The Goldsboro Ridge
As noted in the Ejecta Morphology section, Carolina bays in "Carolina" are not existent only on flat landscapes. The Goldsboro Ridge Structure includes several clearly delineated Carolina bays within the ridge itself. Here are two graphics from the Daniels, E. E. Gamble, Wheeler paper, The Goldsboro Ridge, an Enigma.
Stratigraphy in the vicinity of the Goldsboro ridge. - Daniels, Gamble, Wheeler
The reader will note the "abrupt conformable" description provided for the horizon between the Goldsboro Sand and the underlying Sunderland Formation. Our theory suggests that the entire structure know as the Goldsboro ridge is the manifestation of a large mass of ejecta lofted from the Lake Michigan area. Our experiments have show that Carolina bay -type depressions are often created in the upper layer of such an ejecta emplacement, probably due to the plastic flow of material of different densities and water content as the ejecta droplet spreads across the emplacement site. The next graphic from the Daniels, E. E. Gamble, Wheeler paper presents cross-sectional views of the ridge.
Cross sections of the Goldsboro ridge. Numerals 1 to 9 and 2-1 to 2-10 are bore hole locations along traverse 1, county road 1713, and traverse 2, the long axis. Letters A to F locate closely spaced bore holes in the Carolina Bay. Letters R and T along road 1713 are resistivity and topographic points used in constructing the cross section - Daniels, Gamble, Wheeler
The test holes at A through F demonstrated that the Carolina bay was, in fact, a feature created along with the rest of the Goldsboro Ridge sand formation.The Goldsboro sand overlies the Sunderland Formation conformably. The contact is always abrupt but there is no evidence of deep channeling, basal coarse material, and evidence of weathering at the contact. Even the Carolina Bays do not disturb the underlying Sunderland materials (Figure 3). The sand in the bay rim is not different from the Goldsboro sand. Therefore, these Carolina Bays are merely surface features associated with the formation of the ridge. The contact between the Goldsboro sand and the Sunderland is easily recognized by the abrupt decrease in clay content and the large increase in silt. The Goldsboro Ridge, an Enigma by R. B. Daniels, E. E. Gamble and W. H. Wheeler
The Perigee: Zero hypothesis postulates that virtually all ejecta will emplace with the characteristic ovoid/tear-drop/pear shape. The Goldsboro ridge, while certainly a massive structure, indeed presents this shape. The following graphic (linked to higher resolution image) is from the Google Earth GIS system. The keyhole file is available via the KMZ link.
Goldsboro Ridge, NC
As we can see, there have been may attempts to derive a solution to the enigma of the Carolina bay formation. Our hypothesis takes an entirely different approach, exploring the possibility that the landforms themselves are emplaced terrestrial ejecta, representing the ejecta material of the proposed cometary impacts. This rather unusual solution was initially deduced by the authors after reading the above quotation from the Daniels, Gamble and Wheeler description of the Goldsboro Ridge landform in eastern North Carolina.
The general direction of Carolina bay orientation has been consistently recognized. The Eyton & Parkhurst paper discussing possible cosmic origin, referenced above, includes the following graphic. This was derived from an extensive survey of bays across the Southeast.
Carolina bay Orientation - Eyton & Parkhurst
Our analysis correlates these structures - including the Goldsboro Ridge - to a Perigee: Zero cometary impact event that struck the Wisconson-era ice shield between 10, 000 and 17,000 years ago. The general "rotation" of inbound ejecta trajectory represented in the Eyton & Parkhurst graphic is the manifestation of two different factors. The first being the the Earth's rotation during the loft period applied to the main body of bays pointing NW. Ejecta droplets traveling on a more southerly bearing will land slightly further westwardly due to the faster west-to-east ground rotation vector. As a result, their azimuth will "seem" to be directed back towards a point further west than the actual ejection point. This effect will revers if the emplacement site is further towards the pole than the ejection site.
The following Google Earth graphic is our projected trajectory path for this set. The Lake Michigan impact will be discussed in the the Lake Michigan Series proof set.
Perigee: Zero ejecta has created millions of freshwater bodies throughout the world. We present a sample in our Ejecta Gallery. Keep in mind when viewing these that the characteristic shape of PZ ejecta is typically found with amazing fidelity, regardless of the scale of the structure.