1980 Map of Cape Henlopen

About this map

Cape Henlopen forms a distinctive hooked spit where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean in this 1980 color infrared orthophotograph. The imagery highlights the delicate interface of coastal dunes and vegetation at the mouth of the bay, just north of the historic maritime settlement of Lewes. Produced by the Geological Survey and the State of Delaware, this map uses infrared photography to provide a clear view of the land-water boundary and sediment patterns during the early 1980s. The specialized photography distinguishes between different types of coastal cover and marshland, offering a scientific perspective on the shifting sands of the Sussex County shoreline before modern development further altered the landscape.