The Relict Marsh at Cabretta Beach

This aerial view shows the eastern (seaward) edge of Cabretta Island and its complex blend of extant and past environments. Extant environments include Blackbeard Creek (a tidal channel), a beach, and salt marsh, whereas former environments are a relict salt marsh and a maritime forest. The relict marsh is marked by a dark brown patch along the channel margin, some of which hosts new-growth cordgrass (in green) former marsh sediments. The former position of a maritime forest is defined by a tree “boneyard,” consisting of dead trees that died and fell over as the shoreline shifted. White sandy deposits between the relict marsh and the modern salt marsh are storm-washover fans, which are migrating over and burying the salt marsh, cutting off its tidal creeks.