Feldspar in Atlantic Continental Margin Sands off the Southeastern United States
Sand-size sediments on the Atlantic southeastern United States continental margin are generally low in feldspar; this reflects the deeply weathered source area. The feldspar content of sediments indicates that shelf sands are derived mainly from Piedmont Province rivers and that contour currents may be important in distributing continental rise sands. There is no clear indication of significant ice-age subaerial weathering of feldspar on the shelf or on present day beaches. However, the size distribution of feldspar in continental shelf sands compared to the size distribution of feldspar in river sands indicates that the shelf sands have undergone a significant abrasional history subsequent to contribution from rivers.