geology
North Carolina Rocks! (Literally): An Exploration of UNCW’s GeoGarden by Ally Zimmerman and Roger Shew
UNCW now has a GeoGarden designed and implemented by faculty member Roger Shew. We interviewed him to learn about the geology of the garden and the inspiration behind it. North Carolina’s geology is unique and varies across three main regions of the state: Blue Ridge, Piedmont and Coastal Plain. North Carolina also has a long geological history; in the western part of the state, there are rocks greater than one billion years old! Here in Wilmington, the GeoGarden at the University of North Carolina–Wilmington (UNCW) provides a unique opportunity to view rocks from all three regions of North Carolina. This garden, located on UNCW’s campus, contains rocks from across the state of North Carolina ranging from the Fort Fisher Coquina along the Coast to the Spruce Pine Pegmatite in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Not only does the GeoGarden provide a unique opportunity to view ge-
ology from across the state, it also features stormwater management with a “streambed” and rain garden. The rain garden helps collect rainwater from the roof of DeLoach Hall and surrounding grounds to help prevent polluted runoff from getting into the Bradley Creek since most of the UNCW campus is in the Bradley Creek watershed.
Stormwater in the GeoGarden One of the important ecological and educational aspects of the GeoGarden is its stormwater mitigation features, including a streambed and rain garden. The streambed flows from west to east funneling water from gutters and the surrounding area into the rain garden. The rain garden was constructed in the shape of a Carolina Bay. Carolina Bays are oval wetlands and bay lakes commonly found in the Coastal Plain; Jones Lake and White Lake are examples. The northwest to southeast orientation and length-to-width ratio of Carolina Bays was the inspiration for designing the rain garden. There is also native vegetation such as cypress, sweet bay and palmetto incorporated in the rain garden.
Inspiration for the GeoGarden The beautiful DeLoach GeoGarden was implemented by Roger Shew, a professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington in the department of Earth and Ocean Sciences. The goal and inspiration of the project is to provide an educational opportunity for students at the University, nearby schools and the community. Roger Shew’s plan is to have schools come visit to see and feel a bit of North Carolina and understand the geologic richness and resources of our state. In addition to the geologic knowledge, other educational benefits include the stormwater management function and the native plants that have been planted in the garden area. Two amazing efforts that are still in progress include finishing signage for the site and the construction of a website that will provide online information about North Carolina as well as a curriculum for school-aged students and teachers to use. Roger Shew hopes that the site will be used for many years. He attended UNCW as an undergrad and has taught there for (continued on page 10)
North Carolina Geologic Map Diabase
This N.C. Geologic Map illustrates the ages, rock types, and source locations of the GeoGarden Rock.
www.issuu.com/capefearsgoinggreen
Cape Fear’s Going Green • Spring 2022
www.goinggreenpublications.com
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