Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Shelf-Margin Delta Morphology As A Paleo Sea Level Indicator: Implications On Late Quaternary Relative Sea-Level Changes In The Northeast Gulf Of Mexico, Swati Ghoshal

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A new technique to determine relative sea level history at siliciclastic settings is proposed in this dissertation. The clinoform break (defined as the topset-foreset transition point) of the modern Mississippi River Delta shows a direct relationship with sea level elevation. The analysis of Holocene lobes 8 and 9 belonging to the St. Bernard delta complex of the Mississippi Delta suggests that delta clinoforms can be significantly modified by post-abandonment processes, and hence a detailed stratigraphic evaluation is necessary to determine whether the clinoform geometry is a result of wave erosion or any other post-abandonment processes. The strategy was tested on …