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xix University program recognized from the beginning the inherent multidisciplinary nature of the marine science field. Operations began in September 1949 with a curriculum leading to graduate degrees in oceanography. The first geological oceanographer at Texas A&M University was W. Armstrong Price, and the first PhD graduate from the department was Warren C. Thompson (1953), whose dissertation was titled “Geological Oceanography of Atchafalaya Bay.” At the same time, other institutions became interested in the Gulf of Mexico. The first regionally comprehensive studies began under the guidance of Francis P. Shepard of Scripps Institute of Oceanography. His investigation of sediment distribution came about as a result of many years of deliberation by committees of the American Petroleum Institute and the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, all of which led to creation of API Project 51. The objective of Project 51 was to study modern sediment on the northwestern margin of the Gulf of Mexico. In addition to describing the distribution and facies relations of various types of sediment, the project established procedures that have become the standard for all subsequent studies. Details of these procedures are described in the preface to the summary volume Recent Sediments, Northwest Gulf of Mexico (Shepard et al. 1960). Early in the 1950s, other discoveries led to more detailed investigations. For example, during a cruise in 1954 across the Gulf of Mexico, subaqueous hills were discovered on what was then thought to be the featureless Sigsbee Plain (Ewing et al. 1958). The hills, thought “No rock, no water, no ecosystem” is a phrase used repeatedly by Eugene Shinn at the University of South Florida College of Marine Science. The phrase highlights the fact that to understand a region as vast as the Gulf of Mexico , one must know the environmental foundation of the area. According to data stored in the American Geological Institute database GEOREF, there have been over 10,000 journal publications on various aspects of the geology of the Gulf of Mexico. Whereas about 25% of these have been published by industry, almost 70% have been produced by 4 major public entities: the University of Texas, Texas A&M University, Louisiana State University, and the U.S. Geological Survey. The remaining 5% are products of various public entities throughout the world. Although this volume of data is significant, it is but a small fraction of that residing in the files of various petroleum and minerals organizations. Some of these data are public and are available for future research; however, most remain sequestered in the files of a highly competitive industry. Geologic Research in the Gulf of Mexico The modern era of geologic research started in the beginning of the second half of the 20th century with the initiation of American Petroleum Institute (API) Project 51 and the formation of the Department of Oceanography at Texas A&M University. With initial professional appointments in physical, biological, chemical, geological , and meteorological oceanography, the Texas A&M Introduction xx ~ Introduction have produced intriguing results, such as the discovery of asphalt-like pavement covering large areas of the ocean floor, but the region remains relatively unexplored. Similarly , the deep water between the Yucatan Channel and the Florida Peninsula also remains a mare incognitum. Although great strides have been made in understanding Gulf of Mexico geology, there are still significant gaps in our knowledge of exactly how this very important basin, with its rich mineral and biological resources, formed. Because of these resources there is now a renewed interest in virtually all aspects of gulfwide geological investigations. Some of the most prominent projects are the mapping of the west Florida shelf and the geologic investigation of Pulley Ridge, a deepwater reef off southwest Florida. This reef exists in over 100 m of water but is populated with organisms normally found in shallow water. This reef grew on a drowned barrier island chain. As a result of the hurricanes that devastated the northern Gulf of Mexico in 2005, there is a renewed interest in defining the roles of barrier islands and their protection , or lack thereof, of the mainland of this vulnerable coast. Information on these investigations will be applicable to the entire Texas–Louisiana coastline. Further studies are underway to resolve the forces that have led to the formation of hypoxic zones throughout the region, and the geologic aspects of the formation of harmful algal blooms (HABs). We also need to understand the role of gas hydrates and how they affect sediment stability. This information will be very important as the petroleum industry moves into deeper...

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