ABSTRACT A man-made deposit at Northbridge Park near Charleston, South Carolina, consists of phosphatic nodules, fossils, and mud dredged from the bottom of the Ashley River; nodules and fossils lay strewn across the banks of the river. This artificial deposit is likely representative of deposits mined extensively in the late nineteenth century and widely referred to as the “Ashley Phosphate Beds.” Many of the taxa discovered at Northbridge Park were historically reported from the phosphate beds, and include sharks, rays, bony fish, sea turtles, giant birds, whales, dolphins, sea cows, and land mammals. Some of these bear adhering matrix indicating origin from the Oligocene Ashley Formation. Others lack matrix but have short geochronologic ranges and are derived from the Ashley Formation, Lower Miocene Marks Head Formation, Lower Pliocene Goose Creek Limestone, and Pleistocene Wando Formation.

ABSTRACT Edisto Island, South Carolina, offers a wide range of coastal environments, including maritime forests, back-dune meadows, primary dunes, berms, intertidal beaches, salt marshes, tidal creeks, and storm-washover fans. Each environment is characterized by a different suite of invertebrate and vertebrate traces. Trace assemblages also differ among undeveloped, moderately developed, and overdeveloped shorelines. Field-trip participants will observe tracks, burrows, borings, predation traces, and other traces in sediments, shells, and wood, and learn how modern traces can inform interpretations of trace fossils. We will also consider how ongoing anthropogenic change may limit applications of neoichnology to trace fossils by affecting trace distribution, diversity, and abundance.

ABSTRACT The built environment of peninsular Charleston, South Carolina, has been strongly influenced by the ethos of architectural preservation. However, increased frequency of storm and tide-related flooding has been affecting property and public services, and threatens human and environmental health. Management processes for excess water in this urban area must adapt to the challenges resulting from historic development including the fill of tidal creek systems, sea-level rise, and the influence of large storm events on drainage infrastructure. The City of Charleston has adopted several strategies to manage flooding and encourage progressive development. Large-scale drainage improvement projects capitalize on a geologic framework that provides for deep tunnel excavation and drainage system construction. Novel approaches in zoning codes provide some incentives for land owners to use lower impact design techniques in return for more flexible design standards. This field tour will guide participants through this historic city, and will provide a glimpse of the geologic setting, development history, and environmental pressures that have compelled the city’s proactive stormwater management.

Abstract In 1886, a large earthquake (∼M6.9–M7.3) rocked the Summerville-Charleston South Carolina area along the southeastern coast of North America. The largest east coast earthquake in North America, the earthquake caused massive damage to the cities and left ∼100 people dead. No surface rupture has ever been located; however, ongoing seismicity and damage from the 1886 earthquake has helped scientists to locate the active faults at depth and to identify potential surface offsets. The first day of the field trip will look at the damage from the earthquake as a means of understanding more about the mechanics of the earthquake. As the field trip moves into downtown Charleston, the damage will be examined as a proxy for how earthquakes cause buildings to fail and the type of damage a future earthquake could cause. The ongoing seismic activity along the suspected causal faults suggests that the earthquake risk in the Summerville-Charleston area remains high, and so the second day of the field trip will focus on the potential effects of a moderate to large earthquake in the region of the 1886 earthquake. One of the unique features of the Charleston-Summerville area is the high potential for widespread liquefaction and damage to the many bridges in the area. Therefore, Day 2 will focus on the potential for damage from a major earthquake on bridges and highly liquefiable sites by visiting a bridgeport area and then a barrier island. The visit to the barrier island highlights one of the main problems in Charleston in the event of an earthquake, the isolation of communities, with over 720 bridges and many more culverts in the area it is expected that people will be isolated in small communities for long periods of time.