![]() Cape Hatteras is associated with a large, shifting sand deposit known as Diamond Shoals, which affect coastal circulation patterns and can represent navigational hazards. On the Outer Banks, Capes are believed to be the product of long-term currents as well as underlying-geology. Dune heights at Jockey’s Ridge can surpass 100 feet but are in constant flux as the sand is moved by aeolian transport.Ĭapes are areas of barrier islands that jut out into the ocean in contrast to the greater coastline. ![]() Jockey’s Ridge was formed when mature, stable dunes were broken down and the sand was redistributed. North of Cape Hatteras at Kitty Hawk lies Jockey’s Ridge, which is the largest active dunefield on the Atlantic Coast. Mature dunes are characterized by a cover of maritime forest and other vegetation. Estuaries are biologically rich habitats, supporting all kinds of marine life.ĭunes are formed as wind transports sand from the across the beach landwards onto overwash flats and vegetated areas. Estuaries are places where freshwater from rivers like the Roanoke and the Pamlico mix with the salty ocean water. The Pamlico Sound, which separates Cape Hatteras from the mainland, is the second-largest estuary in the United States smaller only than the Chesapeake Bay. The sounds behind the Outer Banks are an area of water protected from the ocean by the barrier islands. Over time and repeat storms events, these depositional areas can grow in size creating washover flats. Washover deposits are the result of waves and highwater washing over the tops of dunes during storms and deposit sand and water on the other side. Inlets allow release of fresh water from the mainland into the ocean beyond the barrier island as well as providing a return path for saltwater that floods the sound during storm events. Between the Virginia-North Carolina border and the southern tip of Cape Hatteras the only break in the Outer Banks is the Oregon Inlet, south of Cape Hatteras the Hatteras inlet separate Cape Hatteras from Ocracoke Island. Inlets are a break in the barrier island chain that connect the ocean to the sound behind the islands. Beaches protect the rest of the barrier island from storms. ![]() Once the waves break on the shore, they drop the sand they stirred up, helping to create the beach. As ocean waves approach shore, they agitate sand on the seafloor and grow taller. Beaches are formed in processes that include forces from waves, currents, storm surges, and tides. Barrier islands, in general, consist of beaches, inlets, washover deposits, sounds or estuaries, dunes, and capes (like Cape Hatteras!).īeaches consist of the land from the point of mean low water landward to the nearest permanent vegetation or dune. To understand the geologic history and forces that shaped the Outer Banks and Cape Hatteras, let’s first explore the form of a barrier island.
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