PROGRESS REPORTS ON RESEARCH SPONSORED BY 

 THE BEACH EROSION BOARD 



Abstracts from progress reports on several research contracts in force 

 between universities or other institutions and the Beach Erosion Board, 

 together with brief statements as to the status of research projects being 

 prosecuted in the laboratory of the Beach Erosion Board, are presented as 

 follows: 



I, University of California, Contract No. DA-U9-0$$-eng-8 



A. Status Report No. 8, 1 Feb through 31 Mar 19^3 



This report pertains to the origin of sand upon beaches, especially 

 with reference to the beaches of Southern California. 



The primary object of the present phase of work on the contract is 

 to drill holes through the sand fill west of Santa Barbara breakwater to 

 procure undisturbed samples of the sand and of the offshore sediments 

 that were beneath the water just prior to the time the fill was deposited. 

 These studies are designed to provide information on the nature of the 

 sediments under different conditions of transport of sand in shallow 

 waters adjacent to the beach. Ordinarily core samples of such offshore 

 sediments would have to be obtained with the aid of a drilling barge, Huut 

 at Santa Barbara, where the offshore area was covered by fill following the 

 construction of the breakwater, sairples of the offshore sand can be ob- 

 tained by drilling through the fill by an ordinary well drilling rig. 



During the past two months a series of undisturbed core samples were 

 obtained from seven holes in the area of fill west of the breakwater. 

 The samples extend to more than ^00 feet seaward from the original shore 

 line and for. approximately one-fourth mile along the beach parallel to 

 the shore. The holes ranged in depth from 20 to 30 feet and bottomed in 

 bed rock, of Pleistocene sand and clay on the east part of the fill and 

 Miocene shale on the west part. The samples were obtained by means of a 

 special underwater core sampler designed by Dames and Moore, .'Consul ting 

 Engineers, of San Francisco and Los Angeles. This device procures drive 

 samples 10 inches in length and 2 inches in diameter. The samples were 

 collected in thin wall brass cylinders and were sealed with paraffin to 

 conserve the original content of water. Samples were taken at intervals 

 of 2 to 3 feet. The laboratory study of the material is now in progress. 



B. Status Report No. 9, 1 April through 31 May 19g3 



The 60 core samples of beach material from the filled area west of 

 the Santa Barbara breakwater collected during March are now in the process 

 of analysis. The cores have all been opened, photographed, and more than 

 200 samples removed for mechanical analyses. The program of analysis is 

 about 50 percent complete. Preliminary microscopical examination of the 

 cores has also been made. One half of each core has been saved for 

 supplemental work which may be needed after the present series of studies 

 has been comple'ted. 



-13- 



