Mississippi River Delta

Click on Image to Enlarge  (JPG) Mississippi River Delta (3.36 MB) ( 3,594 x 3,819 )

As the Mississippi River enters the Gulf of Mexico, it loses energy and dumps its load of sediment that it has carried on its journey through the mid- continent. This pile of sediment, or mud, accumulates over the years building up the delta front. As one part of the delta becomes clogged with sediment, the delta front will migrate in search of new areas to grow. The area shown on this image is the currently active delta front of the Mississippi. The migratory nature of the delta forms natural traps for oil. Most of the land in the image consists of mud flats and marsh lands. There is little human settlement in this area due to the instability of the sediments. The main shipping channel of the Mississippi River is the broad stripe running northwest to southeast. The image covers an area of 54 x 57 km, and was acquired on May 24, 2001. The image is centered at 29.4 degrees north latitude, 89.6 degrees west longitude.

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Mississippi River Delta Type: (JPG) Size: (3.36 MB) Resolution ( 3,594 x 3,819 )