Document: BAR-3-41-23

Interpreting late Pleistocene and Holocene climatic records of Carolina bays on the southern Atlantic Coastal Plain.

TAYLOR, B.E.* ¹, M.J.BROOKS ² and E.E.GAISER ³

Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Aiken, SC 298025 USA ¹
Savannah River Archaeological Research Program, New Ellenton, SC 29809 USA ²
Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199 USA ³

Abstract:
Organic sediments in Carolina bays, oriented basins common on upland surfaces of the southern Atlantic Coastal Plain, have yielded basal dates ranging from late Pleistocene to mid-Holocene. These dates have been obtained over nearly half a century of research by more than a dozen investigators, including ourselves. Although the basal dates have sometimes been interpreted as dating bay formation, most of them probably actually mark the onset of low-energy conditions following an initial high-energy, open water phase of morphological evolution. The climatic signals associated with these dates differ across regions of the Coastal Plain. In the Middle and Upper Coastal Plain, some late Pleistocene dates and pollen from bays correlate with periods of cooler, drier regional climate. In contrast, early to mid-Holocene basal dates of bays in the Lower Coastal Plain correlate with paludification due to rising water tables accompanying sea level rise, which was controlled mainly by global climate.

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This abstract is being presented at: 1:30 PM in session:
Oral Session #32: Paleoecology.