How Was The Okefenokee Swamp Formed

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How Was The Okefenokee Swamp Formed?

In more recent geologic times the depression forming the basin of the present-day Okefenokee Swamp was presumably created by wave action associated with an offshore sandbar. Today the depression is filled with fresh water and peat to create what Seminoles called the “land of trembling earth.”

When did the Okefenokee Swamp form?

7000 years ago

The Okefenokee Swamp is a vast bog inside a huge saucer-shaped depression that was part of the ocean floor 7000 years ago. The entire swamp is covered with peat an organic material formed by the decomposition of plants in water.

What is so unusual about the Okefenokee Swamp?

A mixture of swamps and marshes in Georgia called the Okefenokee Swamp is the source of the Suwannee River. The Florida Everglades constitutes a unique marsh-swamp combination growing on a limestone base. Because the region is near sea level the water from the abundant rains does not drain but remains on the surface.

What was the Okefenokee Swamp once part of?

It is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service which is under the Department of the Interior. The Okefenokee Swamp is approximately 7000 years old. It is a vast peat-filled bog inside a huge saucer-shaped depression that was once part of the ocean floor.

What is the history of the Okefenokee Swamp?

The Okefenokee Swamp called the “Land of the Trembling Earth ” is geologically about 10 000 years old. Its oldest inhabitants were the Native Americans who occupied the area during the late Archaic Woodland and Mississippian periods of prehistory.

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Who owns the Okefenokee Swamp?

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is the largest National Wildlife Refuge in the eastern United States. It is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service which is under the Department of the Interior. The Okefenokee Swamp is approximately 7000 years old.

What is the biggest swamp in the world?

Amazon River floodplain
Swamps can be found on all continents except Antarctica. The largest swamp in the world is the Amazon River floodplain which is particularly significant for its large number of fish and tree species.

What Indian tribe lived in the Okefenokee Swamp?

Native Americans inhabited Okefenokee Swamp as early as 2500 BC. Peoples of the Deptford Culture the Swift Creek Culture and the Weeden Island Culture occupied sites within the Okefenokee. The last tribe to seek sanctuary in the swamp were the Seminoles.

Is Okefenokee the biggest swamp?

The largest swamp in North America the Okefenokee Swamp covers roughly 700 square miles and is located in the southeastern corner of Georgia encompassing most of Charlton and Ware counties and parts of Brantley and Clinch counties.

What name did the Indians give the Okefenokee Swamp?

The Okefenokee Swamp covers more than 700 square miles of southeast Georgia and northwest Florida. American Indians named the swamp “land of the trembling earth.

What does Okefenokee mean in English?

“Okefenokee” was the name used by the indigenous Creeks and was believed to mean “Land of Trembling Earth“.

Are there bears in the Okefenokee?

Black bears are just one of the many different species of wildlife that call Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge “home”.

Are there bears in the Okefenokee Swamp?

Black Bears

They can be found in the North Georgia mountains along the Ocmulgee River drainage system in the central part of the state and in the Okefenokee Swamp in the southeast.

What is the biggest swamp in America?

The Atchafalaya Basin

The Atchafalaya Basin is the nation’s largest river swamp containing almost one million acres of America’s most significant bottomland hardwoods swamps bayous and backwater lakes. The basin begins near Simmesport La. and stretches 140 miles southward to the Gulf of Mexico.

Why is the Okefenokee Swamp called the land of the trembling earth?

The interior wetlands of the Okefenokee Swamp within Georgia have been designated the state’s largest Wilderness. Native Americans called the swamp the “land of trembling earth” because the unstable peat deposits that cover much of the swamp floor tremble when stepped on. … Fire and water define the swamp’s habitats.

Where is the fall line in Georgia?

One of Georgia’s most remarkable geologic features — the Fall Line — runs in a jagged line across Middle Georgia from Columbus through Macon to Augusta. It marks the dividing line between the rolling Piedmont to the north and the flat Coastal Plain to the south.

Is Savannah a swamp?

Because the northern end of the refuge is swamp accessible only by boat the best place for hiking or biking is a 3 000-acre section of the wildlife management area on the southern end of the refuge. Here hikers can use 40 miles of dikes as a trail system.

Is Okefenokee open?

Discover Okefenokee – one of your national wildlife refuges. Hours: Open 1/2-hour before sunrise every day. Closes at 7:30 p.m.- March 1 through October 31 and 5:30 p.m.- November 1 through end of February.

