海南博鳌海域冲淤灾害地质及其环境稳定性分析

利用海南博鳌海域2期海图,结合多期遥感影像和地形图对比,分析了博鳌海域的冲淤及海岸线变迁;根据博鳌港潮汐汊道纳潮量P和口门断面面积A之间的P-A关系研究和冲淤灾害因素判别,进行了口门稳定性评价,并对博鳌港的冲淤灾害和环境稳定性进行了分析.结果显示:博鳌港外海区域以淤积为主;万泉河口门海域以侵蚀为主,口门呈现单口门和双口门交替变化状态,口门北侧和玉带滩北部岸线主要以侵蚀后退为主,玉带滩中部和南部岸线近于稳定平衡态;沙美内海以淤积为主.采用潮汐汊道P-A关系进行分析,显示博鳌港口门处于不稳定状态.     

全球变化中的浅海沉积作用与物理环境演化——以渤、黄、东海区域为例

以渤、黄、东海陆架区为例 ,综合评述入海沉积物通量、浅海沉积作用和人类活动影响下的物理环境变化。黄河、长江沉积物入海后主要堆积于河口附近 ,沉积速率为 10～ 10 0mm/a ,部分物质输运至陆架区 ,形成泥质沉积体 ,其沉积速率为 1mm/a量级。但目前河流入海沉积物通量呈减小趋势 ,今后河口附近的堆积将会减缓 ,并在总体上转化为侵蚀状态。在过去的 7ka里 ,来自黄河、长江等河流的沉积物形成了河口三角洲、滨海平原、潮流脊和潮汐汊道沉积体系 ,其演化方式是双重的 ,既有常态边界条件和外力作用下的演化 ,又有边界条件和外力作用发生变异时的演化。边界条件和外力作用变异的原因包括入海通量变化、全球气候变化、海面上升和人类活动等。建议从中国海岸带城市化发展的现状和需求出发 ,对此进行深入研究。     

汊口滩沉积特征及沉积模式——以鄱阳湖赣江三角洲汊口滩为例

随着我国许多油田进入高含水开发阶段,剩余油挖潜难度增大,复合分流河道带和单河道的划分已不能满足生产要求,迫切需要进行分流河道内部有利砂体的识别。现代沉积研究是认识分流河道内砂体发育特征的有效手段。通过对鄱阳湖赣江三角洲的现场考察,发现汊口滩是三角洲分流河道中发育的重要砂体类型,以发育在分流河道的分汊口处为典型特征。根据水动力条件、沉积物组合、沉积构造等特征,将汊口滩划分为滩头、滩中、滩尾3个沉积单元。从滩头到滩尾具有水动力条件减弱、沉积物层理规模减小、单砂层厚度减小、粒度变细、泥质夹层增多的特点。汊口滩主要是由于在分汊口处,水流受到汊口的顶托作用流速降低,沉积物按粒度分异堆积形成;堆积方式主要以向上游方向的逆流加积为主。与水道砂体相比,汊口滩发育的层理类型多,而且内部夹层发育,非均质性更强;由于夹层的遮挡作用,砂体不易发生水淹,有利于形成剩余油的富集区。     

南黄海大型潮汐水道动力地貌环境对人类活动响应——以小庙洪水道为例

辐射沙脊群内潮汐水道由于没有固定的边界，其稳定性对人类活动影响更加敏感。通过收集近20年来辐射沙脊群南翼小庙洪海域实测高分辨率水下地形资料，结合数学模型分析研究人类活动对小庙洪海域水动力和地形冲淤累积影响。研究结果表明：近20年来小庙洪水域边滩匡围面积达126.09 km²，边滩匡围导致小庙洪尾部、中部及口门段断面流量分别减小14.2%、15.79%和9.13%；尾部、中部及口门段深槽区平均流速分别减小20~30 cm/s、10~20 cm/s和5~10 cm/s。小庙洪水道南侧-5 m等深线变化幅度较小，基本保持稳定状态；-10 m等深线继续向西延伸，向南拓展。近20年来小庙洪边滩匡围虽导致水道内纳潮量和水动力有所减弱，但由于目前匡围区均处于高滩区域，各匡围工程所引起的泥沙冲淤仅限于工程区附近，对小庙洪水道整体稳定性、深槽主轴南逼、口门水道整体北淤南冲的演变趋势没有产生明显影响。     

