Characteristic Mid-Atlantic Wetland Type - Mineral Flats

Mineral soil flats of the Atlantic coastal plain occur in floodplain terraces, relic lake bottoms (used to be a lake; soils still hold water), or interstream uplands. They can vary significantly in size, from 10-acres to thousands of acres.

Mineral flats are primarily precipitation fed and lose water through evapotranspiration and (depending on landscape location) saturated overland flow, though minimal groundwater discharge may sometimes occur. They are characterized by:

• limited horizontal and vertical drainage, and
• saturated mineral soils

Some mineral flats accumulate sufficient organic matter over time to be classified as pocosins (a low, flat swampy region). Mineral flats can host both pines and hardwoods.