The Quaternary in North Carolina, US

Paleontology and geology

The expansion and melting of continental glaciers caused sea levels to rise and fall repeatedly on the North Carolina coastal plain in the Quaternary. During warm periods when sea level was high, deposits of shallow, marine, shelly sands accumulated; these can be found today in eastern North Carolina. The productive seas teemed with molluscs, sea cows, sharks, and fish, while mastodons, horses, giant ground sloths, as well as smaller mammals occupied the land.