River System Input, Alongshore Transport, and Regional Sediment Mixing of Coastal Deposits in Northeastern Gulf of Mexico, USA

Author

Katelyn DeAnn Giles

Date

2022

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Earth Sciences

Committee Chair

Willliam Jackson, Jr.

Committee Member

Donald A Beebe

Committee Member

Youngsang Kwon

Committee Member

Daniel Larsen

Abstract

To determine sediment sources, track alongshore transport, and investigate sediment mixing, I present detrital-zircon U-Pb geochronology from the Mississippi, Mobile, and Apalachicola rivers, as well as five beach and barrier island deposits in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico (USA). Comparison of coastal deposits to river input U-Pb age spectra and Th/U values shows that beach and barrier island deposits are sourced from the Apalachicola and Mobile rivers. Inverse mixing models suggest that coastal deposits are primarily composed of Apalachicola River sediment with some Mobile River and little to no Mississippi River material. At Dauphin Island, the Mobile River contributes the majority (50%) of sediment and then decreases in proportion to the west. Results demonstrate that detrital-zircon geochronology is capable of tracking Holocene sediment transport and mixing along the northeastern Gulf of Mexico and provides a modern analog for provenance investigations of eastern Gulf Coastal Plain Mesozoic-Cenozoic strata.

Comments

Data is provided by the student

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to ProQuest.

Notes

Open Access

Recommended Citation

Giles, Katelyn DeAnn, "River System Input, Alongshore Transport, and Regional Sediment Mixing of Coastal Deposits in Northeastern Gulf of Mexico, USA" (2022). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 3265.
https://digitalcommons.memphis.edu/etd/3265