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Last edited:
29 September 2005 |
South-Central Cell
Geography and Geology of the Grand and Black Prairies of Texas
April 3-4; Waco, Texas
The principal interests of this trip are the Grand and Black Prairies, that together form
the Cretaceous Prairies of Texas. Where they were, what they were, what they have become,
and how they and their evolutionary successors have influenced the human history of
Central Texas are all interests of this trip. The trip is planned as a weekend event; the
first day will be a transect of the Grand Prairie of Texas, from Waco to a point near
Comanche; the second day will involve a transect of the Black Prairie (now Blacklands)
from Waco to Tehuuacana. Both trips will originate on the Baylor Campus in Waco, both
Friday and Saturday nights will be spent in Waco. The banquet will be on Saturday evening,
at the end of the Grand Prairie trip; place, menu, and speaker to be announced later.
The Grand and Black Prairies together formed the Cretaceous Prairies of Texas, which in
turn formed a substantial part of the southern grassland-Great Plains of this continent.
To recount, early visitors to the American Midcontinent saw enormous grasslands, extending
almost without interruption from the Gulf Coast Prairies of South Texas to the plains of
Alberta,
and from what is now Eastern Kansas to the Rocky Mountains. All
in all, more than six hundred thousand square miles of this continent were in prairie,
broken only rarely by small areas of savanna, small motts of trees on perched watertables,
and narrow gallery forests along larger perennial waterways. Within this great sea of
grass lesser prairies, including the Grand and Black Prairies of our interest, were in
some way exceptional but in the larger view also far more similar to the prairies that
surrounded them than to any other landscape of this nation. But we will see that small
differences have had large effects on human history. Differences in geology have
contributed to significant variations in landform, soils, vegetation, indigenous animal
populations, human history and changing land use, all of which will be topics of
discussion. Field trip leaders: Peter Allen (Baylor); David Amsbury (NASA); Paul N.
Dolliver (Geomap); O.T. Hayward (Baylor); Lee Nordt (Baylor); Joe Yelderman (Baylor).
Contact: O. T. Hayward or Joe Yelderman; 254-755-2361; fax: -2673; O_T_Hayward@baylor.edu;
yelderman@ baylor.edu
The 1997 FOP south-central cell field trip was held on the chenier plain of southwestern Louisiana. Although cheniers are classically defined here, recent research demonstrates this plain is a complex mosaic of transgressive beach ridges (true cheniers), regressive beach ridges, and recurved spits. Field trip stops examined quarry exposures, modern transgressive and regressive beaches, core and GPR profiles, and archaeological sites to focus discussion on the formational processes, depositional environment, internal structure, sediment sources and composition, and chronology of the chenier plain ridges. Comparison of chenier ridge and Mississippi River delta lobe complex switching chronologies suggests a very complex relationship that is very poorly correlated and understood at this time. Other topics addressed included the cultural history of the cheniers and distinguishing between culturally and naturally formed shell deposits. The field trip was attended by 35 people who all claim to have had a great time, in spite of the unseasonably cold weather and 'The Long March to the Sea', an unexpected 11 mile hike necessitated by a locked gate. There are a limited number of field guides available at a cost of $44 each. Requests should be sent to Charles McGimsey, University of Southwestern Louisiana, Lafayette, LA, 70504; 318 482-5198; McGimsey@usl.edu