Geologic evidence of net onshore sand transport throughout the Holocene marine transgression, southwest Florida Article

Parkinson, RW. (1991). Geologic evidence of net onshore sand transport throughout the Holocene marine transgression, southwest Florida . MARINE GEOLOGY, 96(3-4), 269-277. 10.1016/0025-3227(91)90151-S

cited authors

  • Parkinson, RW

authors

abstract

  • The Holocene sediment sequence within the Ten Thousand Islands area of southwest Florida consists of more than 3 m of marine shelly quartz sand which overlies a thin layer (<1 m) of paralic and freshwater sediment. Although this transgressive sequence is similar to that produced during the erosional shoreface retreat of sandy, storm dominated shorelines, sedimentologic and stratigraphic features suggest the southwest Florida shoreline retreated landward primarily by submergence. The shelly quartz sand was derived from an offshore source subsequent to the initial stages of marine transgression. The specific mechanism responsible for onshore sand transport can only be speculated at the present time as climatic and wave data are essentially nonexistent for this remote area. However, net onshore sand transport implies that low steepness waves have mobilized a larger volume of sediment than waves of high steepness. Low steepness waves are generated under prevailing wave conditions and by the swell of distant tropical cyclones. High steepness waves are associated with winter cold fronts or the direct landfall of a tropical cyclone. Because wave heights average only 10 cm along this low energy coastline it is entirely possible that the swell of distant tropical cyclones is the principle mechanism by which sand is transported onshore and incorporated into the Holocene sediment sequence of the Ten Thousand Islands area. © 1991.

publication date

  • January 1, 1991

published in

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

start page

  • 269

end page

  • 277

volume

  • 96

issue

  • 3-4