19 Depositional systems and resource distribution in eastern and southern North America: from orogens to coastal plains

We welcome studies related to the sourcing, dispersal, and deposition of clastic sediments from the hinterlands to the coast, including the provenance, paleogeography, sedimentology, and economic significance of these deposits.

Tuesday, 10 March 2026
8:30 AM - 11:30 AM
RCC, 105

Comprehensive Characterization of Lake Floor Sediments, Clarks Hill Lake, Southeastern USA.

Paper number: 19-8
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 10:20 AM – 10:35 AM

Authors

Abstract

Sediment geochemistry plays a fundamental role in regulating nutrient availability, cycling organic matter, and moderating primary productivity in aquatic systems. The Clarks Hill Lake (J. Strom Thurmond Reservoir) is a temperate reservoir filled in 1952 along the Savannah River, which forms the Georgia–South Carolina state line. The reservoir experiences periodic algal blooms driven by excess nutrient inputs. Comprehensive characterization of surface sediments is therefore critical for understanding sedimentation patterns, nutrient enrichment, and their implications for reservoir productivity and management. In this study, lake floor sediment samples were collected using a Ponar grab sampler across spatial gradients in November 2025 and January 2026, capturing variations in hydrology and sediment input Sediments were analyzed for elemental composition using energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (XRF), total organic carbon using infrared cell detection, and grain-size distribution using laser diffraction to quantify sediment texture and nutrient-related geochemical properties. By linking sediment geochemistry and grain-size distributions to hydrologic and depositional gradients, this study advances understanding of sediment dynamics and nutrient accumulation in a regulated temperate reservoir. This limnogeological study offers preliminary insight into the potential reuse of dredged nutrient-rich reservoir sediments to improve biomass production in nutrient-limited soils of the Southeastern United States.

 

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 58, No. 1

doi: 10.1130/abs/2026SE-411849

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