STATISTICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF CAROLINA BAYS IN SOUTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA

Carolina Bays are shallow elliptical geomorphic depressions common to the Atlantic Coastal Plain between Florida and New Jersey. A particularly high concentration of Carolina Bays is found in Southeastern North Carolina. Efforts by our research group to characterize their occurrence in this region focus on bay forms in Bladen, Columbus, Cumberland, Hoke, Robeson and Scotland counties. Assessment of the region is based on examination of orthoimagery, LiDAR data, and infrared photography. Bay forms are categorized as either prominent or relic, depending on their surficial expression, and may be subcategorized as truncated if part of the rim has been naturally removed. ESRI ArcGIS software is used to document spatial characteristics, including axial orientation and length-width aspects. These observations are used to determine the area of coverage, density, and distribution of Carolina Bays in the region. More than 6,000 bay forms are included in our regional analysis. Statistical comparison of data for each county and categorization are reported. At present, the data indicate the axial orientations of relic bays have a more northerly component than prominent bays. Prominent bay forms are, on average, more than twice as large as relic bays. We suggest relic bays represent forms significantly older, relatively, than prominent and have, consequently, been subjected to greater amounts of degradation.