  
Two hundred and sixty three miles of subbottom profiling were done in the lower Albemarle Sound, Roanoke Sound, and Croatan Sound using a Raytheon RTT 1000, 3.5 Khz "pinger". This was followed by a core program using an Alpine Geophysical 20 foot "Vibra Core". Sixty cores were taken at tie points and on sedimentary structures indicated by the geophysical profiles.
Three broad areas of interest were defined for the presence of buried shell deposits, and nine prospects are indicated on maps attached to this report. The bathymetry, the overburden thickness, and the shell unit thickness are also indicated on the maps. Five permanent files were set up in the Geology and Mineral Resources Section: one containing color slides of the cores taken, one containing strip logs of the cores (consisting of color photographs with written lithologic descriptions), one consisting of a sample file containing five cuts each of all of the cores, one containing the geophysical profiles, and one containing a computerized file of navigation data. There is also a 10 minute, 16mm film of the various elements of the field operation on file with the Division of Marine Fisheries.
As a result of this study, we estimate a potential for 30.6 million cubic yards of oyster shell in the study area, with a current raw material market value in excess of $90,000,000.00. A one-dredge operation would take a little over 20 years to extract these shells and would employ 90 people year around at an average annual payroll of $900,000.00. Includes 3 plates. By James L. Sampair, 1976. 47 pages.
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