Correlation of shear strength, hydraulic conductivity, and thermal gradients with sediment disturbance: South Pass region, Mississippi Delta

Abstract

The degree of sediment disturbance in the South Pass area is correlated to the average hydraulic conductivity, shear strength, and thermal gradient. Hydraulic conductivity averages 18, 6, and 4 × 10−7 cm/s in the undisturbed, moderately disturbed, and most disturbed sediments, respectively. Shear strength also decreases with increasing disturbance, from 7.6 to 4.4 to 3.5 kPa. Excluding the four stations dominated by annual temperature variations, the remaining 19 thermal gradients correlate well with sediment disturbance. The average gradient is positive in all of the disturbed sediments (0.12 ± 0.07° C/m) and 0 in the undisturbed sediments (0.02 ± 0.05° C/m).