Type C sediments are found througliout the Cape Canaveral grid, mostly at shallow 

 depths and occasionally on the surface; they do not occupy a set position in the shallow 

 sediment column, but are above and below Type A and Type H sediments. Surface 

 occurrences of Type C are restricted to deeper parts of the grid, mostly the seaward edge 

 and the small basins landward of The Bull and the Ohio-Hetzel Shoal complex. 



d. Type H Sediment. Terrigenous muds and very fine-grained sands usually Ught to dark 

 brown in color (10 yr. 6/2 to 10 yr. 3/1), are Type H sediments. Type H material is 

 quartzose and moderately well sorted for coarser sizes (very fine sand to coarse silt) and 

 poorly sorted for finer sizes (fine silt to clay). Photos of some Type H sediments are shown 

 in Figure 14. 



Whole shells and fragments larger than coarse sand size are occasionally present; their 

 distinctly different size, clean "fresh" surfaces, and low abundance suggests they are 

 indigenous fauna. Anadara sp. is the most common faunal component (Table 2). Associated 

 fauna are Mulinia lateralis, Crepidula sp., and echinoid fragments, but their presence in 

 Type H sediments is not as marked as in Type A sands or Type C silty shell gravels. 



Very fine sands and coarse silts are comprised of quartz and accessory detrital grains; 

 carbonate content is normally below 10 percent and is contributed by indigenous 

 microfauna, chiefly benthonic foraminifera. Ooids are absent in Type H sediments, but this 

 may be a function of size differences rather than source differences. 



Fine silt components appear to be from a terrigenous source. Organic detritus is present 

 in some muds, particularly in Canaveral Bight. Radiocarbon analysis of peat at —5.5 feet in 

 core 100 yielded an age of over 7,000 B.P. 



Type H sediments are present at the surface or at shallow depth throughout the grid. 

 They are absent from the major shoals but are commonly found seaward of the shoals, at 

 the base of the shoreface, and in Canaveral Bight. Cores from the shoreface base show that 

 very fine sands and coarse silts of Type H sediment frequently occupy the entire upper 

 subbottom from surface to the bottom of the core (usually 8 to 10 feet). In Canaveral 

 Bight, all categories of Type H material are present, from very fine sand to clay. The silts, 

 sands and clayey silts often grade vertically into one another from surface to core bottom. 

 Several cores contain Type H sediment overlying Type A sands, a sequence that may 

 represent modern deposition of fines over former beach or shoal deposits. 



e. Type E Sediment. Type E sediments consist of white, creamy white and gray 

 quartzose-calcareous sand partially lithified by calcite cement, similar to Type E sediment 

 off Fort Pierce. The sediment is poorly sorted, due to high silt content and presence of 

 gravel-size shells and shell fragments. 



Quartz grains account for roughly 30 percent of the material and are fine to coarse sand 

 size; individual coarse grains are often highly rounded with pitted surfaces presumably 

 caused by chemical etching during postburial alteration. The carbonate fraction contains 

 unidentifiable silt grains, moUusk gravel, and sand particles from both biogenic and 

 inorganic sources. 



Faunal components of Type E sediment are contributed mainly by Chione cancellata, 

 Mercenaria campechiensis, gastropod fragments and benthonic foraminifera (Table 2). Shell 

 material is characteristically white or Ught gray and poorly preserved; surfaces have been 

 highly bored and channeled by organisms, and dissolution and chemical deterioration, 

 probably occurring during subaerial exposure, is apparent. Shells of Mercenaria sp. are not 

 rounded or polished. 



35 



