SONAR AND SEDIMENT ANALYSIS OF OUTCROPPING HARDGROUND STRATA ON THE CONTINENTAL SHELF EDGE OFF CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA

On November 9-11, 2006, multibeam data were gathered aboard the NOAA ship NANCY FOSTER along the outer continental shelf off Charleston, South Carolina. The site was discovered in 2004 during the College of Charleston's Transect Program, and is characterized by outcropping hardground strata that are aligned roughly parallel to shore at a water depth of approximately 50 m. This study focuses on the Thumbprint Segment within the outcrop feature called Doc's Rocks, a distinct break in the northeast-southwest trending outcrop. The site's seabed variability will be characterized using sediment sample analysis and backscatter information, and multibeam and sidescan sonar data will be used to map the bathymetry and features of the site. The information gathered from this study will be compared to similar studies done at Doc's Rocks, and to other nearby outer shelf regions being characterized.