南黄海大型潮汐水道动力地貌环境对人类活动响应——以小庙洪水道为例

辐射沙脊群内潮汐水道由于没有固定的边界，其稳定性对人类活动影响更加敏感。通过收集近20年来辐射沙脊群南翼小庙洪海域实测高分辨率水下地形资料，结合数学模型分析研究人类活动对小庙洪海域水动力和地形冲淤累积影响。研究结果表明:近20年来小庙洪水域边滩匡围面积达126.09 km2，边滩匡围导致小庙洪尾部、中部及口门段断面流量分别减小14.2%、15.79%和9.13%；尾部、中部及口门段深槽区平均流速分别减小20~30 cm/s、10~20 cm/s和5~10 cm/s。小庙洪水道南侧-5 m等深线变化幅度较小，基本保持稳定状态；-10 m等深线继续向西延伸，向南拓展。近20年来小庙洪边滩匡围虽导致水道内纳潮量和水动力有所减弱，但由于目前匡围区均处于高滩区域，各匡围工程所引起的泥沙冲淤仅限于工程区附近，对小庙洪水道整体稳定性、深槽主轴南逼、口门水道整体北淤南冲的演变趋势没有产生明显影响。     

河口湾潮坪潮汐水道发育特征及地质意义 ——以钱塘江为例

河口湾中的砂体是有利的油气储集层,但复杂的水动力变化导致古代河口湾识别困难。通过对现代钱塘江河口湾的研究表明,河口湾潮坪环境潮汐水道可以成为识别古河口湾的一种辅助标志。基于野外实地观测,结合卫星地图对潮坪环境潮汐水道的发育特征进行了详细的描述,并探讨了它的地质意义。结果表明:1）泥坪潮汐水道横截面形态主要有“V”型及宽缓的透镜状,平面上由海向陆可划分为曲折的A段、平直的B段和树状分叉的C段;2）砂坪潮汐水道横截面形态主要有“U”型和阶梯型,平面上由海向陆可划分为曲折或平直的A'段和树状分叉的B'段,A'段的平直与曲折主要受控于砂坪潮道规模的大小;3）在砂质潮坪中常见炭屑层、包卷层理、液化流痕、垮塌构造、波痕等特殊的沉积构造;不同形态和规模的潮坪潮道主要受控于潮坪坡度、沉积物粒度、河口湾形态及相对海平面高低的影响,高坡度、低海平面有利于完整序列潮道的发育;4）不同类型河口湾潮坪潮道的特征及其伴生的特殊沉积构造可以为确定地质历史时期的古河口湾及其演化提供参考。     

长江口北支沉积物粒度特征与沉积环境

长江口北支为喇叭口型中潮河口,在径流－潮流共同作用下,塑造了典型的心滩、边滩、沙嘴、潮流脊和潮汐汊道等地貌形态。本文根据所采集的长江口北支底质的粒度分析结果,利用数字地质方法对粒度参数进行对应分析;并在此基础上分析北支的沉积特征及沉积环境,揭示其沉积作用的动力机制。     

