Geology

The Bones of the Land

The bedrock of the Champlain Valley is mostly made up of the rumpled bed of an ancient ocean.  The high and low places, the pH of the soils, the distribution of the plants and animals and how humans settle the region are all tied to the geology.  The first step to becoming a Vermont Master Naturalist is exploring the connections between the geology and these different layers in your town.

  

   

Kayaking with VMN South Burlington naturalists, who are led by Field Naturalist Sophie Mazowita, at Red Rocks Park where the Monkton layer of the Champlain Thrust Fault is exposed (top photo by Sophie Mazowita.) VMN Bristol 5 Town naturalists explore the anticline in the Cheshire formation at the Waterworks Property with hydrogeologist Bill Norland (middle photos by Monica Erhart.) VMN South Hero naturalists hunt for bryozoa, brachiopod and trilobite fossils in the Glens Falls Limestone and leave them behind for others to enjoy at Lessor’s Quarry with geologist Steve Howe (bottom photos by Guy Maguire.)

Banner photo by Sean Beckett.