GEOLOGICAL MODELS OF SHALLOW MARINE DEPOSITIONAL SYSTEMS: SAND RESOURCES OF THE U.S. INNER CONTINENTAL SHELF

摘要

Shallow marine depositional systems that contain sand economic resources are examined along the inner continental shelf of the eastern U.S. Sand source studies for beach restoration and science based studies of shallow marine sand bodies have progressed separately over the past 50 years. Most regional studies to date can be considered reconnaissance level by using widely spaced surveys to try and locate sand resources. Recently sand management studies have applied cooperative agreements among many states to assemble existing knowledge of shallow marine sand resources. Despite all efforts, exploration methods for beach quality sand have not commonly applied well-defined set of related geological models to find valuable sand resources. In this paper a summary of geologic models for shallow marine depositional systems is presented and applied to an overall assessment of potential sand resources of eastern U.S. inner continental shelf.