南流江河口水下三角洲表层沉积物端元分析及其沉积动力环境意义

沉积物粒度分布特征可揭示沉积动力环境。基于广西南流江河口水下三角洲的粒度分析数据,采用Folk分类法进行分类,应用端元分析对其粒度数据进行分解,探讨了南流江河口水下三角洲的物源和现代沉积动力环境。结果表明,研究区表层沉积物可划分为9类,其中含砾沉积物5类,不含砾沉积物4类,沉积物类型与河口环境动力特征相吻合。端元分析结果显示,研究区有5个不同类型的端元,分别代表着5种类型的沉积物动力环境:端元1反映了风浪和潮流对表层沉积物的动力作用;端元2指示了外海涌浪对表层沉积物的作用过程;端元3代表了南流江冲淡水引起的表层沉积物的输运;端元4代表了大陆架残留沉积物;端元5为干扰端元,可能是由于工程建设等人类活动所引起的。利用端元分析探讨复杂环境(如小型山溪性河口)下的沉积动力环境时,一方面需要综合考虑研究区域的物源与环境动力特征;另一方面可以结合参数拟合、粒径趋势分析等研究手段。     

琼州海峡及周边海域沉积环境及近万年以来沉积演化

对琼州海峡及周边海域约600个表层样品进行粒度分析后发现,琼州海峡内沉积物以粗粒的含砾砂及砂为主,自海峡内向口外则由砂向粉砂过渡,最外侧分布有更细粒的粘土质粉砂,东口砂质沉积物边缘以弧形分布为主,西口呈指状分布.按峰态类型可将粒度频率曲线分布划分为海峡东单峰态、海峡东双峰态、海峡内单双峰态、海峡西单峰态及海峡西双峰态5个区域.采用GSTA模型对沉积物运移趋势分析后发现,沉积物在海峡内主要由南北两侧向中间运移,海峡东口沉积物具有比较明显的由口内向口外输运的趋势,海峡西部沉积物出海峡口后显示了向北输运的趋势,沉积物粒度特征分布及运移趋势说明海峡内及两侧三角洲内沉积物主要来自于海峡底部及南北两岸的潮流冲刷物.根据琼州海峡现代沉积环境,结合周边4个柱状沉积物粒度及14C测年分析,发现琼州海峡的最终形成大约开始在距今8 000 a前,由于海平面的上升,潮流作用塑造了海峡初期的地貌,直到距今约5 000 ~4 600 a前,琼州海峡一直处于快速发展阶段,潮流三角洲发育也最广,之后由于暖期的结束,海平面下降,随着潮流作用的减弱,琼州海峡趋于稳定状态,逐渐形成今天的海峡及口外水下三角洲地貌.      

河流—波浪—潮汐混合作用过程研究进展

河流、波浪和潮汐混合作用过程是当前沉积学的热点问题。通过梳理三角洲与其他一些海（湖）陆过渡沉积体系中关于河流—波浪、河流—潮汐、波浪—潮汐和河流—波浪—潮汐相互作用的相关研究,归纳总结了目前几种沉积过程的相互作用以及相应的沉积特征。河流和波浪的相互作用一般发生在河口附近,两者的相对强度以及波浪入射方向共同控制三角洲的形态和沉积物分布。长期的河流和波浪共同作用能够形成非对称性三角洲以及浪控复合斜坡型三角洲。河流和潮汐的相互作用通常发生在强潮汐或中潮汐区域的三角洲或河口湾的河流—海洋过渡带;随着相对海平面升降、沉积物供给变化和气候变化等因素的影响,潮汐和河流相互作用的三角洲和河口湾沉积体系经常反复叠加发育。潮汐和波浪的相互作用主要体现在潮汐不仅直接控制沉积物的沉积过程,而且间接性地移动波浪带进而影响相应的沉积相带。尽管目前河流、波浪、潮汐混合作用过程已经有一定程度的研究,但无论是短期小尺度的相互作用过程,还是长期受宏观因素（包括沉积物供给、海平面升降、构造沉降等）影响下的相互作用与演化过程,均有待进一步研究。     

A sedimentological approach to P-A relationships for tidal inlet systems: an example from Yuehu Inlet, Shandong Peninsula, China

