ABSTRACT

High resolution subbottom profiling and sediment coring within a one hundred square mile area off South Pass of the Mississippi Delta has resulted in:

1. A detailed bathymetric chart of the area;
2. A three-dimensional structural chart of the sediments to a subbottom depth of 100 meters; and
3. The general characteristics of the surface sediments in terms of lithology, shear strength, water content, bulk density and compressibility.

The bathymetric chart was constructed on a half-mile grid supplemented by surveys of the area of other agencies. One of the more interesting features of the area was the delineation of a series of gullies. These features are compared to those contoured by F. P. Shepard in 1940.

The seismic data revealed that the subbottom structure of the delta front and of the area seaward is characterized by numerous slump features. The sediment in the area is classified as a high water content, low shear strength, underconsolidated, rather homogeneous silty clay.

End_of_Record - Last_Page 156-------