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What is the Brazilian Pantanal?

At more than 42 million acres the Pantanal is the largest tropical wetland and one of the most pristine in the world. It sprawls across three South American countries—Bolivia Brazil and Paraguay—and supports millions of people there as well as communities in the lower Rio de la Plata Basin.

Are there swamps in Texas?

Swamps are the wettest type of riverine forested wetland in Texas. True swamps are found mostly in East Texas from Houston east to the Sabine River.

What US states have swamps?

The 10 Most Photogenic Swamps In The United States
  1. 1 Barataria Preserve In Louisiana.
  2. 2 Lake Martin In Louisiana. …
  3. 3 Caddo Lake In Louisiana And Texas. …
  4. 4 The Honey Island Swamp In Louisiana. …
  5. 5 The Alakai Plateau In Hawaii. …
  6. 6 The Atchafalaya Swamp In Louisiana. …
  7. 7 The Okefenokee Swamp In Florida And Georgia. …

Is the Okefenokee Swamp protected?

The swamp was designated a National Wildlife Refuge in 1937 and is the largest NWR east of the Mississippi. Since 1937 the protection has ensured the swamp remains largely unspoiled.

Are the Seminoles a Native American tribe?

Seminole North American Indian tribe of Creek origin who speak a Muskogean language. In the last half of the 18th century migrants from the Creek towns of southern Georgia moved into northern Florida the former territory of the Apalachee and Timucua.

Does the Okefenokee Swamp go into Florida?

The swamp provides an important economic resource to southeast Georgia and northeast Florida. More than 600 000 visitors from as many as 46 countries travel to the Okefenokee refuge each year to enjoy its unmatched wilderness.

Why is Okefenokee Swamp important?

The swamp is considered the headwaters of the Suwannee and St Marys Rivers. Habitats provide for threatened and endangered species such as red-cockaded woodpecker wood storks indigo snakes and a wide variety of other wildlife species. … More than 600 plant species have been identified on refuge lands.

Where is the blackwater swamp in Florida?

Deep in the South on the border of Georgia and Florida lies the Okefenokee Swamp — the largest blackwater swamp in the United States. Its dark color is the product of years of slow-moving water filtering through vegetation and decay.

What river runs out the Okefenokee Swamp?

Marys River is located in southeastern Georgia and northeastern Florida forming the easternmost border between the two states. The river begins deep within the Okefenokee Swamp and flows along a twisting 130-mile-long path into the Cumberland Sound and the Atlantic Ocean only 40 air-miles from its headwaters.

What do alligators eat in the Okefenokee Swamp?

Young gators often feed on snails frogs insects and small fish. Larger gators prey on larger animals and will even attack another gator if the opportunity avails itself. Gators also make use of carrion.

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How many alligators live in Okefenokee Swamp?

10 000 to 13 000 gators

Okefenokee hosts an estimated 10 000 to 13 000 gators (according to Sherpa Guides) and they blend perfectly in water that is heavily stained by rotting vegetation.

How many species live in the Okefenokee Swamp?

With its varied habitats the Okefenokee has become an area known for its abundance of plants and animals. There are over 620 species of plants growing in the swamp. Animals include 39 fish 37 amphibian 64 reptile 234 bird and 50 mammal species.

How much does it cost to get into the Okefenokee Swamp?

General Admission (train nature show & exhibits)
$20 Adults (ages 12 & up)
$19 Children (ages 4-11) Senior Citizens (ages 62 & up) Active Military (I.D. required) AAA Discount (bring active card)
$15 Local Okefenokee RESA County Residents (must have current license showing residency)
FREE Infants (ages 3 & under)

What animals live in the swamps of Georgia?

The swamp is known as the Okefenokee. The climate is hot wet and humid year round. The land and soil is very soft. Animals in this region include snakes alligators snapping turtles deer tall wading birds (like herons and storks) and bullfrogs.

What kind of fish are in the Okefenokee Swamp?

Largemouth bass crappie bluegill shellcrackers and channel catfish… all species that you can forget about catching on a fishing trip to the “land of the trembling earth ” the Okefenokee Swamp.

Which state has the most swamp?

Alaska continues to have the vast majority of wetland acres. with an estimated 170 million- approximately 45 percent of that state’s total surface area. Among the lower48 states Florida Louisiana Minnesota and Texas have the greatest wetland acreage.

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