The Atlantic

Massive shiftings of the earth's crust gave birth, more than two hundred million years ago, to the Appalachian Mountains. Erosion eventually wore away much of the range; its rock, reduced to pebbles and sand, washed eastward to the sea. Over millions of years, a submerged sandy plain was gradually deposited along the Atlantic shore. Part of this coastal sediment became the foundation of Georgia's barrier sea islands.

About two million years ago, the earth's sea level began to fluctuate. The oceans rose and fell hundreds of feet as a series of great ice sheets, covering much of the globe, formed, thawed and formed again. Each successive glaciation left the sea level a bit lower than the previous freeze. Barrier islands developed from the exposed ridges of the coastal plain and then were submerged as the sea rose again. Geological traces of these former barrier island chains can be found as far as eighty miles inland from the coast.

The last great ice age ended about eighteen thousand years ago and, as the glaciers melted, the sea began to rise to its present level. The sandy ridge that became St. Simons Island was isolated from the mainland by a lagoon that formed on its landward side. Wind, waves and the tides layered the ridge with more sand. Seeds found the environment favorable and the shifting dunes were anchored by sturdy roots. The lagoon in the lee of the island slowly filled with sediment and a great salt marsh formed. Tidal streams nurtured the marsh and created a rich environment for the myriad water creatures that thrived there. Mainland animals crossed the marsh to complement the balance of living things on the island and, in time, were joined by man.

The Indians

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