A Presentation by Dana Royer
Professor of Earth and Environmental Science, Wesleyan University
Tuesday,
March 10, 2014, 7 – 8:30 p.m. (snow date March 24)
At
The deKoven House, 27 Washington Street, Middletown
You
may know something about the human history of Middletown, but what about our
region’s geologic history? Our city and its surrounding towns have a very
interesting tale to tell, one that spans several hundred million years.
Professor Dana Royer will tell us about one waypoint along this journey: 200
million years ago.
At
this time, the supercontinent Pangea was breaking apart right here in the
Connecticut River valley, bringing fresh lava to the surface. With this lava
came many gases, including greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, which caused
severe global climate change and one of Earth’s largest mass extinctions. This
led to the 135 million-year-long domination by dinosaurs (whose footprints are
preserved throughout the valley). This lava cooled to form basalt rock, whose
remnants we still see and enjoy in the trap rock ridges of Mt. Higby. The
sediments that weathered from the basalt 200 million years ago turned into our
beloved brownstone, for which Portland and its quarries became famous.
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