The Glacial History of Connecticut and Its Effect on the Present Topography of Connecticut
It is difficult to imagine the entire Connecticut landscape covered with a massive ice sheet. The tall trees and the lush grass, our driveways and yards- all buried beneath an immense glacial sheet. When we think of the term 'Ice Age, ' we envision a world of snow and ice, a world that is...
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| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
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| Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.112.2319 http://www.trincoll.edu/~cgeiss/tr/tr1/tr1_p6.pdf |
| Summary: | It is difficult to imagine the entire Connecticut landscape covered with a massive ice sheet. The tall trees and the lush grass, our driveways and yards- all buried beneath an immense glacial sheet. When we think of the term 'Ice Age, ' we envision a world of snow and ice, a world that is forever cold and deserted. However, this Hollywood image of an ice age is disingenuous- it suggests an environment without movement and without change. Quite the opposite, this very land we stand upon was buried under ice. Over two million years after the Ice Age began, it is far time New Englanders consider the surrounding environment in light of the glacial formations of the past. Today, glaciologists have located and examined plenty glacial evidence found all over the state of Connecticut. Found all throughout the Connecticut landscape, many rocks themselves tell the glacial history of Connecticut. They are testaments that the glacial formation, movement, thickness, and depth that existed long ago had lasting effects on the topography of the state. Namely, the glacial markings on rocks enable us to determine the orientation of the ice sheet. Examining the overall topography of Connecticut, we find glacial marking on both the highest and the lowest topography. Such a finding with rocks suggests that the entire state of Connecticut was once entirely glaciated. Examining the evidence left behind in glacial deposits further corroborates |
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