Howdy, Furball.
Mark Demitroff has been uncovering many clues about the frigid past of South Jersey. He has been busy reinterpreting the geologic features of the area and has documented the cultural significance of these features. For instance, the pine barrens abound with dunes, most of which formed during extremely windy episodes during the last ice age. During prehistoric times, many of these dunes were utilized by paleo peoples either as encampments or as natural causeways through wetlands.
Mark also presented a geologic framework for understanding spungs. Spungs, like the famed "Carolina Bays", are enclosed wetland basins, often circular, ovular, or peanut-like in shape. These initially formed when strong winds blew off the Laurentiune ice sheet in a south-easterly direction, blowing out holes where the sand was loose. At the southeast border of many spungs are high sandy rims (dunes) which are the remains of the blown-out sands. Subsequently, when the climate warmed and groundwater levels rose, these enclosed basins were filled with water to become ponds. Archaeogical excavation of spungs and their accompanying dunes have yielded much evidence of prehistoric use of these sites. The trails of various beasts that went from spung to spung where also used by Indians who would use the spungs to get water and to perhaps fish and hunt it. In fact, complete mastodon skeletons have been uncovered in spungs.
Much mroe was covered in the presentation, but this should give you an idea.
In short, South Jersey is a very interesting place, both geologically and geographically. We have in this area many remarkably preserved ice age features that were significantly utilized in prehistoric times. As such, they ought to be preserved and rescued from the ever-present danger of development.
