Modern Depositional Environments of the Texas Coast

Guidebook 20 is a comprehensive look at depositional environments of the Texas Coastal Plain: Fluvial Systems, Deltas, Bay Systems, Tidal Inlets and Deltas, Barrier Islands and Peninsulas, and the Inner Shelf:

"The Texas Coastal Plain is ideal for studying physical processes and the late Quaternary sedimentological record. Together, the diversity of depositional environments, the moderate climate, and the accessibility to most areas provide unique opportunities for (1) conducting geological investigations of modern sediments and the hydrodynamics responsible for their formation and (2) developing models suitable for interpreting ancient sediments. Within a span of about 350 mi (564 km), a broad spectrum of depositional systems is found. These systems include coarse-grained and fine-grained fluvial channels, bayhead and oceanic deltas, coastal lagoons, transgressive and regressive barriers, and a host of other nearshore deposits that are commonly preserved in ancient sedimentary basins and recognized in outcrop or by applications of subsurface methods."

Citation:
Morton, R. A., and McGowen, J. H., 1980, Modern Depositional Environments of the Texas Coast: The University of Texas at Austin, Bureau of Economic Geology, Guidebook 20, 167 p.