The Production, Transportation, and Deposition of Carbonate Sediments on the Insular Shelf of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

摘要

This report summarizes the findings of a two-year program to inventory major sediment sources on the St. Croix insular shelf, and to assess the factors responsible for their presence. Sand supplies fall into two categories: existing sand bodies occur along the wider, southern shelf. One contains medium- to fine-grained sand. Further to the west, another sand body occurs which contains a larger, undetermined volume of sandy sediment. Along the narrow northern shelf, there are no major sediment-storage sites, and most of the sediment is rapidly moved offshore into the adjacent basin. Two submarine canyons do occur, but their storage capacity relative to that of the sand bodies on the south shore is small.