Waves and storms erode the sand, but this year the beach is especially wide thanks to a $3 million reclamation project.
It was found in separate pieces over several days in March 1937 on the beach at Walcott, after storms had eroded the cliffs there.
He said most of the discoveries over the years had been made after storms had eroded large amounts of the beach.
Thermoluminescence monitoring reveals that storms can erode such beaches far more quickly than the natural beach.
Recent hurricanes and storms have eroded the island to such an extent that no nesting has occurred since 1992.
The storms eroded much of the ground beneath the trail, causing the ground to sink.
But now the down-current side doesn't get its usual sand flow, and each storm erodes more beach.
Each year, churning currents and violent storms erode the Hatteras Island shoreline by an average of 10 feet.
Previous storms had eroded the beach, leaving the highway vulnerable to storm-generated surf.
Over the years, storms have damaged the lighthouse, shattered the lens, and has eroded the rock.