A Geological Investigation of Sand Resources in the Offshore Area Along
Florida’s Central East Coast

Report of Investigations 101

Ronald Hoenstine, P.G. #57
Henry Freedenberg, P. G. #617
Adel Dabous
Brian Cross
Cindy Fischler
Michelle Lachance

The Minerals Management Service of the U.S. Department of Interior (MMS) and the Florida Geological Survey (FGS) entered into a multi-year cooperative agreement (Cooperative Agreement #14-35-0001-330757/State of Florida Organization Code 3705 0204 829) in 1994 with the goal of characterizing the beach restoration potential of sands located in Federal waters off the central east coast of Florida. This includes the area underlying Federal waters out to ten miles offshore of southern Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie and Martin Counties.

The MMS is responsible for management of all economic resources located in Federal waters off of the nation’s coastline. The agency also collects, accounts for, and disburses revenues from Federal offshore mineral leases and from onshore mineral leases on Federal and Native American lands.

This cooperative agreement was funded through the International Activities and Marine Minerals Division (INTERMAR) of the MMS, which provides policy direction and guidance for the development of marine mineral resources on the Outer Continental Shelf. The purpose of this cooperative agreement is to identify sand deposits in Federal waters suitable for beach nourishment and wetlands protection projects. Information derived from this study will assist the MMS in making decisions concerning the future use of these deposits. Additionally, identifying offshore sand deposits now expedites the placement of sands on beaches impacted by future hurricanes or winter storms.

Hoenstine, R., Freedenberg, H., Dabous, A., Cross, A., Fischler, C., and Lachance, M., 2002, A Geological Investigation of Sand Resources in the Offshore Area Along Florida’s Central East Coast, Report Submitted to the United States Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service: https://publicfiles.dep.state.fl.us/FGS/Geological_Investigations/Coastal/sandsearch_1995_2002/sandsearch_1995_2002.html.

mapping
renourishment
replenishment
seismic reflection
seabed sampling
beach sediment sampling
coastal
sand deposits
beaches
Minerals Management Service
International Activities and Marine Minerals Division
St. Lucie County
Martin County
Indian River County
Brevard County
Florida