GPR STRATIGRAPHY OF AN EOLIAN DUNE FIELD IN HORRY COUNTY, SC

Eolian sand dunes of late Pleistocene age have been previously identified along the eastern-sides of riverine floodplains of the southeastern Atlantic Coastal Plain. The purpose of this study is to use ground penetrating radar (GPR) to study the stratigraphic architecture of a dune field located between the Little Pee Dee and the Waccamaw rivers within Horry County, SC. LIDAR and aerial photography data indicate that the dune field is composed of both isolated and composite parabolic dunes, with dunes having lengths of less than 1000m, limb widths of less than 250m and heights of less than 6m. Within this dune field, 15 GPR transects were collected in a loose grid using a GSSI system with a 200 Mhz antenna. Collected data was processed and corrected for LIDAR-derived elevations. Radar stratigraphy within the dunes indicates internal bedding with an easterly dip, suggesting a wind direction consistent with previous studies. Unlike Sandy Island immediately to the south, initial results for this dune field indicate only one direction of dip. Stratigraphic results from this study may help to better understand the development of this local paleo-dune system and its relationship to differing riverine sediment supply and paleoclimate during the last glacial period.