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Sediment distribution on the Mississippi-Alabama shelf, northern Gulf of Mexico

Open-File Report 2010-1002
By: , and 

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Abstract

The Mississippi-Alabama shelf is bounded to the west by landforms associated with the Mississippi River Delta, to the north by the barrier-island systems of the Mississippi Alabama shoreline, and to the east by the Desoto Canyon. This portion of the northern Gulf of Mexico has been described as a slowly subsiding, passive continental margin (Sydow and Roberts, 1994). Presently, sediment processes on the shelf are a function of prevailing winds and currents: in the past, however, the shelf was the focus of numerous delta cycles. Major episodes of deposition and erosion on the shelf have occurred in response to oscillations in sea level. This report summarizes these processes and identifies areas of near-surface (<10 m below seafloor) deposits that may be suitable for sediment resources.

Study Area

Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title Sediment distribution on the Mississippi-Alabama shelf, northern Gulf of Mexico
Series title Open-File Report
Series number 2010-1002
DOI 10.3133/ofr20101002
Year Published 2010
Language English
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Contributing office(s) Coastal and Marine Geology Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Description 43 p.
Country United States
State Alabama, Mississippi
Other Geospatial Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi-Alabama shelf
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