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Uta Peckman has just produced another multibeam bathymetry map and added to it the DSL-120 sonar track we just completed. This type of map is useful because it shows the exact path the sonar fish took over the ocean floor. The sonar record and the fish track are recorded with times. When we see an interesting feature on the sonar record, we find the same time on the fish track to see exactly where it is located on the map. By matching these positions, we can drive Argo II back to the exact spot to take pictures of the seafloor features imaged acoustically by the DSL-120 sonar. Computer programs used on the ship give us the ability to plot many different types of data on the bathymetric maps, such as the locations of the transponders, locations of earthquakes, and the locations of the samples we collect. Each piece of data has a position (like an address for a house on a street) associated with it. Using the position, we can plot different data on the maps to see how things relate to each other. Making seafloor maps is an important part of what a marine geologist does.

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