Iowa's Peatlands by Carol A. Thompson Groundwater seeping from this Cerro Gordo County hillside has created a permanently saturated deposit of peat that may have been accumulating for several thousand years. Determining the source and quality of recharge waters is an important aspect of protecting these fen sites. Photo by Carol Thompson.
Mention peatlands and the response is likely quite different.
Few Iowans are aware that the state has deposits of peat. Peatlands, or mires as they are sometimes called, are more characteristic of northern boreal and subarctic regions, but they actually occur in many climates, even in tropical areas. In the United States, deposits of peat are known to occur in all 50 states. Peat by definition is a deposit of incompletely decomposed plant remains. Water plays an important role in peat development and evolution, as perennial waterlogging of soil slows the rate of plant decomposition and can lead to the accumulation of peat.