How far down is bedrock in Massachusetts?

How far down is bedrock in Massachusetts?

Due to significant glacial and stream erosion throughout the recent geologic past, many parts of Massachusetts have shallow depth to bedrock of only a few feet, although some areas have sediment over 500 feet thick.

How was New Jersey formed geology?

The rocks under New Jersey were formed by geologic events occurring as long ago as 1.3 billion years, but the landscape etched into those rocks is much younger. Within the past 10 million years rivers formed the valleys, ridges, plains, and uplands of the state by erosion and deposition.

What is the geology of New Jersey?

The geologic characteristics of this region are formed by granite, gneiss, and some marble. Curiously, the bedrock of this region of New Jersey is the oldest in the state. The Highlands’ bedrock was formed during the earliest part of Earth’s history billions of years ago during the Precambrian geologic age.

What are some geologic features in New Jersey?

In New Jersey, more basalt flows are evident with several named formations including the Hook Mountain Basalt, the Preakness Basalt, and the Orange Mountain Basalt. Diabase is prominently displayed along the Hudson River in the Palisades Sill.

Where is the fault line in Massachusetts?

In Central Massachusetts, the most pronounced fault is the Clinton-Newbury fault, created 250 million to 450 million years ago. It runs 97 miles from Worcester to Newbury through Lake Quinsigamond and the Acre section of Clinton.

Where are geodes in Massachusetts?

The best places to find geodes in Massachusetts are the quarries near East Deerfield in Franklin County. What is this? In general, any area in which you find agates is a good place to look for geodes since the means by which they are produced are similar.

What rocks are found in NJ?

Includes 2 igneous rocks (diabase and basalt), 4 metamorphic rocks (slate, quartzite, marble, and gneiss), 4 sedimentary rocks (shale, sandstone, limestone, and dolomite), 5 sediments (peat, clay, glass sand, lime sand, and greensand), and 2 ores (ironstone and magnetite).

What is the age of the bedrock below New Jersey?

Bedrock in northern New Jersey ranges from more than 1 billion to 200 million years old and has been folded and faulted by several periods of col- lision and rifting of tectonic plates. These rocks extend many miles below the surface.

Where are the oldest rocks in NJ?

The oldest rocks in New Jersey are granulite-facies metamorphic and granitic igneous rocks exposed in the Highlands and Trenton prong (Drake, 1984; Volkert and Drake, 1986). These form the crystalline basement northwest of the limit of highly metamorphosed Paleozoic rocks (fig. 3).

Is Massachusetts on a major fault line?

New England sits on a spiderweb of faults, according to the USGS. But faults in Massachusetts are small compared to those in western states like California, meaning the likelihood of a devastating quake is slim. The state’s biggest recorded earthquake happened more than 250 years ago, off the coast of Cape Ann in 1755.

Is Massachusetts on an earthquake fault?

Where can I dig for gems in Massachusetts?

Hampshire County is the best area in all of Massachusetts to find gemstones. A wide variety of precious and semiprecious gemstones can be found here including agate, amethyst, prehnite, beryl, garnet, and rhodonite.

What is the Bedrock Geologic Map of Massachusetts?

(Zen et al., 1983) The 1:250,000 scale Bedrock Geologic Map of Massachusetts, published by the USGS in 1983, shows the distribution of the different rock units, faults, and other features that make up the bedrock of Massachusetts. It was compiled from published 1:24,000-scale maps., unpublished data, and field reconnaissance by the authors.

Why study geology in Massachusetts?

Today, universities in Massachusetts are hubs for worldwide geologic research while local professional and amateur geologists study landforms and geologic history, applying knowledge of regional geology to construction, environmental remediation, water resource management and quarrying.

What type of rocks are found in the Merrimack Valley?

A large number of Merrimack terrane rocks are west-dipping and date to the Silurian, including the Oakdale and Eliot formations or the Paxton schist. The Ware Belt is part of the larger terrane, characterized by west-dipping schists, the four-mile wide Hardwick pluton and the Coys Hill granite.

What is the oldest Avalonian rock in Massachusetts?

The quartzite and shale of the Westboro Formation appears to be the oldest Avalonian rock in Massachusetts. During the period when it was a part of the Gondwanan crust, the formation of the highly deformed mylonite of the Burlington mylonite zone began prior to 625 million years ago.