidescan-sonar data were acquired with a hull-mounted Klein T-5000 system operating at 455 kHz aboard launch 1014. Sediment samples and bottom photos were collected aboard the R/V Rafael with a modified Van Veen grab sampler and SEABOSS, respectively, in 2007.
Ackerman, S.D.
Pappal, A.L.
Huntley, E.C.
Blackwood, D.S.
Schwab, W.C.
2015
Geological Sampling Data and Benthic Biota Classification: Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound, Massachusetts
document
Open file Report
2014-1221
Reston, VA
U.S. Geological Survey
https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2014/1221
online
20100909
20110914
ground condition
Ackerman and others, 2014
This report provided high-resolution digital photographs of the Vineyard Sound and Buzzards Bay Seafloor. At each station, the USGS SEABOSS was towed approximately one meter off the bottom at speeds of less than one knot. Because the recorded position is actually the position of the GPS antenna on the survey vessel, not the SEABOSS sampler, the estimated horizontal accuracy of the sample location is ± 30 meters (m). Photographs were obtained using a Konica-Minolta DiMAGE A2 digital still camera, and continuous video was collected from a Kongsberg Simrad OE1365 high-resolution color video camera, usually for 5 to 15 minutes. These data were important in defining rocky zones where sediment samples do not exist.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Joint Airborne Lidar Bathymetry Center of Expertise
2009
2005 - 2007 US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Topo/Bathy Lidar: Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island
digital point data
Charleston, SC
NOAA National Ocean Service (NOS), Coastal Services Center (CSC)
http://coast.noaa.gov/dataviewer/?action=advsearch&qType=in&qFld=ID&qVal=116
ftp://coast.noaa.gov/pub/DigitalCoast/lidar1_z/geoid12a/data/116
online
20070527
20070527
ground condition
USACE-JALBTCX, 2009
The source lidar data for the very nearshore (< -5 m) region along the northern shoreline of Vineyard and western Nantucket Sounds. Lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) data were acquired with a SHOALS-1000T (for hydrographic & topographic data) using the Joint Airborne Joint Airborne LiDAR Bathymetry Center of Expertise (JALBTCX) lidar plane. These data are now publically available in LAS lidar format via NOAA's Digital Coast website.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
2008
Descriptive report, navigable area survey H11920, Vineyard Sound, Massachusetts, Gay Head to Cedar Tree Neck
BAG files
Norfolk, VA
National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration - National Ocean Survey
http://surveys.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/NOS/coast/H10001-H12000/H11920/
http://surveys.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/NOS/coast/H10001-H12000/H11920/DR/H11920.pdf
online
20080715
20080908
ground condition
NOAA, 2008
The Bathymetry Attributed Grid (BAG) files accompanying this publication provide the source bathymetry data for portions of Vineyard Sound around the Menemsha Bight. Two 29-foot launches deployed from the NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson were used to acquire bathymetry during 2008 using hull-mounted 455-kHz RESON 8125 and 240-kHz RESON 8101 systems.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
2008
Descriptive report, navigable area survey H11921, Vineyard Sound, Massachusetts, Sow and Pigs reef to Quicks Hole
BAG and TIFF files
Norfolk, VA
National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration - National Ocean Survey
http://surveys.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/NOS/coast/H10001-H12000/H11921/
http://surveys.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/NOS/coast/H10001-H12000/H11921/DR/H11921.pdf
online
20080806
20080908
ground condition
NOAA, 2008
The BAG and TIFF files accompanying this publication provide the source geophysical data (backscatter and bathymetry) for portions of Vineyard Sound around Cuttyhunk Island and Quicks Hole. Two 29-foot launches deployed from the NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson were used to acquire bathymetric and backscatter data during 2008. The multibeam bathymetric data were collected with hull-mounted 455-kHz RESON 8125 and 240-kHz RESON 8101 systems. The sidescan-sonar data were acquired with a hull-mounted Klein 5250 system operating at 100 kHz.
NOAA National Geophysical Data Center
2015
NOS Hydrographic Survey Data
tabular digital data
http://ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/bathymetry/hydro.html
online
1938
1977
ground condition
NOAA Single-Beam Soundings
These data include NOAA lead-line and single-beam sonar soundings, which were used to cover areas where no swath bathymetry or lidar data exist.
