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Facies model of a prograding barrier

island deposition of Shackelford


Banks, NC

Photo Courtesy of Elizabeth Clayton

By: Diana Baran


Abstract

Barrier islands are narrow strips of land that parallel the coastline and consist of
a variety of fine sediments and particulate matter (Shumaker, 2008). They can be
divided into different facies based on the environments energy potential and sediment
grain size. Shackelford Banks, North Carolina is a barrier island that was observed
based on its physical, chemical and biological characteristics. These characteristics
were then used to interpret a facies model of a typical prograding barrier island. The
preservation potential of each environment in the barrier island can be determined once
the facies model is complete.

Introduction
Barrier islands are elongate accumulations of sand that are separated from

mainland by open water in the form of estuaries, bays or lagoons (NOAA, 2008). These

islands are dynamic ecosystems that migrate as a result of storms, sea level change,

and amount of available sediments. They are also more preserveable in the

stratigraphic record than other systems, particularly progradational near shore systems.

Controls on barrier islands include sea level change, wave and tidal energy, sand

availability, vegetation, and geologic framework. All barrier islands can fit into three

classifications transgresisve, regressive and inletfill. The islands can be broken dowin

into subenviornments (Fig.1) based on physical, chemical and biological aspects. Along

the coast of North Carolina, there is a system of barrier islands running its whole length

north to south. Within these islands there is a complex variability in the types of coasts

that occur. Riggs (1995) explains that the U.S. East Coast has barrier islands perched

upon pre-modern stratigraphic units that occur beneath and seaward of the shoreface,

and controls the shoreface morphology, modern beach dynamics, sediment composition,

and sediment fluxes. Shackelford Banks (Fig. 1) is one of these barrier islands. It is in

the southern portion of North Carolina's coast near the town of Beaufort. Shackelford is

relatively protected from storms because Cape Lookout extends south and Shackelford

is located on the inside of its cape. Barrier islands like Shackelford are easily preserved
in the stratigraphic record; particularly the progradational near shore systems and this

record can be viewed in a facies model. The purpose of this project is to create a facies

model with the observed characteristics of Shackelford Banks. A facies model is a

general summary of a specific sedimentary environment. The most effective way to

describe a depositional system is to observe a modern one in detail.


Figure 2) Map of Shackelford Banks in relation to the North Carolina
barrier islands (NCNatural, 2002).

Methods

Shackelford Banks can be subdivided into many depositional environments. Of

these a tidal flat, sand flat, a maritime forest, a pond, interdune fields, washovers and the

shore face were studied (Fig. 3). At each depositional environment, the sedimentary

structures were observed and grain size, shape, sorting and composition were

determined. Also, the chemical characteristics of each geomorphic feature we studied

were observed and noted. The various types of animals and plants were recorded, and

at the swash zone and interdune environments, there were three trenches created to

interpret stratigraphic cross section.


Lithofacies Description

Each of the features on Shackelford Banks, NC will be described including its

physical, biological and chemical characteristics.

Aeolian Dunes

The aeolian dunes occur on three areas of the barrier island which include the

sound-side, ocean side and the middle of the island. They are the result of wind

reworking sandy sediments picking them up and depositing them into dune structures

along the island. The dunes can attain a height of several meters (Rigsby, 2008). The
dunes on the sound side of the barrier island on Shackelford Banks range from 2 to 5

meters tall and 3 to 6 meters in length. The aeolian dunes have laminated crossbedding

composed of medium, sub-rounded quartz sand, organic material and heavy minerals

(Fig. 4). There are two active sorting processes producing the forset laminae include

the larger particles are located along the outside of the laminae under the influence of

shear, and larger particles near the base of the laminae because of gravity (Brush,1964).

The thick layers which range between 10 to 20 cm and has ~90% medium quartz sand.

There are very thin laminated layers rich in heavy minerals like garnet, glucophane,

augite and illmanite. The top of the dunes have vegetation on top such as sea oats and

pennywart which can cause bioturbation.


Interdune

The interdune is an area on the barrier island surrounded by dunes covered by

grass and penny wart. A 30 cm trench (Fig. 5) has discontinuous laminations and lenses

of coarse pebbles and shell matter. While in the interdune area there were “ghost trees”

which is evidence of dune migration. Layers of fine to medium, subrounded quartz sand

and thin layers of heavy minerals that include garnet and augite or another dark mineral.

