Arcuate strand inlets have both flood and ebb -tidal deltas (Nummedal et al. 

 1977). In discussing North Inlet, Finley (1976) indicates that although the 

 inlet is in a microtidal range, its morphology is more closely aligned to 

 mesotidal inlets. 



34. Origin of sediments on arcuate strand beaches appears to be pre- 

 Holocene sediments immediately behind and under it. Few rivers drain into 

 this area. Examination of sediment grain size by Brown (1977) reveals a wide 

 range of size and sorting values, with no consistent alongshore trends. Mean 

 grain size is approximately 0.175 mm. Nearshore bathymetry is fairly steep. 

 Brown measured an average slope of 7.4 m/km for the first 0.8 km offshore. 

 Beyond this is a fairly level, uniform, slope out to -15 km. 



Cuspate delta 



35. The cuspate delta area, extending from Winyah Bay south to Bull 

 Bay, was the second geomorphic zone defined by Brown (1977) . Most sediment 

 composing the delta originated from the Santee River. The Santee headwaters 

 in the Blue Ridge and Piedmont Provinces. Before 1942, the Santee had the 

 fourth largest discharge of any east coast river (Kjerfve 1976). Brown notes 

 the delta was constructional until the early 1940's, when damming and diver- 

 sion of the Santee into the Cooper River occurred. Kjerfve indicates an 



88 -percent loss in discharge reaching the Santee delta. It is the largest 

 delta complex on the east coast, but since diversion, it has been eroding, as 

 evidenced by washover terraces and truncated beach ridges. Hubbard et al. 

 (1977) indicate an erosion rate similar to the arcuate strand, but with much 

 more variability at any point alongshore. 



36. Proximity of cuspate delta beaches to sediment source results in a 

 coarse, but variable, beach sediment size (average = 0.248 mm). These gener- 

 ally immature sediments accompany steep, narrow beaches, with a gently sloping 

 but irregular shelf. Average nearshore slope is about 2.0 m/km (Brown 1977). 



37. One of the prominent features of the cuspate delta region is Cape 

 Romain. Together with Cape Fear at the northern end of the study area, it is 

 part of the Carolina Capes extending south from Cape Hatteras , North Carolina. 

 Brown (1977) attributes the origin of Cape Romain to convergence of waves and 

 littoral drift over a yearly cycle. Hoyt and Henry (1971), in a review of 

 theories on origins of the Carolina Capes, note most authors attribute cape 

 origin to wave and current actions. They observe, however, the association of 

 capes with major rivers and their similarity to ancestral capes of the region. 



33 



