Recent marine sediments in Grays Harbor, Washington

Metadata:

• Identification_Information
• Data_Quality_Information
• Spatial_Data_Organization_Information
• Spatial_Reference_Information
• Entity_and_Attribute_Information
• Distribution_Information
• Metadata_Reference_Information

Identification_Information:

Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: John Douglas Milliman

Publication_Date: 1963

Title: Recent marine sediments in Grays Harbor, Washington

Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: Paper

Publication_Information:

Publication_Place: Seattle, WA

Publisher: University of Washington

Other_Citation_Details:

MS thesis, Department of Oceanography Study financed by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, Contract AT (45-1 - 1725) and Office of Naval Research contract number Nonr-477(10), Project NR 083 012.

Description:

Abstract:

"Grays Harbor forms the estuary of the Chehalis River on the Washington coast, 90 kilometers north of the Columbia River mouth. The estuary is 28 kilometers long, with a maximum width of 24 kilometers. Two north-south trending sand spits narrow the channel entrance to a width of 3.2 kilometers. Approximately 60 percent of the harbor is exposed at mean lower low water. The main source of sediment is probably the Chehalis River. Calculations indicate that the inner harbor, outer harbor, and south bay are shoaling, while north bay is eroding. The erosion of north bay may be due either to the dredging of inner and outer harbors by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, or the construction of ocean jetties. The channel entrance had been eroding until the deterioration of the jetty on Point Chehalis and the dumping of dredge spoils. Three basic sediment types occur in the harbor: poorly-sorted lag gravel near the channel entrance, well-sorted sands in the outer harbor, southern north bay and the western parts of the inner harbor; poorly sorted silts along the shores of north and south bays and in the Abedeen-Hoquiam area. Tidal currents appear to control sediment sorting in Grays Harbor. Finer sediment is winnowed out, leaving a lag-deposit of sand and gravel incoming fine sediment by-passes the areas of strong currents. Therefore, the channel entrance has the coarsest sediment and the tidal flats contain the finest grained sediment. It can be deduced from both direct observations and data from similar areas, that storm waves are responsible for much of the sediment transport in Grays Harbor."

Purpose:

"The objective of this study can be divided into the following aspects: 1.) To describe the marine sediment in Grays Harbor and to chart their horizontal distributions; 2.) To determine the sedimentary environments which caused the sediment distributions; and 3.) To relate the sedimenatry environment to various physical factors such as currents, wave action, and sources of sediments."

Time_Period_of_Content:

Time_Period_Information:

Range_of_Dates/Times:

Beginning_Date: 1961

Ending_Date: 1962

Currentness_Reference: Publication date

Status:

Progress: Complete

Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: None planned

Spatial_Domain:

Bounding_Coordinates:

West_Bounding_Coordinate: -125.917

East_Bounding_Coordinate: -123.815

North_Bounding_Coordinate: 47.035

South_Bounding_Coordinate: 46.840

Keywords:

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: None

Theme_Keyword: University of Washington

Theme_Keyword: Department of Oceanography

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO 19115 Topic Category

Theme_Keyword: Oceans and Estuaries

Theme_Keyword: Location

Theme_Keyword: GeoscientificInformation

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus:

NASA/Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Earth Science Keyword. Version 5.3.3

Theme_Keyword: Marine Sediments

Theme_Keyword: Biogenic Sediments

Theme_Keyword: Sediment Chemistry

Theme_Keyword: Sedimentary Structures

Theme_Keyword: Sedimentary Textures

Theme_Keyword: Terrigenous Sediments

Place:

Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: Geographic Names Information System

Place_Keyword: Washington

Place_Keyword: Grays Harbor

Access_Constraints:

Thesis is available at libraries and the University of Washington

Use_Constraints:

Cite John D. Milliman and the University of Washington as originators of the data.

Point_of_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Organization_Primary:

Contact_Organization: University of Washington

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: Mail

Address: P.O. Box 357940

Address: University of Washington

City: Seattle

State_or_Province: WA

Postal_Code: 98195

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 206-543-5060

Browse_Graphic:

Browse_Graphic_File_Name: Milliman_MS_1963

Browse_Graphic_File_Description:

Screen grab of GIS-produced sample distribution, with bathymetry and land for reference.

