Comparing the Dimensions of Modern and Ancient Barrier Island Systems to Understand Controls on Preservation

Abstract:

Commonly assumed to have low preservation potential, barrier islands are rarely interpreted in the rock record, and there is little consensus on the terminology and depositional models related to their interpretation. Prevalent on transgressive coastlines, the dimensions of modern barriers are used as analogs for the ancient; however, ancient examples are complicated by post-depositional processes, including thickening through amalgamation and removal by ravinement. Contrasting the dimensions of modern and ancient examples lends insight into the development and preservation of transgressive deposits, improving the ability to predict the size and distribution of barrier island sand bodies in the rock record as well as understanding the variables that control their architecture.

Interpretation of barrier island deposits from the John Henry Member (Cretaceous Straight Cliffs Fm., Kaiparowits Plateau, southern Utah) motivated an investigation into both ancient and modern barrier islands. Traditional sequence stratigraphic models predict thin condensed deposition during transgression, not accounting for possible thick and laterally extensive accumulations of barrier island deposits. More recent models recognize the possible complexity and heterogeneity of transgressive deposits and the potential for barrier island accumulation. To better understand the relationship between modern and ancient barrier islands, the length (along strike), width (dip direction) and thickness (vertical) of >20 modern and >30 ancient barrier islands were compared. Ancient dimensions were gathered from the literature, while modern dimensions were aggregated from literature and a database of modern barrier islands currently being developed. Initial results suggest that ancient barrier island deposits record the motion of the shoreline during transgression. Ancient barriers are ~2-8 times wider and ~2-3 times thicker than modern islands. The dynamics of barrier island migration and sediment supply control resulting deposits when accommodation is sufficient for preservation. Future consideration of other parameters, including tectonic setting, latitude, and climate may reveal paleomorphodynamic relationships between modern and ancient barriers and improve predictions for ancient barrier dimensions.