United States Geological Survey, programs in South Carolina
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Geology topics
Research about South Carolina
Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including South Carolina.
Hydrologic aspects of Hurricane Hugo in South Carolina, September 1989
Hurricane Hugo, with winds in excess of 135 miles per hour(mi/h), made landfall near Charleston, S.C., early on the morning of September 22, 1989. It was the most destructive hurricane ever experienced in South Carolina. The storm caused 35 deaths and $7 billion in property damage in South Carolina (Purvis, 1990). This report documents some hydrologic effects of Hurricane Hugo along the South Carolina coast. The report includes maps showing storm-tide stage and profiles of the maximum storm-tide stages along the outer coast. Storm-tide stage frequency information is presented and changes in beach morphology and water quality of coastal streams resulting from the storm are described.
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Changes in bathymetry for Lake Katherine and Wood Lake, Richland County, South Carolina, 1989-93
Bathymetric surveys of Lake Katherine and Wood Lake, small residential lakes in Columbia, South Carolina, were made in 1989 and 1993. During this period the combined volume of the lakes decreased by 519,000 cubic feet (11.9 acre-feet). Most of the decrease in volume occurred in the northern part of Lake Katherine where deltaic sediment deposits at the mouth of Gills Creek increased in thickness during the 4-year period. The sediment was derived from a combination of sources in the Gills Creek Basin upstream from the lakes. Construction of a highway and a housing development in the Basin were significant factors in the sedimentation.
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Selected hydrologic data for urban watersheds in South Carolina, 1983-90
Rainfall and streamflow data were collected at 23 gaging stations located in urban watersheds in South Carolina from 1983-90. The site selection process and the instrumentation used to collect the data are described. A compilation of rainfall and streamflow data in graphic and tabular form for seven selected events at each gaging station are presented. A gaging-station description and a listing of certain streamflow and basin characteristics also are included.
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Geophysical logs and groundwater chemistry in the A/M area, interim report, Savannah River Site, South Carolina
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Bathymetry of Stevens Creek and Neal Shoals reservoirs, South Carolina, 1990
Stevens Creek Reservoir and Neal Shoals Reservoir are located in the Piedmont Province of South Carolina (fig. 1). The primary purposes for the reservoirs are hydroelectric power generation and recreational activities. Because there has been no bottom surveys of these reservoirs since they were formed in the early 1900's, there is concern about the decrease in reservoir volumes due to sedimen- tation. An investigation was begun in 1990 by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Water Resources Division to provide information on present water depths, on areas of rapid-sediment deposition, and on changes in lake volume. This report documents the bathymetric surveys made of Stevens Creek and Neal Shoals Reservoirs during 1990 and provides maps that depict the depth of each reservoir. This report documents the bathymetric surveys made of Stevens Creek and Neal Shoals Reservoirs during 1990 and provides maps that depict the depth of each reservoir.
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Assimilative capacity of the Waccamaw River and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, 1989-92
The assimilative capacities of selected reaches of the Waccamaw River and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, were determined using results from water-quality simulations by the Branched Lagrangian Transport Model. The study area included tidally influenced sections of the Waccamaw River, the Pee Dee River, Bull Creek, and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. Hydrodynamic data for the Branched Lagrangian Transport Model were simulated using the U.S. Geological Survey BRANCH one-dimensional unsteady- flow model. Assimilative capacities were determined for four locations using low-, medium-, and high- flow conditions and the average dissolved-oxygen concentration for a 7-day period. Results indicated that for the Waccamaw River near Conway, the ultimate oxygen demand is 370 to 6,740 pounds per day for 7-day average streamflows of 17 to 1,500 cubic feet per second. For the Waccamaw River at Bucksport, the ultimate oxygen demand is 580 to 7,300 pounds per day for 7-day average streamflows of 62 to 1,180 cubic feet per second. For the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway near North Myrtle Beach, simulations indicate ultimate oxygen demand is 5,100 to 10,000 pounds per day for 7-day average streamflows of 110 to 465 cubic feet per second. The ultimate oxygen demand for the Waccamaw River near Murrells Inlet is 11,000 to 230,000 pounds per day for 7-day average streamflows of 2,240 to 13,700 cubic feet per second.
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Water quality in the Withers Swash Basin, with emphasis on enteric bacteria, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, 1991-93
Water samples were collected in 1991-93 from Withers Swash and its two tributaries (the Mainstem and KOA Branches) in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and analyzed for physical properties, organic and inorganic constituents, and fecal coliform and streptococcus bacteria. Samples were collected during wet- and dry-weather conditions to assess the water quality of the streams before and after storm runoff. Water samples were analyzed for over 200 separate physical, chemical, and biological constituents. Concentrations of 11 constituents violated State criteria for shellfish harvesting waters, and State Human Health Criteria. The 11 constituents included concentrations of dissolved oxygen, arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury, chlordane, dieldrin, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, 1,1-dichloroethylene, trichloroethylene, and fecal coliform bacteria. Water samples were examined for the presence of enteric bacteria (fecal coliform and fecal streptococcus) at 46 sites throughout the Withers Swash Basin and 5 sites on the beach and in the Atlantic Ocean. Water samples were collected just upstream from all confluences in order to determine sources of bacterial contamination. Temporally and spatially high concentrations of enteric bacteria were detected throughout the Withers Swash Basin; however, these sporadic bacteria concentrations made it difficult to determine a single source of the contamination. These enteric bacteria concentrations are probably derived from a number of sources in the basin including septic tanks, garbage containers, and the feces of waterfowl and domestic animals.
