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

Note: This part of Earth@Home is under current development.

Overviews of Northeastern U.S. Earth Science

Central Lowland Region

Northern New York bordering Lake Ontario.

Inland Basin Region

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

Blue Ridge & Piedmont

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

Coastal Plain

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

Exotic Terrane

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

Resources

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