The overall goal of the initial Texas A&M University Oceanographic Studies Series volumes is to provide a compendium of current basic research in all major aspects of the oceanography of the Gulf of Mexico and adjacent regions. In format, the Series is essentially a collection of occasional papers authored by faculty and senior research associates of the Texas A&M University Department of Oceanography. Volume 3 attempts to provide an overview of the geology and geophysics of the Gulf of Mexico based on recent and ongoing research programs.