Sandhills (Carolina): Difference between revisions

'''The Sandhills''' or '''Carolina Sandhills''' is a 10-35&nbsp;mi wide [[physiographic region]] within the U.S. [[Atlantic Coastal Plain]] province, along the [[Strike and dip|updip]] (inland) margin of this province in the Statesstates of [[North Carolina]], [[South Carolina]], and [[Georgia (U. S. state)|Georgia]]. The extent of the Carolina Sandhills is shown clearly in maps of the [[ecoregion]]s of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.<ref>Griffith, G.E., Omernik, J.M., Comstock, J.A., Schafale, M.P., McNab, W.H., Lenat, D.R., MacPherson, T.F., Glover, J.B., Shelburne, V.B., 2002. Ecoregions of North Carolina and South Carolina. U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia, 1:1,500,000 scale map, 1 sheet.</ref><ref>Griffith, G.E., Omernik, J.M., Comstock, J.A., Lawrence, S., Martin, G., Goddard, A., Hulcher, V.J., Foster, T., 2001. Ecoregions of Alabama and Georgia. U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia, 1:1,700,000 scale map, 1 sheet.</ref>

The unconsolidated sand of the Carolina Sandhills is mapped as the [[Quaternary]] [[Pinehurst Formation]], and is interpreted as eolian (wind-blown) sand sheets and dunes that were mobilized episodically from approximately 75,000 to 6,000 years ago. <ref>Swezey, C.S., Fitzwater, B.A., Whittecar, G.R., Mahan, S.A., Garrity, C.P., Aleman Gonzalez, W.B., and Dobbs, K.M., 2016, "The Carolina Sandhills: Quaternary eolian sand sheets and dunes along the updip margin of the Atlantic Coastal Plain province, southeastern United States": ''Quaternary Research'', v. 86, p. 271-286; www.cambridge.org/core/journals/quaternary-research</ref> Most of the published [[Luminescence dating|luminescence ages]] from the sand are coincident with the last [[glaciation]], a time when the southeastern United States was characterized by colder air temperatures, stronger winds, and less vegetation.<ref>Swezey, C.S. (2020) "Quaternary eolian dunes and sand sheets in inland locations of the Atlantic Coastal Plain Province", in Inland Dunes of North America (N. Lancaster and P. Hesp, eds.), Springer Publishing, Switzerland, pp. 11-63. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-40498-7_2 {{ISBN|978-3-030-40498-7}}</ref>[[Image:WeymouthWoods.wmg.jpg|right|thumb|A hiking trail snakes through Weymouth Woods in the sandhills region of North Carolina.]]

The Carolina Sandhills region also contains [[outcrop]]s of [[Cretaceous]]-age (~100 million years old) strata of sand, sandstone, and clay that are interpreted as fluvial (river) deposits. <ref>Swezey, C.S., Fitzwater, B.A., and Whittecar, G.R., 2023, Stratigraphic architecture and fluvial interpretations of the Upper Cretaceous (Turonian?) Middendorf Formation, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, U.S.A.: Journal of Sedimentary Research, v. 93, no. 6, p. 327-349. https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/sepm/jsedres/article/93/6/327/624255/Stratigraphic-architecture-and-fluvial.</ref><ref>Swezey, C.S., Fitzwater, B.A., and Whittecar, G.R., 2016, Geology and geomorphology of the Carolina Sandhills, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, in: Gold, Structures, and Landforms in Central South Carolina (W.R. Doar III, ed.), Geological Society of America Field Guide 42, p. 9-36.</ref> These Cretaceous strata are thought to be the source of the sand of the Pinehurst Formation. In South Carolina and North Carolina, these Cretaceous strata are mapped as the Middendorf Formation.<ref>Swezey, C.S., Fitzwater, B.A., and Whittecar, G.R., 2016, Geology and geomorphology of the Carolina Sandhills, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, in: Gold, Structures, and Landforms in Central South Carolina (W.R. Doar III, ed.), Geological Society of America Field Guide 42, p. 9-36.</ref> A notable hill of these Cretaceous strata is [[Sugarloaf Mountain, which(South isCarolina)|Sugarloaf locatedMountain]] withinin the Sand Hills State Forest in Chesterfield County, South Carolina.ugly

The Carolina Sandhills region is characterized by [[xeric]] sand community vegetation dominated by [[pine]] trees,<ref>Christensen, N.L., 2000. "Vegetation of the southeastern Coastal Plain". In: Barbour, M.G., Billings, W.D. (Eds.), ''North American Terrestrial Vegetation'', second edseconded. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, p. 397-448.</ref><ref>Earley, L.S., 2004. ''Looking for Longleaf: The Fall and Rise of an American Forest''. The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 336p.</ref><ref>Sorrie, B.A., 2011. ''A Field Guide to Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region: North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia''. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.</ref> which caused it to formerly be known as Carolina and Georgia's '''Piney Woods'''.

Much of the Carolina Sandhills is known for an ecosystem of [[longleaf pine]] (''Pinus palustris'') and [[Aristida stricta|wiregrass]] (''Aristida stricta''). This ecosystem is maintained by frequent low-intensity fires that facilitate the reproduction of the trees, wiregrass, and associated plants. This ecosystem once{{when|date=September 2022}} formed one of the more extensive ecosystems in North America, and longleaf pine was once the dominant tree that covered ~60% of the [[Atlantic Coastal Plain]] and [[Gulf Coastal Plain|Gulf of Mexico Coastal Plain]]. Today, however, only about 1% of this region supports longleaf pine.<ref>Earley, 2004. ''Looking for Longleaf''</ref>{{page needed|date=October 2017}}

Another rare species that can be found is the [[Pine Barrens tree frog]], which are tolerant of low pH levels and often lay eggs in shallow, acidic ponds. The species can only be found in the Carolina Sandhills, Southern Alabama/Florida panhandle and the closely related ecosystem [[New Jersey PinelandsPine Barrens]]. ''Dryophytes andersonii'' is also the [[state amphibian]] of North Carolina.<ref>{{cite web|last=Horton|first=Emily|title=Pine Barren Tree Frog|url=http://ncpedia.org/symbols/frog|publisher=NCpedia|accessdateaccess-date=19 January 2014}}</ref>

* [http://www.dnr.sc.gov/cwcs/pdf/habitat/SandhillsHabitat.pdf South Carolina Department of Environmental Resources] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170218180317/http://dnr.sc.gov/cwcs/pdf/habitat/SandhillsHabitat.pdf |date=2017-02-18 }}—Sandhills Ecoregion Terrestrial Habitat—accessed 19 March 2007.