Geological Features of Northwest Connecticut
The northwest corner /marble valley of Connecticut is part of the proto –North American tectonic plate
The most characteristic feature of the Northwest Highlands is their high, steep-sided plateaus.
The plateaus formed by weather/erosion resistant bedrock than the valleys below.
The plateaus consist of tough schists and granites.
The valleys are sunk into marble, metamorphic rock that is not resistant to weathering and erosion in Connecticut’s climate.
Formation
Bear Mountain
Formation of marble Marble is
metamorphosed from limestone, a sedimentary rock composed mostly of carbonate mud and the shell fragments of marine fossils.
The lime-rich minerals that make up shells and carbonate mud weather quite easily. (Seashells left outside rapidly take on a dulled appearance for the same reason.) (Bell 2009)
Formation cont.Pre-Historic Coral reef
Pre-Historic Marine Life
Formation cont.
Connecticut Pre-Historic Shoreline
Formation of marble valleyMarble is readily
dissolved by the slight acidity of natural rainwater, forming deep lowlands between the high plateaus of the Northwest Highlands.
The Housatonic River flows through the valley and drains into Long Island Sound
The lowlands of the northwest corner is referred to as the marble valley (Bell 20o9)
Formation cont.
Housatonic River
Marble is metamorphic rock of limestone
Formation cont.
Marble Valley
Kent Falls State Park
LocationKent Falls is located in the town of Kent in the
northwest section of Connecticut near the New York State border
Kent Falls State park
Scatacook Native Americans named the area Settled the area and
fished the watersFalls Brook forms a series
of waterfalls that result in over 70 feet of cascades
Consists of 295 acresDeveloped in the 1930’s
by the Civil Works Administration (CWA)
1970’s hiking trails are developed by the Youth Conservation Corps of Connecticut
Kent Falls state park Information
The most outstanding feature at Kent Falls is, of course, the falls
Made of a series of falls and cascades that generally form where the bedrock contains alternating hard and soft layers.
This part of Connecticut was once made of coral reefs, offshore from the northwestern part of the state.
Why Kent Falls State Park?Approximate location of Connecticut
The corals made of limestone metamorphosed under extreme pressure from the colliding tectonics plates into marble
The easily weathered/eroded marble wears away at a faster rate causing a drop in elevation (CT D.E.P. 2009)
Why Kent Falls State Park cont.?
Eroded marble potholes from swirling pebbles in water
Exposed marble at bottom of valley
Sight seeing
Recreation
Kent Falls covered bridge
Recreation cont.Hiking
Recreation cont.
Scenic overlook
Recreation cont.
Picnicking
Enjoying the cool water
http://www.ct.gov/Dep/cwp/view.asp?a=2716&q=325228&depNav_GID=1650 (2009)
http://www.tmsc.org/face_of_ct/index.html (2009)
Work cited
Write one paragraph describing how the marble valley of Northwest Connecticut was formed.
Assessment