Dr. Gartman from the U.S. Geological Survey discusses their Samoa Basin exploration work.

Dr. Amy Gartman of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) discusses the Samoa Basin exploration work conducted in American Samoa’s Exclusive Economic Zone. In April–May 2026, Dr. Gartman served as Expedition Lead for the USGS box-coring leg of the American Samoa Abyssal Mapping Project. Working in partnership with NOAA and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the team collected 38 box cores across the Samoa Basin to characterize seafloor minerals, sediments, and biological communities at depths of approximately 5,500 meters.