Arnell S. Forde

Application of Ground Penetrating Radar for Identification of Washover Deposits and Other Stratigraphic Features: Assateague Island, MD

ABSTRACT A combination of ground penetrating radar (GPR) data, core data, and aerial photographs were analyzed to better understand the evolution of two portions of Assateague Island, Maryland. The focus of the study was to investigate the applicability of using GPR data to image washover deposits in the stratigraphic record. High amplitude reflections observed in two shore-perpendicular GPR profiles were correlated to shallow (<1 m) lithologic contacts observed in sediment cores. At these contacts, deposits consisting primarily of quartz sand overlie sediments with organic matter that include degraded plant root or stem material. The underlying organic matter likely represents the vegetated portion of the barrier island that was buried by washover fans deposited during hurricanes Irene (2011) and Sandy (2012), as indicated in high-resolution aerial photographs. The GPR data were able to delineate the washover deposits from the underlying stratigraphic unit; however, the radar data did not resolve finer s...

Raw and processed ground-penetrating radar and postprocessed differential global positioning system data collected from Assateague Island, Maryland, October 2014

Scientists from the United States Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (USGS-SPCMS) acquired sediment cores, sediment surface grab samples, Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) data from Assateague Island, Maryland, in October (FAN 2014-322-FA) 2014. The objectives were to identify washover deposits in the stratigraphic record to aid in understanding barrier island evolution. The report associated with this metadata record serves as an archive of GPR and DGPS data collected from Assateague Island in October 2014. Data products and accompanying Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) metadata can be downloaded from the Data Downloads page located at, http://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/ds989/ds_data_downloads.html.