JPEG images of chirp seismic data from inner shelf U.S. Geological Survey research cruise 1999-045-FA collected by the U.S. Geological Survey

The northeastern North Carolina coastal system, from False Cape, Virginia, to Cape Lookout, North Carolina, has been studied by a cooperative research program that mapped the Quaternary geologic framework of the estuaries, barrier islands, and inner continental shelf. This information provides a basis to understand the linkage between geologic framework, physical processes, and coastal evolution at time scales from storm events to millennia. The study area attracts significant tourism to its parks and beaches, contains a number of coastal communities, and supports a local fishing industry, all of which are impacted by coastal change. Knowledge derived from this research program can be used to mitigate hazards and facilitate effective management of this dynamic coastal system.
This regional mapping project produced spatial datasets of high-resolution geophysical (bathymetry, backscatter intensity, and seismic reflection) and sedimentary (core and grab-sample) data. The high-resolution geophysical data were collected during numerous surveys within the back-barrier estuarine system, along the barrier island complex, in the nearshore, and along the inner continental shelf. Sediment cores were taken on the mainland and along the barrier islands, and both cores and grab samples were taken on the inner shelf. Data collection was a collaborative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and several other institutions including East Carolina University (ECU), the North Carolina Geological Survey, and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS).
The high-resolution geophysical data of the inner continental shelf were collected during six separate surveys conducted between 1999 and 2004 (four USGS surveys north of Cape Hatteras: 1999-045-FA, 2001-005-FA, 2002-012-FA, 2002-013-FA, and two USGS surveys south of Cape Hatteras: 2003-003-FA and 2004-003-FA) and cover more than 2600 square kilometers of the inner shelf. Single-beam bathymetry data were collected north of Cape Hatteras in 1999 using a Furuno fathometer. Swath bathymetry data were collected on all other inner shelf surveys using a SEA, Ltd. SwathPLUS 234-kHz bathymetric sonar. Chirp seismic data as well as sidescan-sonar data were collected with a Teledyne Benthos (Datasonics) SIS-1000 north of Cape Hatteras along with boomer seismic reflection data (cruises 1999-045-FA, 2001-005-FA, 2002-012-FA and 2002-013-FA). An Edgetech 512i was used to collect chirp seismic data south of Cape Hatteras (cruises 2003-003-FA and 2004-003-FA) along with a Klein 3000 sidescan-sonar system. Sediment samples were collected with a Van Veen grab sampler during four of the USGS surveys (1999-045-FA, 2001-005-FA, 2002-013-FA, and 2004-003-FA). Additional sediment core data along the inner shelf are provided from previously published studies.
A cooperative study, between the North Carolina Geological Survey and the Minerals Management Service (MMS cores), collected vibracores along the inner continental shelf offshore of Nags Head, Kill Devils Hills and Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in 1996. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers collected vibracores along the inner shelf offshore of Dare County in August 1995 (NDC cores) and July-August 1995 (SNL cores). These cores are curated by the North Carolina Geological Survey and were used as part of the ground validation process in this study.
Nearshore geophysical and core data were collected by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. The nearshore is defined here as the region between the 10-m isobath and the shoreline. High-resolution bathymetry, backscatter intensity, and chirp seismic data were collected between June 2002 and May 2004. Vibracore samples were collected in May and July 2005.
Shallow subsurface geophysical data were acquired along the Outer Banks barrier islands using a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) system. Data were collected by East Carolina University from 2002 to 2005. Rotasonic cores (OBX cores) from five drilling operations were collected from 2002 to 2006 by the North Carolina Geological Survey as part of the cooperative study with the USGS. These cores are distributed throughout the Outer Banks as well as the mainland.
The USGS collected seismic data for the Quaternary section within the Albemarle-Pamlico estuarine system between 2001 and 2004 during six surveys (2001-013-FA, 2002-015-FA, 2003-005-FA, 2003-042-FA, 2004-005-FA, and 2004-006-FA). These surveys used Geopulse Boomer and Knudsen Engineering Limited (KEL) 320BR Chirp systems, except cruise 2003-042-FA, which used an Edgetech 424 Chirp and a boomer system. The study area includes Albemarle Sound and selected tributary estuaries such as the South, Pungo, Alligator, and Pasquotank Rivers; Pamlico Sound and trunk estuaries including the Neuse and Pamlico Rivers; and back-barrier sounds including Currituck, Croatan, Roanoke, Core, and Bogue.

