EROSION AND TRANSPORT POTENTIAL OF SEDIMENT OBSTRUCTING THE FLOW OF THE RIO GRANDE INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO

Rocky Mountain - 55th Annual Meeting (May 7-9, 2003)
Paper No. 1-9

Presentation Time: 10:50 AM-11:05 AM
EROSION AND TRANSPORT POTENTIAL OF SEDIMENT OBSTRUCTING THE FLOW OF THE RIO GRANDE INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO
NEU, Roene¹, LANGFORD, Richard², JEPSEN, Rich³, CHAPIN, D. Michael³, BUHALTS, Randy³, and ROBERTS, Jesse³, (1) Geological Sciences, Univ of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, Reneu@utep.edu, (2) Geological Sciences, Univ of Texas at El Paso, 500 West University Avenue, El Paso, 79968, (3) Sandia National Labs, Carlsbad Programs Group, 4100 National Parks Hwy, Carlsbad, NM 88220 The mouth of the Rio Grande has become silted up, obstructing its flow into the Gulf of Mexico. This is problematic in that it has created extensive flooding. The purpose of the study was to determine the erosion and transport potential of the sediments obstructing the flow. This was done using a unique Mobile High Shear Stress flume developed by Sandia’s Carlsbad Programs Group for the US Army Corps of Engineers. The flume measures in-situ sediment erosion properties at shear stresses ranging form normal flow to flood conditions for a variable depth sediment core. The flume is in a self-contained trailer that can be placed on site in the field. Erosion rates and sediment grain size distributions were determined from sediment samples collected in and around the obstruction. This data was used to characterize the erosion potential of the sediments of concern.
Rocky Mountain - 55th Annual Meeting (May 7-9, 2003) General Information for this Meeting

Session No. 1 Tectonics/Structural Geology, Stratigraphy/Coal Geology, Petrology, Planetary Geology Fort Lewis College: Noble Hall 125 8:30 AM-11:20 AM, Wednesday, May 7, 2003 Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, Vol. 35, No. 5, April 2003, p. 4
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