Otte (1978) determined the following soil in the interspersed 

 bottomlands dominated by loblolly pine: 



Mixed, thermic, Typic Hydraquent. 



PREVIOUS STUDIES IN THE SAND BANKS 



The site has been visited for years by Ecosystematics class 

 field trips taught by Dr. A. E. Radford of the Dept. of Botany, 

 University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Two detailed reports 

 have resulted — the first by Otte (1978) and a second, more 

 detailed study by Pat Risk (1981). A third report was prepared by 

 Lynch (1980). Consequently, less field time was spent on this site 

 for the present study. Much of the data presented here is 

 summarized from the above studies, especially that of Pat Risk, 

 which contains quantitative field data on vegetation and soils 

 and should be consulted for a detailed understanding of these 

 factors. 



The above studies discussed geology in terms of the very 

 general work of Richards (1950) and others. A different interpret- 

 ation is presented in this report, based on the more recent work 

 of Oaks and DuBar (1974). This excellent study was carried out 

 only 20 miles from this site and is therefore the most relevant 

 source. Their data are adequate to permit a tentative geologic 

 interpretation based on simple, well-known processes. 



GEOLOGY - CHOWAN SAND RIDGE 



The time of initial establishment of the modern Chowan River 

 channel is unknown, but probably dates to the Illinoian glacial 

 or earlier. Most of the modern geomorphology can be interpreted 

 in terms of events during and following the Sangamon Interglacial 

 beginning some 80,000 to 90,000 years ago. 



At the height of the Sangamon, relative sea level in this 

 area was 45 to 50 feet higher than at present (Oaks and DuBar 

 1974). Consequently, all of Gates County was submerged, with 

 the exception of the high land from Gates and Willeyton north, 

 behind the Hazleton Scarp, and the sand ridge along the top of 

 the Suffolk Scarp, perhaps acting as a barrier island. There may 

 have been an inlet in the area between Corapeake and US 158, 

 where these higher sediments are lacking, and another inlet just 

 south of Edenton, where the Chowan now enters the Albemarle Sound. 



Otherwise, all of central Gates County lay under a small 

 sound or bay, with the coastline along the Suffolk Scarp in the 

 eastern part of the county. The water would have been saline or 

 brackish, and no more than 10 feet deep, except where previous 

 land exposure during the Illnoian may have established the initial 



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