| 7:00 AM-6:00 PM, George R. Brown Convention Center: |
CANCELED: Kirk Bryan Trip - Coastal Geomorphology and Change along the Upper Texas Coast
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| Primary Leader: Chris Houser |
| Leader(s): Jim Gibeaut, Rick Giardino, Doug Sherman |
| Field Trip Description: This field trip will focus on the geomorphology of the Upper Texas Coast from High Island to Bolivar Penninsula and most of Galveston Island. The trip will start with an examination of the unique Trinity River Delta and the brackish marshes that line the Intracoastal Waterway. Participants will also be able to see the higher elevations of High Island resulting from the surface expression of a salt dome. Morning coffee will then be provided on a section of the coast that is characterized by narrow beaches, a lack of dunes and extreme shoreline erosion. On the way to Bolivar Peninsula, the tour will stop at Rollover Pass to discuss local coastal engineering modifications of the barrier and then follow the transition from narrow eroding beaches to relatively stable wide beaches with ridge and swale topography. A short ferry ride will bring the tour to Galveston Island, where lunch will be provided on the Jetty at East Beach. The tour will continue along the Galveston seawall and west of Galveston where participants will have an opportunity to examine new development on a section of coast that is narrow and low in elevation, and prone to overwash. Participants will also be able to examine ridge and swale topography along the backbarrier. Following a tour of the heavily industrialized and subsiding Texas City, the tour will visit a drowned coastal stream at Pine Gully and conclude (time permitting) at Baytown where the subsidence has lead to entire subdivisions being abandoned. |
| Field Trip will span: 1 day |
| Sponsor(s): GSA Quaternary/Geomorphology |