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Retention time and flow patterns in Lake Marion, South Carolina, 1984
In 1984, six dye tracer tests were made on Lake Marion to determine flow patterns and retention times under conditions of high and low flow. During the high-flow tests, with an average inflow of about 29,000 cubic feet per second, the approximate travel time through the lake for the peak tracer concentration was 14 days. The retention time was about 20 days. During the low-flow tests, with an average inflow of about 9,000 cubic feet per second, the approximate travel time was 41 days, and the retention time was about 60 days. The primary factors controlling movement of water in the lake are lake inflow and outflow. The tracer cloud moved consistently downstream, slowing as the lake widened. Flow patterns in most of the coves, and in some areas along the northeastern shore, are influenced more by tributary inflow than by factors attributable to water from the main body of the lake.
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Assessment of intrinsic bioremediation of jet fuel contamination in a shallow aquifer, Beaufort, South Carolina
Field and laboratory studies show that microorganisms indigenous to the ground-water system underlying Tank Farm C, Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C., degrade petroleum hydrocarbons under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Under aerobic conditions, sediments from the shallow aquifer underlying the site mineralized radiolabeled (14C) toluene to 14CO2 with first-order rate constants of about -0.29 per day. Sediments incubated under anaerobic conditions mineralized radiolabeled toluene more slowly, with first-order rate constants of -0.001 per day. Although anaerobic rates of biodegradation are low, they are significant in the hydrologic and geochemical context of the site. Because of low hydraulic conductivities (1.9-9.1 feet per day) and low hydraulic gradients (about 0.004 feet per feet), ground water flows slowly (approximately 20 feet per year) at this site. Furthermore, aquifer sediments contain organic-rich peat that has a high sorptive capacity. Under these conditions, hydrocarbon contaminants have moved no further than 10 feet downgradient of the jet fuel free product. Digital solute-transport simulations, using the range of model parameters measured at the site, show that dissolved contaminants will be completely degraded before they are discharged from the aquifer into adjacent surface-water bodies. These results show that natural attenuation processes are containing the migration of soluble hydrocarbons, and that intrinsic bioremediation is a potentially effective remedial strategy at this site.
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Baseline element concentrations in soils and plants, Bull Island, Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, South Carolina, U.S.A.
Baseline element concentrations are given for Spanish moss ( Tillandsia usneoides ), loblolly pine ( Pinus taeda ), and associated soils. Baseline and variability data for ash, Al, Ba, C, Ca, Cd, Ce, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, La, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Nb, Nd, Ni, P, Pb, S, Sc, Sr, Th, Ti, V, Y, and Zn are reported; however, not all variables are reported for all media because, in some media, certain elements were below the analytical detection limit. Spatial variation in element concentration among and within 0.5 km grid cells are given for each of the media. In general, only a few elements in Spanish moss showed statistically significant landscape patterns, whereas several elements in loblolly pine and in soils exhibited differences among sampling grids. Significant differences in the concentration of three elements in Spanish moss and eight elements (including total S) in loblolly pine were observed between two sampling dates (November and June); however, the absolute amount of these differences was small. Except for perhaps Ni and Pb concentrations in Spanish moss, element levels in all sample media exhibited ranges that indicate natural rather than anthropogenic additions of trace elements.
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Population cage experiments with a vertebrate: The temporal demography and cytonuclear genetics of hybridization on Gambusia fishes
The dynamics of mitochondrial and multilocus nuclear genotypic frequencies were monitored for 2 yr in experimental populations established with equal numbers of two poeciliid fishes ( Gambusia affinis and Gambusia holbrooki ) that hybridize naturally in the southeastern United States. In replicated "small-pool" populations (experiment I), 1018 sampled individuals at six time periods revealed an initial flush of hybridization, followed by a rapid decline in frequencies of G. affinis nuclear and mitochondrial alleles over 64 wk. Decay of gametic and cytonuclear disequilibria differed from expectations under random mating as well as under a model of assortative mating involving empirically estimated mating propensities. In two replicate "large-pond" populations (experiment II), 841 sampled individuals across four reproductive cohorts revealed lower initial frequencies of F1 hybrids than in experiment I, but again G. holbrooki alleles achieved high frequencies over four generations (72 wk). Thus, evolution within experimental Gambusia hybrid populations can be extremely rapid, resulting in consistent loss of G. affinis nuclear and cytoplasmic alleles. Concordance in results between experiments and across genetic markers suggests strong directional selection favoring G. holbrooki genotypes. Results are interpreted in light of previous reports of genotype-specific differences in life-history traits, reproductive ecology, patterns of recruitment, and size-specific mortality, and in the context of patterns of introgression previously studied indirectly from spatial observations on cytonuclear genotypes in natural Gambusia populations.