Browse_Graphic_File_Type: JPG

Data_Set_Credit:

John D. Milliman at the University of Washington for the collection and analysis of data. For inclusion into usSEABED: Digitization: Adam Jackson (USGS); Formatting corrections: Jane Reid (USGS) and Chris Jenkins (University of Colorado)

Native_Data_Set_Environment:

Tkme: Another editor for formal metadata by Peter N. Schweitzer (U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA 22092), version 2.9.13, Microsoft Windows Version 5.1; Microsoft Word 2000 9.0

Data_Quality_Information:

Attribute_Accuracy:

Attribute_Accuracy_Report:

Data were digitized by hand (typed in), visually compared to source and corrected. Where appropriate, data were tested for completeness using MS Excel.

Logical_Consistency_Report: Data fall within normal ranges for the given parameters.

Completeness_Report:

Appendices IIB (Size analyses of sediments), III (Microscopic analysis of sedimentary consituents), and table 8 (organic carbon in sediments) were completely digitized for inclusion into usSEABED. Not digitized was Appendix IV, Foraminifera identifications.

Positional_Accuracy:

Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy:

Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy_Report:

Navigation technique not noted in report. Latitudes and longitudes given in degrees, minutes, tenths.

Vertical_Positional_Accuracy:

Vertical_Positional_Accuracy_Report: Water depths not given.

Lineage:

Process_Step:

Process_Description:

"A 20 to 40-gram portion of sediment was obtained by quartering each sample; cores were sampled where color and/or texture changed. Each sample was placed in a tared beaker, dried in an oven at 94ºC and weighed. The samples were desalted by shaking in distilled water for 15 minutes, and then centrifuged at 1700 RPM for 20 minutes before decanting. The desalted sample was then mixed with a peptizing agent, Maraperse N (sodium ligno-sulfonate), for ten minutes in a malt mixer. After mixing, the samples were immediately wet-sieved through a 4-phi sieve. The sediment finer than 4 phi was collected in a 1000 cubic centimeter graduated cylinder; the sediment coarser than 4 phi was dried in an oven. The coarse fraction was placed in a nest of 0.25 phi interval sieves, mechanically shaken for 15 minutes...and weighed. ... Fine fraction (finer than 4 phi) size analyses were made at one-phi intervals. A 1000 cubic centimeter graduated cylinder was shaken vigorously and the sediment allowed to settle. Following a procedure based on Waddell's modification of Stokes' Law for settling velocities (Krumbein and Pettijohn, 1938 pg. 104), 20 cubic centimeter pipette aliquots were taken at specific times for each size (4 phi to 11 phi). ... The percentages of sedimentary constituents were determined by investigating the 2-phi and mean grain sizes of the 1961 samples. In order to get a representative count, 500 to 700 grains of each sample were counted. The following separations were made: wood fragments (including marine and terrestrial plant fibers), mica, other minerals (including both minerals and rock fragments), micro fauna, organic fragments (broken shells), and mud galls. ... Heavy minerals were separated from selected samples; a total of 18 samples were analyzed. Following Sternberg (1961, pg. 14), wood and mica samples were separated from the rest of the sample by shaking an inclined board with a vibrating instrument. The other sedimentary constituents reached the bottom of the board before the elongate wood and mica. The mineral portion of each sample was weighed and then placed in bromoform (specific gravity 2.87); the lighter minerals floated and the heavier settled to the bottom. The highly magnetic minerals were then removed by passing a hand magnet over the heavy minerals. The non-magnetic minerals were run thorough a Franz Isodynamic Separator at 0.5 amperes. The part ... not attracted...was found to be mainly rock fragments. The rest of the sample was examined with a binocular microscope and mineral identifications were made. Selected samples from the north bay were analyzed for organic carbon using a wet-combustion in 0.4 N chromic acid (Allison, 1935). A total of 15 samples was analyzed."

