GEOLOGY OF MYRTLE BEACH STATE PARK AREA, NORTHEASTERN SOUTH CAROLINA

The Grand Strand is a 90-km long arcuate coastal system located in northeastern South Carolina. The central strand shoreline is formed by the modern coastline intersecting Pleistocene ridges and transitions northward and southward to a welding coastline with overwash damming landward ponds and to a barrier islands/spit coastline with landward marsh systems. Building on previous studies of the latter two coastlines, this project examines the morphology and stratigraphy of the southern transition from welding shoreline to strand shoreline. The project uses LiDAR data and ground penetrating radar data ground-truthed by auger data to examine the morphology and stratigraphy of Myrtle Beach State Park. Geomorphology of the southern half of the park is similar to the welding coastline and consists of a 150 m wide coastline seaward of a shore-parallel topographic wetland low while the northern coastline of the park extends landward to a 50-100m wide, shore-parallel ridge. Internal reflectors within the ridge system show development by landward progradation. Initial imaging of the coastline seaward of the ridge shows a cut and fill geometry of a potentially small buried channel. This study will provide a better understanding of the geology of the state park and the development of this transitional coastline.