Research Article| July 01, 1960 SEDIMENTS OF THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA JOHN V BYRNE; JOHN V BYRNE DEPARTMENT OF OCEANOGRAPHY, OREGON STATE COLLEGE, CORVALLIS, OREGON; DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES 7, CALIF. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar K. O EMERY K. O EMERY DEPARTMENT OF OCEANOGRAPHY, OREGON STATE COLLEGE, CORVALLIS, OREGON; DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES 7, CALIF. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information JOHN V BYRNE DEPARTMENT OF OCEANOGRAPHY, OREGON STATE COLLEGE, CORVALLIS, OREGON; DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES 7, CALIF. K. O EMERY DEPARTMENT OF OCEANOGRAPHY, OREGON STATE COLLEGE, CORVALLIS, OREGON; DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES 7, CALIF. Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 09 Feb 1959 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Copyright © 1960, The Geological Society of America, Inc. Copyright is not claimed on any material prepared by U.S. government employees within the scope of their employment. GSA Bulletin (1960) 71 (7): 983–1010. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1960)71[983:SOTGOC]2.0.CO;2 Article history Received: 09 Feb 1959 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation JOHN V BYRNE, K. O EMERY; SEDIMENTS OF THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA. GSA Bulletin 1960;; 71 (7): 983–1010. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1960)71[983:SOTGOC]2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract The Gulf of California is an elongate trough bordered by highlands on the west and mostly by lowlands on the east. Fault scarps divide its floor into a succession of closed basins separated by ridges, some of which are capped by islands. Water flows into the open sea along the east side and leaves along the west side after partial evaporation. About half of the runoff from land reaching the gulf enters at its head via the Colorado River, but dilution of the gulf water is not evident. Winter upwelling caused by northwesterly winds brings high-nutrient (including high-silica) water to the surface where diatoms and other phytoplankton flourish so abundantly that they discolor the water. On death, the siliceous frustules fall to the bottom forming diatomaceous muds in the middle third of the gulf. High-organic matter in the muds is also a result of high production in surface waters and of anaerobic conditions within the sediments, although not in the water above them. Sediments of the northern third of the gulf are deltaic, and those of the southern third are normal marine green muds. Sands and gravels composed of shell debris and detritus from land are concentrated along the shores and in channels between islands where tidal currents are swift. The physiography and geological history indicate that the gulf is a taphrogeosyncline. Its sediments should form chiefly shale and gray-wacke, fades considered typical of geosynclines, although climatic and oceanographic factors may be more responsible for their deposition than are tectonic factors. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.

Geological survey

Geologist

10.1130/0016-7606(1960)71[983:sotgoc]2.0.co;2

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Citations (72)

MORPHOMETRY OF CRATER LAKE, OREGON1

Limnology and Oceanography (1965)

John V. Byrne

Limnology

Crater lake

10.4319/lo.1965.10.3.0462

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Citations (32)

Research on the Maya. (Book Reviews: Monographs and Papers in Maya Archaeology)

Science (1972)

John V. Byrne

Maya

10.1126/science.175.4018.158

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Citations (0)

Sedimentary response to hydrography in an Oregon estuary

Marine Geology (1966)

L. D. Kulm John V. Byrne

Tidal range

10.1016/0025-3227(66)90001-6

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Citations (47)

A Coastal Tour: Our Changing Coastlines . Francis P. Shepard and Harold R. Wanless. McGraw-Hill, New York, 1971. X,. 580 pp., illus. $39.50.

Science (1972)

John V. Byrne

10.1126/science.175.4018.158.a

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Citations (0)

Variations in Fluvial Gravel Imbrication: NOTES

Journal of Sedimentary Research (1963)

John V. Byrne

Imbrication

Source

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Citations (0)

The Chenier Plain and Its Stratigraphy, Southwestern Louisiana

John V. Byrne Duane O. LeRoy Charles M. Riley

ABSTRACT The low coastal marshland of southwestern Louisiana is characterized by numerous relict beach ridges, or cheniers, which give the region its name. From analyses of cores along a north-south line of section through Creole, Louisiana, it has been possible to identify 4 faunal zones and 7 distinct sedimentary facies in the post-Pleistocene deposits which underlie the plain. The faunal zones, named after the dominant foraminifers, are: the Streblus, Streblus-Elphidium, Quinqueloculina and Trochammina zones. The sedimentary facies consist of varying proportions of sand, silt, and clay which, together with their contained faunas, clearly reflect the environments of deposition, including marsh, bay, mudflat, open gulf, and beach. The relict beaches or cheniers are lenticular sand and shell bodies similar to certain shoestring sands which commonly serve as oil reservoirs in older rocks; thus, they hold special interest for the petroleum geologist. The cheniers, which extend as uninterrupted coastwise ridges up to 30 miles in length, are biconvex in cross section and average about 600 feet across and about 7 feet in thickness. They rise from a few inches to more than 10 feet above the marsh. They are characterized by a smooth, generally arcuate seaward front and an irregular landward margin. These deposits rest on shallow gulf bottom sand and silty clay and are overlapped by organic marsh silt and clay. Should the ridges eventually be buried by such marsh deposits, they will form potential stratigraphic traps. A knowledge of the characteristic shape, trend, and dimensions of the chenier sands, and of their distinctive sedimentary and faunal properties should aid materially in identifying similar potential reservoirs in the subsurface.

Silt

Salt marsh

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Citations (75)

Natural Indicators of Estuarine Sediment Movement

Journal of the Waterways and Harbors Division (1967)

John V. Byrne LaVerne D Kulm

Natural sediment indicators are used in Yaquina Bay, Oregon, to show that marine sands enter the bay and move six miles up the estuary. Sediment texture and composition indicate that marine sands from the adjacent ocean beaches and near-shore areas are transported into the estuary by strong tidal currents or by wind. The amount of material transported up the estuarine channel decreases according to the decreasing flood current velocities. Yaquina River sands are trapped within the bay, and suspended silts and clays are deposited on tidal flats or carried to sea on the ebb tide. The extent, magnitude, and rate of deposition within and adjacent to the estuary are influenced by four factors: direction of littoral drift, river runoff, type of estuarine system, and wind direction. These factors dictate that maximum transportation and deposition of sediments occur during the winter and spring; during summer and fall sediment transport and deposition are at a minimum.

Deposition

Sedimentary budget

10.1061/jwheau.0000489

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Citations (4)