Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Skip to content

Try the next-generation Data Catalog at catalog-beta.data.gov and help shape it with your feedback.

Radium and Radon Radioisotope Activity Data from Samples Collected Between May 2019 and September 2020 Along the West Florida Shelf (Amberjack and Green Banana Blue Holes)

Metadata Updated: January 22, 2026

Relict karstic features or sinkholes, often referred to as blue holes, are common features along continental shelves that are underlain by carbonate rich sediments and/or rocks. Several of these features occur along the west-Florida shelf within the Gulf of Mexico, including the two mentioned in Vargas and others (2022): Amberjack Hole and Green Banana Sink (hereafter referred to as Green Banana). Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (USGS-SPCMSC) participated in sampling efforts lead by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)-funded collaborative team from Mote Marine Laboratory, University of Georgia, and Florida Atlantic University. Amberjack Hole is located approximately 50 kilometers (km) west of Sarasota, Florida; it is a dome-shaped feature that extends 40 m below the seafloor (approximately 70 m total water depth). Green Banana is located approximately 80 km west of Sarasota; it is a U-shaped feature that extends 80 m or more below the seafloor (approximately 125 m total water depth). Naturally occurring radioisotopes of Radon and Radium were analyzed by utilizing samples collected from Amberjack Hole during cruises in May and September 2019, and Green Banana in September 2020. Total Radon-222 was measured using bulk water samples, while Radium-223, Radium-224, and supported Radon-222 (Radium-226) were measured from residue retained on manganese (di)oxide impregnated fibers (referred to as Mn-fibers from hereon) following exposure to seawater. Radium-223 and Radium-224 activity determined from the Mn-fibers were measured on a set of Radium Delayed Coincidence Counters (RaDeCC) as outlined in Moore and Arnold (1996). Total Radon-222 in water and supported Radon-222 (Radium-226 on Mn-fibers) were measured on radon-in-air detectors (RAD7, Durridge, Inc). Data included in Vargas and others (2022) correspond to USGS Field Activity Numbers (FAN) 2019-328-FA (19WFS01), 2019-357-FA (19WFS03), and 2020-317-FA (20WFS01); samples were acquired in May 2019, September 2019, and September 2020 respectively. Please read the full metadata record for details on data collection, dataset variables, and data quality.

Access & Use Information

Public: This dataset is intended for public access and use. License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

Downloads & Resources

Dates

Metadata Created Date January 12, 2026
Metadata Updated Date January 22, 2026

Metadata Source

Harvested from DOI USGS DCAT-US

Additional Metadata

Resource Type Dataset
Metadata Created Date January 12, 2026
Metadata Updated Date January 22, 2026
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Maintainer
Identifier http://datainventory.doi.gov/id/dataset/USGS_eec04c19-fedb-407e-9d90-02bef1a819d4
Data Last Modified 2022-12-29T00:00:00Z
Category geospatial
Public Access Level public
Bureau Code 010:12
Metadata Context https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.jsonld
Metadata Catalog ID https://ddi.doi.gov/usgs-data.json
Schema Version https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema
Catalog Describedby https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.json
Datagov Dedupe Retained 20260122132010
Harvest Object Id 55faac2d-ca02-4e87-958e-4bdeedd75036
Harvest Source Id 2b80d118-ab3a-48ba-bd93-996bbacefac2
Harvest Source Title DOI USGS DCAT-US
Metadata Type geospatial
Old Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": 83.439930000, 27.137120000, 83.439930000, 27.396670000, -83.113500000, 27.396670000, -83.113500000, 27.137120000, 83.439930000, 27.137120000}
Source Datajson Identifier True
Source Hash 9fa1b807b3ed44c5b92809dfa72ed6ce8e3913dd5f3039ae668bc8a4d1d12527
Source Schema Version 1.1
Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": 83.439930000, 27.137120000, 83.439930000, 27.396670000, -83.113500000, 27.396670000, -83.113500000, 27.137120000, 83.439930000, 27.137120000}

Didn't find what you're looking for? Suggest a dataset here.