14 Undergraduate Research Poster Session I (Posters)

Monday, 16 April 2018
8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
First Floor Lobby

EFFECT OF OCEANIC CURRENT AND STORM SURGES ON FORAMINIFERAL DEATH ASSEMBLAGES OF SAN SALVADOR ISLAND, BAHAMAS

Paper number: 14-17
Program: Theme Sessions
Time: 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM

Authors

Abstract

Sand samples from the northeastern side of the Bahamian island of San Salvador were used to quantify onshore death assemblages of foraminifera. The foraminifera were picked from three sampling locations and an additional storm berm sample from the northernmost location. Genus and species were identified in order to understand how longshore current affects onshore foraminiferal species concentrations as well as if storm activity affects which species wash ashore. Previous research indicates a northern longshore current on the eastern side of the island. This might indicate a higher percentage of the more resistive-shelled Archaias angulatus in the northern locations, however a decreasing percentage of A. angulatus found at the middle location shows this theory was not supported. Species in the storm berm also were of distinctly different species concentrations than from the foreshore at the same location. These findings suggest that longshore drift may play a lesser role in onshore foraminiferal death assemblages than offshore reefs, and also that storm activity has a large effect on the island’s death assemblages.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 50, No. 4

doi: 10.1130/abs/2018NC-311768

© Copyright 2018 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.