Date of Award
12-2010
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.S.
Degree Program
Earth and Environmental Sciences
Department
Earth and Environmental Sciences
Major Professor
Kulp, Mark; Levoie, Dawn
Second Advisor
Miner, Michael
Third Advisor
Georgiou, Ioannis
Abstract
The mechanism of Holocene barrier formation aids in determining island geomorphologic responses to modifying climatic processes of the surrounding environment. The geometry and composition of local antecedent topography plays a role in barrier formation by providing an elevated base, nucleus for sedimentation and local sediment supply. Investigation of barriers' subsurface geology provides insight into island formation and evolution. High-resolution shallow seismic data acquired in the island's nearshore zone and interior canals, correlated with existing drillcore data, reveal that Cat Island, MS is situated over an Oxygen Isotope Stage 3 Phase 3 paleochannel located between two topographic high-grounds of the Pleistocene surface. Beach ridge strandplain sets on Cat Island provide additional evidence supporting the island's formation over a relict depocenter. A new, 4-stage model for Cat Island development and evolution incorporating the influence of pre-existing topographic high-grounds and abundant local sediment supply provided by a backfilling fluvial channel is presented here.
Recommended Citation
Rose, Kathryn, "Configuration of the Pleistocene Surface Beneath Cat Island, Mississippi and Implications for Barrier Island Formation and Evolution" (2010). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 1259.
https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/1259
Rights
The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.