ESRI Binary 75-m Grid of the Base of the Mud Isopach of Apalachicola Bay based on Seismic-Reflection Profiles Collected in 2006 from U.S. Geological Survey Cruise 06001 (BASEMUDISO, UTM, Zone 16, WGS84)

Apalachicola Bay and St. George Sound contain the largest oyster fishery in Florida, and the growth and distribution of the numerous oyster reefs here are the combined product of modern estuarine conditions and the late Holocene evolution of the bay. A suite of geophysical data and cores were collected during a cooperative study by the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Coastal Services Center, and the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve to refine the geology of the bay floor as well as the bay's Holocene stratigraphy. Sidescan-sonar imagery, bathymetry, high-resolution seismic profiles, and cores show that oyster reefs occupy the crests of sandy shoals that range from 1 to 7 kilometers in length, while most of the remainder of the bay floor is covered by mud. The sandy shoals are the surficial expression of broader sand deposits associated with deltas that advanced southward into the bay between 6,400 and 4,400 years before present. The seismic and core data indicate that the extent of oyster reefs was greatest between 2,400 and 1,200 years before present and has decreased since then due to the continued input of mud to the bay by the Apalachicola River. The association of oyster reefs with the middle to late Holocene sandy delta deposits indicates that the present distribution of oyster beds is controlled in part by the geologic evolution of the estuary. For more information on the surveys involved in this project, see http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/operations/ia/public_ds_info.php?fa=2005-001-FA and http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/operations/ia/public_ds_info.php?fa=2006-001-FA.

阿巴拉契科拉湾与圣乔治湾拥有佛罗里达州规模最大的牡蛎渔场，区内众多牡蛎礁的生长与分布，是现代河口环境与晚全新世海湾演化共同作用的产物。美国地质调查局（U.S. Geological Survey）、美国国家海洋和大气管理局海岸服务中心（National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Coastal Services Center）与阿巴拉契科拉国家河口研究保护区（Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve）开展合作研究，采集了多组地球物理数据与岩芯样本，以厘清海湾底部的地质特征及其全新世地层序列。侧扫声呐影像、水深测量数据、高分辨率地震剖面与岩芯数据显示，牡蛎礁分布于长度1至7千米的沙质浅滩顶部，而海湾底部的其余绝大多数区域被泥质沉积物覆盖。这些沙质浅滩是更广范围砂质沉积的地表表现，此类砂质沉积与距今6400至4400年向南侵入海湾的三角洲沉积体系相关。地震与岩芯数据表明，牡蛎礁的分布范围在距今2400至1200年达到峰值，此后因阿巴拉契科拉河持续向海湾输入泥质沉积物，其分布范围逐步缩减。牡蛎礁与中晚全新世砂质三角洲沉积的共生关系表明，当前牡蛎床的分布格局在一定程度上受河口地质演化的调控。如需了解本项目所涉勘测工作的更多详情，请访问：http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/operations/ia/public_ds_info.php?fa=2005-001-FA 与 http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/operations/ia/public_ds_info.php?fa=2006-001-FA。