SEDIMENT BUDGET:
Sand storage
Submarine reservoirs
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The 200-300 m wide submarine paleostream channel that cuts across and through the reef platform stores an estimated 22x105 m3 of carbonate sand. |
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A large sand field in the central nearshore region marks the onshore extent of the paleo-channel and contrasts the generally sand-poor regions directly north and south. The channel was carved into the reef platform by a river draining the coastal plain during a time of lower sea level. It is a significant storage reservoir of sediment in Kailua Bay. |
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At the seaward mouth of the channel lies a fan-shaped deposit of similar composition and Holocene age that we include as part of the storage model. The volume of this deposit is estimated to be 2.4x105 m3. |
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Other significant submarine sources are the sand fields within the reef platform. These have been numbered in the figure below, and their surface areas tabulated. Their respective volumes are calculated based on the thickness of sediment enclosed in each sand field. Sediment thicknesses are measured in the field by SCUBA divers using our jet-probing system or are inferred from basic field observations. |
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The total volume of sediment stored in these submarine reservoirs is approximately 5x105 m3. |
NEXT... Sediment production
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