Principal Investigator: Craig S. Fulthorpe
Funded by: Joint Oceanographic Institutions, Inc.

Relative sea level exerts a fundamental influence on sedimentary deposition and other geological processes, but the role of eustasy in controlling relative sea level remains unclear. The importance of understanding the history and effects of sea-level variation was recognized by the first Conference on Scientific Ocean Drilling (COSOD I, 1981) and was established as a "first order goal" for the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) by COSOD II (1987). The Mid-Atlantic Transect (MAT) was designed to form a basis for study of Oligocene and Neogene sea-level variations. Recent events have dictated that additional geological and geophysical data will be required to document that shallow-water (<100 m) shelf sites can be safely drilled. In pursuit of that objective, researchers collected additional Huntec DTS¨ (deep-towed seismic) data and vibracores in the vicinity of MAT shelf sites.