Purpose

This project is a reconnaissance study of the beach ridge and dune features at Cape Henry, Virginia to examine the most effective techniques for determining the nature of the internal structures of a representative example of each geomorphic feature. The effectiveness of ground penetrating radar (GPR) was the primary focus of the study because it is a non-invasive technique for revealing underground features, which is important at Cape Henry because it is largely state park property. This information, and the preliminary data obtained, will be the basis for planning the data collection strategy for a larger study.

The purpose of the larger study is to develop a complete history and description of the development of Cape Henry beach ridges and dunes. This sequence of events will be compared to the record of Holocene climate and sea-level fluctuation in order to determine their relationship to coastal processes.