Meteorites in the Carolinas
WELCH@NIEHS.NIH.GOV
Thu, 12 Aug 1993 11:22:45 -0400 (EDT)
A more recent theory suggests that drought conditions during
prehistory caused costal peat deposits to dry out sufficently so
they could be ignited by forest fires. The resulting burnout of the
peat produced broad shallow depressions which filled with water.
The most recent occurence of this type may have resulted in the
formation of Lake Matamuskeet in Eastern North Carolina. This lake
is around 20km by 10km but is at most 2 meters deep. Local indian
legends recount a forest fire in the area which lasted 3 years and
was so hot the ground burned. This sounds like the description of
burning peat since some smaller fires this decade dropped the
ground level in the fire area by around 1 meter. The aftermath of
these fires is especially depressing since almost all plants
(including fire resistant species) and slow-moving or burrowing
animals are killed. Anyway, it makes a good story even if the
theories change next week. Jeff