Geologic Controls of Sand Boil Formation at Buck Chute, Mississippi

Author

Seth M. Martin

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Schmitz, Darrel W.

Committee Member

Skarke, Adam

Committee Member

Dunbar, Joseph B.

Date of Degree

12-13-2014

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Geology

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Department of Geosciences

Abstract

Sand boil formation due to underseepage is a potential failure mechanism for levees in the Lower Mississippi River Valley. Sand boils were identified in the Buck Chute study area in the 1990s during high water events and during the 2009 Flood. The site is unique due to the presence of point bar and abandoned channel deposits. To understand the role of these alluvial deposits on sand boil formation at the site, a geologic investigation of the subsurface was conducted. Using shallow geophysics, cone penetrometer tests (CPT), borings, and a geographic information system (GIS), it was concluded that the thin blanket associated with point bar deposits, abandoned channel deposits causing a blocked seepage path, and head differential changes caused by the Muddy Bayou Control Structure were the controls of sand boil formation at Buck Chute.

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11668/19517

Recommended Citation

Martin, Seth M., "Geologic Controls of Sand Boil Formation at Buck Chute, Mississippi" (2014). Theses and Dissertations. 2416.
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/2416