Summary

Description

GLORIA data for the Gulf of Alaska Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) were acquired during five cruises over a four year period. The first cruise conducted in 1986 (F-1-86-GA) surveyed an area of the north-central mosaic area and covered an area of approximately 40,000 square kilometers (sq km). The second two cruises (F-8-88-AA, F-9-88-WG) were conducted in 1988. One of the 1988 cruises (F-8-88-AA) focused on a survey of the Aleutian Arc. The eastern most portion of that survey extended outside of the Aleutian Arc survey area and covered an area of approximately 52,000 square kilometers (sq km) of seafloor on the western edge of the Gulf of Alaska. The final two cruises (F-6-89-GA, F-7-89-EG) were completed in 1989. As in earlier EEZ reconnaissance surveys, the USGS utilized the GLORIA (Geological LOng-Range Inclined Asdic) sidescan-sonar system to complete the geologic mapping. The collected GLORIA data were processed and digitally mosaicked to produce continuous imagery of the seafloor. Thirty digital mosaics with a 50-meter pixel resolution were completed for the region.