SURFICIAL SEDIMENTOLOGY AND GEOMORPHOLOGY OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA LOWER AND MIDDLE COASTAL PLAIN AND CONTINENTAL SHELF

A revised geomorphology and surficial sedimentology of the Coastal Plain and Continental Shelf of South Carolina are presented. Delineation of the configuration and physical makeup of these two regions is of significant importance to understanding their geologic history, sea level changes, sediment budgets, habitat potential, ecosystem health, hydrogeology, and estuarine and coastal dynamics. By systematically surveying, analyzing, describing, and cataloging these regions and providing access through online geodatabase interfaces, regions of critical significance can be identified and studied.

For this specific program, general landform and seafloor morphologies have been identified through broad-scale hypsometric datasets utilizing visual and semi-quantitative methods while high-resolution photography, LiDAR elevations, multibeam bathymetry, or sidescan sonar mosaics have been used for detailed mapping and can provide insight to regions with significantly less detail. Surficial sedimentology and stratigraphy are identified using detailed soils (USDA SSURGO), sediment texture databases (USGS, NOAA), previously published research, and new and previously published and unpublished near-surface geophysical data. These data provide significant evidence as to the origin and modification of existing landforms and sedimentary bodies but gaps in local knowledge still exist.