ALL-NEW FIELD TRIP!
THE RIO GRANDE DELTA AND ITS SURROUNDINGS;
FRONTIERS OF GEOSCIENCE AND DEVELOPMENT
Saturday-Sunday, FEBRUARY 11-12, 2017
Sponsored by the Corpus Christi Geological Society
Leaders:
Thomas E. EWING, Frontera Exploration Consultants, San Antonio, TX
Juan L. GONZALEZ, Dept. of Envir. Sciences, UT-Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, TX
Join your colleagues on a two-day exploration of the Rio Grande Delta, a unique delta-shoreline
complex at the southern tip of Texas.
The Rio Grande delta is one of the major deltas of North America. Over 1,600,000 people live on the
Holocene delta plain and its Pleistocene ancestors, yet geologic knowledge is limited.
The delta was formed by the sediment-rich Rio Grande/Rio Bravo during the Altithermal. The river
carried huge but irregular flows into a semiarid environment. Eolian activity has extensively modified
the delta plain. Human settlement and infrastructure has exploited the delta and its river, such that
recovering natural conditions and values is a present challenge. Major historical developments,
including Mexican War and Civil War battle sites, will be visited as well.
Combining available geologic information with global satellite photography gives a balanced view of
an important delta. But a lot of work remains to be done! Come help define the problems and the ways
we can resolve them.
We will visit:
The South Texas eolian sand sheet and Sal del Rey, an historic salt deposit
Lagunas, esteros and distributary channels in the Holocene floodplain
Clay dunes and the 'hilly delta'; erosion and accretion
Transgressive shoreline at Boca Chica and South Padre
Thick Oligocene ash in the upper valley-side bluffs near Rio Grande City
Logistics: Trip departs from Corpus Christi, TX 9am Saturday (place TBA), and returns to Corpus
Christi, TX about 6:30 pm Sunday. Bus, hotel on South Padre Island (double occupancy), 67-page
guidebook, lunches, and water are provided. You cover: dinner, personal items.
Cost: $300 (students, $150), includes bus, overnight lodging, breakfast and lunch, and guidebook; must
be received by January 27th; no refunds thereafter.
Send checks to Corpus Christi Geological Society (PO Box 1068, Corpus Christi TX 78403), or give
checks or cash to trip leader (made out to CCGS). For credit card payment, contact Leighton Devine at
(361) 510-8872.
Contact: If you're coming, please contact the trip leaders by noon January 27:
Thomas Ewing
[email protected]
Juan Gonzalez
[email protected]
Dawn Bissell
[email protected]