South Carolina Geological Survey Documents

The South Carolina Geological Survey publishes a variety of documents on South Carolina's geology, including geologic maps and charts.

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Recent Submissions

  • Publication
    Minerals designed to meet South Carolina Department of Education 2005 science academic standards
    (South Carolina State Library, 2005) South Carolina Geological Survey
    This PowerPoint presentation is designed to meet South Carolina Department of Education 2005 science academic standards for teaching about minerals.
  • Publication
    Fringe depositional units : a way of tracing the modern transgression through geologic mapping
    (South Carolina State Library, 2011) South Carolina Geological Survey; Doar, William R., III
    Mapping of Coastal South Carolina at 1:24,000-scale and subsequent review of aerial photography produced conflicting interpretations of the marsh’s landward edge. Biologically the areas were identified as salt marsh in the photographs but geologically were composed of little to no modern estuarine sediments. The “fringe” unit was created for the purpose of mapping to address the potential conflict for what to assign the areas.
  • Publication
    Deformational and metamorphic history of Campobello 7.5-minute quadrangle, Tugaloo terrane, inner Piedmont, South Carolina
    (South Carolina State Library, 2011-03-30) South Carolina Geological Survey; Chan Soo, Rhonda; Wickard, Alyssa K.; Garihan, John M.; Ranson, William A.; Furman University, Earth and Environmental Sciences
    Campobello 7.5-minute quadrangle (CQ) is located on the Six Mile thrust sheet within the Tugaloo terrane of the Inner Piedmont Geologic mapping of fifteen 7.5-(1995-minute quadrangles in the Western Inner Piedmont of South Carolina by Furman University and the South Carolina Geological Survey personnel (1995-2010) has investigated the polyphase fold deformation, faulting, and metamorphic history of the region. Our mappin gtraces the sestructures into CQ.
  • Publication
    Plate tectonics
    (South Carolina State Library, 2005-10) South Carolina Geological Survey
    This document is designed to meet South Carolina Department of Education 2005 Science Academic Standards.
  • Publication
    Geologic time and earth’s biological history
    (South Carolina State Library, 2005) South Carolina Geological Survey
    This document is designed to meet South Carolina Department of Education 2005 Science Academic Standards.
  • Publication
    Lake Murray Spillway : delving into the core of the Dreher Shoals terrane, Columbia, South Carolina
    (South Carolina State Library, 2012-08-20) South Carolina Geological Survey; Howard, C. Scott
    The Lake Murray Spillway is an excellent laboratory, which can be used to begin an exploration of the adjacent area. The exposed geology shows structural, petrologic, stratigraphic, mineralogic, and tectonic relations.
  • Publication
    The South Carolina Geological Survey Surface Elevation Table (SET) Network: 1998-2022
    (South Carolina State Library, 2022-06-27) South Carolina Geological Survey; Doar, W. R. III; Luciano, K. E.
    Since 1998, the South Carolina Geological Survey (SCGS) has installed, measured, maintained, and expanded a state-wide network of Surface Elevation Table (SET) and Rod-SET (RSET) stations in South Carolina’s intertidal salt marshes. The ongoing goals of the SCGS SET project are to: 1. Use SET and RSET methodology to measure and quantify surface elevation changes in salt marshes that represent a variety of geomorphic, ecological, and tidal settings throughout coastal South Carolina; 2. Collect geodetic elevation data to quantify long-term potential subsidence or uplift, and; 3. Provide a long-term dataset to assess whether South Carolina’s salt marshes are maintaining their vertical elevation with regards to relative sea-level rise (RSLR), which combines eustatic sea-level rise (SLR) and local vertical land motion (subsidence or uplift).
  • Publication
    Paleozoic-mesozoic tectonic history of the western inner Piedmont based on superimposed structural relationships, South Carolina and nearby North Carolina, Southern Appalachians
    (South Carolina State Library, 2018) Garihan, John M.; South Carolina Geological Survey
    The focus of this report is the description and interpretation of regional structural relationships mapped in the western Inner Piedmont of Northwestern South Carolina and adjacent North Carolina in the Southern Appalachians.
  • Publication
    South Carolina principal nonfuel mineral producing counties
    (South Carolina State Library, 2005) South Carolina Geological Survey
