900 m of westward cape erosion with approximately 500 m of southerly accretion 

 since 1874. The cape tip was broad and blunt. From 1925 to 1934, westward 

 erosion continued at a reduced rate, and the cape retreated northward approxi- 

 mately 180 m. Both bay and oceanside erosion resulted in narrowing of Cape 

 Island in the vicinity of Cape Romain. A narrow east-west oriented spit about 

 600 m long formed the cape terminus. By the 1962/63 survey, Cape Romain had 

 retreated an additional 480 m northward. Westward erosion resulted in the 

 1934 bay shoreline and 1962/63 ocean shoreline being in similar positions. 

 The terminal spit elongated westward so that it was approximately 3,500 m long 

 in 1962/63. This resulted in a longer Romain River outlet and protection of 

 most of Lighthouse Island from direct wave attack. Additional landward 

 retreat of both sides of the cape continued to 1983 (roughly 500 m north and 

 500 m west) . The long east-west spit attached to the Cape Romain in 1962/63 

 was apparently breached by the Romain River. Sediment downdrift of the breach 

 appears to have moved landward and welded onto Lighthouse Island, which in 

 1983 shows a long spit extending 4,250 m westward, past Key Inlet. That spit 

 portion remaining on Cape Romain (800 m long) migrated landward about 500 m. 



143. Between 1874 and 1962/63, Lighthouse Island accreted rapidly at 

 its southeast end. From 1874 to 1925, island surface area dropped from 10.7 x 

 10 6 m 2 to 8.9 x 10 6 m 2 ; but by 1934, it had increased to 11.2 x 10 6 m 2 . Accre- 

 tion continued through 1983 when island area was 16 . 9 x 10 6 m 2 . Island growth 

 appears to correlate with spit growth on the tip of Cape Romain. A large 

 increase in area (197,000 m 2 /year) came between 1962/63 and 1983 when the spit 

 was breached and part of it appears to have welded onto Lighthouse Island. 

 Net change between 1874 and 1983 was an increase in area of 6.2 x 106 m 2 . 

 Southeasterly island growth and spit movements on Cape Romain have resulted in 

 long-term narrowing of the Romain River Inlet from approximately 1,800 m wide 

 in 1874 down to 180 m wide in 1983. 



Cape Romain Harbor (Map 18) 



144. Cape Island extends north to form the southern side of Cape Romain 

 Harbor. The island's north end has accreted alongshore north-northeast since 

 1873/74. Rate of accretion was approximately 34 m/year between 1873/74 and 

 1934. From 1934 to 1983, accretion rate decreased to approximately 29 m/year. 

 Net elongation of the island tip over survey duration is approximately 



3,600 m. Alongshore growth to the north has been accompanied by landward 

 shoreline erosion. Shoreward erosion was particularly severe toward Cape 



114 



