This book presents new, definitive studies of the seafloor adjacent to the United States.

Contents: Preface. - Pioneers of Marine Geology. - Origin and Morphology of Ocean Basins. - Origin and Morphology of Ocean Margins. - Sources and Composition of Marine Sediments. - Effects of Waves and Currents. - Sea Level Processes and Effects of Sea Level Change. - Organisms on and in the Sea Floor. - Distribution, Activity, and Environmental Reconstruction. -Imprint of Climatic Zonation on Marine Sediments. - Patterns of Deep Sea Sedimentation. - Paleoceanography - the Deep Sea Record. - Resources from the Ocean Floor. - Epilog. - List of Books and Symposia. - Appendix. - Index.

The reports and abstracts in this volume illustrates the breadth and depth of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) research in marine geology.

Gorda Ridge presents a primarily technical summary of recent advances in seafloor research related to mineral exploration of the only seafloor spreading center within the United States' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Spreading centers are known to be the locus of hydrothermal activity and to host mineral deposits of hydrothermal origin. The book includes sections on the results of mineral exploration on Gorda Ridge, the newest technologies for mineral exploration and sampling on the seafloor, and the evolving field of hydrothermal vent biology and ecology. What makes the book unique is that it is: 1) a site book, 2) a truly multidisciplinary summation of the state of the art in complementary areas of deep ocean geology and biology, and 3) a marker in the evolution of federal-state relations concerning ocean development.

A background discussion for a comprehensive investigation of the marine geology and associated hydrology of the Atlantic continental margin.