Along the top is a bioturbated organic rich layer.


Freshwater pond

A freshwater pond occurs in the interdune on Shackelford Banks and is called

Mullett pond. This pond is fed from the water in a freshwater lens in the water table,

there is approximately eight meters of freshwater below the surface, known from the

1:40 unit law. These ponds rarely get very deep; this one was about 15 to 20 centimeters

deep. There is grassy vegetation growing at the bottom and with black needle rush

bushes and maritime forest trees surrounding it. Sediment was exposed with a shovel

from this area about 30cm deep showing two kinds of sediment. A top layer of ~12%

organic material and ~88% very fine subrounded quartz sand, then another layer of fine

quartz grains and shell fragments(Fig. 6)

.
Overwash fan

An overwash fan is the area of barrier islands where waves in large storm events

breach the dunes and deposit coarse material. Overwash fans are not always present

on a barrier island they are most likely to occur on a high energy island. A one meter

deep and fifty centimeter wide trench was dug in this overwash fan exposing the inner

sediments and layers (Figs. 7 & 8). There are coarse shells along the top and in the

middle of the trench. Between these shell layers light colored layers of fine grained,

subrounded, quartz sand and dark colored layers composed of ~5% heavy minerals that

include epidote and augite the other ~95% is fine grained quartz sand. These layers

made up three different units that are created by overwash events.


Tidal Flat

A typical tidal flat can be subdivided into five sections including tidal channel,

sand flat, mixed flats, mud flats, and salt marsh(Fig 9). On a tidal flat bedforms can

include flasier, wavy and lenticular bedding which are some of the common types.

Lenticular bedding forms if it is a mud dominated sediment with sand lenses, wavy

bedding forms when there is equal mud and sand, and flasier bedding forms if it is sand

dominated with mud drapes. The grain size trends tend to increase toward the open

sea. Biodiversity is high in this area which means there is extensive biotrubation from

worms, crabs and mollusks. This bioturbation can be in the form of burrows such as the

ophiomorphou burrows which are formed when shrimp pack balls of sand into the

burrow. Although often times on a tidal flat the rapid sediment movement inhibits much

bioturbation. Shackelford had local 2D, 3D and oscillating ripples. Many tidal flats
have meandering channels in the salt marsh through the mixed flats and if a core is dug

point bars and cut banks will be exposed.

Beachface

The beachface is the area on the barrier island from the edge of the aeolian

dunes to the seaward edge of the surf zone, and can be broken down into

subenviroments (Fig.10). Of these the backshore, foreshore, swash zone, surf zone

and lithofacies will be described.


Backshore

The backshore is the supratidal area between the foreshore and the aeolian

dunes. The bedding in this environment has parallel laminations and single sets of

crossbeds (Elliot, 1986). The backshore is typically separated by the forshore at the
berm which is generally the highest point on a “beach”. Although on Shackelford on

observation day the beach was in a dissipative form based on Dean’s parameter and

waves were washing up to and over the dunes with no visible berm.

Foreshore

The foreshore extends from the backshore to the start of the shoreface. Here

sediment is relatively coarse grained. A ridge and runnel is common here in low tides.

There can be 2D and 3D ripples that form here. This area can be subdivided into the

swash zone and the surf zone.

• Swash zone

The swash zone is the area of the forshore that is intermittently covered and

uncovered by wave run-up and controls the evolution of beach morphology (Puleo et al.,

2002). The processes in this zone dominate the foreshore which is the intertidal part of

the beach face (Rigsby, 2008). A 13 meter trench was dug in the swash zone on

Shackelford Banks exposing the sediments and bedding (Fig. 11). There are coarse

layers of shell that became more dominate at the swash zone. There are also laminated

beds of heavy minerals and fine to medium quartz sands. Most visible in the trench is

the swash cross stratification which is low angle cross stratification, sub parallel to bases

of wedge-shaped sets, the stratification and set boundaries are formed parallel to

changing slope of beach face and dip gently seaward (McCubbin, 1982). The bedding
• Surf zone

The surf zone is the region extending from the seaward boundary of wave

breaking to the limit of wave uprush (Smith, Jane M., 2003). Within the surf zone, wave

breaking is the dominant hydrodynamic process along with rip currents and longshore
currents. The surf zone is a high energy environment with coarse sediments deposited

here.