Power-law relationship between tidal prism (P) and the cross-sectional area of the entrance channel (A) is applicable to assess the equilibrium conditions of a tidal inlet system. The classic method of determining P-A relationships proposed by O’Brien depends on datasets from multi-tidal inlet systems, which has shown some limitations and is unable to assess equilibrium of a single tidal inlet. This paper focuses on establishing a new P-A relationship for a single tidal inlet. Our experimental result shows that in order to maintain the status, power n should be > 1, implying that the inlet width will narrow and current speed within the entrance will increase as tidal prism becomes smaller. A possible explanation for power n <,1.0, as many researchers argued before, is that the influence of tidal prism has been exaggerated. Meanwhile, the magnitude of coefficient C is dependent on many factors such as longshore drift, freshwater discharge, etc, resulting in a wide range of variation of C. It should be pointed out that P-A relationship given by the sediment dynamical approach is still a representative of average status for tidal inlets in equilibrium. As tide, wave, freshwater discharge and tidal inlet morphology change with time, actual P-A relationships will fluctuate also. The problems that need to be solved when applying sediment dynamic methods to P-A relationships include the cross-sectional distribution pattern of tidal current speeds in the entrance channel, the relationship between the tidal current and the tidal water level at the entrance, and the calculation of the ratio of width to depth. This paper will establish a sediment dynamical approach of P-A relationship for a single tidal inlet. The results are tested for P-A relationships of Yuehu Inlet, a small inlet-lagoon system located in Shandong Peninsula, China. __________ Translated from Oceanologia Et Limnologia Sinica, 2005, 36(3): 269–276 [译自: 海洋与湖沼]     

淤长型潮滩剖面形态演变模拟: 以江苏中部海岸为例

在泥质、砂质物质共存的淤长型潮滩, 其剖面的塑造受到潮流作用下堆积过程的控制.为探讨这种潮滩剖面的演变过程, 以江苏中部海岸为研究对象建立了大小潮周期性作用下的潮滩剖面演变模型, 模拟了潮滩均衡态剖面形态与初始坡度、潮差、沉积物供应量之间的关系及潮滩的持续淤长剖面.模拟结果表明: (1)淤长型潮滩剖面达到均衡态时的形态是上凸的, 且与初始形态无关; (2)在外源一定的条件下, 潮滩的宽度与潮差呈正相关; (3)外源物质供应越丰富, 潮滩宽度越大; (4)潮滩的冲淤状态由沉积物的供应量决定; (5)对大潮高潮位附近的无沉积带进行充填可实现对其长期持续淤长剖面的模拟; (6)有丰富沉积物来源的潮滩, 在调整至均衡态后仍持续向海淤长, 并在淤长过程中保持均衡态; (7)当在模型中输入有关江苏海岸的参数时, 模拟的潮滩宽度和坡度与江苏海岸的潮滩一致.      

Inlet sequence: a vertical succession of sedimentary structures and textures created by the lateral migration of tidal inlets

Tidal inlets, narrow, comparatively deep gaps between barrier islands, are channels through which tidal currents flow vigorously as the water enters and leaves the backbarrier lagoons, bays, and intertidal flats and marshes. Many geologists have compared tidal inlets to river channels and have speculated that if an inlet shifts laterally, it should deposit a distinctive sequence of sediments, analogous to the point-bar sequence left by a meandering stream channel. Fire Island Inlet, located 56 km east of New York City, has migrated WSW at a mean rate of 64 m/year during the period 1825–1940. Waves approaching the coast, predominantly from the southeast, have shifted sediment along the shore toward the WSW. Deposition of sediment on the east side of the inlet has forced the tidal currents to erode the west side of the inlet, thus causing lateral migration. Because hydraulic conditions vary from the channel floor to the subaerial part of the spit which is present on the ENE side of the channel, sedimentary structures and textures vary systematically with depth. We have determined the various sedimentary environments associated with the modern Fire Island Inlet, sampled and described the sediments from these environments, and have collected samples from corings made on that part of Fire Island through which the inlet has migrated. On the basis of our studies, we propose an inlet sequence which is formed by the lateral migration of a tidal inlet. The sequence includes five major units, as follows on p. 492. The sediments belonging to various units in this sequence have been identified in four borings made on those parts of Fire Island through which the Fire Island Inlet has migrated since 1825. This sequence should be applicable to other inlets also. We think that the boundary between deep channel and shallow channel units remains relatively fixed at ?4.5 m, whereas the thickness of the deep channel unit is determined by the depth range between ?4.5 m and the total depth of the inlet. Hence, the main source of variation in the inlet sequence will be the thickness of the deep-channel unit. Most of the sediments of the inlet sequence are incised below mean low water; hence they will almost certainly be preserved in the geologic record, even if all other associated sediments from barrier environments located above mean low water are not preserved. Because of the great variability possible in rates of lateral migration of inlets along the shore compared with the rates of barrier displacement perpendicular to the shore, inlet sediments may be preserved as elongate lenses, or as widespread blankets. The shape of inlet deposits reveals much about the behaviour of barriers during a submergence. Hence, inlet sediments should shed new light on sediments of the continental shelves and on basal transgressive sands in the geologic record.      

