STAGE 3 

 INNER SHELF SHOAL 



/ STAGE 2 



TRANSGRESSIVE BARRIER ISLAND ARC 



LJ 



subaqueous reworked 

 dclTaic Sands 



□ 



SUBAEBIAl BEWOBKED 

 OEUAIC SANOS 



WAVE — SEDIMENT 



ItDE OCSPERSAl PATHS 



DISTRIBUTARY IEVEE 



Figure 12. The transgressive depositional history of an abandoned Mississippi River delta 

 complex can be explained by three distinct evolutionary stages. This evolutionary sequence is 

 driven by delta plain subsidence and marine reworking. Each abandoned delta complex is 

 successively transformed from an erosional headland with flanking barriers (Stage 1) to a 

 transgressive barrier island arc and then an inner-shelf shoal (reproduced from Penland and 

 Boyd 1985). 



21 



