The Outer Cape:

The Outer Cape: (HM2M86)

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N 41° 54.797', W 69° 58.303'

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Changing Faster Than Technology

Technological innovation constantly reshapes our experience of the world- in less than a century, we advanced from wireless telegraph to wireless internet. On Cape Cod, the North Atlantic Ocean is a powerful force for change to the landscape.
In 1917, just 16 years after Guglielmo Marconi built the South Wellfleet wireless station, it was shuttered. New inventions were beginning to make the technology at this station obsolete, but the very ground on which the station stood faced a more imminent threat.
Every year on average, the Outer Cape loses about three feet of upland bluffs due to the natural process of erosion. Strong winter winds scour the face of the dunes, and waves strike the beach every six seconds, dragging sand into the water and redepositing it elsewhere.
The site where Marconi's station once stood is now gone. How long until the ground beneath your feet is claimed by the ocean?
(upper right photo caption)
This photo from the 1920s shows how close the station towers were to the edge of the bluff.
To avoid them toppling over the edge, they were cut down and used for firewood.
(middle right photo caption)
Cement slab from Marconi Station sliding down bluff, 1948
(lower right photo caption)
Technology cannot stop erosion,



but it can help us make better predictions about how erosion shapes the landscape. A geoscientist uses GPS technology to measure shoreline change.
Details
HM NumberHM2M86
Tags
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Placed ByCape Cod National Seashore
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Friday, October 25th, 2019 at 8:03pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)19T E 419415 N 4640604
Decimal Degrees41.91328333, -69.97171667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 41° 54.797', W 69° 58.303'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds41° 54' 47.82" N, 69° 58' 18.18" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling North
Closest Postal AddressAt or near , ,
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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