Source_Used_Citation_Abbreviation: Krumbein and Pettijohn, 1938

Source_Used_Citation_Abbreviation: Sternberg, 1961

Source_Used_Citation_Abbreviation: Allison, 1935

Process_Date: Unknown

Source_Produced_Citation_Abbreviation: Milliman_MS_1963

Process_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Organization_Primary:

Contact_Organization: University of Washington

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: Mail

Address: P.O. Box 357940

Address: University of Washington

City: Seattle

State_or_Province: WA

Postal_Code: 98195

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 206-543-5060

Spatial_Data_Organization_Information:

Direct_Spatial_Reference_Method: Vector

Point_and_Vector_Object_Information:

SDTS_Terms_Description:

SDTS_Point_and_Vector_Object_Type: Point

Point_and_Vector_Object_Count: 78

Spatial_Reference_Information:

Horizontal_Coordinate_System_Definition:

Geographic:

Latitude_Resolution: 0.00167

Longitude_Resolution: 0.00167

Geographic_Coordinate_Units: Decimal degrees

Entity_and_Attribute_Information:

Detailed_Description:

Entity_Type:

Entity_Type_Label: Point

Entity_Type_Definition: SDTS point

Entity_Type_Definition_Source: Source report

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Sample number

Attribute_Definition: Sample number based on cruise number and sample number

Attribute_Definition_Source: Source report

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Unrepresentable_Domain: Alpha numeric number based on cruise and core information

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Depth in core

Attribute_Definition: Subsample depth

Attribute_Definition_Source: Source report

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Range_Domain:

Range_Domain_Minimum: 0

Range_Domain_Maximum: 0.57

Attribute_Units_of_Measure: Meters

Attribute_Measurement_Resolution: 0.01

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Core description

Attribute_Definition: Core description

Attribute_Definition_Source: Source report

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Unrepresentable_Domain: Lithologic description of grabs, including color

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Gravel

Attribute_Definition: Amount of gravel in source

Attribute_Definition_Source: Source report

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Range_Domain:

Range_Domain_Minimum: 0

Range_Domain_Maximum: 87.53

Attribute_Units_of_Measure: Percent

Attribute_Measurement_Resolution: 0.01

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Sand

Attribute_Definition: Amount of sand in source

Attribute_Definition_Source: Source report

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Range_Domain:

Range_Domain_Minimum: 6.97

Range_Domain_Maximum: 99

Attribute_Units_of_Measure: Percent

Attribute_Measurement_Resolution: 0.01

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Silt

Attribute_Definition: Amount of silt in source

Attribute_Definition_Source: Source report

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Range_Domain:

Range_Domain_Minimum: 0.6

Range_Domain_Maximum: 81.56

Attribute_Units_of_Measure: Percent

Attribute_Measurement_Resolution: 0.01

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Clay

Attribute_Definition: Amount of clay in source

Attribute_Definition_Source: Source report

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Range_Domain:

Range_Domain_Minimum: 0

Range_Domain_Maximum: 19.06

Attribute_Units_of_Measure: Percent

Attribute_Measurement_Resolution: 0.01

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Median

Attribute_Definition: Median grain size

Attribute_Definition_Source: Source report

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Range_Domain:

Range_Domain_Minimum: -3.95

Range_Domain_Maximum: 5.78

Attribute_Units_of_Measure: Phi

Attribute_Measurement_Resolution: 0.01

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Mean

Attribute_Definition: Mean grain size

Attribute_Definition_Source: Inman, 1952

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Range_Domain:

Range_Domain_Minimum: -2.93

Range_Domain_Maximum: 6.25

Attribute_Units_of_Measure: Phi

Attribute_Measurement_Resolution: 0.01

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Standard deviation

Attribute_Definition: Standard deviation of grain size dispersion

Attribute_Definition_Source: Inman, 1952

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Range_Domain:

Range_Domain_Minimum: 0.14

Range_Domain_Maximum: 2.83

Attribute_Units_of_Measure: Phi

Attribute_Measurement_Resolution: 0.01

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Skewness (1)

Attribute_Definition: First skewness of grain size dispersion

Attribute_Definition_Source: Inman, 1952

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Range_Domain:

