Skip to main content
Log in

Correlation of shear strength, hydraulic conductivity, and thermal gradients with sediment disturbance: South Pass region, Mississippi Delta

  • Published:
Geo-Marine Letters Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The degree of sediment disturbance in the South Pass area is correlated to the average hydraulic conductivity, shear strength, and thermal gradient. Hydraulic conductivity averages 18, 6, and 4 × 10−7 cm/s in the undisturbed, moderately disturbed, and most disturbed sediments, respectively. Shear strength also decreases with increasing disturbance, from 7.6 to 4.4 to 3.5 kPa. Excluding the four stations dominated by annual temperature variations, the remaining 19 thermal gradients correlate well with sediment disturbance. The average gradient is positive in all of the disturbed sediments (0.12 ± 0.07° C/m) and 0 in the undisturbed sediments (0.02 ± 0.05° C/m).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Coleman JM, DB Prior (1979) U.S. Geological Survey Mississippi Delta Project, Plate 5, Sea Floor Morphology (Map)

  2. Shepard FP (1955) Delta-front valleys bordering the Mississippi distributaries. Bulletin Geological Society of America 66:1489–1498

    Google Scholar 

  3. Coleman JM (1981) Deltas, Processes of Deposition and Models for Exploration. Burgess, Minneapolis, 124 pp

  4. Henkel DJ (1970) The role of waves in causing submarine landslides. Geotechnique 20:75–80

    Google Scholar 

  5. Hirst TJ, Richards A (1976) Excess pore pressure in Mississippi Delta front sediments: initial report. Marine Geotechnology 1:337–334

    Google Scholar 

  6. Prior DB, Suhayda JN (1979) Application of infinite slope analysis to subaqueous sediment instability, Mississippi Delta. Engineering Geology 14:1–10

    Google Scholar 

  7. Prior DB, Coleman JM (1982) Active slides and flows in underconsolidated marine sediments on the slopes of the Mississippi delta. In: Saxov S, Nieuwenhuis JK (eds) Marine Slides and Other Mass Movements, Nato Conference Series IV:6 Plenum Press, New York, 21–50

    Google Scholar 

  8. Prior DB, Coleman JM (1978) Disintegrating, retrogressive landslides on very low angle subaqueous slopes, Mississippi Delta. Marine Geotechnology 3:37–60

    Google Scholar 

  9. Gibson RE (1958) The progress of consolidation in a clay layer increasing in thickness with time. Geotechnique 8:171–182

    Google Scholar 

  10. Langseth MG, Hobart MA, Horai K (1980) Heat flow in the Bering Sea. Journal Geophysical Research 85:3740–3750

    Google Scholar 

  11. Lambe W, Whitman RV (1979) Soil Mechanics. John Wiley, New York, 553 pp

    Google Scholar 

  12. Bohlke BM, Bennett RH (1980) Mississippi Prodelta crusts: A clay fabric and geotechnical analysis. Marine Geotechnology 4:55–82

    Google Scholar 

  13. Esrig MI, Kirby RC, Bea RG, Murphy BS (1977) Initial development of a general effective stress method for the prediction of axial capacity for driven piles in clay. Proceedings 9th Annual Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, pp 495–506

  14. Bennett RH, Burns JT, Clarke TL, Faris JR, Forde EB, Richards AF (1982) Piezometer probes for assessing effective stress and stability in submarine sediments. In: Marine Slides and Other Mass Movements. Saxov S, Nieuwenhuis JK (eds), NATO Conference Series IV:6, Plenum Press, New York, pp 129–162

    Google Scholar 

  15. Abbott DH, Menke WH, Hobart M, Anderson RN, Embley RW (1984) Correlated sediment thickness, temperature gradient, and excess pore pressures in a marine fault block basin. Geophysical Research Letters 11:485–488

    Google Scholar 

  16. Anderson RN, Hobart MA, Langseth MG (1979) Convective heat transfer in oceanic crust and sediment in the Indian Ocean. Science 204:828–832

    Google Scholar 

  17. Caldwell DR, Chriss TM, Newberger PA, Dillon TM (1981) The thinness of oceanic temperature gradients. Journal Geophysical Research 86:4290–4292

    Google Scholar 

  18. Goguel J (1976) Geothermics. McGraw-Hill, New York, 200 pp

    Google Scholar 

  19. Whelan T, Coleman JM, Suhayda JN, Garrison LE (1975) The geochemistry of recent Mississippi River Delta sediments: gas concentration and sediment stability. Proceedings 7th Offshore Technology Conference, Houston:71–85

  20. Johns MW, Taylor E, Bryant WR (1982) Geotechnical sampling and testing of gas-charged sediments at in situ pressures. Geo-marine Letters 2:231–236

    Google Scholar 

  21. Nowlin WD Jr, Parker CA (1974) Effects of a cold-air outbreak on shelf waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Journal of Physical Oceanography 4:467–486

    Google Scholar 

  22. Roberts HH, Cratsley DW, Whelan III T (1976) Stability of Mississippi Delta sediments as evaluated by analysis of structural features in sediment borings, Proceedings 8th Offshore Technology Conference, Houston:9–28

  23. Bredehoeft JD, Papadopoulos IS (1965) Rates of vertical groundwater movement estimated from the earth's thermal profile. Water Resources 1:325–328

    Google Scholar 

  24. Abbott DH, Menke WH, Hobart MA, Anderson RN (1981) Evidence for excess pore pressures in southwest Indian Ocean sediments. Journal Geophysical Research 86:813–828

    Google Scholar 

  25. Burst JF (1969) Diagenesis of Gulf Coast clayey sediments and its possible relationship to petroleum migration. Bulletin American Association Petroleum Geologists 53:73–93

    Google Scholar 

  26. Clark SP (ed) (1966) Handbook of Physical Constants. Geological Society of America Memoir 97, p 464

  27. McGregor BA, Bennett RH, Lambert DN (1979) Bottom processes, morphology and geotechnical properties of the continental slope south of Baltimore Canyon. Applied Ocean Research 1: 177–187

    Google Scholar 

  28. Bryant WR, Deflache AP, Trabant PK (1974) Consolidation of marine clays and carbonates. In: Inderbitzen A (ed) Deep Sea Sediments: Physical and Mechanical Properties. Plenum Press, New York pp 218–219

    Google Scholar 

  29. Whelan T, Coleman JM, Suhayda JN, Roberts HH (1977) Acoustical penetration and shear strength in gas charged sediments. Marine Geotechnology 2:147–159

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Abbott, D.H., Embley, R.W. & Hobart, M.A. Correlation of shear strength, hydraulic conductivity, and thermal gradients with sediment disturbance: South Pass region, Mississippi Delta. Geo-Marine Letters 5, 113–119 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02233936

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02233936

Keywords

Navigation