Prepared in cooperation with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 

Office of the State Geologist and Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs 

Surficial Geologic Map of the Worcester North-OxfordWrentham-Attleboro Nine-Quadrangle Area in SouthCentral Massachusetts 

Compiled by Byron D. Stone, Janet R. Stone, and Mary L. DiGiacomo-Cohen 

Open-File Report 2006-1260-D 

U.S. Department of the Interior 

U.S. Geological Survey 
U.S. Department of the Interior 

DIRK KEMPTHORNE, Secretary 

U.S. Geological Survey 

Mark D. Myers, Director 

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia 2008 

For product and ordering information: 


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Suggested citation: 


Stone, B.D., Stone, J.R., and DiGiacomo-Cohen, M.L., 2008, Surficial geologic map of the Worcester NorthOxford-Wrentham-Attleboro nine-quadrangle area in south-central Massachusetts: U.S. Geological Survey 


Open-File Report 2006-1260-D. 


Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply 


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Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual 


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Cover figure. A portion of the surficial geologic map of the Worcester North quadrangle, shown with semitransparent shaded relief on a scanned topographic base map. 


ii 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Contents 


Introduction .........................................................................................................................................................................1
 

Surficial Materials in Massachusetts.............................................................................................................................2
 

Glacial till deposits .........................................................................................................................................................2
 

Glacial stratified deposits .............................................................................................................................................3
 

Postglacial deposits .......................................................................................................................................................5
 

Description of Map Units ..................................................................................................................................................5
 

Map Compilation.................................................................................................................................................................7 


References Cited ..............................................................................................................................................................10
 

Appendix: Sources of Data by 7.5-Minute Quadrangle .............................................................................................12
 

Figures 

1. Map showing general distribution of glacial and postglacial deposits in Massachusetts and map area 

covered by this report..........................................................................................................................................2 

2. Block diagram illustrating the typical areal and vertical distribution of glacial and postglacial deposits 

overlying bedrock. ................................................................................................................................................4 

3. Grain-size classification used in this report, modified from Wentworth (1922)..................................................6
 

4. Index map showing 7.5-minute, 1:24,000-scale quadrangles in this compilation. .............................................8
 

5. Index map showing compilation areas in Massachusetts. ....................................................................................9
 

Conversion Factors 

Multiply By To obtain 

Length 

inch (in.) 2.54 centimeter (cm) 

inch (in.) 25.4 millimeter (mm) 

foot (ft) 0.3048 meter (m) 

mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer (km) 

mile, nautical (nmi) 1.852 kilometer (km) 

yard (yd) 0.9144 meter (m) 

centimeter (cm) 0.3937 inch (in.) 

millimeter (mm) 0.03937 inch (in.) 

meter (m) 3.281 foot (ft) 

kilometer (km) 0.6214 mile (mi) 

kilometer (km) 0.5400 mile, nautical (nmi) 

meter (m) 1.094 yard (yd) 

iii 
 

Surficial Geologic Map of the Worcester NorthOxford-Wrentham-Attleboro Nine-quadrangle area in 

South-Central Massachusetts 

Compiled by Byron D. Stone, Janet R. Stone, and Mary L. DiGiacomo-Cohen 

Introduction 

The surficial geologic map layer shows the distribution of nonlithified earth materials at 

land surface in an area of nine 7.5-minute quadrangles (417 mi2 total) in south-central 

Massachusetts (fig. 1). Across Massachusetts, these materials range from a few feet to more than 

500 ft in thickness. They overlie bedrock, which crops out in upland hills and in resistant ledges in 

valley areas. The geologic map differentiates surficial materials of Quaternary age on the basis of 

their lithologic characteristics (such as grain size and sedimentary structures), constructional 

geomorphic features, stratigraphic relationships, and age. Surficial materials also are known in 

engineering classifications as unconsolidated soils, which include coarse-grained soils, fine-grained 

soils, or organic fine-grained soils. Surficial materials underlie and are the parent materials of 

modern pedogenic soils, which have developed in them at the land surface. Surficial earth 

materials significantly affect human use of the land, and an accurate description of their distribution 

is particularly important for water resources, construction aggregate resources, earth-surface 

hazards assessments, and land-use decisions. 

The mapped distribution of surficial materials that lie between the land surface and the 

bedrock surface is based on detailed geologic mapping of 7.5-minute topographic quadrangles, 

produced as part of an earlier (1938-1982) cooperative statewide mapping program between the 

U.S. Geological Survey and the Massachusetts Department of Public Works (now Massachusetts 

Highway Department) (Page, 1967; Stone, 1982). Each published geologic map presents a detailed 

description of local geologic map units, the genesis of the deposits, and age correlations among 

units. Previously unpublished field compilation maps exist on paper or mylar sheets and these have 

been digitally rendered for the present map compilation. Regional summaries based on the 

Massachusetts surficial geologic mapping studies discuss the ages of multiple glaciations, the 

nature of glaciofluvial, glaciolacustrine, and glaciomarine deposits, and the processes of ice 

advance and retreat across Massachusetts (Koteff and Pessl, 1981; papers in Larson and Stone, 

1982; Oldale and Barlow, 1986; Stone and Borns, 1986; Warren and Stone, 1986). 

