KURE BEACH, NORTH CAROLINA: GEOLOGY, COASTAL PROCESSES, AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

The Kure Beach, North Carolina area has been used for many years as a field trip stop for geologists but it is also an excellent location for use by grade levels from elementary school to university labs for geological and environmental studies. The presence of one of the only naturally occurring rock outcrops (coquina) on the coast of the Carolinas along with the easy observation of coastal processes in both natural and human-altered beach settings provides for multiple learning opportunities for both professionals and teachers.

The Late Pleistocene Neuse Formation coquina, comprised of a mixture of shell hash, whole shells, and quartz sand, has been estimated to be 55 to 75 ka old. Sedimentary structures within the coquina include large trough cross-strata that can be used for paleocurrent determinations. Immediately adjacent to the coquina is a seawall that is constructed primarily of granite. Although seawalls/hardened structures are banned in NC, this one was constructed to protect the State Historic Civil War site of Fort Fisher. A comparison of historic maps indicate that the shoreline has moved landward by up to 125 m since the Civil War, which leaves up to 1/3 of the Confederate batteries in the ocean. Although beach renourishment is conducted to the north (Carolina and Kure beaches) of the coquina rocks, renourishment is not allowed at the rocks. This leaves a series of condominiums without the protection of pumped sand. Sandbags have been placed in front of them, which act just like a seawall. Hurricanes Fran, Floyd, and Irene have heavily damaged these structures. There are areas just south of the Fort Fisher seawall where there are no man-made structures. In this area it is possible to view overwash fans and the natural landward migration of the beach.