--> The Distribution of Late Pleistocene-Holocene Sedimentary Facies on the East Texas Continental Shelf and Upper Slope, by J. B. Anderson, K. Abdulah, L. Banfield, M. Hamilton, S. Sarzalejo, F. Siringan, S. Staples-Shipp, and M. Thomas; #90986 (1994).

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Abstract: The Distribution of Late Pleistocene-Holocene Sedimentary Facies on the East Texas Continental Shelf and Upper Slope

John B. Anderson, Ken Abdulah, Laura Banfield, Mike Hamilton, Sabrina Sarzalejo, Fernando Siringan, Stephanie Staples-Shipp, Mark Thomas

Approximately 20,000 kms of high-resolution seismic data, several hundred industry platform boring descriptions, and several hundred sediment cores provide the data base for mapping late Pleistocene-Holocene sedimentary facies on the east Texas continental shelf and upper slope. Several maps constructed from this data base show the distribution of facies during different time segments within the last complete glacial eustatic cycle. The combined seismic and lithological data also have been used to examine the facies architecture of most of the environments represented on the shelf and to construct facies models. These facies include incised fluvial valley fill deposits, fluvial meanderbelts, fluvial- and wave-dominated deltas, tidal inlet/delta systems, coastal lithosomes, shelf sand odies, shelf margin deltas, and slope fans and sediment gravity flow aprons.

Regional differences in facies distribution patterns during a particular eustatic episode predominantly result from variations in sediment supply from the major fluvial systems on the shelf. Thus, the maps and facies models provide important insights into the role of eustasy and sediment supply in regulating facies architecture and distribution on the shelf and upper slope. The maps are also used to test models that predict facies distribution within a sequence stratigraphic context. One interesting outcome of this analysis is that such sequence stratigraphic models often are oversimplified because glacial eustatic rise and fall is more episodic in nature than these models assume; subtle changes in sea-level significantly impact facies architecture and distribution.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90986©1994 AAPG Annual Convention, Denver, Colorado, June 12-15, 1994