New Constraints on the Stratigraphic Architecture and Evolution of Mississippi River Delta Lobe Activity: Barataria Basin, Southeastern LA

Barataria Basin is a shallow water, interdistributary estuary that has evolved in response to dynamic depositional regimes governed by distributary avulsion and reworking of sediments by coastal processes. In the Mississippi River delta plain, the migratory nature of the River has produced an evolving landscape constructed through episodes of regressive and transgressive sedimentation. These processes produce unique depositional signatures in the stratigraphic record, however the transgressive component of the delta cycle often results in obliteration of the regressive phase. This study uses a modern suite of geophysical and sediment core data to construct a revised geologic framework in Barataria Basin, in which distributary networks are mapped on a delta-lobe scale. Radiometric dates are leveraged to constrain the temporal evolution of these Mississippi River delta lobes within the Basin. Furthermore, this study offers a unique opportunity to examine preserved regressive deposits in the shallow stratigraphic record.