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Evolution of a coastal alluvial deposit in response to the last Quaternary marine transgression, Bahía Blanca estuary, Argentina

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Darío Andrés Giagante ,
Salvador Aliotta ,
Silvia Susana Ginsberg ,
Laura Gabriela Vecchi  and
Jorge Osvaldo Spagnuolo
Darío Andrés Giagante*
Affiliation:
Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía, CCT-Bahía Blanca, CONICET. Camino La Carrindanga km 7, C.C. 804, C.P. B8000FWB, Bahía Blanca, Argentina Departamento de Geología, Universidad Nacional del Sur, San Juan 672, C.P.8000, Bahía Blanca, Argentina
Salvador Aliotta
Affiliation:
Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía, CCT-Bahía Blanca, CONICET. Camino La Carrindanga km 7, C.C. 804, C.P. B8000FWB, Bahía Blanca, Argentina Departamento de Geología, Universidad Nacional del Sur, San Juan 672, C.P.8000, Bahía Blanca, Argentina
Silvia Susana Ginsberg
Affiliation:
Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía, CCT-Bahía Blanca, CONICET. Camino La Carrindanga km 7, C.C. 804, C.P. B8000FWB, Bahía Blanca, Argentina Departamento de Ingeniería Civil, Universidad Tecnológica Nacional, FRBB, 11 de Abril 461, C.P. 8000, Bahía Blanca, Argentina
Laura Gabriela Vecchi
Affiliation:
Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía, CCT-Bahía Blanca, CONICET. Camino La Carrindanga km 7, C.C. 804, C.P. B8000FWB, Bahía Blanca, Argentina Departamento de Ingeniería Civil, Universidad Tecnológica Nacional, FRBB, 11 de Abril 461, C.P. 8000, Bahía Blanca, Argentina
Jorge Osvaldo Spagnuolo
Affiliation:
Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía, CCT-Bahía Blanca, CONICET. Camino La Carrindanga km 7, C.C. 804, C.P. B8000FWB, Bahía Blanca, Argentina Departamento de Geología, Universidad Nacional del Sur, San Juan 672, C.P.8000, Bahía Blanca, Argentina
*
⁎Corresponding author. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía, CCT-Bahía Blanca, CONICET, Camino La Carrindanga km 7, C.C. 804, C.P. B8000FWB, Bahía Blanca, Argentina. Fax: + 54 291 486 1519.
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Abstract

The purpose of this research is to analyze the seismostratigraphic and paleoenvironmental features of an ancient fluvial deposit characterized by the presence of paleochannels and sedimentary structures in Bahía Blanca estuary, Argentina. To this end, high-resolution seismic methods were used. Paleochannels exhibiting v-shaped cuts were found at different topographic positions at the base of this deposit. It was observed that channel silting is indicative of the relative change of river base level and the consequent migration of fluvial tributaries. This alluvial deposit is composed of low compacted fine sand and its middle–upper facies is characterized by the presence of horizontal and discontinuous wavy reflectors. The upper boundary of this deposit is an erosive discontinuity resulting from Holocene sea-level rise during which the mouth of old fluvial courses underwent changes. The deposit was subsequently buried by sandy and clayey silt sediments. The paleodrainage at subbottom indicates that this deposit is associated with an ancient river mouth. Based on the seismostratigraphic and lithological characteristics and the paleochannel structures found in the study area, it can be concluded that the deposit analyzed is an alluvial sequence formed in the period from the Middle-Late Pleistocene to Holocene marine transgression.

Keywords

SeismostratigraphyFluvial sequencePaleochannelsHolocene coastal evolution
Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 75 , Issue 3 , May 2011 , pp. 614 - 623
Copyright
University of Washington

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