Sea floor physiographic zones were qualitatively defined in ArcGIS, following the criteria defined by Kelley and others (1996), primarily on the basis of acoustic backscatter, bathymetrically derived slope and roughness, surficial geologic interpretations from seismic-reflection data, and textural information from bottom photographs and sediment samples. The interpretation was initiated by digitizing a polygon shapefile (file > new > shapefile in ArcCatalog 9.3.1, then editor > 'create new feature' in ArcMap 9.3.1) around the extent of the regional bathymetric DEM (see vns10m_navd88 in the larger work citation), and a new field called 'Pzone_name' was created in the shapefile attribute table. The polygon was then partitioned into multiple physiographic zone polygons using 'cut polygon' and 'auto-complete polygon' in an edit session. As each new polygon area was created, the 'Pzone_name' attribute field was populated with the appropriate physiographic zone label. In general, polygon editing was done at scales between 1:5,000 and 1:20,000, depending on the size of the interpreted zone and the resolution of the source data.
All source geophysical data and sediment texture analysis data
2014
Wayne Baldwin
U.S. Geological Survey
Geologist
mailing and physical address
U.S. Geological Survey
384 Woods Hole Road
Woods Hole
MA
02543-1598
USA
508-5488700 x2226
508-457-2310
wbaldwin@usgs.gov
The polygon shapefile containing the physiographic zone units was imported as a feature class within a file geodatabase feature dataset, and topological rules were established (ArcCatalog 9.3.1). Topological errors, primarily overlaps and gaps, were identified and remedied using the topology toolbar in ArcMap (9.3.1).
polygon shapefile containing the physiographic zone units
2014
Wayne Baldwin
U.S. Geological Survey
Geologist
mailing and physical address
U.S. Geological Survey
384 Woods Hole Road
Woods Hole
MA
02543-1598
USA
508-548-8700 x2226
508-457-2310
wbaldwin@usgs.gov
The physiographic zone polygon feature class was exported back to a shapefile and the 'Shape_Area' and 'Shape_Length' fields were deleted from its attribute table (ArcCatalog and ArcMap 9.3.1). XTools Pro (7.1.0) was then used to add and populate a new attribute field containing polygon area in square kilometers based on UTM, zone 19 N, WGS84. Finally, the shapefile was reprojected from UTM zone 19 N, WGS84 to GCS WGS84 using ArcToolbox > Data Management Tools > Projections and Transformations > Feature > Project.
physiographic zone polygon feature class
2014
Wayne Baldwin
U.S. Geological Survey
Geologist
mailing and physical address
U.S. Geological Survey
384 Woods Hole Road
Woods Hole
MA
02543-1598
USA
508-548-8700 x2226
508-457-2310
wbaldwin@usgs.gov
Vector
G-polygon
1149
0.000001
0.000001
Decimal degrees
D_WGS_1984
WGS_1984
6378137.000000
298.257224
VineyardNantucketSound_Pzones
Physiographic zones shapefile for Vineyard and western Nantucket Sounds
U.S. Geological Survey
FID
Internal feature number.
ESRI
Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.
Shape
Feature geometry.
Esri
Coordinates defining the features.
Pzone_name
Based on geologic maps produced for the Western Gulf of Maine (Kelley and others, 1996), the sea floor within the study area can be divided into geologic environments, or physiographic zones, which are delineated from sea-floor morphology and the dominant texture of surficial material.
U.S. Geological Survey
Rocky Zone
Rocky zones are rugged areas of high bathymetric relief, characterized by fields of mounded boulders and cobble near the terminal moraines, to relatively flat, gravel-covered, and isolated till highs in central portions of the sounds. Water depths range from 1 to 30 m. Although boulders and coarse-grained sediment are found within all physiographic zones defined here, they dominate the sea floor in rocky rones.
Kelley and others, 1996; modified by USGS
Nearshore Basin
Nearshore basins are areas of shallow, low relief sea floor adjacent to the mainland and separated from offshore areas by islands and shoals. Water depths range from 0 to 35 m. Along their landward margins, the basin sediment merges with the intertidal zone, often a nearshore ramp, in a gradational contact.
