Where'd It Go!?!?

[Bill L]

Missing: One Town beach. If spotted, please report to the SK Parks and Recreation Dept.

Some South County beaches really got hammered that last big storm. I've never seen it this bad, hope the sand comes back this time

[Bill L]

Another one

[ThrowingTimber]

well doesnt this just suck!

[tattoobob]

I heard it was bad but I didn't think it was that bad
What beach?

[Nebe]

saw that the other day... i wonder what this will do to the fishing?

[ThrowingTimber]

*chants quietly getting progressively louder*

bars, cuts, channels and stipers oh my....

[RIROCKHOUND]

Vic;
Not enough sediment (sand sized) to form significant structure there it is likely some is just offshore and will return, some was lost to longshore transport (to the east) and some is just too far offshore to get back... There is a long term erosion rate there of ~1ft/yr, but that only an average we all know the erosion happens during storms, the 1ft a year represents the amount lost offshore or alongshore that isnt coming back...
; very few beaches in RI can maintain bars (Misquamicut)..

This has been going on for most of the winter, and really got started with the first big storm in early march, it just now is getting press because Memorial Day is approaching... the "mud" and boulders are glacial deposits (a big delta) tha formed when the ice was retreating, melting and stoppped at the Charlestown Moraine (the big hill parallel to rte 1) The real dark organic stuff ontop is the mantle or loes, which is wind blown silt during the dry periods, when the rivers wern't flowing... looks ugly as hell, but it's what underlys most of the beaches on the S-Shore, some of it is just at a higher elevation that others....

They are going to try some things to fix it; I may be indirectly involved, I'll keep you guys up to date as I can... but it is some damn good geology... walk west of the Pavillion and look at the scarp near willow beach club, the gravels you see were river deposited ~20,000 years ago, and while I think that is pretty damn cool, it doesnt sell beach passes....

Bryan
"Ranting and Raving Geologist"

[denis]

I heard they will try to truck sand but that is only here say.They should dredge the back of potters and pipe the sand to there.

[Springtides]

I have seen this before and have seen it come back. Deep Hole and Carpenters look fine. Hey TT How was the wading today????????

[tynan19]

Good info Bryan. Interesting stuff.

[ThrowingTimber]

Was there a few hours ago was wondering about the sediment and yes I did see the dry river beds looks a bit like a river bed but I wasnt sure.. Thats pretty freakin neat stuff there bryan Buddy I was with was dying to metal detect that. NIICE feedin troughs out there

[Nebe]

and you didnt call me TT???

[RIROCKHOUND]

TT.
Probably wont find much in the way of metal in that stuff, maybe some old plow blades etc.. from early farming, there is definetly a plow zone in that horizon, and probably has been farmed for several hundred years.

As far as the feeding troughs, any changes to the offshore structure will be temporary, especially in casting range (surf zone)

ST.. This has happened before, but now the structures are getting very close to not being there anymore. The major change we've seen in ~10yrs of monitoring is that the bluff has retreated significantly which leaves a good portion of the structure on the beach and not in the bluff.. Makes it very unstable. Since early march I estimate the scarp in the bluff has retreated 1-4m depending on where you look, which is fairly significant. Plus, the steeper the beach gets, generally the more erosive it is.
Bryan

[ThrowingTimber]

Eben,

and I quote "Im not fishing until June" Your words not mine bud..

[vineyardblues]

Vic, catch some pipeing plovers and put them on the beach, With their nest building skills the beach will be back in NO TIME.

VB