Mystery of two natural lakes in Virginia

Virginian Pilot ^ | 3 May 2009 | Diane Tennant

[SunkenCiv]

They are altogether different, yet both have been called unique in the world and, on top of that, they are the only natural lakes in Virginia. The rest are man-made. By way of comparison, tiny Maryland has no natural lakes. Minnesota, which is called "The Land of 10,000 Lakes," actually has 11,842, most of them carved by glaciers. Then there is Virginia - big, but unglaciated - with two.

Wow, learn something new every day.

Bush's fault.

[Kimmers]

Really interesting and well written article.......thank you for the post.....

[waterhill]

I was thinking bentonite clay... makes an excellent plug..

[ROCKLOBSTER]

Maybe a combination of the two.

The reason I mentioned a slab is because it can be constructed with beams and rebar to span a considerable distance...like the decks on bridges, buildings and parking garages. Future earthquakes wouldn't destroy it.

You could put the clay down as a foundation and then afterwards around the edges of the slab.

[Moltke]

The most accepted origin theory is a slow-burning fire in the peat, maybe started by lightning, which is not very romantic. But reality can be prosaic, and last summer, nearly 5,000 acres of the swamp burned when logging equipment created a spark. Peat fires burrow deep and smolder sometimes for years.

I've read that these types of fires are a MAJOR source of CO2 going into the atmosphere. Supposedly there is a huge slow burning brown coal deposit in China that puts out more CO2 than the world's cars do. Can anyone confirm this or do I misremember?

[RegulatorCountry]

Ms. Tennant appears to have been provided some bad information, though. “Dirty Dancing” was filmed in large part on Lake Lure, in North Carolina. The Great Dismal Swamp lies largely in NC, too; there was a nasty legal row over water rights and interbasin transfer several years back. The Tidewater VA cities wanted more water, and NC didn’t want to allow it.

That “nasty” “peat stained” water was famous for being potable, due to the tannins. Many a ship at sea had exactly that water in their stores.

As far as mysterious, round natural lakes, the NC coastal plain is fairly dotted with them, as are several other states. They’re known as “Carolina Bays.” Theories as to their origin have focused upon prevailing winds, meteorites and fires in the typical peat bogs.

Too bad the article contained these oversights. She does write very well, very evocatively. Like being there.

[waterhill]

I did not think bout that...good idea..

[Hot Tabasco]

In search of such mystery and beauty,

This article should have been in breaking news......no really! I should call the author up and tell him to check out the cool drainage ditch that borders the eastern side of my subdivision.......

[Old Professer]

She writes gushingly but she makes poor use of her boots...

[Old Professer]

In the incurably romantic writer’s defense she actually only made one passing comment on climate influence with the statement concerning reduced precipitation over the past 30 years.

Other than that it was a pleasant if syrupy armchair adventure, rather like reading a newspaper in I-Hop and having to leave it behind — or at least major parts of it, still stuck where ones elbows had rested.

[savedbygrace]

Thanks, I didn’t know any of those facts. My comment was strictly about her writing skills. Thank you for recognizing that.

[Dudoight]

You gotta be kidding....a turtle does that? I don’t think so! But I love ‘local legends’ like that!

[muawiyah]

A snapping turtle ~ related to a Mississippi Valley species that can get up to 200 pounds.

Sure, I believe it ~ and that hole is about as deep as Lake Superior.

[Drawsing]

Tennessee has only one natural lake: Reelfoot. It formed during the great earthquake of 1811.