This compilation of surficial geologic materials is an interim product that defines the areas 

of exposed bedrock and the boundaries between glacial till, glacial stratified deposits, and 

overlying postglacial deposits. This work is part of a comprehensive study to produce a statewide 

digital map of the surficial geology at a 1:24,000-scale level of accuracy. This surficial geologic 

map layer covering nine quadrangles revises previous digital surficial geologic maps (Stone and 

others, 1993; MassGIS, 1999) that were compiled on base maps at regional scales of 1:125,000 and 

1:250,000. The purpose of this study is to provide fundamental geologic data for the evaluation of 

natural resources, hazards, and land information within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 

1
 
Figure 1. General distribution of glacial and postglacial deposits in Massachusetts (Stone and 

others, 1993; MassGIS, 1999) and 1:24,000-scale quadrangles covered by this report. 

Surficial Materials in Massachusetts 

Most of the surficial materials in Massachusetts are deposits of the last two continental ice 

sheets that covered all of New England in the latter part of the Pleistocene ice age (Schafer and 

Hartshorn, 1965; Oldale and others, 1982; Stone and Borns, 1986). The glacial deposits are divided 

into two broad categories, glacial till and glacial stratified deposits. Till, the most widespread 

glacial deposit, was laid down directly by glacier ice. Glacial stratified deposits are concentrated in 

valleys and lowland areas and were laid down by glacial meltwater in streams, lakes, and the sea in 

front of the retreating ice margin during the last deglaciation. Postglacial sediments, primarily 

floodplain alluvium and swamp deposits, make up a lesser proportion of the unconsolidated 

materials. 

Glacial till deposits consist of nonsorted, generally nonstratified mixtures of mineral and 

rock particles ranging in grain size from clay to large boulders. The matrix of most tills is 

composed dominantly of fine sand and silt. Boulders within and on the surface of tills range from 

sparse to abundant. Some tills contain lenses of sorted sand and gravel, and less commonly, masses 

of laminated fine-grained sediments. The color and lithologic characteristics of till deposits vary 

across Massachusetts but generally reflect the composition of the local underlying and northerly 

2
 
adjacent bedrock, from which the till was derived. Till blankets the bedrock surface in variable 

thickness, ranging from a few inches to more than 200 ft, and commonly underlies stratified 

meltwater deposits. Tills deposited during the last two glaciations occur in superposition within 

Massachusetts (Koteff, 1966; Newton, 1978; Weddle and others, 1989). The upper till was 

deposited during the last (late Wisconsinan) glaciation; it is the most extensive till and commonly is 

observed in surface exposures, especially in areas where till thickness is less than 15 ft (thin till unit 

on the map). The lower till ("old" till) was deposited during an earlier glaciation (probably 

Illinoian). The lower till has a more limited distribution; it is principally a subsurface deposit that 

constitutes the bulk of material in drumlins and other hills, where till thickness is greater than 15 ft. 

The distribution of lower till is shown primarily by the thick till unit on the map. The lower till 

generally is overlain by thin upper till deposits in these areas. In all exposures showing the 

superposed two tills, the base of the upper till truncates the weathered surface of the old till. The 

lower part of the upper till commonly displays a zone of shearing, dislocation, and brecciation in 

which clasts of lower till were mixed and incorporated into the upper till during the last glaciation. 

End moraine deposits are composed predominantly of bouldery ablation till but also locally 

may include sorted sediments. These deposits were laid down by glacial-melting processes along 

active ice margins during retreat of the last (late Wisconsinan) ice sheet. Extensive end moraines on 

Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard (fig. 1) are related to the terminal position of the lateWisconsinan ice sheet, and the end moraines on Cape Cod are associated with recessional positions 

of the last ice sheet. Less extensive end moraines occur locally elsewhere in southeastern 

Massachusetts, in the Boston area, and in the Gloucester-Rockport area of northeastern 

Massachusetts. 

Glacial stratified deposits consist of layers of well-sorted to poorly sorted gravel, sand, 

silt, and clay laid down by flowing meltwater in glacial streams, lakes, and marine embayments that 

occupied the valleys and lowlands of Massachusetts during retreat of the last ice sheet. Textural 

variations within the meltwater deposits occur both areally and vertically because meltwater-flow 

regimes were different in glaciofluvial (stream), glaciodeltaic (where a stream entered a lake or the 

sea), glaciolacustrine (lake bottom), and glaciomarine (marine bottom) depositional environments. 