Range_Domain_Minimum: -0.91

Range_Domain_Maximum: 0.92

Attribute_Units_of_Measure: Unitless

Attribute_Measurement_Resolution: 0.01

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Skewness (2)

Attribute_Definition: Second skewness of grain size dispersion

Attribute_Definition_Source: Inman, 1952

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Range_Domain:

Range_Domain_Minimum: -2.89

Range_Domain_Maximum: 6.27

Attribute_Units_of_Measure: Unitless

Attribute_Measurement_Resolution: 0.01

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Kurtosis

Attribute_Definition: Kurtosis of grain size dispersion

Attribute_Definition_Source: Inman, 1952

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Range_Domain:

Range_Domain_Minimum: 0.36

Range_Domain_Maximum: 10.86

Attribute_Units_of_Measure: Unitless

Attribute_Measurement_Resolution: 0.01

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Sand/mud ratio

Attribute_Definition: Ratio of sand to mud in sample

Attribute_Definition_Source: Source report

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Range_Domain:

Range_Domain_Minimum: 0.07

Range_Domain_Maximum: 74.99

Attribute_Units_of_Measure: Unitless

Attribute_Measurement_Resolution: 0.01

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Organic carbon

Attribute_Definition: Organic carbon in sample

Attribute_Definition_Source: Allison, 1935

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Range_Domain:

Range_Domain_Minimum: 0.01

Range_Domain_Maximum: 2.01

Attribute_Units_of_Measure: Percent

Attribute_Measurement_Resolution: 0.01

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Fraction percent of phi size class

Attribute_Definition: Fraction percent of phi size class

Attribute_Definition_Source: Source report

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Unrepresentable_Domain:

Phi size class in fraction percent; from >-4 phi to <11 phi in 0.25 to 1.0 phi bins.

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Sedimentary consituents

Attribute_Definition:

Identification of sedimentary consituents in selected phi size class.

Attribute_Definition_Source: Source report

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Unrepresentable_Domain:

Percents of minerals, mica, organic fragments, plant fibers, mud galls in 0.25 mm fraction

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Sedimentary consituents

Attribute_Definition:

Identification of sedimentary consituents in selected phi size class.

Attribute_Definition_Source: Source report

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Unrepresentable_Domain:

Percents of minerals, mica, organic fragments, plant fibers, mud galls in mean grain size fraction

Attribute:

Attribute_Label: Heavy mineral analysis

Attribute_Definition: Identification of heavy minerals in sample

Attribute_Definition_Source: Source report

Attribute_Domain_Values:

Unrepresentable_Domain:

Heavy mineral (%), magnetic minerals (%), rock fragments, hypersthene, olivine, hornblende, chlorite, corundum.

Distribution_Information:

Distributor:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Organization_Primary:

Contact_Organization: University of Washington

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: Mail

Address: P.O. Box 357940

Address: University of Washington

City: Seattle

State_or_Province: WA

Postal_Code: 98195

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 206-543-5060

Resource_Description: Milliman MS 1963

Distribution_Liability:

Although this dataset has been used by the USGS, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by the USGS as to the accuracy of the data. Users of the data should be aware of limitations of the data due to possible imprecision due to navigational inaccuracies and limitations of the statistical data.

Standard_Order_Process:

Non-digital_Form:

Report is available at some libraries and the University of Washington.

Fees: None

Technical_Prerequisites: None

Available_Time_Period:

Time_Period_Information:

Single_Date/Time:

Calendar_Date: 1963

Metadata_Reference_Information:

Metadata_Date: 2005

Metadata_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Organization_Primary:

Contact_Organization: U.S. Geological Survey

Contact_Person: Jane A. Reid

Contact_Position: Geologist

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: Physical and mail

Address: 400 Natural Bridges Drive

City: Santa Cruz

State_or_Province: CA

Postal_Code: 95060

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 831-427-4727

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: jareid@usgs.gov

Contact_Instructions: Email preferred

Metadata_Standard_Name: CSDGM Version 2

Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001-1998

Metadata_Access_Constraints: None

Metadata_Use_Constraints:

Metadata was written by a user of the data. Any information contained in the physical report is authoritative and supercedes any information given here.