Mining Sand on the Continental Shelf of the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the U.S.

Essentially all marine mining along the East and Gulf coasts of the U.S. is for sand used in beach nourishment projects. The current minimal commercial production of sand and aggregate may increase as conventional, on-shore sources become exhausted or are lost to competing land use. Studies published in the late 1990s document a history of nearly 900 individual episodes of beach nourishment having a total cost in excess of $2 × 109 with several hundred million cubic meters of sand placed along over 645 km (400 mi) of shoreline. As exemplified by studies in Florida, prospecting for sand for use in beach nourishment can begin before site specific needs are identified. A full prospecting starts with assimilation of pertinent literature, local knowledge, and an understanding of the geologic and geomorphic settings in which suitable deposits of sand or aggregate occur. High-resolution seismic profiling follows to outline the three dimensional extent of the sand bodies. Finally, vibratory cores are collected to...