SAND PETROLOGY AS A PROXY FOR EXTREME WAVE EVENTS, A CASE STUDY FROM ANEGADA, BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS

Sand petrology has been used in many studies in different geographic settings throughout the world as a signature for tsunami deposits. Its reliability as a definitive proxy for extreme waves however, remains controversial. In Anegada, British Virgin Islands (BVI) the presence of predominantly elongated sand grains in combination with the foraminifera Homotrema Rubrum were found in a number of locations far inland. The presence and location of these grain rods might not be an exact indicator for tsunami activity, however, they might be used as evidence for extreme wave events. Two different tsunami inundation models for Anegada show waves extending as far inland as the south shore of the Island, however, the possibility that both grain types could have been transported inland by an alternate extreme wave event isn’t discarded. The origin of both grain types will be discussed thoroughly as well as a visual reference on the location of these two different types of grains and how could they have been deposited far inland from their offshore origin.