Foraminiferal assemblages of the nearshore inner continental shelf, Nags Head and Wilmington areas, North Carolina / by Robert R. Workman, Jr.
| Author/creator | Workman, Robert R. author. |
| Other author | Snyder, Scott W., degree supervisor. |
| Other author | East Carolina University. Department of Geology. |
| Format | Theses and dissertations |
| Production | 1981. |
| Description | 161 leaves, 3 unnumbered folded leaves, 6 leaves of plates : illustrations, maps ; 28 cm |
| Supplemental Content | Access via ScholarShip |
| Subjects |
| Summary | A total of 95 species of foraminifera were identified from 43 core samples and 17 surface grab samples located in Hatteras Embayment off Nags Head and in southern Onslow Bay off Wilmington. Foraminiferal assemblages from surface sediments in Hatteras Embayment have low diversity and are numerically dominated by species of Elphidium; while those in Onslow Bay are more diverse and are dominated, albeit to a lesser degree, by species of Quinqueloculina. These major faunal differences result from the fact that Hatteras Embayment and Onslow Bay are influenced by two distinctly different water masses. The more southerly Carolinian water mass supports a subtropical fauna; the more northerly Virginian water mass, a cool temperate fauna. Surface assemblages off Wrightsville Beach (Onslow Bay) show the effects of artificial berm construction, having been "diluted" by a large number of estuarine species. Estuarine foraminifera were, introduced into the nearshore marine area, along with volumes of estuarine sediment, by the erosion and offshore transport of material used to construct the artificial berms. The typical estuarine assemblages that dominate the Wrightsville Beach area contrast sharply with the more diverse miliolid assemblages that characterize other portions of Onslow Bay. Analysis of the traction velocities of foraminiferal species from surface samples in Hatteras Embayment indicates that the assemblages from both topographic highs and topographic lows have experienced sone degree of current sorting. Assemblages from the highs are residual, the most easily transported forms having been removed by currents. Assemblages from the lows are largely residual, although some species here may be in active transport and the winnowing is less extensive. Foraminifera from the core samples can be used to distinguish between modem and relict units. Interpretations based on the fauna agree closely with those based on the sediments (Pearson, 1979). |
| General note | "Presented to the faculty of the Department of Geology ... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science in Geology." |
| General note | Advisor: Scott W. Snyder |
| Dissertation note | M.S. East Carolina University 1981 |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (leaves 151-154). |
| Genre/form | dissertations. |
| Genre/form | Academic theses. |
| Genre/form | Academic theses. |
| Genre/form | Thèses et écrits académiques. |
Availability
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joyner | University Archives | ASK AT SPECIAL COLLECTIONS DESK | ✔ Available | Request Material |
| Joyner | NC Microforms | MICROFILM | ✔ Available | |
| Electronic Resources | Access Content Online | ✔ Available |