Simple map highlighting the different physiographic regions of the northeastern United States.

Earth Science of the Northeastern United States

The place where you are right now has a rich geological history that is recorded by the rocks beneath you and the fossils that they may contain. The rocks and fossils reveal the movements of continents and the evolution of new forms of life. This history helps to explain why the Earth looks like it does today. It also explains things like the distributions of natural resources, from rare minerals to rich soils for agriculture. Studying Earth's ancient climate also helps us to make sense of how the climate is changing today and how it will affect us where we live.

The goal of this part of the Earth@Home project is to explain the Earth science of the northeastern United States, which is defined here to include Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland. Major regions include the the Central Lowland, Inland Basin, Blue Ridge and Piedmont, Coastal Plain, and Exotic Terrane.

Contents


Overviews of Northeastern U.S. Earth Science


Simple map highlighting the different physiographic regions of the northeastern United States.
Geologic History
Glaciers
Climate
Energy
Earth Hazards
Maps

Central Lowland Region

Northern New York bordering Lake Ontario.


Simple map highlighting the Central Lowland region of the northeastern United States.
Rocks
Fossils
Topography
Mineral Resources

Inland Basin Region

New York, western Vermont, much of Pennsylvania, northwestern New Jersey, and western Maryland.


Simple map highlighting the Inland Basin region of the northeastern United States.
Rocks
Fossils
Topography
Mineral Resources
Finger Lakes Geology and Natural History

Appalachians and Piedmont

Central Maryland, southeastern Pennsylvania, a small part of central to northeastern New Jersey, and a tiny part of northern Delaware.


Simple map highlighting the Appalachians and Piedmont region of the northeastern United States.
Rocks
Fossils
Topography
Mineral Resources

Coastal Plain

Eastern Maryland, Delaware, southern New Jersey, Long Island, other islands off the southern New England coast, and Cape Cod (Massachusetts).


Simple map highlighting the Coastal Plain region of the northeastern United States.
Rocks
Fossils
Topography
Mineral Resources

Exotic Terrane

Maine, New Hampshire, most of Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and small parts of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.


Simple map highlighting the Exotic Terrane region of the northeastern United States.
Rocks
Fossils
Topography
Mineral Resources

Geologic Maps, Topographic Maps, and Earth Science Quick Facts

Simple geologic and topographic maps of each state in the northeastern United States, along with quick facts about official state fossils, rocks, minerals, gems, points of highest and lowest elevation, and lists of places to visit.


Connecticut
Delaware
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Vermont

Resources

Lists of supplemental and teaching resources for the Earth science of the northeastern U.S., sorted by topic.


Resources

Earth Science Careers

Information about Earth science career paths.


Careers

Credits

Most of the Earth@Home content in the Here on Earth: Earth Science of the Northeastern United States section comes from The Teacher-Friendly Guide to the Geology of the Northeastern U.S., published in 2000 and reprinted 2016 by the Paleontological Research Institution. The citation for the original book is:

  • Ansley, J. E. 2000, reprinted 2016. The Teacher-Friendly Guide to the Geology of the Northeastern U.S. Paleontological Research Institution, Ithaca, New York, 205 pp.

The book was adapted for the web by Elizabeth J. Hermsen and Jonathan R. Hendricks in 2022. Changes include formatting and revisions to the text and images.

The original chapters adapted for the Northeastern U.S. section of Here on Earth are as follows. Some of the content has been spread over multiple pages on this website, so links are not provided below:

  • Chapter 1. Geologic history of the Northeastern US.
  • Chapter 2. Rocks of the Northeastern US.
  • Chapter 3. Glaciers of the Northeastern US.
  • Chapter 4. Fossils of the Northeastern US.
  • Chapter 5. Topography of the Northeastern US.
  • Chapter 6. Mineral Resources of the Northeastern US.
  • Chapter 7. Non-mineral Resources of the Northeastern US.
  • Chapter 8. Environmental Issues of the Northeastern US.