Geophysical Investigations in the Emerged and Submerged Atlantic Coastal Plain. Part V: Woods Hole, New York, and Cape May Sections
Abstract
Seismic refraction measurements from the coast line to the edge of the continental shelf were made along three lines of traverse: near Cape May, N. J., New York, N. Y., and Woods Hole, Mass., respectively. An unconsolidated layer with velocity about 5800 ft/sec, a semiconsolidated layer with velocity about 11,500 ft/sec, and a layer, considered to be the basement, with velocity about 18,000 ft/sec were traced across each traverse. On the Cape May traverse, the thickness of the sedimentary column runs from about 5000 ft. near the beach to about 16000 ft. near the edge of the shelf, in general agreement with the findings on the Cape Henry traverse in 1935. The well on Cape Hatteras, which recently reached basement at 9878 feet, confirms the seismic results. The cross-section area of the sedimentary prism off Woods Hole is much less than that off New York, which in turn is less than that off Cape May. Depth to basement increases abruptly near the beach at Cape May, and about 30 miles off shore at New York. The basement starts to slope gently upward at or just before the edge of the continental shelf on these two profiles.
Additional Information
© 1950 The Geological Society of America, Inc. Received July 18, 1949. The writers wish to express their deep appreciation for the financial aid furnished by the Penrose Bequest of the Geological Society of America, which made the work possible. The Bureau of Ordnance of the U. S. Navy generously donated all the explosives used. In addition, the Naval Ordnance Laboratory, part of this Bureau, made a Mark I hydrophone available for this work and helped make the initial installation and adjustment of this gear. We wish to thank the Watson Laboratories of the Army Air Forces for the loan of much of the equipment used in these observations, and for the privilege of sharing the use of a crash boat, which served as the receiving vessel. The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution served as the operating base, made the Research Vessels Balanus and Asterias available, and gave summer fellowships to Steenland and Worzei to make their participation possible. G. P. Woollard and J. A. Peoples, Jr., assisted greatly in launching the field work and gave valuable advice throughout the field program. J. Mangin aided in the field operations. The officers and crews of the P446, R. V. Balanus, and R. V. Asterias gave much valuable assistance. Drs. W. H. Bucher and G. Marshall Kay of Columbia University were kind enough to critically review and discuss the manuscript before publication.Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 50416
- DOI
- 10.1130/0016-7606(1950)61[877:GIITEA]2.0.CO;2
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20141015-140958153
- Geological Society of America Penrose Bequest Research Grants
- Created
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2014-10-15Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
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2021-11-10Created from EPrint's last_modified field