subsequent sea- level rise, aid in the identification of erosional unconformi- 

 ties and thus in determining sea- level history. Channel systems on the south- 

 west Louisiana continental shelf have been recognized at five different 

 levels, representing regressive periods that are interpreted to range from 

 pre-Wisconsinan to Holocene in age. 



Sediments contained within the channels and associated estuarine depos- 

 its make up a substantial part of the shelf stratigraphy. The extent and size 

 of these features illustrate the significance of fluvial channels and associ- 

 ated facies in the stratigraphy of continental shelves influenced by fluctuat- 

 ing sea- levels. (Author). 



338 SUTER, J. R., BERRYHILL, H. L. JR., and PENLAND, S. 1987. "Late 

 Quaternary Sea-Level Fluctuations and Depositional Sequences Southwest 

 Louisiana Continental Shelf," Numraedal , D., Pilkey, 0. H., and Howard, J. D. , 

 eds . , Sea-Level Fluctuations and Coastal Evolution . Special Publication No. 

 41, Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists, Tulsa, OK, pp 199- 

 221. 



Interpretations of over 20,000 line km of single - channel , high- 

 resolution seismic-reflection profiles, coupled with nearshore vibracores and 

 logs of industrial platform borings, provide the data base for determining the 

 history and stratigraphy of late Quaternary sea- level fluctuations on the 

 southwest Louisiana continental shelf. Regional uncomf ormities , formed by 

 subaerial exposure of the shelf during glacio-eustatic sea-level falls and 

 modified by shoreface erosion during ensuing transgression, serve as markers 

 to identify the boundaries of depositional sequences. Unconformities are 

 recognizable on seismic profiles by high-amplitude reflectors as well as 

 discordant relationships between reflectors. 



Within the upper Quaternary section, six depositional sequences have 

 been recognized. Five of these are related to glacio-eustatic fluctuations, 

 involving sea-level fall close to, or beyond, the margin of the continental 

 shelf. Three of these fluctuations culminated in the deposition of shelf - 

 margin delta sequences. Extensive fluvial channeling characterizes the 

 regressive phase of these sequences. Transgressive phases are marked by 

 infilling of fluvial channels, floodplain aggradation, truncation, or 

 deposition of sand sheets, depending upon sediment supply and rate of sea- 

 level rise. Sequences 4 and 5 are correlated with the late Wisconsinan 

 glacial stage and Holocene transgression. The upper portion of sequence 5 

 consists of an early Holocene Mississippi delta complex. Abandonment and 

 transgression of this delta are responsible for the formation to those driven 

 by glacially-controlled sea-level changes. (Authors). 



339 TABOTA. S., THOMAS, B., and RAMSDEN, D. 1986. "Annual and Interannual 

 Variability of Steric Sea-Level Along Line P in the Northeast Pacific Ocean," 

 Journal of Physical Oceanography . Vol 16, pp 1378-1398. 



Twenty-five and 22 years of hydrographic-STD casts from Station P and 

 Line P, respectively, have been utilized to describe the annual and inter- 

 annual variability of thermosteric , halosteric and total steric heights. In 



156 



