Apalachicola
Conclusions



  • Seismic stratigraphic analysis on the shelf suggests that the drainage system that supplied deltas on the outer shelf during previous glacial cycles mimics the modern highstand.
  • The stage 7 to 6 delta has a well-defined system of branching distributaries and an overall "bird-foot" external morphology.
  • The stage 5 to 2 delta also exhibits well-developed branching distributaries. In contrast to the stage 7 to 6 depositional system, the delta has an overall strike-aligned elongation which we interpret as an indicator of dominate wave influence.
  • During successive sea-level cycles, antecedent topography appears to have had considerable control over the location of deltaic depocenters. Depocenters associated with the last glacial cycle fill interdeltaic regions and offlap breaks created by deltaic deposition of the previous glacial cycle (stage 7 to 6).
  • In spite of the dramatic falls in sea level during the previous glacial cycles, the deep-water system of this ramp-type margin suggests minimal lowstand deposition in the form of lowstand fans, slope canyons, and gullies.


    Gulf Bottom Imagemap


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