Abandoned channel fill sequences in the tidal estuary of a small mountainous,dry‐summer river

This study proposes a modification of the current model for abandoned channel fill stratigraphy produced in unidirectional flow river reaches to incorporate seasonal tidal deposition. Evidence supporting this concept came from a study of two consecutive channel abandonment sequences in Ropers Slough of the lower Eel River Estuary in northern California. Aerial photographs showed that Ropers Slough was abandoned around 1943, reoccupied after the 1964 flood, and abandoned again in 1974 with fill continuing to the present. Planform geomorphic characteristics derived from these images were used in conjunction with sub‐centimetre resolution stratigraphic analyses to describe depositional processes and their resultant sedimentary deposits. Both abandonment sequences recorded quasi‐annual scale fluvial/tidal deposition couplets. In both cases, tidal deposits contained very little sand, were higher in organic and inorganic carbon content than the sandier, fluvially dominated deposits, and possessed millimetre‐scale horizontal laminations. The two abandonment fills differed significantly in terms of the temporal progression of channel narrowing and fluvial sediment deposition characteristics. Aerial photographic analysis showed that the first abandonment sequence led to a more rapid narrowing of Ropers Slough and produced deposits with a positive relationship between grain size/deposit thickness and discharge. The second abandonment resulted in a much slower narrowing of Ropers Slough and generally thinner fluvial deposits with no clear relationship between grain size/deposit thickness and discharge. The δ¹³C values and organic nitrogen to organic carbon ratios of deposits from the first phase overlapped with Eel River suspended sediment characteristics found for low flows (one to five times mean discharge), while those of the second phase were consistent with suspended sediment from higher flows (seven to ten times mean discharge). When considered together, the results indicate that the early fill sequence recorded a reach experiencing regular fluvial deposition through flow conditions during the wet season, while the latter fill sequence records a reach more disconnected from the main stem in terms of flow and sediment. The major factor affecting the difference in sedimentation between the two fill periods appears to have been the morphology of the upstream river bend in relation to the position of the bifurcation node. During the first fill period, the upstream entrance to Ropers Slough seems to have remained open, in part due to the placement of its entrance on the outside of the mainstem river bend, and despite stronger tidal effects caused by a larger tidal prism and closer proximity to the tidal inlet. By the second fill sequence, the upstream bend morphology had altered, placing the entrance to Ropers Slough on the inner bank of the mainstem bend, which resulted in more rapid plug bar formation. The role of tidal effects in the geomorphic trajectory of the two abandonment sequences is unclear, but appears to have been less important than local bifurcation geometry.     

