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| Sedimentation Changes in San Pablo Bay 1856 - 1983 |
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| United States Geological Survey |
| Jaffe, B. E., Smith, R. E., and Torresan, L. Z. |
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| 1856 - 1887 |
| Massive quantities of sediment released by hydraulic gold mining in the Sierra Foothills overwhelmed San Pablo Bay. A volume of 263 million cubic meters (more than 8 million cubic meters a year on average) was deposited in San Pablo Bay. Channels were filled, with as much as 4 meters (12 feet) of sediment in some areas. Isolated areas, primarily in the main channel, were erosional (lost sediment). An abundant supply of sediment resulted in deposition in shallow areas and a large increase in tidal mudflat area (three times the area of pre-hydraulic mining).
Click on one of the maps for a larger version of that map.
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 Return to the Bathymetry Change page. |
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U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey
