Singletary Lake
Encyclopedia
Singletary Lake, surrounded by Singletary Lake State Park
in Bladen County
, North Carolina
in the United States
, is one of a series of Carolina bay
lakes that stretch from New Jersey
to Florida
along the Atlantic Coastal Plain
. Exactly how the lakes were formed remains a mystery. What is known is that Singletary Lake is not fed by any stream, but relies entirely upon rain. The land beneath and surrounding the lake is mica-rich sandy clay and sand that is from the Upper Cretaceous era with a thin layer of Pleistocene
deposits covering it. This land is lower than the surrounding land and drains very poorly, creating Singletary Lake.
The southwest corner of the lake is bordered by a bog
that is densely covered by bay tree
s. A sandy rim on the southeast side of the lake supports very little vegetation. Venus Flytrap
s can be found in the margin between the bog and the sand rim.
Singletary Lake is the deepest of the Carolina Bays at 11.8 feet (3.6 m) but not the largest. It covers 572 acres (2.3 km²) with four miles (6.43 km) of shoreline. Since Singletary Lake is not fed by streams and relies upon rainwater the level of the lake varies with the amount of precipitation
in the area.
Most bay lakes, such as Singletary Lake, are completely surrounded by vegetation. Trees and shrubs that grow along the shoreline reduce current and wave action. This permits sediment
s to settle and stimulates plant growth. As the plants die off peat
is produced. The peat accumulates on the shore line and more plants grow atop the peat. Very slowly the forest surrounding the lake with creep into the lake, reducing the size of the lake before eventually a swampy forest stands where a lake once was. This process has reduced the size of Singletary Lake by at least 44%.
The lake was established as a North Carolina State Lake in 1929, and it is managed by the adjacent Singletary Lake State Park
.
Singletary Lake State Park
Singletary Lake State Park is a North Carolina state park in Bladen County, North Carolina in the United States. Located near Elizabethtown, it covers 659 acres and surrounds Singletary Lake, one of the largest Carolina bays. Singletary Lake State Park is southeast of Elizabethtown on North...
in Bladen County
Bladen County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 32,278 people, 12,897 households, and 8,937 families residing in the county. The population density was 37 people per square mile . There were 15,316 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, is one of a series of Carolina bay
Carolina Bay
Carolina bays are elliptical depressions concentrated along the Atlantic seaboard within coastal Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and northcentral Florida...
lakes that stretch from New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
along the Atlantic Coastal Plain
Atlantic Coastal Plain
The Atlantic coastal plain has both low elevation and low relief, but it is also a relatively flat landform extending from the New York Bight southward to a Georgia/Florida section of the Eastern Continental Divide, which demarcates the plain from the ACF River Basin in the Gulf Coastal Plain to...
. Exactly how the lakes were formed remains a mystery. What is known is that Singletary Lake is not fed by any stream, but relies entirely upon rain. The land beneath and surrounding the lake is mica-rich sandy clay and sand that is from the Upper Cretaceous era with a thin layer of Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
deposits covering it. This land is lower than the surrounding land and drains very poorly, creating Singletary Lake.
The southwest corner of the lake is bordered by a bog
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
that is densely covered by bay tree
Bay tree
Bay tree can refer to:* Bay Laurel, the edible Sweet Bay* Umbellularia, the California Bay Laurel* Bay Tree, a Fabergé eggAnd sometimes confused with the poisonous*Prunus laurocerasus...
s. A sandy rim on the southeast side of the lake supports very little vegetation. Venus Flytrap
Venus Flytrap
The Venus Flytrap , Dionaea muscipula, is a carnivorous plant that catches and digests animal prey—mostly insects and arachnids. Its trapping structure is formed by the terminal portion of each of the plant's leaves and is triggered by tiny hairs on their inner surfaces...
s can be found in the margin between the bog and the sand rim.
Singletary Lake is the deepest of the Carolina Bays at 11.8 feet (3.6 m) but not the largest. It covers 572 acres (2.3 km²) with four miles (6.43 km) of shoreline. Since Singletary Lake is not fed by streams and relies upon rainwater the level of the lake varies with the amount of precipitation
Precipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
in the area.
Most bay lakes, such as Singletary Lake, are completely surrounded by vegetation. Trees and shrubs that grow along the shoreline reduce current and wave action. This permits sediment
Sediment
Sediment is naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of fluids such as wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particle itself....
s to settle and stimulates plant growth. As the plants die off peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
is produced. The peat accumulates on the shore line and more plants grow atop the peat. Very slowly the forest surrounding the lake with creep into the lake, reducing the size of the lake before eventually a swampy forest stands where a lake once was. This process has reduced the size of Singletary Lake by at least 44%.
The lake was established as a North Carolina State Lake in 1929, and it is managed by the adjacent Singletary Lake State Park
Singletary Lake State Park
Singletary Lake State Park is a North Carolina state park in Bladen County, North Carolina in the United States. Located near Elizabethtown, it covers 659 acres and surrounds Singletary Lake, one of the largest Carolina bays. Singletary Lake State Park is southeast of Elizabethtown on North...
.