42 



FISHERY BULLETIN OF THE FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



of Florida and the Yucatin Peninsula (fig. 12; 

 fig. 14, sector 2.1); two minor forms: (2) sand dunes 

 briefly drowned by exceptionally high tides; and 

 (3) wind-tide flats, previously described. Other 

 new types that form striking features on the coast 

 of southern Florida and the Yucatan peninsula, 

 are (1) the great mangrove barrier ridge (fig. 12; 

 fig. 14, Sector 4.1); (2) the irregular mangrove 

 coastal lagoon between the mainland and the 

 ridge, (3) the drowned lacustrine plain of the Bay 

 of Florida (fig. 14, Sector 4.1 north of Florida Keys 

 and east of Cape Sable; fig. 15) as interpreted by the 

 writer, with former lakes of marsh or swamp now 

 invaded and enlarged by salt water, and (4) what 

 the writer believes is the same type of coast slightly 

 elevated (elevated lacustrine plain) to form the 

 pocket harbors (Hayes, Vaughan, and Spencer, 

 1901) of northwestern Cuba (fig. 12; fig. 14, sector 

 3.1). The present paper does not offer an oppor- 

 tunity for full critical discussion of these new types. 

 Besides the distinctly new types of shoreline and 

 coast, noted here, a number of fairly well known 

 geomorphic forms were found which have not 

 previously been included in shoreline classification 

 lists. Prominent examples for the northwestern 

 Gulf coast are the broadlj' to roundly embayed 

 drowned-stream valley with shallow, pan-shaped 

 depositional bottom previously described and in- 

 vestigated by the writer (Price 1947) and the 

 drowned deltaic topography (fig. 12, betweenBird- 

 foot delta of Mississippi and Lake Pontchartrain) 

 described by Russell (1936, figs. 6, 7; 1940). 



SOURCES OF INFORMATION 



Published articles include (1) the numerous 

 detailed geological reports and maps on coastal 

 land areas in the United States' with a few general- 

 ized and regional reports on those of Mexico and 

 Cuba, (2) shoreline and coastal studies of the 

 United States Army Engineers, (3) a few ecolog- 

 ical studies of coastal areas chiefly in Florida 

 and Louisiana, (4) progress reports of the ocean- 

 ographic survey of the Gulf of Mexico being 

 conducted by the Department of Oceanography 

 of the Agricultural and Mechanical College 

 of Texas (Leipper, p. 125) and progress reports 

 on investigations of sedimentation and other 

 shallow water conditions of the northwestern 



 Most complete for Florida and Louisiana. 



Gulf of Mexico by the American Petroleum 

 Institute and similar commercial projects. Among 

 scattered reports on previous oceanographic cruises 

 yielding shoreline or shallow water data (5) is a 

 study of foraminifera in bottom sediments by 

 Phleger and Parker (1951). Much geographic 

 and some geomorphic information is found in 

 Tamayo's (1949) extensive text and atlas of the 

 general geography of Mexico. 



Important raw data, some of which are listed 

 in the following paragraph, include (7) topo- 

 graphic maps and air photographs of the land, 

 (8) original Federal hydrographic surveys, in- 

 cluding some old surveys of the British Ad- 

 miralty, (9) navigation and (10) aeronautical 

 charts made from these sources, with (11) the 

 coast pilot and sailing directions handbooks of 

 these organizations, and (12) bottom-sediment 

 charts of the shelf of the northern Gulf. Topo- 

 graphic data are scarce outside the United States 

 and of unequal detail and coverage for the dif- 

 ferent States. For Mexico, air photography made 

 by the United States and Mexican governments is 

 available under restrictions. The Cuban hydro- 

 graphic organization has issued a coast pilot 

 (Derrotero) containing new coast charts. 



Charts and other aids in study of coasts. — For any 

 detailed study of these shorelines it is necessary 

 to have first, a set of nautical charts. Figure 

 12, a finding map for this study, is drawn 

 on the base of the general chart for the Gulf. 

 The less accurate and detailed these aids are for 

 any coastal sector, the more they need to be 

 supplemented by air photography, topographic 

 maps and geologic reports. The following charts 

 are recommended. 



U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey Nautical 

 Charts {U. S. Scores) .—General Charts, 1002, 

 1007, 1290: Sectional Charts 1113-1117; Coast 

 Charts 1249-1280. For special details, some of 

 the large-scale charts of islands, harbors and canals, 

 and Chart A634. See catalog: Serial No. 665. 



Hydrographic Office, U. S. Navy, Nautical 

 Charts (Mexico and Cuba). — General (coastal) 

 Charts 1125BS, 1126, 1126BS, 2145, 2056, 0966, 

 5487. See catalog: Pub. I-N. 



Marina de Guerra, Departmento de Inspeccion, 

 Officina Hidrograjica, Republica de Cuba. — Der- 

 rotero de la Isla de Cuba (sailing directions). 

 Parte Segunda, 1951, 173 pp. 21 figs, has coast 



