Sedimentary processes and instability on the Mississippi River Delta Front near the shipwreck of the SS Virginia
Water
Links
- More information: Publisher Index Page (via DOI)
- Open Access Version: Publisher Index Page
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
Abstract
Sediment cores were collected from a mudflow lobe (80 m water depth) offshore of the Mississippi River’s Southwest Pass in 2017 to better understand the sedimentology near the lobe entraining the SS Virginia shipwreck (sunk by a German U-boat in 1942) and surrounding Mississippi River delta front. Core analyses included 210Pb/137Cs geochronology, granulometry, and X-radiography. Sediment accumulation rates (SAR) calculated from excess 210Pb activity in multicores are 0.22–0.29 cm/y at seabed depths less than 20 cm and 0.29–0.51 cm/y at depths greater than 20 cm. Accumulation rates for 137Cs have been ~0.15 to ~0.37 cm/y since 1954 and 1963, respectively. Sediment accumulation rates from 210Pb, 137Cs geochronology and indicators of relative sedimentation and bioturbation from X-radiographs suggest that rates of sediment accumulation near the Virginia have declined since the mid-20th century. This may be explained by the multi-decade downslope mass transport of the mudflow lobe in which the shipwreck is embedded and decreases in sediment supply delivered offshore from the Mississippi river. Mass transport calculations of the Virginia lobe derived from core properties and published lobe advection rates suggest downslope mass transport is far higher than sediment resupply from the Mississippi river, consistent with recent studies of delta retreat.
Suggested Citation
Figueredo, N., Bentley, S., Chaytor, J., Xu, K., Jafari, N., Georgiou, I., D'amour, M., Duxbury, J., Obelcz, J., and Maloney, J., 2024, Sedimentary processes and instability on the Mississippi River Delta Front near the shipwreck of the SS Virginia: Water, v. 16, no. 3, 421, 18 p., https://doi.org/10.3390/w16030421.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Sedimentary processes and instability on the Mississippi River Delta Front near the shipwreck of the SS Virginia |
| Series title | Water |
| DOI | 10.3390/w16030421 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Publication Date | January 27, 2024 |
| Year Published | 2024 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | MDPI |
| Contributing office(s) | Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center |
| Description | 421, 18 p. |
| Country | United States |
| State | Mississippi |