A REVISED GEOMORPHOLOGY OF THE MIDDLE AND LOWER COASTAL PLAIN OF SOUTH CAROLINA

Studies attempting to explain the construction and history of the South Carolina Coastal Plain have been conducted since the 1800s, with each applying a mosaic of terms and landscapes. Depending on the data available at the time, these studies provided a detailed discussion of the landscape, the use of the land itself, and hazards that may be present in each area. In recent decades, several attempts at classification of the landscape based on lithostratigraphic associations, elevations, biostratigraphic correlations, and proxies of chronostratigraphy has been applied to the Middle and Lower Coastal Plain of South Carolina. This evaluation provides a new map, with simple nomenclature of landforms, and formerly-associated litho/bio/chrono-stratigraphic interpretations. Using high-resolution topographic LiDAR for the entire study area, combined with ground-penetrating radar surveys, coring, chronostratigraphy, and relative age estimates, a new map has been generated. It is not expected that this will be the last, or even next-to-last iteration, as much more data is available but not yet ingested into the databases properly for rapid interpretation. Likewise, the nomenclature presented on the map is not meant to represent final stratigraphic or terrace-formation names, but a starting point for communication of future studies in these various areas. An attempt is made to begin the daunting task of truly dissecting previous studies, interpretations, nomenclature, and the mess that is the surficial geology of the South Carolina Coastal Plain.