A study of marked sand movement on Del Monte Beach, Monterey Bay, California

Abstract

The movement of fluorescent-coated sand on Del Monte Beach, Monterey Bay, California was traced for a three-week period during February and March, 1965. In order to speed analysis of hundreds of sediment samples, a rapid volumetric measurement was developed to replace the standard weight measurement in textural analysis. Marked sand grains in different size ranges were found to move in different directions, both along and across the beach. No dominant longshore drift occurred. The observed movement of the sand correlated with the natural sand texture, beach profile changes, and the presence of cusps.