    In 1999, South Carolina ranked 24th among the 50 States in the total nonfuel mineral production. The estimated value of 1999 was $574 million, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). This was a 2% increase from 1998. The State accounted for nearly 1.5% of the U.S. total of nonfuel mineral production. On the basis of USGS estimates (of the quantities produced in the 50 states) for 1999, South Carolina remained first of two states that produced vermiculite, second in kaolin, fourth in masonry cement and mica (sericite), sixth in common clays, and tenth in Portland cement and gold (only gold-producing state east of the Mississippi River).
  • Publication
    PROJECTED EARTHQUAKE INTENSITIES FOR SOUTH CAROLINA
    (South Carolina State Library, 2005) South Carolina Geological Survey
    This map shows earthquake intensities, by county, based on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale.
  • Publication
    Mineral resources map of South Carolina, 1997
    (South Carolina State Library, 1997) Maybin, Arthur H.; South Carolina Geological Survey
    This map shows mine sites, industrial plants and mineral resources in South Carolina.
  • Publication
    Structural features of South Carolina
    (South Carolina State Library, 1998) Maybin, Arthur H.; South Carolina Geological Survey
    This is a map of South Carolina's structural features including faults.
  • Publication
    Geologic Time Scale for South Carolina
    (South Carolina State Library, 2005) South Carolina Geological Survey
    This sheet gives the geologic events in South Carolina broken down by eon, era, period and epoch.
  • Publication
    MODIFIED MERCALLI INTENSITY SCALE
    (South Carolina State Library, 2005) South Carolina Geological Survey; Niewendrop, Clark A.
    This sheet describes what happens during an earthquake as applied to the different values of the Mercalli Intensity Scale.
  • Publication
    Prehistoric South Carolina earthquakes
    (South Carolina State Library, 2005) South Carolina Geological Survey
    In South Carolina, geologists have recently discovered evidence of at least five large paleoearthquakes during the past 5,000 years. This sheet describes the earthquakes with pictures and diagrams.
  • Publication
    GEOLOGIC HAZARDS of the South Carolina Coastal Plain 2012
    (South Carolina State Library, 2012) South Carolina Geological Survey; South Carolina Emergency Management Division
    This map has been designed as a planning tool for use by emergency managers for the response to and recovery from a hazardous geologic event, such as a large magnitude earthquake or a smaller occurrence such as a sinkhole formation. It also may be useful to land-use planners and regulators as a generalized guide to regional hazard mitigation actions.
  • Publication
    Generalized Geologic Map of South Carolina 2005
    (South Carolina State Library, 2005) South Carolina Geological Survey; Nystrom, Paul G.; Maybin, Arthur H.
    This color map shows the geology of South Carolina, including coastal plain, triassic, Blue Ridge and Piedmont, intrusive igneous rocks, significant structural features and significant wave-cut scarps.
  • Publication
    The rock cycle
    (South Carolina State Library, 2005) South Carolina Geological Survey
    This diagram show how the different kinds of rocks (igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic) are formed.
  • Publication
    Fold systems
    (South Carolina State Library, 2005) South Carolina Geological Survey
    Anticlines and synclines can take on many different geometries. They can be either open tight, or isoclinal in shape. The tighter the folds, the more intense the stress (compression) that caused folding. Folds can also be symmetric or asymmetric, upright or overturned, curved or cornered. A fold “knocked” on its side is called recumbent. Folds don‛t have to be perfectly horizontal, often folds are not, because of twisting and tilting, and they can plunge into the Earth at an angle. Folds occur on all scales. Some are small enough to be contained in a hand-held rock specimen. Others cover large areas, so large that they can be seen from miles away. When we slice into a fold at a “road slopecut” for a highway, fold types are often easily identified by the distorted marker horizons. The fold patterns observed along the surface are also clues to the existence and type of fold that may be beneath the surface.
  • Publication
    Fault systems
    (South Carolina State Library, 2005) South Carolina Geological Survey
    Many geology terms come from mining. In mining, "hanging wall" tells you where the roof of the tunnel is, and "footwall" tells you where the floor of the tunnel is. In fault systems, these terms now mean top and bottom and let you understand what moved up, down, or sideways. Diagrams explain further.