1.2 RUBBLE STRUCTURES OF THE SOUTH 

 ATLANTIC BIGHT 



Although many small rubble structures 

 exist throughout the South Atlantic bight, 

 the most prominent rubble structures in 

 this area are the jetties constructed to 

 protect the entrances to the region's 

 major harbors (Figures 1 and 2). Some of 

 the largest jetties are described below. 



Beaufort, North Carolina 



There are two small jetties near 

 Beaufort Inlet. Radio Island jetty was 

 built prior to 1939 (C.G. Bookhout, Duke 

 University Marine Laboratory; pers. comm.) 

 to prevent the shoaling of Bulkhead Channel 

 leading to Beaufort Harbor. Early surveys 

 (U.S. Coast Survey Chart No. 874, 1874; 

 U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey No. 3387, 



1913) suggest that Shackleford jetty was 

 constructed near the turn of the century in 

 an early attempt to stabilize Beaufort 

 Inlet. Neither of 

 currently more than 

 Al though smal 1 , their 

 Duke University Marine 

 Institute of Marine 

 University of North 



these jetties is 

 300 m in length, 

 location near the 

 Laboratory and the 

 Sciences of the 

 Carolina at Chapel 



Hill has made them among the best studied 

 jetties in the South Atlantic Bight. For 

 this reason they are included here. 



Masonboro Inlet, North Carolina 



This inlet is between Wri ghtsvi lie 

 Beach to the north and Masonboro Island to 

 the south. The north jetty off 

 Wrightsville Beach is 1,140 m long and was 

 constructed in 1965-1966 (Kieslich 1981). 

 The continued transport of sand into the 



Figure 1. The jetties at Murrells Inlet, SC, in various stages of construction (A and B) and completed (C). (D) 

 shows a close-up of the large boulders used to form oceanic jetties (photos courtesy of U.S. Army Corps of 

 Engineers). 



