The Cape Hatteras lighthouse was moved due to the threat caused by erosion.
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The material that is moved by erosion is called Sediment.
It was moved about 2,900 feet. Erosion from the sea was going to undermine the foundation. Really pretty neat moving something that big- you can read about it here: https://www.nps.gov/caha/learn/historyculture/movingthelighthouse.htm
sediment
sediment or detritus
Weathering and erosion
Erosion causes them to be moved from one place to another place.
The material moved by erosion is called sediment. It can include particles of rock, soil, sand, and other debris that are transported by agents like water, wind, or ice. Erosion plays a key role in shaping landforms like valleys, canyons, and coastlines.
By 1935, erosion had so threatened the Cape Hatteras lighthouse tower that the water was actually reaching its base. After attempts to hold back the erosion process through dikes and breakwaters proved futile, the tower was abandoned and a functional light placed on a steel tower further inland from the shore. Starting in 1936 hundreds of miles of sand fences were erected and beach grasses planted by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCCs) program created by President Franklin Roosevelt. The methods proved effective and after several years the shoreline retreated, the program considered a success, and the lighthouse declared safe for use and recommissioned on 23 January 1950. However, continuing erosion of the shoreline over the next five decades necessitated the relocation of the entire tower in 1999. The granite underlying the foundation of the lighthouse was mined out and replaced with steel supports. Using hydraulic jacks, these steel supports then moved the entire tower along a system of track beams. The actual removal operation began on 17 June 1999 and was completed on 9 July 1999. On this date, the tower was then lowered onto a new concrete pad 2900 feet (883m) away, and its temporary steel foundation replaced with brick.
They have moved 3 miles south.
The Cape Hatteras lighthouse was under threat from the ocean as the beachside eroded. The actual removal operation of Cape Hatteras lighthouse began on 17 June 1999 and was completed on 9 July 1999
It breaks rock into smaller pieces that are more easily moved by the agents of erosion.