Regional geologic and geophysical studies are being conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey to determine the structural framework of the area from Cape Hatteras to the northeastern edge of Georges Bank to assess the petroleum potential of the northeastern Atlantic outer continental shelf. Preliminary interpretations of geophysical data integrating gravity and magnetic data from the U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office with seismic surveys, suggest that the linear ridge reported by Drake and others in 1959 is deeper and farther west than previously suspected. Although it is not observed under the seaward extension of the Norfolk arch, it can be traced from the south side of the Baltimore Canyon area northeastward toward the eastern edge of Georges Bank. This ridge seems to form the eastward edge of a Mesozoic trough in the Baltimore Canyon area in which more than 10 km of relatively undisturbed post-Paleozoic sediments accumulated. The types of structures mapped are in general agreement with the sedimentary, structural models hypothesized for the Baltimore Canyon area by Kraft et al. in 1971. More than 8 km of sediments are present beneath the continental shelf on Georges Bank. On the basis of the preliminary regional geophysical studies, thick sedimentary sections and structural traps favorable for the accumulation of petroleum appear to exist under the Atlantic continental shelf off the northeastern part of the United States.

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