The Mississippi River runs from Lake Itasca, Minnesota, and ends in the Louisiana Delta, where it then deposits sediment into the Gulf of Mexico. Here we focus on the influence of the sediment influx from the Mississippi River on depositional patterns in the Gulf of Mexico. Using sediment core records, we can determine changes in distribution patterns over the past 100+ years and compare it to the Mississippi River discharge and specific historical events (e.g. flooding events and construction of levees). The four cores analyzed were collected from a transect line from the northernmost core available to the southernmost core to show the distance the deposition of terrigenous sediments could reach to in the Gulf of Mexico. The sampling stations were selected based on the known sediment deposition patterns of the Mississippi River that could be influenced by tides, currents, and other river processes. 

The comparison we focused on were the visual representations of sediment deposition in cores, sedimentology (silt, sand, clay percentages), and terrigenous mass accumulation rates (TMARs) to the historical industrial and natural events that could have possibly affected terrigenous sediment influx into the Gulf of Mexico. The results of this study showed no significant connection of the selected events through the visual core photos, TMARs, and sedimentology. Future analysis of elemental composition and more extensive geochronology on the cores could provide a clearer picture of how the Mississippi River influences sedimentation in the Gulf of Mexico.

I would like to recognize my peers from the SAS program and Geo Crew for their continuous support and collaboration on this project. A special thanks to Ali Henes for her assistance and guidance every step of the way. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the professors who provided this learning opportunity Patrick Schwing, Rebekka Larson, and Gregg Brooks. This research was made possible in part by support from the National Science Foundation GEOPAths (Award 2119864), Florida Institute of Oceanography, and Eckerd College.