CGRG Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology
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Author : Gibson, J.W.
Date : 1995.
Title : Estuarine sedimentation and erosion within a fjord-head delta: Squamish River, British Columbia
Publication : Unpublished M.Sc. thesis. Simon Fraser University.
Issue :
Page(s) : 377 p.
Abstract
This study has determined the nature of tidal and riverine control on deposition along the lower 5 500 m estuarine reach of Squamish River; delta and floodplain sediments exposed along channel banks at 42 locations along Squamish estuaries were examined. This study also has determined the rate and nature of estuarine channel bank erosion from 1957 to 1990 and has determined the nature and rate of Squamish delta accretion. Analysis of delta and floodplain sediments reveals that estuarine sequences comprise seven distinct facies which record varying degrees of tidal and riverine influence. While most of these facies yield evidence of their estuarine location, only the deposits of intertidal sands and tidal marsh are unequivocally tidal in origin. Sedimentation within this fjord-head environment primarily is driven by gradual channel abandonment and fill. Erosion data indicate that the tidal deposits are very unlikely to be fully preserved in sequence because of their low preservation potential. Since 1957 the estuarine channel has shifted considerably, and predicted continued meander migration poses a threat to the future stability of the river training dyke, built in 1972 to isolate Squamish River to the west of the valley. Along certain reaches, rates of channel bank erosion have increased as a result of decreased channel and effective floodplain widths associated with dyke construction.
Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology