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2004 Denver Annual Meeting (November 7–10, 2004)

Paper No. 1
Presentation Time: 1:30 PM-5:30 PM

RAPID CHANGES IN ESTUARY EVOLUTION WITHIN CORPUS CHRISTI BAY, TEXAS, USA


SIMMS, Alexander R., Earth Sciences, Rice Univ, 6100 S. Main MS-126, Houston, TX 77005, ANDERSON, John B., Earth Science, Rice Univ, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005, RODRIGUEZ, Antonio B., Geological Sciences, Univ Alabama - Tuscaloosa, Box 870338, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0338 and TAVIANI, Marco, ISMAR-Marine Geology Division, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, via Gobetti 101, Bologna, 40129, arsimms@rice.edu

Over the last 10 ka, the wave-dominated estuaries of the northwestern Gulf of Mexico have undergone several dramatic changes in response to sea-level and climatic oscillations. Using over 400 km of high resolution seismic, 51 cores up to 20 m in length, and over 40 radiocarbon dates, the history of one of these estuaries – Corpus Christi Bay – was studied in detail. Cores and seismic profiles show dramatic changes in lithofacies and seismic character, indicating changes in estuarine environments (i.e. bayhead deltas, oyster reefs, and tidal deltas). Km-scale shifts in the location of estuarine environments occurred at submillenial time scales even during a period of slow sea level rise. This is attributed to the important role of antecedent topography and climate change in estuarine evolution.

Session No. 124--Booth# 124

T41. The Gulf of Mexico—Past, Present, and Future: Relating Ecology to Geology (Posters)
Monday, 8 November 2004: 1:30 PM-5:30 PM
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 36, No. 5, p.300
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