| 7:00 AM-6:30 PM, George R. Brown Convention Center: |
CANCELED: Geology of and Hurricane Rita effects on the Chenier Plain, southwestern Louisiana
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| Primary Leader: Donald E. Owen |
| Leader(s): Richard A. Ashmore |
| Field Trip Description: This field trip will visit the world-famous Chenier Plain of southwestern Louisiana, which was devastated by Hurricane Rita during 2005. The purpose of the trip is two-fold: (1) to observe and understand how sand/shell chenier ridges develop from erosion of shoreline mudflats during transgression and to compare cheniers with regressive beach ridges in the same area; (2) to observe and understand the effects of geologically frequent hurricane storm surges and cold-front passages on development of cheniers and beach ridges as well as on human structures. For example, the Rita-destroyed town of Holly Beach and washed-over dune ridges at Martin Beach will be visited. After an overnight stay in the dormitory at the remote Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge on the coast, participants will observe the transition from chenier to barrier-island coast along the Bolivar Peninsula of Texas during the return trip to Houston via the coastal highway and Bolivar-Galveston ferry. |
| Field Trip will span: 2 days |
| Sponsor(s): Lamar University |