See more from this Division: Topical Sessions
See more from this Session: From San Salvador and Beyond: A Tribute to Don and Kathy Gerace and the Development of the Gerace Research Centre
Abstract:
We recovered cores from Storrs Lake that varied in length from 5 to 200 cm, including transects across the Fortune Hill Basin. These cores were analyzed for organic and carbonate content, dry bulk density, grain size, chemical composition, sediment fabric, trace elements, X-ray fluorescence, and ostracode and mollusk faunal composition. Preliminary results indicate that large storms can be identified through time by a distinct change in grain size and a change in dry bulk density. The adjacent dunes have been mapped and sediment analyzed. The allochthonous sand found within the basin matches the sand found on the dune faces and identified as storm wash-over deposits. Biologic patterns suggest that species richness and abundance change after these large storm events, possibly due to the freshening that occurred from the storm and a change in the basin substrate. Algal mats, or stromatolites that are prevalent throughout many of the lakes on SSI, also have a documented response to these freshening events.
See more from this Division: Topical Sessions
See more from this Session: From San Salvador and Beyond: A Tribute to Don and Kathy Gerace and the Development of the Gerace Research Centre