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Stratigraphic framework for geologic and geohydrologic studies of the subsurface Cretaceous section near Charleston, South Carolina
No abstract available.
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Hydrologic data collection at Crowders Creek and Steele Creek, York County, South Carolina, 1991-92
Rapid industrial and urban growth is anticipated in the vicinity of Crowders Creek near Clover, S.C., and Steele Creek near Fort Mill, S.C. These subbasins are in the Catawba River Basin in York County, S.C. To obtain baseline information on these basins prior to urbanization, gaging stations 02145642 (Crowders Creek near Clover, S.C.) and 021467801 (Steele Creek near Fort Mill, S.C.) were established to collect streamflow and water-quality data. Continuous stream-stage and streamflow data were collected during the periods of March 23, 1991 to September 30, 1992, and May 29, 1991 to September 30, 1992, for stations 02145642 and 021467801, respectively. Average streamflows for stations 02145642 and 021467801 for the study period were 80.5 cubic feet per second and 28.6 cubic feet per second, respectively. Water-quality data were collected on four separate occasions at each gage site; two samplings during low-flow events and two samplings during high-flow events. Fecal coliform concentrations exceeded minimum standards for freshwater with other physical and chemical constituents meeting South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control standards.
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Reconnaissance investigations of potential ground-water and sediment contamination at three former underground storage tank locations, Fort Jackson, South Carolina, 1994
Investigations to provide initial qualitative delineation of petroleum hydrocarbon contamination at three former underground storage tank locations at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, were made during March 1994. Ground-water and sediment samples were collected using direct-push technology and analyzed on-site with a gas chromatograph, which provided real-time, semi-quantitative data. In addition, ground-water and sediment samples were collected at selected sites for laboratory analyses to provide a confirmation of the on-site data. These analyses provided qualitative data on the lateral distri- bution of petroleum hydrocarbons. Petroleum hydrocarbons were detected by on-site analysis in ground-water samples from nine locations at Site 1062, suggesting the presence of a contaminant plume. Concentrations ranged from less than the minimum detection limit to 4,511 mg/L (micrograms per liter) for benzene, 15,594 mg/L for toluene, 16,501 mg/L for ethylbenzene, and 19,391 mg/L for total xylenes. Concentrations of Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons-Gasoline Range Organics ranged from 323 mg/L to 3,364 mg/L; Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons-Diesel Range Organics were not detected. Three samples from this site were analyzed for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and total xylenes at a laboratory and results showed concentrations ranging from less than the minimum detection limit to 1,070 mg/L for benzene, 7,930 mg/L for toluene, 6,890 mg/L for ethylbenzene, and 1,524 mg/L for total xylenes. Petroleum hydro- carbons were detected by on-site analysis in only one sample at Site 2438. A concentration of 131,000 micrograms per kilogram Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons-Diesel Range Organics was detected in sample number GP-2-4-13.5. Petroleum hydrocarbons were detected by on-site analysis in only one ground-water sample from Site 2444. A concentration of 3,145 mg/L Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons-Gasoline Range Organics was detected at sampling location GP-3-2.
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Ground-water and precipitation data for South Carolina, 1990
Continuous water-level data collected from 53 wells in South Carolina during 1990 provide the basic data for this report. Hydrographs are presented for selected wells to illustrate the effects that changes in ground-water recharge and artificial ground-water discharge have had on the ground-water reservoirs in the State. Daily mean water levels are listed in tables. Monthly mean water levels for 1990 and for the entire period of record at each monitoring well are depicted in hydrographs. Also included are precipitation records from ten National Weather Service stations in South Carolina.
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Lithologic descriptions of two cores and ground-water-quality data from five counties in the northeastern part of the coastal plain of South Carolina, 1988 and 1991
This report presents data collected as part of a hydrologic investigation of Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Marion, and Marlboro Counties in the northeastern part of the Coastal Plain of South Carolina. These data include lithologic descriptions of sediment recovered from two continuously cored boreholes and water-quality results for samples collected from 17 existing wells. One continuously cored borehole was drilled near Lake Darpo in the northern part of Darlington County to a total depth of 447 feet below land surface. The other borehole was drilled in Lake City in the south-central part of Florence County to a total depth of 1,090 feet below land surface. Water-quality results presented in this report include specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH, alkalinity, major- and minor-ion chemistry, and hydrogen sulfide.
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