Shoreface

The shoreface can be defined as that area which extends from the surf zone to

the inner-continental shelf and is an area that remains poorly understood (Backstrom,

Joni T., 2007). In this area ephemeral fields of symmetrical and asymmetrical ripples

and laminated beds with varying amounts of bioturbation.

Offshore

Sediments offshore are typically very thinly and planar bedded laminations of fine

grained sediments. Small ripples form during storm events. The grain size trends show

that the further offshore the smaller the grain sizes. Orbital velocity from waves cannot

be felt on the bottom in deepwater and it becomes lower energy.

Processes of Lithofacies Description

The processes of lithofacies description an outline of how sediments are moved

and originated with the two major parameters being grain size availability but most

importantly, energy provided in relation to the subenvironment on a barrier island.

Energy potential of the environment is determined by storms, tides and distance from

wave action.

Dune Field

The lithofacies in the dune field is affected mostly by wind and storm events, but

affected very little by wave action.


Aeolian Dunes

The sediment deposition on aeolian dunes in the inner barrier island is affected

by winds, vegetation and storm events. The prevailing winds and storm enhanced winds

pick up sediments and deposit them on these dunes, and the winds also pick up the

sediments from these dunes and take them elsewhere. Vegetation like sea oats and

penny wart help anchor the sediments to keep sediment from being picked up by the

wind.

Interdune

The interdune mechanisms include both wind driven sedimentation and in

significant storm events sediment can be washed from elsewhere into the interdune.

Wave action does not reach the interdune.

Overwash fan

The overwash fan has units which represent different storm events. This area’s

primary source for sediment comes from storms. When a large storm hits the barrier

island and waves breach the berm and dunes and sediment gets deposited creates an

overwash fan. These areas are formed at high energy and coarse grained sediments

are deposited. There is high preservation potential in an overwash fan because

deposition is preserved.

Freshwater Pond
The freshwater pond is protected from winds and storm events by the

surrounding trees of the maritime forest. The ponds can change chemically when the

availability of freshwater decreases.

Tidal Flat

Tidal flats develop on coasts with a relatively high tidal range where enough

sediment is available and there is little wave action. The sediments that are deposited

on the tidal flat are some of the finest in the facies model. This area is not affected much

by storms or wind action. At high tide waters from the sound rise onto the tidal flat and

deposit fine sediments because the low energy of the rising water. Then during low tide

the waters recede and take some small sediment and create ripples. The tidal flat is

affected greatly by bioturbation, because this area is so low energy a variety of species

can live on or burrow into these sediments. The preservation potential of the tidal flat is

low because excessive amounts of bioturbation churn up the sediments bedding. . In a

very low energy spot on Shackelford’s tidal flat the oxygen is reduced and a biologically

mediated oxidation reaction takes place that comes from fecal matter and smells like

sulfur. Iron sulfide forms in this area.

Beachface

The sediment on the shore is the portion of the barrier island most affected

during storm events, wave action, tidal range, winds, and longshore transport.

Backshore

The backshore portion of the beachface is affected mostly by winds which pick

up and deposit sediment. Storm events affect this area by adding winds and possible
washovers from increased waves. Although wave energy generally has a minimal affect

on this area making less potential to remove sediment which allows coarser sediment to

accumulate here.

Foreshore

• Swash zone

The swash zone portion of the beachface is intermittently affected by successive

waves that traverse this zone in a zig-zag fashion and can produce beach cusp. A

substantial quantity of longshore sediment transport also occurs in this zone (Dean and

Dalrymple, 2001). During storm events such as nor’easters and hurricanes there is high

wave energy which erodes sand from the swash zone and takes the majority of it to an

offshore bar and creates a dissipative beach profile. After these events if there is low

wave energy the waves pick up the sand from the bar and deposits it back in the swash

zone to build it back up and may become a modally reflective beach. The high wave

energy that the shore has makes the sediment here very well sorted and the coarsest on

the island. Storm events can cause rapid sediment erosion to occur in the swash zone.

The tidal range determines the position of sediment that is moved.

