ABSTRACT High-resolution seismic profiles over a 25,000 km 2 area off New Jersey illustrate the effects of high- amplitude, high-frequency eustasy on a slowly sub- siding (<0.2 mm/yr) passive margin. Analysis of 1600 km of Geopulse™, Uniboom™, Minisparker™ and air-gun profiles reveals four depositional sequences with a maximum total thickness of 100 m at the shelf edge. Correlation of these sequences to biostratigraphic and aminostratigraphic data from drill sites suggests all of these sequences may be postoxygen isotope stage 6 (∼140 ka). Sequences I and IV appear to correspond to the major glacial- interglacial sea level changes (∼120 m) during oxy- gen isotope stages 6/5 and 2/1, respectively. Sequences II and III reflect smaller scale sea level fluctuations. All sequence boundaries are interpreted as type 1, and sequences are predominantly com- posed of transgressive systems tracts (TST) and low- stand systems tracts (LST). Much of the TST was deposited as incised-valley fills; parasequences in the TST commonly are isolated and fragmented. The low subsidence rate and high-frequency (20 k.y.) eustatic oscillations result in extensive erosion and reworking of previously deposited sediments, both by fluvial incision during lowstands and marine erosion during transgressions and highstands. On continental mar- gins where subsidence rates and sediment supply are low relative to rates of eustasy, sequences are thin, fragmented, and difficult to correlate. Local effects, such as shifting river drainage, salt diapir move- ments, and glacial isostasy, can significantly influ- ence sequence preservation on such margins. INTRODUCTION Sequence stratigraphy has become a widely used tool in petroleum geology because it provides a powerful conceptual model for interpreting strati- graphic successions and predicting sedimentary facies; however, there is growing recognition that a single, simple “slug” model cannot be blindly applied to all continental margins (Posamentier and James, 1993). The stratigraphy of continental mar- gins arises from a complex interaction of control- ling factors, particularly tectonics, sedimentation, and eustasy (Sloss, 1962). Two-dimensional numeri- cal stratigraphic models (e.g., Thorne and Swift, 1991; Steckler et al., 1993) can help us understand these interactions, but these models need to be val- idated by comparison with real stratigraphic data where these parameters can be constrained. This study aims to evaluate numerical models and improve our understanding of stratigraphic responses to sea level change through examination of the stratigraphy developing on the New Jersey continental shelf (Figure 1) during the Quaternary, when rates of eustatic change greatly exceeded those of sediment supply and subsidence. The study area and time frame were selected because the parameters shaping it are relatively well known; it is a fairly simple, slowly subsiding pas- sive margin with low sediment input, and the Quaternary was a time of large and relatively well- constrained eustatic changes. Long-term subsidence on the New Jersey margin is slow; Greenlee et al. (1988) estimated the rate as less than 0.01 mm/yr on the upper slope. Onshore, the Cape May escarpment (Figure 1), which is interpreted as the δ 18 O stage 5e (Sangamon, Figure 2) shoreline (Mixon et al., 1974; Wehmiller and Belknap, 1982) has an elevation of 5–10 m above modern sea level, similar to estimates of eustatic 773 ©Copyright 1998. The American Association of Petroleum Geologists. All rights reserved. 1 Manuscript received June 12, 1996; revised manuscript received May 8, 1997; final acceptance January 15, 1998. 2 Department of Oceanography, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia 23529. 3 Department of Geological Sciences, Rutgers, State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903. We would like to thank the Minerals Management Service for financial support for this research under their sand resources identification program. We wish to express our gratitude to John Wehmiller, Department of Geology, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, for the amino acid racemization analyses and help in interpreting the results. We also would like to thank the staff of the U.S. Geological Survey at Woods Hole for their help in obtaining and interpreting the seismic and core data, particularly Nancy Soderberg, C. Wylie Poag, David Twichell, and Robert Oldale. We also appreciate the helpful reviews of the original manuscript provided by Robert Mitchum and John Anderson. Late Quaternary Sequence Stratigraphy of a Slowly Subsiding Passive Margin, New Jersey Continental Shelf 1 John S. Carey, 2 R. E. Sheridan, 3 and G. M. Ashley 3 AAPG Bulletin, V. 82, No. 5A (May 1998 Part A), P. 773–791.