Kelley and others, 1996; modified by USGS
Nearshore Ramp
Nearshore ramps are areas of gently sloping sea floor with generally shore-parallel bathymetric contours. Water depths range from 0 to 30 m. This zone is covered by primarily sandy sediment, though patches of cobbles and boulders crop out on the sea floor in places. Nearshore ramps are typically adjacent to arcuate shoreline areas and grade into deeper-water nearshore basin, hardbottom plain, or outer basin zones.
Kelley and others, 1996; modified by USGS
Ebb Tidal Delta
Ebb-tidal deltas are lobate sandy shoals found on the side of inlets that form through the interaction of waves and ebbing tidal currents. Water depths range from 1 to 14 m. Ebb-tidal deltas in the study area are located on the soundward sides of several bays located along the south coast of Cape Cod on Nantucket Sound, as well as adjacent to tidal passages between the Elizabeth Islands
U.S. Geological Survey
Hard-Bottom Plains
Hard-bottom plains are mostly low-relief but rough zones of sea floor composed primarily of coarse sands and gravels that are situated adjacent and between the shoal/sand wave zones in the sounds. Water depths range from 4 to 30 m.
Kelley and others, 1996; modified by U.S. Geological Survey
Outer Basin
Outer basins are low-relief and mostly smooth zones of sea floor located in water depths greater than 30 m. The only outer basin identified in the study area lies beyond the western mouth of Vineyard Sound, on the margin of Rhode Island Sound. The broad depression is characterized by primarily muddy sands
Kelley and others, 1996; modified by U.S. Geological Survey
Coastal Embayment
Coastal embayments include several small bays and harbors in the vicinity of Woods Hole and along the shorelines of the Elizabeth Islands.
U.S. Geological Survey
Shell Zones
Shell zones are areas that are nearly completely covered by carbonate shells. A portion of sea floor between L’Hommediue and Hedge Fence shoals in western Nantucket Sound was mapped where high densities of slipper shells (Crepidula fornicata) cover the sea floor. Despite high acoustic backscatter in sidescan-sonar data, sediment samples recovered primarily muddy sediments beneath the shells. The shell zone water depths range from 15 to 18 m.
U.S. Geological Survey
Shoal - Sand Waves
Shoal/sand wave areas are sea-floor zones dominated by linear to sinuous, high relief bedforms (up to 16 m locally) primarily composed of sandy sediments that have been reworked from adjacent glacial deposits by energetic tidal currents. Water depths range from approximately 3 to 30 m. The largest shoals form elongate chains in central portions of the Sounds that geologic and geophysical data suggest are at least partly cored by Pleistocene glacial material, which crops out at the sea floor locally along their lengths.
U.S. Geological Survey
Area_sqkm
Area of feature in kilometers squared (UTM, Zone 19, WGS84).
U.S. Geological Survey
0.000939
72.066428
square kilometers
0.000001
Wayne Baldwin
U.S. Geological Survey
Geologist
mailing and physical address
384 Woods Hole Rd.
Woods Hole
MA
02543-1598
USA
508-548-8700 x2226
508-457-2310
wbaldwin@usgs.gov
VineyardNantucketSound_Pzones.zip from USGS Open File Report 2016-1119. WinZip v. 14.5 file that contains qualitatively derived polygons that define sea floor physiographic zones in Vineyard and western Nantucket Sounds, MA and the associated metadata
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
Shapefile
ArcMap 9.3.1
Esri Polygon Shapefile
WinZip v. 14.5 file contains qualitatively derived polygons that define sea floor physiographic zones in Vineyard and western Nantucket Sounds, MA and the associated metadata
WinZip or pkUnzip
0.475
https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2016/1119/GIS_catalog/PhysiographicZones/VineyardNantucketSound_Pzones.zip
https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2016/1119/ofr2016-1119-data_catalog.html
Data can be downloaded via the World Wide Web (WWW)
None
These data are available in Environmental Systems Research Institute (Esri) shapefile format. The user must have software capable of importing and processing this data type.
20140225
2016
U.S. Geological Survey
Wayne Baldwin
Geologist
mailing and physical address
384 Woods Hole Rd.
Woods Hole
MA
02543-1598
USA
508-548-8700 x2226
508-457-2310
wbaldwin@usgs.gov
FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata
FGDC-STD-001-1998
local time
None
None