Structure and texture of a gravelly barrier island in the Fitzroy estuary, Western Australia, and the role of mangroves in the shore dynamics

Abstract

In the stratification of the most coarse-textured barrier island of a system of sand and gravel barrier spits and islands on Point Torment peninsula, King Sound, W.A., foreslope beds due to swash-backwash on the beach face are unimportant. The main units are steeply-dipping backslope beds and topslope beds of gentle, chiefly landward inclination. Their bimodal sediments are poorly sorted for wave-built features. A very coarse mode usually at −1.5 to −2 ☎i; belongs to a population of well-rounded but platy, impure limestone, of local but unlocated source, whereas the fine mode, almost invariably 1.00 to 1.25 ☎i;, represents a population of quartz sand fed from low and sub-tidal estuarine shoals. The two populations are thought to derive from the surface creep and saltation cloud components of “traction carpets”. Swash of intermediate energy waves forms the topslope beds through percolation. Washover by waves of translation generated by occasional hurricanes erodes the top of the feature and deposits the backslope beds on the rear face in standing water at abnormally high levels through storm set-up. In both, unidirectional currents produce sediments with certain resemblances to fluvial “traction clog” deposits. Dated by underlying mangrove wood of 1200 B.P. in front and of 500 B.P. in the rear, this barrier probably retreated through mangrove swamp in the manner of some presently active members of the barrier system. The seaward mangrove swamps neither protect the embankments behind nor suffer seriously from the waves rolling the latter landward.