Spatial distribution of the litofacies of Baía de Todos os Santos's seabed

Abstract

The study of sedimentary facies in Baía de Todos os Santos (BTS) began 30 years ago and has always priorized the textural characteristics of the sediments. Surface sediment mapping were executed for different sectors, but with no standard textural classification. This work aims to reassess the distribution, standardize the classifications and produce a single map of the surface sediment texture for the BTS. Besides digitizing and georeferencing the existing maps, this study also uses side scan records and surface sediment samples to produce a classification for seismic facies to aid in the definition of textural boundaries. The results show the existence of 11 textural facies, refines the spatial resolution of previous maps with low sample density (resulting in the inclusion of a reef facies) and indicate an approximate 3 km progradation of a muddy facies that is presently shoaling the bay.