Quantifying Sedimentation Rates In the Trinity River Delta, Texas

This study uses traditional coring methods to quantify Holocene sedimentation rates in the Trinity River Delta, Texas. Radiocarcbon dating of shell fragments recovered from sediment cores (292-536cm) ranged from 2.8 to 3.2 Ka. Mean sediment accumulation rates varied between 1.2 and 1.8 mm/yr for two areas of the delta, consistent with previous research. At these rates, modern sediment input from the Trinity River is inadequate to account for sediment accretion on the delta. Therefore, other non-fluvial sediment sources must be contributing to the accretion of sediment within the delta.