Wtitten by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.
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| Jupiter Inlet Beach. Photo by Joe D. |
Joe D. sent me these photos along with the following message.
Some of pics are near same spots as I sent a few weeks ago so you can see the addition of sand
Looks like it will take a few week to normalize!
Joe D.
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| Beach at Jupiter. Photo by Joe D. |
... I have been hunting mainly Cocoa Beach due to its convenience -proximity to Orlando.
The post Irma hunting was good , meaning at least one gold find per 5-6 hour hunt.
The Post Maria hunting is not good.
You mentioned seaweed in your recent blog.
Actually, in the case of Cocoa Beach, it is about 80-90 percent Mangrove roots and branches, mixed with some seaweed.
Where did all these tree roots come from ? Indian River ? FL. Keys ? Bahamas ?
It would be kind of interesting to know where this stuff originated.
Or perhaps it is some variety of trees that grow in the dunes....... hard to tell as they are so pulverized, but the stumps are multi branched, the roots are short and fat.
There is enough of it to fill a dump truck for every 100 feet of beach.
It has formed clusters where it holds the sand, even in the wash zone- the waves don't break it up.
So, today hunted from 4 am to 930 to catch the low tide.
A few shell piles were formed close to the waters edge, produced nothing.
The shell line produced one stainless ring, one silver/enamel tiny pendant, one fake earring, a silver toe ring.
Higher up on the beach, I can see about a foot of new sand since last week, which came from Maria. I know it's at least a foot since it is full of those branches/roots even down deep.
Basically it's now all sanded in. Very little in the way of targets, even trash.
Perhaps if I can catch a flat day I will try a water hunt next.
Take care,
Dan in Orlando.
So these clumps of whatever are to be found at least from Jupiter to Cocoa. They were heavy on the Treasure Coast beaches today. I also wondered where they came from. Maybe we have a marine biologist or someone that can tell us.
On the Treasure Coast the biological materials, whatever they are, were catching sand and shells and in some cases being covered by sand.
One thing I should mention, and I haven't lately, is that when I talk about beach detecting conditions, I'm usually talking about finding shipwreck cobs and treasure coins. I used to say that often and make it clear when I was giving a numerical beach conditions ratings. At other times I might not always make that clear.
There is a correlation between beach conditions for finding old shipwreck items on the beach and finding more modern items, but the correlation isn't perfect. Very old things surface less often than things that are just years or decades old..
Also when I give a rating or talk about beach conditions, I'm talking about general conditions. I'm most often talking about those stretches of beach that produce shipwreck coins when the conditions are right. You shouldn't forget, though, that when overall conditions are not great, there can still be small nooks and crannies where there is a chance to find something very good. Often those places are beside a sea wall, jetty, rocks or foundation or something that provides an obstacle and opens a small pocket. You might want to look around for some of those nooks or crannies.
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| Historic Shoreline Changes Around Present Day Fort Pierce Inlet Source: marine.usgs.gov/coastalchangehaardsportal/ |
Dark blue indicates the shoreline in 2012, and dark orange indicates the shoreline in 1830.
First you'll notice that the inlet was not open in the early 1800s. The orange and yellow lines indicating the shoreline goes right through the inlet.
One thing I want you to see is that the shoreline north of the inlet has been moving out while the shoreline south of the inlet has been moving west. They have tried to stop the erosion to the south of the inlet in recent years by dumping new sand there every year. Obstacles, like the jetty, large or small, disrupt the flow of sand and create what I call special opportunities.
There are some important lessons you can get from this illustration. One very general principle is that when sand accumulates in one place, it leaves another. That seems very obvious, but a lot of people don't appreciate the importance of that. When sand builds one place, always ask yourself where it is coming from. It is good to find where the sand is coming from and check where the sand is leaving.
You might have noticed that I posted some old wood finds since Irma hit our area. There was the sheave and some other pieces. That tells you something if you think about it. Why did that old wood suddenly show up after all that time? It was uncovered. Where? It could be from the beach, but we have not seen much beach erosion, or it could have been uncovered in deeper water and floated in. Again stating the obvious, wood floats and therefore can travel very quickly and far once it is uncovered.
There is a lot to think about. I'll stop there for today.
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I just wanted to add this as soon as I found out. Someone just reported that they lost a gold Claddagh wedding band in the John Brooks or Frederick Douglass beach area. Please help get it returned.
Thanks much.
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Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net
