Thesis Abstract
The Yallahs River and fan delta are situated in the parish of St. Thomas on the south-eastern end of Jamaica . The Yallahs River is capable of transporting 8.10 million metric tonnes of economic bed load sediments during an extreme river flow event and 1.2 million metric tonnes during a small flow event. Aggregate mining along the Yallahs River for this reason has grown steadily since it began in the 1980's. An estimate of extraction for material quarried from the Yallahs River is given as 4.4 million metric tonnes over twelve years.
Past studies have examined mining impacts on the community and on the ecology of the river, but none have examined its impacts on the coastal geomorphology of the delta. The purpose of this research therefore is to; identify impacts of mining since it began, compare changes to the delta using aerial photography, examine seasonal changes in the beach profile and calculate the rate of sediment transport along the coastline of the delta. The conclusions drawn at the end of this research are expected to be useful in understanding how mining impacts on other coastlines around Jamaica and informing river mining policy.
Supervisor: Dr. David Miller |
