DELINEATION OF SPATIAL VARIENCES OF CAROLINA BAYS WITHIN ROBESON COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA

Carolina Bays are a dominant geomorphic feature on the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Robeson County is situated along the northern border between North and South Carolina, where the abundance of Carolina Bays is especially great. Preliminary estimates of Carolina Bays in northern half of Robeson County approximate 8,400 and are based on visual inspection of LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data, aerial and infrared photography. Current efforts are focused on examination of the density and distribution of two categories of bay morphologies (prominent and relict Carolina Bays) in northern Robeson County. Subcategorization as truncated prominent or truncated relict Carolina Bays have also been applied where appropriate. These observations are recorded in a Geographic Information data base using ESRIs’ Arcview, in conjunction with measurements of the length, width, and orientation. At present, the data suggest prominent bay forms in the study have an average axial orientation of 325^o, while relict bays average 319^o. Current data also suggest prominent bays are, on average, at least twice the length of relict bays. These data will be helpful in delineating the spatial variations of the bay types and subtypes throughout the study area and create a base for future investigations.