EHG4480 - Geotechnical survey - Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm OfTW Corridor

A geotechnical survey was carried out by Gardline Geosurvey between April and June 2011 along the route of the proposed offshore electricity transmission works (OfTW) corrdior to the proposed Beatrice wind farm development in the Moray Firth. A total of 31 Cone Penetration Tests (CPT) and 31 Vibro Core (VC) logs were assessed along the proposed area of the transmission cable route. These boreholes were assessed by Headland Archaeology to gauge whether the deposits contained any sediments of palaeoenvironmental potential such as peats or sediments with high organic contents such as organic silts. The presence of fossil marine fauna and organic bands in the stratigraphic record indicated that there was some palaeoenvironmental potential within the recorded substrata. However, the absence of organic sediments such as peats also indicated that the potential for the presence of organic archaeological artefacts was regarded as low. <1> <2>