Shore Normal Distribution of Heavy Minerals on Ocean Beaches: Southeast Atlantic Coast

Cross-shore beach sample sets from 102 locations along the barrier- dominated Atlantic coast from Kitty Hawk, NC, to Palm Beach, Fla., were studied to determine if there were systematic differences in heavy mineral abundance and species frequency distribution between sampling stations on each transe...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Meisburger, Edward P.
Other Authors: COASTAL ENGINEERING RESEARCH CENTER VICKSBURG MS
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: 1988
Subjects:
Physical and Dynamic Oceanography
*ROCK FORMING MINERALS
*BEACHES
*SEDIMENT TRANSPORT
COASTAL REGIONS
SAND
LIMITATIONS
BARRIERS
HIGH DENSITY
SAMPLING
STATISTICAL DISTRIBUTIONS
OCEANS
NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN
GARNET
MINERALS
ISLANDS
SHORES
HEAVY METALS
NORMAL DISTRIBUTION
RUTILE
SPECIFIC GRAVITY
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION
TOURMALINE
FREQUENCY
STATIONS
HEAVY MINERALS
BARRIER BEACHES
EAST COAST UNITED STATES
STAUROLITE
AMPHIBOLES
EPIDOTE
Barrier Island
North Atlantic
Online Access:http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA210258
http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA210258
Description
Summary:Cross-shore beach sample sets from 102 locations along the barrier- dominated Atlantic coast from Kitty Hawk, NC, to Palm Beach, Fla., were studied to determine if there were systematic differences in heavy mineral abundance and species frequency distribution between sampling stations on each transect line and between barrier and mainland segments. Only the more commonly occurring heavy minerals species were counted. On each transect, samples were taken at the step, the existing limit of uprush, berm crest, midberm, and inland limit of the beach. The weight percent of the heavy mineral fraction was found to be consistently and substantially higher in backshore and berm crest samples than in the foreshore samples from the same transect. Comparison of the frequency distribution of heavy mineral species showed that mineral species having the higher specific gravity, i.e., rutile, garnet, and staurolite, are much more abundant in backshore samples than in foreshore samples from the same transect and that the amount of difference generally increases with increasing specific gravity. Amphiboles occurred in much greater abundance in foreshore samples, while epidote and tourmaline show less pronounced and consistent differences between backshore and foreshore samples. Keywords: Coastal barrier island beaches; Sediment transport; Spatial distribution.

Similar Items