Why was this research conducted and who funded the research? The answers to those ques- 

 tions lie in an analysis of references included herein. The first significant paper on "Building of 

 the Mississippi Delta" was written by Professor Trowbridge of the State University of Iowa and 

 funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The next five significant papers were written by 

 LSU professors, published by the Louisiana Geological Survey, and funded by the State of 

 Louisiana. 



In June 1941, Dr. Harold N. Fisk and his associates at Louisiana State University began to 

 conduct a geological investigation of the Mississippi Valley and its deltas for the Mississippi River 

 Commission. This basic, early research was aimed at flood control and navigational problems 

 within the vast Mississippi River system from Cairo, IL, to the gulf. This originally 2-year project 

 continued for 7 years (Fisk 1944, 1954) and was funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 



Something very interesting happened in the spring of 1948, 7 years after the Fisk project started: 

 The Humble Oil Co. of Houston, TX, employed Fisk to conduct research on Recent sediments and 

 the writer was invited to join the famous Shell Oil Co. research laboratory in Houston. Thus the 

 type of research which was initiated for flood control and river navigational problems in 1941 now 

 continued as two very impressive research projects aimed at the establishment of criteria for 

 recognition of the depositional environments of ancient sandstone petroleum reservoirs. My former 

 professor, and boss for 7 years, now became my tough competitor. This sandstone research effort 

 by two major oil companies continued for over 25 years. Beginning in the mid-1950's several other 

 oil companies also conducted research on the Mississippi Delta complex over a period of many 

 years. However, Humble and Shell were well ahead of the pack. 



While the petroleum industry was busy studying the Mississippi Delta, research on the delta 

 complex continued at LSU. Beginning in about 1952 the Coastal Studies Institute, funded by the 

 U.S. Navy, was created. Dr. R. J. Russell was Director of this Institute. Many LSU geology 

 graduates associated with this Institute published many papers. This group of scientists included 

 R.S. Treadwell, J.R. Van Lopik, W.G. Mclntire, C.R. Kolb, W.A Welder, J.M. Coleman, S.M. 

 Gagliano, J.P. Morgan, R.J. Shlemon, L.J. Rouse, I.L. van Heerden, and a few others. 



The Louisiana State Geological Survey, which funded and conducted the early research on the 

 Mississippi River in the early 1930's, did not produce additional reports on the delta for many years. 

 However, beginning in the mid-1980's several geologists associated with the Survey, such as S. 

 Penland, J.R. Suter, R. Boyd, R.A McBride, R.S. Tye, and E.C. Kosters, conducted some very 

 significant research on the Mississippi delta complex, especially on the very important processes of 

 marine transgressions over the abandoned deltas. 



PART IV - STAGES IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND PARTIAL 

 DESTRUCTION OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER DELTAIC PLAIN COMPLEX 



The following discussion of how the coastal marshes of southeast Louisiana were formed and 

 partially destroyed is based on my research in this region over a 48-year period and an analysis of 

 51 significant papers written during 1930-88. I was indeed very fortunate to have been associated 

 with this impressive research effort and believe that I am qualified to write a story about how my 

 beloved native land came to be. 