Morphologic and stratigraphic evolution of muddy ebb-tidal deltas along a subsiding coast: Barataria Bay, Mississippi River delta

The Barataria barrier coast formed between two major distributaries of the Mississippi River delta: the Plaquemines deltaic headland to the east and the Lafourche deltaic headland to the west. Rapid relative sea‐level rise (1·03 cm year^?1) and other erosional processes within Barataria Bay have led to substantial increases in the area of open water (> 775 km² since 1956) and the attendant bay tidal prism. Historically, the increase in tidal discharge at inlets has produced larger channel cross‐sections and prograding ebb‐tidal deltas. For example, the ebb delta at Barataria Pass has built seaward > 2·2 km since the 1880s. Shoreline erosion and an increasing bay tidal prism also facilitated the formation of new inlets. Four major lithofacies characterize the Barataria coast ebb‐tidal deltas and associated sedimentary environments. These include a proximal delta facies composed of massive to laminated, fine grey‐brown to pale yellow sand and a distal delta facies consisting of thinly laminated, grey to pale yellow sand and silty sand with mud layers. The higher energy proximal delta deposits contain a greater percentage of sand (75–100%) compared with the distal delta sediments (60–80%). Associated sedimentary units include a nearshore facies consisting of horizontally laminated, fine to very fine grey sand with mud layers and an offshore facies that is composed of grey to dark grey, laminated sandy silt to silty clay. All facies coarsen upwards except the offshore facies, which fines upwards. An evolutionary model is presented for the stratigraphic development of the ebb‐tidal deltas in a regime of increasing tidal energy resulting from coastal land loss and tidal prism growth. Ebb‐tidal delta facies prograde over nearshore sediments, which interfinger with offshore facies. The seaward decrease in tidal current velocity of the ebb discharge produces a gradational contact between proximal and distal tidal delta facies. As the tidal discharge increases and the inlet grows in dimensions, the proximal and distal tidal delta facies prograde seawards. Owing to the relatively low gradient of the inner continental shelf, the ebb‐tidal delta lithosome is presently no more than 5 m thick and is generally only 2–3 m in thickness. The ebb delta sediment is sourced from deepening of the inlet and the associated channels and from the longshore sediment transport system. The final stage in the model envisages erosion and segmentation of the barrier chain, leading to a decrease in tidal discharge through the former major inlets. This process ultimately results in fine‐grained sedimentation seaward of the inlets and the encasement of the ebb‐tidal delta lithosome in mud. The ebb‐tidal deltas along the Barataria coast are distinguished from most other ebb deltas along sand‐rich coasts by their muddy content and lack of large‐scale stratification produced by channel cut‐and‐fills and bar migration.     

Morphological evolution of a macrotidal back-barrier environment: The Amazon Coast

Coastal barriers provide sheltered, low-energy settings for fine-grained sediment deposition and retention, although the process of back-barrier infilling and how tidal-channel connectivity impacts this process is not well-understood. Understanding how back-barrier environments infill and evolve is necessary to predict how they will respond to future changes in sea-level and sediment supply. With this motivation, in situ observations and sedimentary signatures from an Amazonian tidal-channel system are interpreted to create a conceptual model of morphological evolution in a macrotidal back-barrier environment that is rich in fine-grained sediment, vegetated by mangroves and incised by tidal channels with multiple outlets. Results indicate that within a high-connectivity back-barrier channel, tidal processes dominate sedimentation and morphological development. Sediment cores (<60 cm) exhibited millimetre-scale tidalites composed of sand and mud. High-connectivity channels allow tidal propagation from multiple inlets, and in this case, the converging flood waves promote delivery of sediment fluxing through the system to the mangrove flats in the convergence zone. Sediment preferentially deposits in regions with adequate accommodation space and dense vegetation, and in these zones, sediment grain size is slightly finer than that transiting through the system. The greatest sediment-accumulation rates (3 to 4 cm yr⁻¹), calculated from steady-state ²¹⁰Pb profiles, were found in the convergence zone near the mangrove-channel edge. As tidal flats aggrade vertically and prograde into the channels, accommodation space diminishes. In effect, the channel’s narrowest stretch is expected to migrate along the path of net-sediment flux towards regions with more accommodation space until it reaches the tidal-convergence zone. The location of recent preferential infilling is evidenced by relatively rapid sediment-accumulation rates, finer sediment and significant clustering of small secondary tidal channels. These findings shed light on how sediment transported through vegetated back-barrier environments is ultimately preserved and how evidence preserved in surface morphology and the geological record can be interpreted.     

