Reconstructing relative flooding intensities responsible for hurricane-induced deposits from Laguna Playa Grande, Vieques, Puerto Rico

Abstract

Research Article| May 01, 2008 Reconstructing relative flooding intensities responsible for hurricane-induced deposits from Laguna Playa Grande, Vieques, Puerto Rico Jonathan D. Woodruff; Jonathan D. Woodruff 1Massachusetts Institute of Technology–Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program in Oceanography, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Jeffrey P. Donnelly; Jeffrey P. Donnelly 2Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar David Mohrig; David Mohrig 3Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Wayne R. Geyer Wayne R. Geyer 4Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (2008) 36 (5): 391–394. https://doi.org/10.1130/G24731A.1 Article history received: 31 Aug 2007 rev-recd: 22 Jan 2008 accepted: 24 Jan 2008 first online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share MailTo Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Jonathan D. Woodruff, Jeffrey P. Donnelly, David Mohrig, Wayne R. Geyer; Reconstructing relative flooding intensities responsible for hurricane-induced deposits from Laguna Playa Grande, Vieques, Puerto Rico. Geology 2008;; 36 (5): 391–394. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G24731A.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Extreme coastal flooding, primarily during hurricane strikes, has deposited sand-rich layers in Laguna Playa Grande, a back-barrier lagoon located on the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico. Silici-clastic grain-size distributions within these overwash deposits fine landward (away from the barrier and toward the mainland). A simple advective-settling model can explain this pattern of lateral sorting and is used to constrain the relative magnitude of past flooding events. A deposit associated with the A.D. 1928 San Felipe hurricane is used as a modern analogue to test the technique, which produces reasonable estimates for wave heights that exceed the barrier during the event. A 5000 yr reconstruction of local flooding intensity is developed that provides a measure of the competence for each overwash event to transport coarser-grained sediment a fixed distance into the lagoon. This reconstruction indicates that although the Laguna Playa Grande record exhibits large-scale changes in hurricane frequency on centennial to millennial time scales, the magnitude of these events has stayed relatively constant. Over the last 5000 yr, no evidence exists for an anomalously large hurricane or tsunami event with a competence for sediment transport greater than historical hurricane events. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.