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RECENT SEDIMENTARY HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH BAY, FLORIDA 1

1962; Wiley; Volume: 1; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/j.1365-3091.1962.tb01150.x

1365-3091

Richard A. Stewart, Donn S. Gorsline,

Water Quality and Resources Studies

SUMMARY The history of St. Joseph Bay, on the west coast of Florida, begins with the last rise in sea level about 5,000 years ago. The formation of an extensive cuspate spit has formed a basin which is now in the process of being filled by detrital sands delivered via longshore drift from the eastern Apalachicola River. Prior to or during early stages of spit development, a wedge of fine material was deposited over the old terrace surface from an old distributary of the Apalachicola. Present sedimentation has as yet failed to obscure portions of this older surface within the lagoon. Clean quartz sand and biological carbonates comprise the bulk of the present sediment contribution. The typical East Gulf “kyanite‐staurolite” heavy mineral suite is present, as is the kaolinite‐montmorillonite‐illite clay mineral suite common to this coast. Sediments in this area have an average organic content of about 1.4%. A high organic carbon/organic nitrogen average of 15.4 has resulted from the accumulation of highly carbonaceo us plant debris under the restrictive environment of the lagoon.