Roadside Geology of Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, D.C.

by Means, John

• ISBN13: 9780878425709
• ISBN10: 0878425705
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-10-15
• Publisher: Mountain Pr

Summary

From the sandstone ridges and shale valleys of western Maryland to the sand dunes and tidal estuaries on Delaware's coast, the geologic features of the Mid-Atlantic region include a diverse array of rocks and landforms assembled during more than 1 billion years of geologic history. The book's introduction presents an overview of the geologic history of Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, D.C., and 35 road guides discuss the landforms and rocks visible from a car window, along bike paths, and at nearby waysides and parks, including Chesapeake Ohio Canal National Historic Park, Assateague Island National Seashore, Rock Creek Park, and Cape Henlopen State Park.

Author Biography

John Means taught geology, physical science, and English at Hagerstown Community College for more than thirty years before retiring in 2005. He is the author of Maryland's Catoctin Mountain Parks and enjoys hiking, camping, and canoeing with his family. Suzannah Moran, a geography professor at Hagerstown Community College, teamed up with her husband, Matthew Moran, a visual arts teacher at Seneca Valley High School, to create the maps.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Introduction	p. 1
Understanding the Earth	p. 1
Plate Tectonics	p. 1
Rocks	p. 5
Geologic Time	p. 5
Geologic History of Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, D.C	p. 6
Ancient Cratons, Grenville Mountains, Rifting, and Offshore Deposition	p. 6
Taconic Mountain Building Event and the Queenston Wedge	p. 10
Acadian Mountain Building Event and the Catskill Wedge	p. 12
Alleghanian Mountain Building Event	p. 13
The Rifting of Pangea and Triassic Basins	p. 16
Erosion of the Appalachians and the Building of the Coastal Plain	p. 16
Pleistocene Ice Ages	p. 17
Allegheny Plateau	p. 19
Road Guides	p. 23
Interstate 68 and US 40 Alternate: La Vale-West Virginia Border	p. 23
US 219: Keysers Ridge-Backbone Mountain Trailhead, West Virginia	p. 28
US 220: McCoole-Cumberland	p. 35
Maryland 36: The Narrows-Westernport (Coal Country)	p. 37
Maryland 135: Mountain Lake Park-McCoole	p. 44
Valley and Ridge and Blue Ridge Provinces	p. 48
Great Valley of Carbonates	p. 51
Road Guides	p. 55
Interstate 70 and US 40: Braddock-Hancock	p. 55
Interstate 68 (Including MD 144 and US 40): Hancock-La Vale	p. 71
Maryland 17: Middletown-Brunswick	p. 87
Maryland 34: Boonsboro-Sharpsburg	p. 90
Maryland 51: Cumberland-Paw, Paw, West Virginia	p. 92
Maryland 67: Boonsboro-Sandy Hook	p. 98
Maryland 68: Boonsboro-Clear Spring	p. 104
Maryland 77: Thurmont-Smithsburg	p. 111
Maryland 491: Smithsburg-Cascade	p. 117
Maryland 550: Cascade-Thurmont	p. 123
Bear Pond Mountains	p. 124
Piedmont Province	p. 128
The Fall Line	p. 134
Road Guides to The Maryland Piedmont	p. 135
Interstate 70: Frederick-Baltimore	p. 135
Interstate 270: Frederick-Rockville	p. 139
US 1/Maryland 273: Baltimore-Delaware Border (Cecil and Harford Counties)	p. 146
US 15: Point of Rocks-Emmitsburg (the Frederick Valley)	p. 155
Maryland 28 and C&O Canal: Point of Rocks-Blockhouse Point	p. 162
Maryland 75 and Maryland 31: New Market-Westminster	p. 171
Washington, D.C., and The Capital Beltway Area	p. 176
Piedmont Sites	p. 178
Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park: Great Falls-Georgetown	p. 178
Theodore Roosevelt Island National Memorial	p. 187
Cabin John Regional Park	p. 188
Rock Creek Park	p. 189
Capital Crescent Trail	p. 192
Sligo Creek Parkway	p. 192
Wheaton Regional Park and Northwest Branch Trail	p. 193
Coastal Plain Sites	p. 193
The Mall and East and West Potomac Parks	p. 193
Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens	p. 196
Bladensburg Waterfront Park and the Anacostia River	p. 196
Lake Artemesia Park and Greenbelt Park	p. 198
National Arboretum	p. 199
Fort Circle Trail	p. 199
Watkins Regional Park	p. 200
Baltimore and The Baltimore Beltway Area	p. 200
I-695: Baltimore Beltway	p. 202
Piedmont Sites	p. 204
Patapsco Valley State Park	p. 204
Gwynns Falls Park	p. 211
Bare Hills and Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area	p. 212
Cylburn Arboretum and Jones Falls	p. 213
Loch Raven Reservoir	p. 214
Oregon Ridge Park	p. 215
Coastal Plain Sites	p. 215
Patterson Park	p. 215
Double Rock Park	p. 216
Herring Run Park	p. 217
The Delaware Piedmont	p. 217
Wilmington Area	p. 220
Fort Christina Park	p. 220
Brandywine Park in Downtown Wilmington	p. 220
Rockford Park	p. 222
Brandywine Creek State Park	p. 222
Bringhurst Woods Park	p. 223
Brandywine Springs State Park	p. 224
Mt. Cuba Area and Ashland Nature Center	p. 225
Fox Point State Park	p. 226
Newark Area	p. 227
White Clay Creek State Park	p. 227
Iron Hill Park	p. 227
Coastal Plain	p. 228
Wedge of Unconsolidated Sediment	p. 229
Pleistocene Time	p. 233
Chesapeake Bay	p. 234
Barrier Beaches	p. 239
The Future	p. 242
Road Guides To Southern Maryland	p. 243
Maryland 2: Annapolis-Solomons	p. 243
Maryland 5 and Maryland 235: Washington D.C.-Point Lookout	p. 251
Maryland 210, Maryland 224, and Maryland 6: Washington D.C.-Indian Head-Maryland Point-Port Tobacco	p. 260
Road Guides To Maryland's Eastern Shore	p. 264
US 50: Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Ocean City	p. 264
Assateague Island National Seashore	p. 282
US 113: Berlin-Pocomoke City	p. 285
Maryland 213: US 301-Elkton	p. 289
Road Guides To Delaware's Coastal Plain	p. 292
US 301, US 13, and US 113: C&D Canal-Delmar	p. 293
Delaware 1: Dover-Cape Henlopen-Fenwick Island	p. 297
Delaware 9: Delaware City-Dover	p. 305
Glossary	p. 311
References	p. 321
Index	p. 328
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