Reconnaissance report on surficial geology of the coastal area from Tolstoi Point to Cape Nome, Norton Sound, Alaska

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Reconnaissance report on surficial geology of the coastal area from Tolstoi Point to Cape Nome, Norton Sound, Alaska, Alaska Open-File Report 125, presents a reconnaissance study of the surficial geology along the coastal region of Norton Sound, Alaska, from Cape Nome to Tolstoi Point. Based on photo-interpretation and helicopter-supported fieldwork conducted in July 1978, researchers mapped unconsolidated deposits, tracked littoral transport patterns, and quantified coastal erosion and progradation rates. Evidence of at least two high sea-level stands was found at elevations of approximately 4.5 and 16 meters above present mean sea level. The dominant deposits are undifferentiated silty sand and moderately sorted sandy gravel, shaped by marine processes and altered by slope movement. Other notable features include floodplains, beaches, landslides, intertidal flats, ice-wedge polygons, and thermokarst terrain. Littoral transport directions vary across the region, with erosion rates reaching up to 4 meters per year in areas with unconsolidated sea cliffs. These findings inform coastal-zone planning, geologic hazard preparedness, and assessments of hydrocarbon potential in the offshore Norton Basin. The complete report, geodatabase, and ESRI fonts and style files are available from the Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys website: http://doi.org/10.14509/42.

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