HOLOCENE SHORELINE WELDING ALONG THE GRAND STRAND OF NORTHEASTERN SOUTH CAROLINA

The Grand Strand is a 75-km stretch of shoreline located in northeastern South Carolina. Resulting from the intersection of the retrograding Holocene shoreline and landward paleo-barrier systems, the coastline transitions from barrier island/spits systems with landward back barrier marshes to a nearly welded shoreline with landward ponds to a fully welded shoreline. This study summarizes previous work on the transitional nearly-welded coastlines located on either the north-side or south-side of the Grand Strand. It also uses additional ground penetrating radar data to identify other swashes that existed along the coast prior to welding. Describing the morphology and architecture of these deposits will be useful as rising sea levels cause the shoreline to continue to intersect the emergent paleo-barrier systems that are common along this section of coastline