THE FATE OF ARTIFACTS IN AN ENERGETIC, SHALLOW-WATER ENVIRONMENT: SCOUR AND BURIAL OF QUEEN ANNE'S REVENGE
McNinch, J.E., J.T. Wells, and T.G. Drake, 2001, The fate of artifacts in an energetic, shallow-water environment: scour and burial of Queen Anne's Revenge: Southeastern Geology, v. 40, no. 1, p.19-27
The
discovery of an early 18th century shipwreck near Beaufort Inlet, NC
provides a unique opportunity to examine the long-term effects of scour from
storms and inlet migration and to speculate on the fate of the artifacts.The ship, believed to be Queen
Anne’s Revenge, ran aground in waters
less than 4 m deep while attempting to navigate Beaufort Inlet and now rests in
7 m of water on the shoals of the ebb tidal delta, exposed to waves and tides
and their combined impact on the bottom.In this study, we address process-related questions from near-bottom
currents and waves measured over a nearly continuous interval of one year which
fortuitously captured the effects of a hurricane. Estimates of sediment transport reveal that sediment was
stable under fair-weather and moderate storm conditions but that a significant
volume of sediment was mobilized when wave heights exceeded 1.5 m.High-resolution bathymetric surveys
reveal a depression on the northwest side of the main rubble mound, suggesting
this area is subjected to active scour during severe storm events.Storm-related scour around the rubble
mound may be responsible, in part, for the intact settling of the hull and
artifacts over the past 300 years. We believe this information may be useful for site management and in
establishing a timetable for artifact recovery.