The environmental complexes of the longshore islands and cheniers of southern Louisiana were examined during the spring of 1965 as an aid to the interpretation of their subsurface counterparts.

Three major observations resulted from these studies: (1) extreme local and regional variation of environmental conditions exist through a wide area in sediments of the same age; (2) sparsity of recent sand deposition in offshore and lagoonal areas adjacent to the present Mississippi delta; and (3) rapidity of the westward migration of existing sands as a result of longshore currents.

Published data on recent depositional environments have been applied in identification of similar complexes in the subsurface. However, actual observation of existing environments is a much greater aid in reconstructing the depositional history of southern Louisiana.

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