Geology topics

E. E. Grossman

Publications and source records attributed to E. E. Grossman.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2008

Submarine groundwater discharge and nutrient addition to the coastal zone and coral reefs of leeward Hawai'i

Multiple tracers of groundwater input (salinity, Si, 223Ra, 224Ra, and 226Ra) were used together to determine the magnitude, character (meteoric versus seawater), and nutrient contribution associated with submarine groundwater discharge across the leeward shores of the Hawai'ian Islands Maui, Moloka'i, and Hawai'i. Tracer abundances were elevated in the unconfined coastal aquifer and the nearshore zone, decreasing to low levels offshore, indicative of groundwater discharge (near-fresh, brackish, or saline) at all locations. At several sites, we detected evidence of fresh and saline SGD occurring simultaneously. Conservative estimates of SGD fluxes ranged widely, from 0.02-0.65??m3??m- 2 d- 1at the various sites. Groundwater nutrient fluxes of 0.04-40??mmol N m- 2 d- 1 and 0.01-1.6??mmol P m- 2 d- 1 represent a major source of new nutrients to coastal ecosystems along these coasts. Nutrient additions were typically greatest at locations with a substantial meteoric component in groundwater, but the recirculation of seawater through the aquifer may provide a means of transferring terrestrially-derived nutrients to the coastal zone at several sites. ?? 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Marine Chemistry↗

USGS2006

Shallow stratigraphy and sedimentation history during high-frequency sea-level changes on the central California shelf

Analyses of high-resolution seismic-reflection data and sediment cores indicate that an extensive sediment deposit on the central California continental shelf is comprised of several late-Pleistocene to Holocene age facies. Offshore of the littoral zone, in water depths of 30-90 m, a 3-6 m thick veneer of fine sediment referred to as the mid-shelf mudbelt has formed along 50-100 km of the coast. The mudbelt drapes a parasequence characterized by prograding clinoforms that in places overlies a 1-3 m thick basal transgressive lag deposit. These facies overlie a prominent erosional unconformity that extends from the shore to the outer shelf. Eighteen calibrated 14CAMS ages of marine molluscs and terrestrial wood detritus sampled in cores range 15,800 yr BP to modern indicating a postglacial age for these sediments (one >55,000 yr BP represents relict sand). We model accumulation of these facies using (1) the topography of the underlying erosional unconformity interpreted from seismic reflection profiles, (2) observed sediment facies (grain size) distribution across the shelf (a proxy for wave/current sediment partitioning), and published estimates of (3) eustatic sea-level history, and (4) regional tectonics. Our model and data indicate that deposition of the transgressive lag began during early, slow postglacial sea-level rise and that a notable change in depositional environment occurred across an area of more than 200 km2 of the outer shelf likely in response to abrupt drowning during Meltwater Pulse 1B (11,500 yr BP). We propose that rapid progradation of clinoforms may have occurred during transgression because of the unique interaction of modest rates of sediment input and tectonic uplift, variable rates of eustatic sea-level rise and a complex stepped antecedent topography.

Continental Shelf Research↗

USGS2006

Shelf stratigraphy and the influence of antecedent substrate on Holocene reef development, south Oahu, Hawaii

Paired analyses of drill cores and high-resolution seismic reflection data show that development of Holocene framework reefs on the Oahu (Hawaii) shelf is limited to settings of low wave energy and to the period 8000 to 3000 yr BP. A prominent bounding surface that is mapped across much of the Oahu shelf is an erosion surface cut into Marine Isotope Stages 5 and 7 limestones that show extensive loss of primary porosity, aragonite, and MgCO3 owing to meteoric and vadose-zone diagenesis. This acoustic reflector is found exposed at the surface where wave energy is high or in the shallow subsurface below Holocene reef and sand sheet deposits where energy is low. Ship-towed video along 30 km of the shelf reveals a steady decrease in limestone accumulation from offshore of Honolulu southeast to Koko Head where the seafloor is characterized by volcanic pavement and/or thin sand deposits. This may reflect the build-up of late Pleistocene volcanics associated with the Hanauma Bay eruption (30,000-7000 yr BP) that now comprise the substrate in depths shallow enough to limit reef accretion. The absence of significant Holocene reef build-up on the south Oahu shelf is consistent with observations from north-facing coasts that lack Holocene reefs, indicating that Holocene reef formation in Hawaii is complex and patchy.

Hawaii↗

USGS2005

Possible modes of coral-reef development at Molokai, Hawaii, inferred from seismic-reflection profiling

High-resolution, seismic-reflection data elucidate the late Quaternary development of the largest coral-reef complex in the main Hawaiian Islands. Six acoustic facies were identified from reflection characteristics and lithosome geometry. An extensive, buried platform with uniformly low relief was traced beneath fore-reef and marginal shelf environments. This highly reflective surface dips gently seaward to ???130 m depth and locally crops out on the seafloor. It probably represents a wave-cut platform or ancient reef flat. We propose alternative evolutionary models, in which sea-level changes have modulated the development of reef systems, to explain the observed stratigraphic relationships. The primary difference between the models is the origin of the underlying antecedent surface, which arguably could have formed during either regression/lowstand or subsequent transgression.

