Geology topics

Stephen T. Bosse

Publications and source records attributed to Stephen T. Bosse.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2023

Evaluating oil and gas industry two-dimensional multichannel seismic data for use in near-surface assessment of geologic framework and potential marine minerals resources

Marine seismic reflection data acquired across the Gulf of Mexico during oil and gas exploration are available to the public through an online database archive. The data are archived as two-dimensional multichannel seismic data in two digital formats. The formats include image files in portable document format (PDF), and binary files in industry standard Society for Exploration Geophysicists revision Y (SEG-Y) format. Also included in the database are navigation files and acquisition information associated with the collection of the data. This study examines the data acquired within two geographic areas in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Although the seismic reflection data are acquired for oil and gas exploration many kilometers below the seafloor, this study focuses on the feasibility of using the data for near-surface geologic and seafloor morphologic studies (<100 meters below the seafloor). The report outlines the methodologies used to recover and process the data, including computer processing steps to convert the PDF imagery into SEG-Y format. The report includes two-dimensional profiles of the data to demonstrate the efficacy of the data in near-surface geologic studies. The study found that, for the two areas of interest, the seafloor reflectors in most of the available data are not resolvable. Although the data are readily available and computer processing can adequately image the uppermost reflectors of the seismic profiles, the resolution of the data in most cases are not suitable for near-surface geologic evaluations.

Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas↗

USGS2023

Analysis of high-resolution single channel seismic data for use in sediment resource evaluation, eastern Texas and western Louisiana Continental Shelf, Gulf of Mexico

Shallow subsurface geologic data recorded as high-resolution seismic profiles are used to interpret the geology of coastal and marine systems. These data were originally recorded on paper rolls that are stored in geophysical archives. Data collection has since converted to entirely digital formats, yet the analog data are still useful for geologic interpretation. This report describes the process of recovering analog copies of seismic profiles from physical archives, electronically scanning, and converting them to industry-standard digital format. The recovered data are also reviewed and assessed for potential sediment resources. The data recovered in this study were collected from the Gulf of Mexico continental shelf offshore of East Texas and West Louisiana. The project is a collaborative study between the U.S. Geological Survey and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.

Louisiana, Texas↗

USGS2020

Louisiana Coastal Zone sediment characterization; comparison of sediment grain sizes for samples collected in 2008 and 2015–2016 from the western Chenier plain to the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana—Louisiana Barrier Island Comprehensive Monitoring (BICM) Program

Repeated sampling and grain-size analysis of surficial sediments along the sandy shorelines of Louisiana is necessary to characterize coastal-zone sediment properties and evaluate sediment transport patterns within the nearshore environments. In 2008, and again in 2015 and 2016, sediment grab samples were collected along the shorelines of the western Chenier plain, the Isles Dernieres (Raccoon, Whiskey, Trinity and East Islands), the Lafourche delta (Timbalier Islands, Caminada Headland, and Grand Isle), the modern delta (Grand Terre Islands from Chaland Headland to Sandy Point), and the Chandeleur Islands (from Curlew Island to Hewes Point). The samples were collected as part of the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) Barrier Island Comprehensive Monitoring (BICM) Program in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (USGS–SPCMSC) and the University of New Orleans Pontchartrain Institute for Environmental Studies (UNO–PIES). Physical properties of the samples (sediment grain size and sorting) were measured and provided in data reports to CPRA. Additional samples collected by the USGS from around Breton Island in 2014 and 2015 supplemented the 2015–2016 BICM data to complete the coastwide dataset. This report compares the results of the 2008 and 2015–2016 sedimentologic analyses and documents changes in composition (percent sand) and mean sediment grain size between the two time periods. At most sample sites, differences in mean grain size varied by less than ±0.25 Φ. The largest changes occurred at sites located near tidal inlets or along rapidly eroding shorelines.

Louisiana↗

USGS2017

Digitized analog boomer seismic-reflection data collected during U.S. Geological Survey cruises Erda 90-1_HC, Erda 90-1_PBP, and Erda 91-3 in Mississippi Sound, June 1990 and September 1991

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal and Marine Geology Program has actively collected geophysical and sedimentological data in the northern Gulf of Mexico for several decades, including shallow subsurface data in the form of high-resolution seismic-reflection profiles (HRSP). Prior to the mid-1990s most HRSP data were collected in analog format as paper rolls of continuous profiles up to 25 meters long. A large portion of this data resides in a single repository with minimal metadata. As part of the National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program, scientists at the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center are converting the analog paper records to digital format using a large-format continuous scanner. This report, along with the accompanying USGS data release (Bosse and others, 2017), serves as an archive of seismic profiles with headers, converted Society of Exploration Geophysicists Y format (SEG-Y) files, navigation data, and geographic information system data files for digitized boomer seismic-reflection data collected from the Research Vessel (R/V) Erda during two cruises in 1990 and 1991. The Erda 90-1 geophysical cruise was conducted in two legs. The first leg included seismic data collected from the Hancock County region of the Mississippi Sound (Erda 90-1_HC) from June 4 to June 6, 1990. The second leg included seismic data collected from the Petit Bois Pass area of Mississippi Sound (Erda 90-1_PBP) from June 8 to June 9, 1990. The Erda 91-3 cruise occurred between September 12 and September 23, 1991, and surveyed the Mississippi Sound region just west of Horn Island, Mississippi.

Data Series↗