What is an archaeological resource?
Archaeological resource means any material remains of human life or activities that are at least 50 years of age and that are of archaeological interest.  Archaeological interest means capable of providing scientific or humanistic understanding of past human behavior, cultural adaptation, and related topics through the application of scientific or scholarly techniques, such as controlled observation, collection, analysis, interpretation, and explanation.

Are all archaeological resources protected?
Federal law requires that agencies consider the effects of an undertaking on significant archaeological resources. Significant archaeological resources are those archaeological resources that meet the criteria of significance for eligibility to the National Register of Historic Places as defined in 36 CFR 60.4.

What are the remote-sensing survey intervals?
Blocks determined to have a high probability for containing an historic shipwreck require survey at a 50-meter line spacing. Blocks with a high probability for prehistoric sites require survey at a 300-meter line spacing. Some blocks where our research tells us shipwrecks may exist are too deep for magnetometer survey. In these blocks, a standard 300-meter survey is required using a side-scan sonar.

How do I find out what the remote-sensing survey requirement is for my lease block?
That information is now available on the MMS archaeology web page, Archaeology Survey Blocks. Click on the lease area, then search for your block.

Can the MMS archaeologists send us a copy of a shallow hazard/archaeology report done by a previous lessee?
Generally, these reports are considered proprietary information owned by the previous lessee. Once a lease has expired or the block has been relinquished, the MMS archaeologists purge copies of the old reports from their files. We suggest that you contact the previous lessee and ask them for a copy of the report.

Can we submit an archaeological report for the lease block that was prepared for a previous lessee under a different OCS number?
Yes; however, these previously prepared reports must be reviewed on a case-by-case basis to determine if the block report is in compliance with GOMR’s NTL 2005-G07 and MMS’s 30 CFR 250, 256, 260, and 281. We suggest that these previously submitted archaeological surveys be resubmitted well in advance of any plans for exploration or development for the block. Surveys conducted before February 17, 1992, were probably surveyed at a 150-meter line spacing interval. If your block is in a prehistoric high probability area, chances are that the report may only need an updated review of the old data. If, however, the block falls in an area that now requires a 50-meter line spacing, you’ll probably have to conduct a new survey. In most cases, MMS does not accept in-filling of lines over a previously shot 150-meter grid.

We operate a lease that dates back before any archaeological surveys were required and have never conducted any surveys on the lease. If we continue to develop our lease now, do we have to survey it? What if it’s been extensively developed?
Blocks that were leased prior to December 1973 and have OSC-G numbers lower than 2440 did not have either an archaeological lease stipulation or NTL requiring a specific survey line spacing interval. All blocks leased before December 1973 were said to be “grandfathered,” meaning they were never required to have an archaeological survey and analysis performed on them. On October 21, 1994, the MMS published the final archaeological rule 30 CFR 250, 256, 280, and 281 in the Federal Register. This final rule provided a regulatory mechanism and authority to implement the GOMR’s NTL 91-02 (now NTL 2005-G07) and revoked the former practice of “grandfathering previously unsurveyed leases that fall within high-probability areas for archaeological resources.”  GOMR requires that lessees for these formerly “grandfathered” leases submit an “as-built” plat of the subject lease block that will include all existing facilities and pipelines and the location of the proposed plan of exploration or development. The MMS will review these proposed plans, on a case-by-case basis, to determine if previous seafloor disturbance obviates the need for an archaeological survey.