28 Interstate Stratigraphic Correlation: A Practical Geology Session (Posters)

Primarily a hands-on display of core and samples with posters, and talks, to facilitate interstate correlation. Concepts covered are related to interstate correlation problems in stratigraphy—mapping, source rocks for REE minerals, geochronology, and regolith.

Tuesday, 10 March 2026
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
RCC, Lower Level Hall

Coastal Stratigraphic Evolution in Northeastern South Carolina: A 3D Analysis of Quaternary Facies Successions and Paleo-Topographic Landscapes

Paper number: 28-2
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 9:30 AM – 9:45 AM

Authors

Abstract

The buried paleo-topography of pre-Quaternary landscapes, which is formed by antecedent fluvial systems and fluctuating sea levels, exerts a primary control on the distribution and thickness of overlying Quaternary deposits. In coastal South Carolina, building this geological framework is a critical step in understanding modern vulnerabilities, including local-scale subsidence and flooding. Utilizing a database of over 1,100 sediment boreholes across Georgetown and Horry Counties, this study provides an updated reconstruction of the region’s sedimentary evolution and the sub-surface architecture of the coastal plain since the upper Cretaceous.

Results indicate that Quaternary sediment thickness varies significantly across the study area, ranging from <5 feet in areas along the Black and Waccamaw Rivers to >100 feet in some areas along the coast and in the northwestern portion of Horry County. These thick successions are concentrated inside three primary coastal paleochannels, consistent with previous studies (Baldwin et al., 2006), while others may potentially be linked to an underlying Jurassic pull-apart basin. The Quaternary successions overlie Pliocene (Goose Creek Fm.) and Cretaceous (Peedee Fm.) deposits in the north, while Eocene (predominantly Williamsburg Fm.)  are found in the southern portion of the region.

To resolve the internal architecture of these deposits, a series of coast parallel and coast perpendicular transects were analyzed. Initial results of shore-perpendicular profiles reveal distinct successions indicative of consecutive phases of sea-level transgression, lateral system migration and fluvial progradation. Ongoing work focuses on 3D visualizations and cross-sections, providing a high-resolution framework for the coastal evolution over the past 1.5 million years.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 58, No. 1

doi: 10.1130/abs/2026SE-411718

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