Date of Award

Spring 2026

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Department

Earth and Ocean Sciences

First Advisor

Scott M White

Abstract

Welded barrier systems are common along passive margins globally and make up approximately 15% of the coastlines around the world. The subsurface facies assemblages of welded barrier systems record depositional histories and past sea-level dynamics, but their complicated depositional architecture can be problematic for understanding aspects like groundwater flow and freshwater-saltwater exchange. Most studies of modern welded barrier sedimentary systems using ground penetrating radar (GPR) rely on a few 100 meters of subsurface data supplemented with a few drill cores. In this study, we used over 75 km of 100MHz and 25MHz GPR data and 195 auger drill logs collected by the USGS and South Carolina Geological Survey (SCGS) to detail the stratigraphic architecture within the welded barrier complex of Long Bay, South Carolina at both high resolution and regional scale. GPR data consists of a 37km long shore-parallel and 4 perpendicular crossing profiles from 4km to 12km in length. By correlating the lithofacies from auger logs with GPR reflectors found in the GPR data we mapped out the spatial distribution of major alloformations in the subsurface along with major and minor paleochannels within them. We identified 8 minor paleochannels (thicknesses < 5 m), and five major paleochannel (interpreted as the ancient Pee Dee River). Using combined auger drill and GPR data we produced interpolations of the upper surface of the Peedee Formation and base of Pleistocene sediments, the precise location of unit boundaries and maps displaying paleochannel distribution.

Rights

© 2026, Chase William Robinson

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