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1971 Map of Breton Islands SE

Name: 1971 Topographic Map of Breton Islands SE
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1992
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1992

About this map

Gulf of Mexico waters dominate this coastal survey, where the deep-water industrial landscape of the early 1970s is clearly defined. The map focus is centered on the Block 69 Oil Field, a significant offshore development marked by numerous oil wells and several large platforms positioned throughout the open water. This orthophotomap provides a clear view of the industrial infrastructure required to extract resources from the seafloor during this era of offshore expansion.

Small coastal features break the water's surface in the southwest corner, including Japan Island and the adjacent Japan Outside Pond. These landforms, along with the ominously named Dead Women Pass, represent the fragile marshy fringes where the Mississippi River delta meets the sea. The map records a specific moment in the evolving shoreline and industrial footprint of Plaquemines Parish before decades of coastal erosion and varying tide levels further altered these maritime boundaries.