Synonyms
Event deposits; Overwash deposits; Storm deposits; Washovers; Wave deltas
Definition
Washover fans, termed by Price (1947), are plume- to lobate-shaped backshore sandy deposits that form as the result of storm overwash. They can range in thicknesses from millimeters to meters and widths from several meters to kilometers and typically form behind or adjacent to sandy barrier islands, strandplains, and shoreface deposits. Fans consist of landward-dipping sand sheets that typically interfinger with finer-grained back-barrier sediments. Washover fans are found in modern and ancient sedimentary settings.
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Price, W. A., 1947. Equilibrium of form and forces in tidal basins of coast of Texas and Louisiana. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, 31, 1619–1663.
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© 2016 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
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Wallace, D.J. (2016). Washover Fans. In: Kennish, M.J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Estuaries. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8801-4_241
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8801-4_241
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Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-017-8800-7
Online ISBN: 978-94-017-8801-4
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