Assessing Environmental Impacts on Shipwreck Sites: Results & Lessons Learned from the 2009-2012 Gulf of Mexico Shipwreck Study

Summary

Shipwreck sites are subject to large scale oceanographic and environmental processes which can impact interpretation of the site as well as the stability of the wreck itself.  Along the Outer Continental Shelf of the northern Gulf of Mexico, alluvial deposits comprised of varying quantities of clays, silts, and sands dominate the seafloor.  The movement of these deposits through both ongoing processes (such as currents and waves) and punctuated events (such as hurricanes) significantly impact whether a shipwreck will be exposed or buried, which in turn impacts rates of preservation and the ability to identify sites.  As part of a study funded by the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, an interdisciplinary investigation was conducted at 11 shipwreck sites which included sediment coring and oceanographic modeling.  This paper will present final results of this study and assess the utility of the selected methodologies while looking at future avenues of research.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Formation Processes of Maritime Archaeological Landscapes and Sites   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2013

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

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PaperId(s): 236