USGS CMG A-1-03-SC Metadata

1) Mechanics and timing of submarine sediment failures on part of the
mainland slope of the Santa Barbara Channel (piston coring).  2) Neotectonics
and timing of recent fault movement  in the inner California Continental
Borderland from Anacapa Island to San Diego, CA (piston coring and gravity
coring).  3) Stratigraphic and sedimentologic characterization of offshore
facies that comprise part of the onshore coastal aquifer systems contaminated by
salt water intrusion (vibracoring).  4) Mass balance of contaminants
(chlorinated hydrocarbons and trace metals) associated with sediment deposited
on the Los Angeles margin (Pt Dume to Huntington Beach, CA) (box coring).

Strat/Sed (SS), Chlorinated Hydrocarbon (CH), Trace Metals (TM),
210Pb, Texture, Forams, Grainsize

The M/V Auriga left the port of Redwood City at 0800 on July 18, 2003,
and returned to the Port of Redwood City at XXXX on July 31, 2003.  Transit to
the operation area in the Santa Barbara Channel took approximately 28 hours.
The return transit from Santa Monica Bay took approximately 38 hours.  During
our 11 operational days we collected 29 piston cores, 25 gravity cores, 43 box
cores, and 19 vibracores.  We also collected 3 hours of CHIRP high-resolution
seismic-reflection data in support of the vibracoring operations.
A piston core collected at site Hein1, a station positioned to sample for
seafloor discharges of methylmercury, recovered an ice sample of gas hydrate.
To our knowledge, this is the first discovery of gas hydrate south of the
Mendocino Triple Junction.

Leave Redwood City, CA
Arrive Redwood City, CA
Planning to collect:
Piston Core
Gravity Core
Box Core
Vibracore
Grabs
Planned date -- July, 2003