The Foraminiferal Signature of Hurricanes: Northern Gulf of Mexico Grant uri icon

abstract

  • Given the strategic importance of petroleum exploration and production infrastructure on the Louisiana continental shelf, we should strive to understand the response of the seabed to passing hurricanes. Recent studies using a variety of geochemical, sedimentological and geophysical approaches have demonstrated that the inner shelf was characterized in large part by sediment erosion during and immediately following hurricanes Katrina and Rita whereas deeper shelf environments were dominated by deposition of sediment that had been cast into suspension by the storms. The subaqueous Mississippi Delta immediately offshore of Southwest Pass experienced mass movement of soft sediment. Preliminary micropaleontological work on Rita and Katrina sediment layers has indicated that the passing of storms might be recognized by a foraminiferal signature and that a record of previous events might be preserved in the stratigraphic record. This study will test the hypotheses that: a) sediments deposited by hurricanes are recognizable by their foraminiferal assemblages, b) multiple, stacked storm events can be recognized in single cores using foraminifera, c) different storm units can be distinguished by their foraminiferal assemblages, d) the frequency and periodicity of hurricanes can be determined using foraminiferal information together with sedimentological and geochemical data, and e) the provenence of transported sediment can be deduced from foraminiferal data. The research represents a new approach for recognizing hurricane deposits and will provide new insights into the preservation of storm units in the stratigraphic record. The research will include both undergraduate and graduate students, involving them in the research process from project design through publication of results.

date/time interval

  • January 2010 - August 2012