SOUTH CAROLINA AND THE NATIONAL COOPERATIVE GEOLOGIC MAPPING PROGRAM

The South Carolina Geological Survey (SCGS) began an association with the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP) in 1995. To date, the SCGS has produced more than 50 new 1:24000-scale geologic maps with STATEMAP support. The mapping has been directed at areas throughout South Carolina that would benefit socioeconomically from geologic information. In the Piedmont, new mapping adjacent to the I-85 growth corridor has delineated major shear zones and younger, crosscutting brittle faults. Map users have used this information to address aspects of urban growth, water supply and contamination, and geologic hazards such as earthquakes. In the Coastal Plain, mapping in the middle and upper Coastal Plain has provided greater resolution of Tertiary stratigraphy. In addition to enlarging the geologic database, the mapping has been used to address questions at a nearby waste disposal site, and it is now being applied to problems of vertical uplift associated with the Charleston seismic zone and the Cape Fear Arch. Along the southernmost coastline, new mapping is identifying depositional facies within larger formational units that has resulted in extremely detailed information that documents modern rates of beach retreat. Land-use planners and resource managers have used this information to address problems of development in ecologically sensitive areas. Maps of the coastal region are presently being compiled to produce the first regional geologic map of the area based on a 1:24000 data set.

The benefits of the NCGMP to South Carolina exist on several levels. The primary benefit is the development and production of new and detailed geologic maps. These maps satisfy legislatively described duties by providing information for land-use planning and environmental protection. In addition, STATEMAP support has enabled the SCGS to develop a small and competent GIS and product refinement program. The SCGS is now distributing a new generation of high-quality maps with detailed explanations and cross sections. Other new products include map compilations and derivative maps, which are produced more efficiently by using digital map data. We are currently working towards releasing data layers through the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources GIS clearinghouse.