Holocene relative sea level rise and subsidence in northern Gulf of Mexico

Conference · Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:5992072

Penland, S; Sutter, J R; Ramsey, K E; McBride, R D

The analysis of more than 90 tidal gauge records, 10,000-km high resolution seismic profiles, 500 vibracores, and 250 radiocarbon dates led to the development of a new sea level history for the Louisiana coastal zone and adjacent continental shelf for the last 8,000 years. Now reinterpreted, the original single delta plain is seen as actually two individual, imbricated shelf-phase delta plains deposited at different sea levels. Termed the modern and late Holocene, these two delta plains are separated by a regional shoreface refinement surface, which can be traced updip to the relict-transgressive Teche shoreline. The Late Holocene delta plain was deposited during a sea level stillstand 6 m below the present, 3,000-7,2000 years ago. A 5 to 6-m eustatic-enhanced relative rise in sea level, 2,5000-3,000 years ago at a rate of 1-1.2 cm/yr led to the complete transgresive submergence of the lower late Holocene delta plain. Sea level reached its approximate position about 2,500 years ago, and since then the Mississippi River has built the modern delta plain consisting of the abandoned St. Bernard and Lafourche delta complexes and the active Balize and Atchafalaya delta complexes.

• OSTI ID: 5992072
• Report Number(s): CONF-880301-
• Resource Relation: Conference: Annual meeting of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Houston, TX, USA, 20-23 Mar 1988
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
58 GEOSCIENCES
GULF COAST
GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS
LOUISIANA
SEA LEVEL
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
CARBON 14
CONTINENTAL SHELF
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
GEOMORPHOLOGY
GULF OF MEXICO
ISOTOPE DATING
MISSISSIPPI RIVER
QUATERNARY PERIOD
RIVER DELTAS
AGE ESTIMATION
ATLANTIC OCEAN
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CARBON ISOTOPES
CARIBBEAN SEA
CENOZOIC ERA
COASTAL REGIONS
CONTINENTAL MARGIN
DATA
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
FEDERAL REGION VI
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGY
INFORMATION
ISOTOPES
LEVELS
LIGHT NUCLEI
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
RADIOISOTOPES
RIVERS
SEAS
STREAMS
SURFACE WATERS
SURVEYS
USA
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
020200* - Petroleum- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
580100 - Geology & Hydrology- (-1989)