University of New Hampshire University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository New England Intercollegiate Geological NEIGC Trips Excursion Collection 1-1-1981 Field Guide to Coastal Environmental Geology of Rhode Island's Barrier Beach Coastline Fisher, John J. Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/neigc_trips Recommended Citation Fisher, John J., "Field Guide to Coastal Environmental Geology of Rhode Island's Barrier Beach Coastline" (1981). NEIGC Trips. 297. https://scholars.unh.edu/neigc_trips/297 This Text is brought to you for free and open access by the New England Intercollegiate Geological Excursion Collection at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in NEIGC Trips by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. 153 Trip B-6 Field Guide to Coastal Environmental Geology of Rhode Island's Barrier Beach Coastline fcy John J. Fisher Department of Geology University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI 02881 Introduction The Rhode Island southern coastline, 30 km in length, can he classified as a barrier beach complex shoreline. Developed from a mainland consisting pri marily of a glacial outwash plain, it has been submerged by recent sea level rise. Headlands (locally called "points") composed of till and outwash plain deposits separate a series of lagoon-like hays (locally called "ponds") that are drowned glacial outwash channels. Interconnecting baymouth harriers (locally called "harrier "beaches") with several inlets make up the major shoreform of this coast (Figure l). This field guide is an introduction to the coastal environmental geology features of the Rhode Island harrier beach coast.