MUDLUMPS AT THE MOUTHS OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER

Abstract

Mudlump is a popular name for the upswellings of clay which commonly form islands near the mouths of the Mississippi River passes. These features usually are associated with the bars at the river mouths. The bars are localized sedimentary deposits formed where the river waters enter the relatively still Gulf of Mexico. At present the mudlumps are found within a few thousand feet of the mouth of North Pass, Pass A Loutre, Northeast Pass, Southeast Pass, old Balize Bayou, South Pass and Southwest Pass. Mudlumps appear to be a phenomenon unique to the Mississippi River Delta for they are unreported from any other locality.