美国地质调查局（U.S. Geological Survey, USGS）联合多机构开展的合作研究项目，对北卡罗来纳州东北部沿海系统——从弗吉尼亚州假角（False Cape）至北卡罗来纳州卢考特角（Cape Lookout）——展开了全面调研，完成了该区域河口湾、障壁岛及内陆架的第四纪（Quaternary）地质格架填图。该研究成果可为理解地质格架、物理过程与海岸演化之间的关联提供理论支撑，其时间尺度涵盖风暴事件至千年尺度。研究区域内的公园与海滩拥有极高的旅游热度，沿岸分布着多个滨海社区，并支撑起本地渔业经济，而上述产业均受到海岸变迁的影响。本研究项目所得的认知成果，可用于减缓海岸灾害风险，并助力该动态沿海系统的精细化管理。

本区域填图项目生成了多套空间数据集，涵盖高分辨率地球物理数据（包括水深地形、后向散射强度与地震反射数据）以及沉积学数据（包括岩芯与底质抓取样数据）。高分辨率地球物理数据的采集工作覆盖障壁后河口湾系统、障壁岛群、近岸海域以及内陆架区域，通过多次勘测任务完成。岩芯采样工作在陆地区域与障壁岛沿岸开展，而内陆架区域则同时采集了岩芯与底质抓取样。本次数据采集工作由美国地质调查局（U.S. Geological Survey, USGS）联合东卡罗来纳大学（East Carolina University, ECU）、北卡罗来纳州地质调查局以及弗吉尼亚海洋科学研究所（Virginia Institute of Marine Science, VIMS）等多家机构协作完成。

内陆架的高分辨率地球物理数据采集工作于1999年至2004年间分6次勘测完成，其中4次为美国地质调查局在哈特拉斯角（Cape Hatteras）以北开展的勘测（编号分别为"1999-045-FA"、"2001-005-FA"、"2002-012-FA"及"2002-013-FA"），另外2次为其在哈特拉斯角以南开展的勘测（编号为"2003-003-FA"与"2004-003-FA"），覆盖面积超过2600平方千米的内陆架区域。1999年，研究团队在哈特拉斯角以北海域使用古野（Furuno）测深仪采集了单波束水深地形数据。其余所有内陆架勘测任务均使用SEA有限公司SwathPLUS 234千赫兹测深声呐采集条带式水深地形数据。在哈特拉斯角以北的4次勘测（编号分别为"1999-045-FA"、"2001-005-FA"、"2002-012-FA"及"2002-013-FA"）中，研究团队使用泰莱达本瑟斯（Teledyne Benthos，原Datasonics）SIS-1000系统采集了Chirp地震数据与侧扫声呐数据，并同步获取了电火花地震反射数据。在哈特拉斯角以南的2次勘测（编号为"2003-003-FA"与"2004-003-FA"）中，研究团队使用Edgetech 512i系统采集Chirp地震数据，并搭配Klein 3000侧扫声呐系统开展数据采集。美国地质调查局的4次勘测（编号分别为"1999-045-FA"、"2001-005-FA"、"2002-013-FA"及"2004-003-FA"）中，使用范维恩（Van Veen）抓取采样器采集了底质沉积样。内陆架区域的额外岩芯数据则源自已发表的相关研究成果。

1996年，北卡罗来纳州地质调查局与矿产管理服务局（Minerals Management Service, MMS）合作开展了一项研究，在北卡罗来纳州纳格斯黑德（Nags Head）、基尔迪夫希尔（Kill Devils Hills）与基蒂霍克（Kitty Hawk）近岸的内陆架区域采集了振动岩芯样品（MMS岩芯）。1995年8月及1995年7-8月，美国陆军工程兵团在德尔县（Dare County）近岸的内陆架区域采集了振动岩芯样品，分别命名为NDC岩芯与SNL岩芯。上述岩芯均由北卡罗来纳州地质调查局保存，并作为本次研究的地面验证数据的一部分得以使用。

近岸海域的地球物理数据与岩芯数据由弗吉尼亚海洋科学研究所采集。本研究中，近岸海域被定义为10米等深线至海岸线之间的区域。研究团队于2002年6月至2004年5月间采集了高分辨率水深地形、后向散射强度与Chirp地震数据。振动岩芯样品则于2005年5月与7月完成采集。

外岸（Outer Banks）障壁岛沿岸的浅地表地球物理数据通过探地雷达（ground-penetrating radar, GPR）系统采集获取。该数据采集工作由东卡罗来纳大学于2002年至2005年间完成。2002年至2006年间，北卡罗来纳州地质调查局作为与美国地质调查局合作研究的一部分，通过5次钻探作业采集了旋转取芯岩芯（OBX岩芯）。该批岩芯分布于外岸区域与陆地区域各处。

2001年至2004年间，美国地质调查局通过6次勘测（编号分别为"2001-013-FA"、"2002-015-FA"、"2003-005-FA"、"2003-042-FA"、"2004-005-FA"及"2004-006-FA"），采集了阿尔伯马尔-帕姆利科河口湾系统（Albemarle-Pamlico estuarine system）内第四纪地层的地震数据。除"2003-042-FA"勘测航次外，其余航次均使用Geopulse电火花震源与纳德森工程有限公司（Knudsen Engineering Limited, KEL）320BR型Chirp系统开展数据采集；"2003-042-FA"航次则使用Edgetech 424型Chirp系统与电火花震源系统。本研究区域涵盖阿尔伯马尔湾（Albemarle Sound）及其支流河口湾（包括南河、庞戈河、短吻鳄河与帕斯科坦克河）、帕姆利科湾（Pamlico Sound）及其干流河口湾（包括纽斯河与帕姆利科河），以及障壁后海湾（包括库里塔克湾、克罗阿坦湾、罗阿诺克湾、科尔湾与博格湾）。