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Textural distribution of sea-floor sediments, south Texas Outer Continental Shelf

Journal of Research of the U.S. Geological Survey
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Abstract

The general texture of sea-floor sediments along the south Texas Outer Continental Shelf was evaluated in terms of gravel, sand, silt, and clay components. The gravel component is quantitatively minor and is concentrated mainly in the southern sector; it consists, for the most part, of relict biogenic detritus dominated by molluscan shells. The sand component consists of terrigenous and biogenic detritus. Modern sand is localized along the shoreface sector, whereas palimpsest and relict sands characterize the northern and southern sectors, which are the respective locations of the ancestral Brazos-Colorado 'and Rio Grande deltas. The central sector contains an extensive modern mud blanket that appears to be migrating southward over relict deposits of the ancestral Rio Grande delta. The silt fraction is the highly dominant component of the mud blanket; silt appears to be hydraulically trapped within the shelf environment and constitutes the most abundant detrital component within the Outer Continental Shelf region. The subordinate clay component of the mud blanket is concentrated toward the shelf break and may be largely escaping into deeper water environments.

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Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Textural distribution of sea-floor sediments, south Texas Outer Continental Shelf
Series title Journal of Research of the U.S. Geological Survey
Volume 4
Issue 6
Year Published 1976
Language English
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Publisher location Reston, VA
Contributing office(s) Coastal and Marine Geology Program
Description 11 p.
First page 703
Last page 713
Country United States
State Texas
Other Geospatial Texas Outer Continental Shelf
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