Hawai'i↗

USGS2003

Middle to late Holocene coastal evolution along the south coast of Upolu Island, Samoa

Stratigraphic surveys and sedimentological analyses of coastal sediments and reef cores along the south coast of Upolu Island, Samoa, reveal that during the middle Holocene this coast was characterised by barrier spits, open lagoons, and estuaries. These estuarine systems matured during the late Holocene, with progressive sedimentation and inlet closure, leading to the dominance of mangrove swamps in the past 1000 years. Contemporaneous with the transition of open estuaries to mangrove swamps was the aggradation and progradation of coastal plains. The coastal progradation since 700-1000 years BP is best explained by increased sediment availability and reduced incident wave energy at the shore resulting from the shallowing and subsequent cessation of reef crest accretion following the mid-Holocene sea-level highstand ca. ???4500 yr BP. A small relative sea-level (RSL) lowering since 700-1000 years may have contributed to the positive sediment budget. This study highlights the need for island-wide coastal surveys to assess the relative roles of RSL, sediment budgets, and hydrodynamics on coastal evolution and stability. Differences in coastal evolution around Upolu Island may also be influenced by differential tectonic movements associated with late Holocene volcanism, coseismicity, and/ or submarine landslides. ?? 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Marine Geology↗

USGS2003

Budgeting postglacial sedimentation history on the Santa Cruz, California mid-continental shelf

High-resolution seismic reflection profiling and surface texture mapping of the central California continental shelf, reveal a prominent subsurface reflector interpreted as a low stand erosion surface and an overlying mudbelt that covers 421 km 2 of the mid-shelf in depths of 40-90 m. Radiometric and sedimentologic analyses of samples from vibracores taken along the seaward edge of the mudbelt show that initial deposition above the pre-Holocene erosion surface began ca. 14.5 ka. These data and model results of sea-level history, tectonics, and the Monterey Bay littoral sediment budget support the notion that the entire midshelf deposit was formed during the postglacial transgression. An alternative explanation, that <30% of the deposit is Holocene, requires that (1) sediment input is overestimated and/or loss is greatly underestimated, and (2) preservation on the shelf was significant despite deep and active wave scour observed in the form of rapid cliff and bedrock cutting early and late in the transgression. The difference between a basal age of ~14.5 ka and residence time of midshelf sediment (3,273 years), derived from dividing mudbelt volume by modern accumulation rate, implies: (1) significant sediment loss occurred since the mudbelt formed and/or (2) sediment accumulation has varied greatly over time. Although modern sediment budgets are relatively well constrained, it remains uncertain how well we can apply them to the past. An evolving model of sedimentation history explores the likelihood of changes in sediment supply, accumulation patterns, and depositional patterns owing to postglacial sea-level history and human land-use activities while providing important boundary conditions for modeling shoreface evolution.

California↗

USGS2002

Drowned reefs and antecedent karst topography, Au'au channel, S.E. Hawaiian Islands

During the last glacial maximum (LGM), about 21,000 years ago, the Hawaiian Islands of Maui, Lanai, and Molokai were interconnected by limestone bridges, creating a super-island known as Maui-Nui. Approximately 120 m of sea-level rise during the Holocene Transgression flooded, and then drowned, these bridges separating the islands by inter-island channels. A new multibeam high-resolution bathymetric survey of the channels between the islands, coupled with observations and video-transects utilizing DeepWorker-2000 submersibles, has revealed the existence of numerous drowned reef features including concentric solution basins, solution ridges (rims), sand and sediment plains, and conical-shaped reef pinnacles. The concentric basins contain flat lagoon-like bottoms that are rimmed by steep-sided limestone walls. Undercut notches rim the basins at several depths, marking either sea-level still stands or paleo-lake levels. All of the solution basins shallower than 120 m were subaerial at the LGM, and at one stage or another may have been shallow shoreline lakes. Today, about 70 drowned reef pinnacles are scattered across the Maui-Lanai underwater bridge and all are situated in wave-sheltered positions. Most drowned during the interval between 14,000 and 10,000 years ago when sea-level rise averaged 15 mm/year. Virtually all of the surficial topography in the Au'au Channel today is a product of karst processes accentuated by marginal reef growth during the Holocene. Both the submerged basins and the drowned reefs represent an archive of sea-level and climate history in Hawaii during the late Quaternary.

Hawai'i↗

USGS1998

The Holocene sea-level highstand in the equatorial Pacific: Analysis of the insular paleosea-level database

A review of the literature provides 92 estimates of the middle to late Holocene sea-level highstand on Pacific Islands. These data generally support geophysical model calculations that predict a +1 to 3 m relative sea-level highstand on oceanic islands due to the Earth’s rheological response to the melting of the last continental ice sheets and subsequent redistribution of meltwater. Both predictions and observations indicate sea level was higher than present in the equatorial Pacific between 5000 and 1500 y B.P. A non-linear relationship exists between the age and elevation of the highstand peak, suggesting that different rates of isostatic adjustment may occur in the Pacific, with the highest rates of sea-level fall following the highstand near the equator. It is important to resolve detailed sea-level histories from insular sites to test and refine models of climatic, oceanographic, and geophysical processes including hydroisostasy, equatorial ocean siphoning, and lithospheric flexure that are invoked as mechanisms affecting relative sea-level position. We use a select subset of the available database meeting specific criteria to examine model relationships of paleosea-surface topography. This new evaluated database of paleosea-level positions is also validated for testing and constraining geophysical model predictions of past and present sea-level variations.

Coral Reefs↗