In this webisode, as Ian Sanchez traveled away from the Fall Line and down the Congaree River toward Charleston we entered South Carolina's only national park, Congaree Swamp National Park, and explored the coastal floodplains. Read his summary of the trip below:
Ian's Journal
As we traveled away from the Fall Line and down the Congaree River toward Charleston we entered South Carolina's only national park, Congaree Swamp National Park, and explored the coastal floodplains. We spent time with an archaeologist in the Congaree, saw some amazing wildlife, and learned a lot about the ecosystems of the swamp. We also got a further education about the role American Indians in South Carolina history as we followed the river down to Santee National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is an important part of maintaining habitat for local animal species.
Scavenger Hunt
Find the answers to these questions in Webisode 4: Coastal Plain!
1. What an area between 2 habitats called, i.e., where the upland pines stop and the hardwoods start?
2. What “Black Warrior” defeated the Spanish Explorers in the New World?
3. What was the Santee Indian Mound used for?
4. Name a species of bird once native to South Carolina that is now extinct.
5. What is a benefit to landscaping with native plants?
About the Landform – Coastal Plain
Looking at it in overview, the Coastal Plain seems to form a single homogeneous region, covering close to one half of the area of South Carolina. And if one includes the geologically related Coastal Zone and Sandhills regions, the total coverage exceeds 60% of the state. Most texts, however, break the Coastal Plain down into sub-regions based on differences in vegetation, land use, or topographic relief. Several of these sub-regions will be emphasized in other sections of this manual, but the overriding dividing factor, with the most influence on land use patterns, is the one based on elevation above sea level.
A clear distinction can be made between the higher elevation Upper (or Inner) Coastal Plain and the lower elevation Lower (or Outer) Coastal Plain. A partially eroded terrace ridge, in places called the Orangeburg Scarp (Citronelle Escarpment), runs across the state and marks the approximate boundary between the two divisions. The Upper Coastal Plain resembles in many ways parts of the Piedmont and Sandhills, as the topography is rather hilly in places, and the landscape is heavily dissected by stream erosion. Elevations vary from 300 feet near the Sandhills to about 125 feet at the Orangeburg Scarp. The width of this sub-region varies from 10 to 40 miles. Local topographic relief is usually measured in tens of feet, and slopes range from gentle in the southeastern border area to moderate along the Sandhills boundary.
The much flatter and almost featureless Lower Coastal Plain slopes gradually towards the ocean in a series of at least seven steps or terraces, separated by escarpments which reflect temporary sea level positions throughout relatively recent (Pliocene and Pleistocene) geologic time. An additional escarpment is currently forming along the present-day sea level position.
Elevations range from 125 feet to near sea level, and local topographic relief is seldom more than 20 feet. The nearly level modern plain is characterized by a large number of meandering streams and rivers with broad floodplains.
A surprisingly wide variety of landscape features can be found in the Coastal Plain region, an area not usually given much credit for spectacular scenery. Many of these diverse landforms are only visible up close as they tend to blend in with the predominately flat terrain and dense vegetation characteristic of most of the region. Most of these landforms have features which reveal the particular environment in which they were formed. For example, wide, level plains mark former sandy ocean bottom shelf deposits; low, linear hills and adjacent depressions imply ancient barrier island deposits and adjacent marshes; gravel deposits on top of low hills mark locations of former river beds; and rapid drops in elevation (escarpments) indicate positions of former shorelines where wave scour eroded into older terraces. These boundaries are particularly easy to recognize, as they outline broad, nearly flat depositional surfaces which tilt slightly towards the Atlantic Ocean and create a series of landform belts roughly parallel to the present coastline.
Discussion Questions
- We saw a number of different types of trees as we paddled through the Congaree. One of those trees was the Red Maple. Can you describe the life cycle of a Red Maple tree?
- As we pass the Fall line and head toward the coast we can see the effects of erosion and deposition. What are erosion and deposition and how do they shape the waterways?
- Limestone was formed by the skeletons of ancient sea creatures. Why can limestone be found in the coastal plains?
- Fossils of Sharks Mastadon teeth and Trilobites can be found through out the coastal plain. What are trace, cast, mold, petrified, and preserved fossils?
- What is the difference between a park and a wildlife refuge?
- Who was Francis Beidler and why is he important in our history?
ANSWERS:
1. The life cycle of Red Maple Tree: After pollination (the spreading of pollen from flower to flower) occurs, seeds are produced and may be stored in fruits. The Red Maple then becomes a seedling. Seedlings produce the parts of the plant that will be needed for the adult plant to survive in its habitat. The Red maple then becomes a mature plant. Mature plants have the same structures (for example roots, stems, and leaves) as seedlings, but in addition they develop flowers or cones, which produce seeds.
2. Erosion is the movement of sediments and soil by wind, water, ice, and gravity. Deposition is the dropping, or depositing, of sediments by water, wind, or ice.
3. Limestone can be found in the coastal plains because many years ago the coastal plains were under the ocean. This led to huge deposits of marine creatures and the limestone deposits they have become today.
4. Trace fossils form when the mud or sand hardens to stone where a footprint, trail, or burrow of an organism was left behind. Cast fossils form when a mold is filled with sand or mud that hardens into the shape of the organism. Mold fossils form when sediments bury an organism and the sediments change into rock; the organism decays leaving a cavity in the shape of the organism. Petrified fossils form when minerals soak into the buried remains, replacing the remains, and changing them into rock. Preserved fossils form when entire organisms or parts of organisms are prevented from decaying by being trapped in rock, ice, tar, or amber.
5. A park is a bounded area of land, usually in its natural or semi-natural (landscaped) state and set aside for some purpose, usually to do with recreation. A wildlife refuge may be a naturally-occurring sanctuary, such as an island, that provides protection for species from hunting, predation or competition. “Wildlife refuge” is also one of the many titles given to very protected areas and refers to a geographic territory within which wildlife is protected which is also commonly known as a “wildlife sanctuary.” Such wildlife refuges are generally officially designated territories, created by the government though the land itself may be publicly or privately owned.
6. Francis Beidler was a champion of conservation practices, who purchased part of the Four Holes Swamp in the 1890s. After his death in 1924, family members maintained his conservation values by preserving the property until the 1960s. At that time, The Nature Conservancy and the National Audubon Society combined their resources to purchase what is now Francis Beidler Forest.
