Archive of Digitized Analog Boomer Seismic Reflection Data Collected Along the Louisiana Shelf, 1982-1984

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. As part of the National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program, and in collaboration with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Marine Minerals 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. The scanned images were further processed to fix distortions and crop out blank spaces prior to creating industry standard Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG-Y) formatted files.

This data release serves as an archive of HRSP profiles annotated with header information, converted SEG-Y files, navigation data, and cruise trackline shapefiles. The HRSP data were collected using a Huntec boomer seismic system onboard the Research Vessels (R/V) R.J. Russell and Carancahua. While on the R/V R.J. Russell, geophysical surveys were conducted at various times between December 1982 and July 1984 with the data being acquired from waterbodies surrounding Isles Dernieres (Lacoss 82-2, 83-3 and 83-4), within Terrebonne and Caillou Bay (82-2), and offshore of Port Fourchon, Louisiana (84-5). While on the R/V Carancahua, geophysical surveys were collected between August and September 1982 off the coast of Holly Beach, Louisiana (82-3). Data collection and processing methods are described in USGS Data Series 1047.