CONMAPSG contains grain-size distribution data for sediments off the eastern United States continental margin. The dataset was compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution from thousands of samples collected starting in 1962. The data was last updated in 1999.
Use Cases
- Classify sediment texture using the Wentworth grain-size scale and Shepard classification scheme for geological mapping.
- Analyze the dominant surficial sediment type within defined map polygons to infer regional sedimentation patterns.
- Use bathymetry data as a guide to infer contacts between different sediment types in areas with sparse sample data.
- Study textural variability and grain-size distributions across the Atlantic continental margin of the United States.
Strengths
- Compilation of thousands of sediment samples from a joint USGS and WHOI program.
- Data spans a multi-decade collection period beginning in 1962.
Limitations
- Data is insufficient to infer sediment type in blank areas of the maps.
- Contacts between sediment types are inferred due to navigational accuracy limits in earlier studies and gradational boundaries.
- Temporal coverage ends with a last update in 1999, representing historical conditions.
Provenance
- Source
- U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Woods Hole Science Center, Coastal and Marine Geology Program.
- Collection Method
- Sediment samples collected and analyzed for particle size in laboratory; data compiled from published and unpublished studies.
- Time Range
- Collection began in 1962; compilation last updated in 1999.
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Continental margin off the Atlantic coast of the United States.