UNCLASSIFIED 



Security Classificati< 



DOCUMENT CONTROL DATA -R&D 



(Security clossftiealion of title, body of abstract and Indexing annotation must be enlorvd when tha ovnrati raport im'ctaaaltiod) 



ORIGINATING ACTIVITY (Corporate author) 



Coastal Engineering Research Center 



Corps of Engineers, Department of the Army 



Washington, D. C. 20016 



2*. REPORT SECURITY CLASSIFICATION 



UNCLASSIFIED 



2b. SROUP 



3- REPORT TITLE 



GEOMORPHOLOGY AND SEDIMENTS OF THE NEARSHORE CONTINENTAL SHELF, MIAMI TO 

 PALM BEACH, FLORIDA 



DESCRIPTIVE NOTES (Typ* ol nporl and Inelumira dalai) 



s- AUTHORISI (Flnt nam*, mlddla Initial, laat nama) 



David B. Duane 

 Edward P. Meisburger 



«. REPORT DATE 



November 1969 



7a. TOTAl. NO. OF PACES 



120 



7b. NO. or REFS 

 36 



CONTRACT OR GRANT NO. 



b. PROJECT NO. 



ia. ORIGINATOR'S REPORT NUMBERIS) 



TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM NO. 29 



96. OTHER n^fom NOlsi (Any othat nuatban Otat mar ba aaal^ad 



to. DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT 



This document has been approved for public release and sale; its distribution 



is unlimited. 



SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 



12. SPONSORING MILITARY ACTIVITY 



\ 



ABSTRACT 



The Continental Shelf bordering southeastern Florida between Palm Beach and 

 Miami was surveyed by CERC to locate and evaluate sand deposits potentially useable 

 for shore protection projects. Survey data covered 141 square miles of that part 

 of the Continental Shelf between 15- and 100-foot depths, and consisted of seismic 

 reflection profiles and sediment cores from the sea floor. 



South of Boca Raton to Miami, much of the shelf is rocky with a thin sediment 

 veneer. Relatively thick deposits of sediment have accumulated locally in troughs 

 formed between lov>f reef -like ridges lying parallel to shore. Shelf sediments south 

 of Boca Raton consist almost entirely of sand-size calcareous skeletal fragments. 



North of Boca Raton to Palm Beach, most of the shelf is overlain by a thick 

 blanket deposit of homogeneous fine-to-medium, gray sand .about half of which 

 consists of ouartz particles and the remainder of calcareous skeletal fragments. 

 .^bout 200 million cubic yards of sand-size sediment occurs on the shelf south of 

 Boca Raton. Although generally suitable for beach fill in terms of size, degradation 

 of size by abrasion and fragmentation of the delicate particles may occur in the 

 shore environment. 



More than 380 million cubic yards of sand-size sediment lies on the shelf north 

 of Boca Raton. However, because of its fine size, this sand is not considered 

 ideally suited for beach fill. In terms of potential as beach sand, sand-size 

 sediments from the shelf bordering southeastern Florida is of marginal quality. 



UD .'^..1473 



UNCLASSIFIED 



Security Clasalflcation 