淤泥质海岸入海河口闸下港道河相关系

以江苏沿海北部的射阳河闸下港道为原型,建立二维水动力及泥沙输运概化数学模型,模拟了淤泥质海岸闸下港道淤积过程。分别在不考虑径流年内分配变化和考虑径流年内分配变化的情况下,研究了入海径流对港道内水沙动力和冲淤演变的影响。参考前人研究成果,结合量纲和谐准则,根据模型的计算结果,建立了淤泥质海岸闸下港道年均平衡流量与汛期排水比例、河床断面积、外海潮差、潮波变形、港道长度等因素间的河相关系式,对在实际情况中达到动态冲淤平衡的某条特定港道,可简化为港道年均流量与河床断面积间关系式的简化形式,并通过分析实测资料,对公式的简化形式加以佐证。     

Recognition of ancient tidal inlet sequences: an example from the Upper Silurian Keyser Limestone in Virginia

The Upper Silurian Keyser Limestone is a relatively thin (< 85 m) unit of lagoonal, barrier, and shallow offshore sediments that crops out in the central Appalachians. Lithologies include massive micritic limestones to calcarenites, calcisiltites, and calcareous quartz arenites. The barrier lithofacies is preserved predominantly as tidal inlet channel-fill. Its presence is supported by two lines of evidence: (1) the sequence of sedimentary textures and structures resembles that observed in modern inlets, and (2) the sequence occupies a position immediately above a disconformity, and is accompanied by an abrupt vertical change in faunal diversity, which is interpreted as representing the transgression of open marine over back-barrier environments The inlet channel sequence comprises fine- to medium-grained, well-sorted quartz arenites that disconformably overlie sediments deposited on carbonate tidal flats (laminated, mudcracked pelmicrites). The sandstone displays a fining-upward texture, and contains a broken and abraded mixed fauna. Cross-bedding is bipolar, with major modes oriented obliquely to depositional strike. Decimetre-scale sets of planar and trough cross-beds grade upward to centimetre-scale sets of ripple cross-lamination, washed-out ripples, and plane beds. This sequence represents the change from deep to shallow channel environments, and is attributed to lateral inlet migration. The inlet sequence was preferentially preserved during marine transgression because of its relative thickness and lower stratigraphic position with respect to overlying and adjacent barrier-beach sediments. The vertical relationships of this inlet-lagoon complex emphasize that care must be taken in interpreting shallow-water transgressive sequences. Vertical ‘jumps’ in faunal diversity accompanied by scour surfaces could be misconstrued as major unconformities. Instead, such sequences may represent the shoreface erosion normally associated with the transgressive migration of barrier islands. Whether or not the faunal jump is accompanied by a barrier lithosome is greatly dependent on the geometry, frequency, and migration rate of tidal inlets.     

Size and shape sorting in a Dutch tidal inlet

A tidal inlet system with an outer tidal, delta, situated between two barrier islands along the north coast of Holland was studied for size and shape sorting. With size data different sand types can be distinguished and in individual samples distinct grain populations can be recognized in some cases. Graphs of shape values, plotted against the size intervals of samples also reveal the presence of different grain populations, together with their genetical significance. The following conclusions could be drawn. There is no sand transport directly from island to island. Sand up to 400 μm enters the tidal inlet, is sorted out in the tidal flat area and partly re-enters the sea via the outer tidal delta. On the delta, the sediment is split up again in different populations. A lag deposit is left behind on the frontal part of the delta. The rest of the sand either re-enters the tidal inlet cycle or contributes to the beach building of the next island. In the offshore environment, sand movement by wave-induced currents is restricted to the shallow zone. In deeper water, part of the sediment is relatively immobile and has preserved inherited characteristics from the early Holocene transgressive phase. In front of Ameland, fossil barrier-face deposits-are present, off Schiermonnikoog the sea floor contains old tidal channel deposits.