Storm sediments on a Pacific atoll

Abstract

Abstract Sediments deposited by a typhoon that struck Jaluit atoll (Marshall islands) in 1958 consist largely of pebble- to boulder- size gravel, derived in part from reef-front material, which forms sheets across inundated islets and ridges on windward shores and on the reef flat. The finer, well-sorted sediments deposited under normal wave and tide conditions were largely removed by flood waters and redeposited in the lagoon. Analyses indicate that fresh-water lenses were extensively contaminated by sea water on the inundated islets.