Document Type
Thesis
Abstract
Pleistocene-aged sediments in the Virginia Coastal Plain are geologically mapped based on the concept of allostratigraphy. Contacts between different formations are dependent on commonly observed relationships between surface morphology (scarps, scarp toe elevation, flats) and basal unconformities. Published small-scale and unpublished detailed geologic maps in the York River State Park area did not accurately agree with all observations made by faculty and students in a field project; this led to a detailed investigation of the relationship between the morphology and Pleistocene-aged allostratigraphic formations in areas of the park. This research showed that at sites where there are clearly defined morphologic elements, the relationship is predictable and clear, but where the morphologic elements were not well-defined, the relationship between morphology and stratigraphy is unclear and is further obscured by subtle differences in lithologies between formations in the absence of basal unconformities. This research suggests the presence in the park of a Quaternary-aged sedimentary unit, previously unmapped whose identity could be resolved by future research into its absolute age.
Date Awarded
2007
Department
Geology
Recommended Citation
Pascua, Ammie L., "An Investigation of the Relationship between Pleistocene Allosatigraphic Formations of Morphology of the Virginia Coastal Plain in the Vicinity of York River State Park" (2007). Geology Senior Theses. William & Mary. Paper 182.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/geologyseniors/182
