Benthic study of the continental slope off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Volume 2. Final report

A number of blocks off Cape Hatteras have been leased by Mobil Oil, which has requested permission to drill an exploratory well, at 820-m depth, in a block identified as Manteo 467. The proposed well location is 39 miles from the coast of North Carolina. The possibility of extracting gas from the continental slope off the coast of North Carolina, particularly at slope depths, has raised a number of environmental concerns that cannot be addressed from existing data. The present study was developed by the Minerals Management Service to better define the nature of the continental slope benthic communities off Cape Hatteras and to delineate their areal extent. Emphasis was placed on the area around the proposed drill site in the Manteo 467 lease block.