• Surf zone

The surf zone is a high energy environment that is effected by wave action, tides,

longshore currents and storms. Most of the sediment transport in the surfzone is

associated with sediment reworking and bar migration in this area morphological

changes usually are large throughout the year (Klienhans, M.G., 2002).
Shoreface

Wave action, tidal range, winds and storm events all affect the transport and

deposition of sediment in this area. The internal dynamics are determined by slope-

dependent, wave-induced cross-shoreface transports, while the external driving factors

are lateral sediment supply and sea-level rise (Stive, M.J.F. and Vriend de, H.J., 1995).

Offshore

The processes of deposition offshore are only affected during storm events when

the wave orbital is large enough to feel the bottom which moves and deposits sediments.

The sediment is very fine grained here and there is a high rate of bioturbation. During

storm events small ripples can form.

Facies Model

Facies models are intellectual aids to the understanding of sedimentary

environments and the origin of ancient sedimentary rocks (Anderton, 1985). Anderton

(1985) also explained that many different models can be constructed to explain a given

set of data, depending on which aspect of the facies requires the most illumination.

Figure 12 shows the facies model developed for a prograding barrier island based on

processes and description of lithofacies on Shackelford Banks, NC. Changes in sea

level determine whether or not the barrier island is in a state of equilibrium. Donselaar

(1996) explains if the rate of relative sea level rise outpaces the vertical aggradation the

barrier coast will move landward by the processes of increased shoreface erosion, storm

overwash and flood tidal delta expansion, or the barrier coast will drown. In this

punctuated landward migration the subenvironments that occupy a low position in the

transgressive succession have the highest preservation potential. Lagoon, washover


fans and deltas, flood tidal deltas and the deeper part of the tidal inlet escape erosion,

whereas the sub-aerial barrier island, the beach front and ebb tidal deltas are usually

eroded by the shoreface ravinement (Donselaar, 1996).


Summary

Studying and observing Shackelford Banks a barrier island located off the coast

of North Carolina provides a basis of understanding for description and processes of the

lithofacies on a typical barrier island. The processes of depositon including storm

events, wind, wave action and others were determined. This information was used to

build a facies model for a prograding barrier island. To fully understand the environment

the chemical, physical and biological aspects were examined completely.


References

Anderton, R., 1985, Clastic facies models and facies analysis: The Geological

Society.. Facies models and modern sedimentary environments v.18 p.31-47.

NOAA. Coastal Services Center, 2008. 9 November, 2008

<http://www.csc.noaa.gov/beachnourishment/html>

Riggs, Stanley and Cleary, William and Snyder Stephen, Influence of Inherited

Geologic framework on barrier shoreface morphology and dynamics.: Marine Geology v.

126. 23 November, 1994. 213-234.

NC Natural. “Barrier Island Dynamics” Guide to Coastal North Carolina. 2005. 9

November, 2008 < http://ncnatural.com/Coast/dynamics>

McCubbin, D.G., 1982, Barrier-island and strand plain facies IN, Scholle, P.A.

and Spearing, D., eds., Sandstone Depositional Environments: Amer. Assoc. Petroleum,

Geol., p. 247-280.

Puleo, Jack, Holland, K.T., and Slinn D., 2002, Numerical Modeling of swash

zone hydrodynamics: Storming Media, p.3.

Smith, Jane M., 2003, Surf Zone Hydrodynamics, Chapter 4, 11-4-1.

Rigsby, Catherine, 2008, Field Trip #2 - Creating a Model for a Progradational

Barrier Island System, p. 4 of 11.

Backstrom, Joani T., 2007, Short-term Shoreface Changes along a High-Energy

Headland-Embayment Coast: Journal of Maps, p. 12.

Klienhans, M.G., 2002, Sediment dynamics on the shoreface and upper

continental shelf, a review: Scientific American , 2.4.5.

Dean, Robert G., and Dalrymple, Robert A., 2001, Coastal Processes with

Engineering Applications. p. 114 of 446.


Stive, M.J.F. and Vriend de, H.J., 1995, Modelling shoreface profile evolution:

Marine geology, p. 235-248.

Shumaker, Dave, “How Barrier Islands Work” Geology News. 2008,<

http://www.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citmla.htm>

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