Birth of the Barrier Islands EarthCache
Hidden : 7/3/2012
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: other (other)

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Geocache Description:

This EarthCache is about the landforms of the barrier islands. 
 

Geologists call these tidewater landforms barrier islands and their terrain is characterized by 1) a dynamic beach system  with off shore bars, pounding surf and shifting and eroding beaches; 2) a series of grassy dunes; 3) barrier flats; 4) low-lying salt or tidal marshes.



In this location you are standing on Tybee's Barrier Flat region. These woodlands near the sea are filled with trees and shrubs specially adapted for survival in the Barrier Flat's sandy soil dune-swale (small hills) topography and strong sea breezes.  Support against the wind is provided by strong trunks with twisted branches. Well developed root systems anchor them in the soft sandy soil and tap deep for ground water.

These Barrier Flats are unique to barrier island geology and form between the sandy Dune ridge and salt marsh Mud-flats. East of this area are the sandy dunes and beach. West are salt and tidal marshes. These regions protect this inland Barrier Flat area as the ocean erodes sand from the beaches, and mud deposits collect in the marshes.



When the Pleistocene Epoch ended 10,000 years ago, the great continental ice sheets thawed, causing the sea level to rise. Only ridges and hills were left standing as islands in the new, higher seas. Sedimentation from seaward-flowing rivers constantly adds material to the bayside marshes, building the mud prairies in our salt marshes. Meanwhile, storms and currents erode sand from the sandy shores. These processes give the Barrier Islands the unique geology that defines them.

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Photo courtesy USGS

Logging requirement:

Email me the answers to these questions and post any fun (optional) photos:

1. What landforms are east of this Barrier Flat region?
2. What landform are west of this Barrier Flat area and what is the ground like there?
3. What kind of soil is under your feet? Why do you think it is not Georgia red clay?
4. Do you think the barrier flat will get bigger over time or will it become smaller? What do you see at the site that leads you to this conclusion?

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

nqqvgvbany jnlcbvagf ner gur rnfg naq jrfg ertvbaf

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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