PHOTO PATTERN DATA ELEMENTS: DELTA. BIRD’S-FOOT
The Coastal Plain- The delta is at the lowest level of the Coastal Plain, formed at the
coastal reaches of the Mississippi River, the floor of which is covered with fine materials.
There are a hundred or more miles of these deltaic sediments extending from New
Orleans South to the Gulf. (Wet, Subtropic)
Form
Delta/Bird’s-foot, level to slightly sloping land, shaped
like a Greek symbol delta, fan-shaped in downstream
direction, surface is broken by many channels, standing
body of water adjacent.
Drainage
U-shaped distributary channels, fan-shaped away or
downstream from source.
Gully Characteristics
None developed.
Special Features
Bird’s-foot to fan-shaped distribution of materials and
drainage.
Color (Gray Photo Tones)
Light to dark.
Land Use
Usually left to wildlife refuges.
Vegetation
Marshland.
Source: Terrain analysis procedural guide for surface configuration, US Army engineer
topographic laboratories, p. 7-39