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Chunks of Ancient Marsh At a casual glance, these flat, sand-covered chunks might easily be mistaken for gobs of oil washed ashore. Instead, they are pieces of old marsh. Break one open, and you'll find a mesh-work of roots and dark-brown, peat-like material inside. On a stormy day at Assateague beach, you may even discover a shelf of old marsh, washed free by the waves and projecting from beneath the sand - as in the lower photo taken after the January-February 1998 nor'easters. Over time, wind, high tides, and storms sending waves over the dunes have shifted the island westward, and the sands have covered the old marshlands. |
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