Marine geology of St. George’s Bay, Newfoundland, as interpreted from multibeam bathymetry and back-scatter data

Abstract

 Multibeam bathymetric data collected in St. George’s Bay, Newfoundland, show glacial and postglacial landforms in a 100-m-deep basin offshore from a barrier. Back-scatter data provide information on sediment lithology. Features undetected by previous conventional surveys include large bedforms on the surface of a barrier platform and submarine fans on its flanks. The data demonstrate that sediment transport processes are more complex than was previously believed. Multibeam bathymetric images are the sea-floor equivalents of air photographs. They can be used effectively to plan conventional acoustic surveys.