Grain-size variations also resulted from meltwater deposition in positions either proximal to, or 

distal from, the retreating glacier margin, which was the principal sediment source. A common 

depositional setting contained a proximal, ice-marginal meltwater stream in which horizontally 

bedded glaciofluvial gravel and (or) sand and gravel were laid down; farther down valley, the 

stream entered a glacial lake where glaciodeltaic sediments were deposited, consisting of 

horizontally layered sand and gravel delta-topset beds overlying inclined layers of sand in deltaforeset beds. Farther out in the glacial lake, very fine sand, silt, and clay settled out on the lake 

bottom in flat-lying, thinly bedded glaciolacustrine layers. Thick sequences having these textural 

variations commonly are present in the vertical section of meltwater deposits across the State 

(Stone and others, 1992). Detailed geologic maps can show meltwater sedimentary units within 

each glacial lake or valley outwash system (Jahns, 1941; 1953; Koteff, 1966). These units, known 

as morphosequences (Koteff, 1974; Koteff and Pessl, 1981), are the smallest mappable 

stratigraphic units depictable on detailed geologic maps. Morphosequences are bodies of stratified 

meltwater sediments that are contained in a continuum of landforms, grading from ice-contact 

forms (eskers, kames) to non-ice-contact forms (flat valley terrace, delta plains) that were deposited 

simultaneously at and beyond the margin of the ice sheet, graded to a specific base level. Each 

morphosequence consists of a proximal part (head) deposited within or near the ice margin and a 

distal part deposited farther away from the ice margin. Both grain size and ice-melt collapse 

3
 
deformation of beds decrease from the proximal to the distal part of each morphosequence. The 

head of each morphosequence is either ice marginal (ice contact) or near ice marginal. The surface 

altitude of fluvial sediments in each morphosequence was controlled by a specific base level, either 

a glacial-lake or marine water plane or a valley knickpoint. Few morphosequences extend distally 

more than 6 miles, and most are less than a mile in length. In any one basin, individual 

morphosequences were deposited sequentially as the ice margin retreated systematically northward. 

Consequently, in many places the distal, finer-grained facies of a younger morphosequence 

stratigraphically overlies the proximal, coarse-grained facies of a preceding morphosequence. 

Figure 2 shows the variability of sediment types in the subsurface of glacial stratified deposits. The 

figure schematically shows the relationship between coarse-grained deltaic deposits and extensive 

fine-grained lake (or marine) deposits in the subsurface. Such coarse- and fine-grained units are 

common in most of the valleys and lowlands of Massachusetts (Langer, 1979, Stone and others, 

1979; Stone and others, 1992; Stone and others, 2005). On these interim maps, coarse-grained and 

fine-grained textural variations within glacial stratified deposits are shown only where they occur at 

land surface. Subsurface textural variations are not shown. 

Figure 2. Block diagram illustrating the typical areal and vertical distribution of glacial and 

postglacial deposits overlying bedrock (modified from Stone and others, 1992). 

The areal distribution of till and stratified deposits is related to the physiography of the State 

(fig. 1). The thickness of these materials varies considerably within these regions because of such 

factors as the high relief of the bedrock surface, changing environments of deposition during 

deglaciation, and various effects of postglacial erosion and removal of glacial sediments. In 

highland areas, notably in the western and central regions, till is the major surficial material, which 

is present as a discontinuous mantle of variable thickness over the bedrock surface. Till is thickest 

in drumlins (reportedly as much as 230 ft thick) and on the northwest slopes of most bedrock hills. 

Glacial meltwater deposits that average 50 ft in thickness (Stone and others, 1993) overlie the till in 

small upland valleys and north-sloping basins between bedrock hills. Glacial stratified deposits are 

4
 
the predominant surficial materials in the Connecticut River valley, the northeastern and 

southeastern lowlands, and on Cape Cod and the islands. These deposits generally overlie till; 

however, well logs indicate that in some places till is not present and the stratified deposits lie 

directly on bedrock. On Cape Cod and the islands, in the southeastern lowland, and in parts of the 

Connecticut River valley, these deposits completely cover the till-draped bedrock surface. 

Postglacial deposits locally overlie the glacial deposits throughout the State. Alluvium 

underlies the floodplains of most streams and rivers. Swamps occur in low-lying, poorly drained 

areas in upland and lowland settings, but swamp deposits are shown only where they are estimated 

to be at least 3 ft thick. Salt-marsh and estuarine deposits are present mainly along the tidal portions 

of streams and rivers entering the offshore areas. Beach deposits occur along the shoreline. 

Description of Map Units 

Postglacial Deposits 

Artificial fill—Earth materials and manmade materials that have been artificially 

emplaced, primarily in highway and railroad embankments, and in dams; may also 

include landfills, urban development areas, and filled coastal wetlands. 

Floodplain alluvium—Sand, gravel, silt, and some organic material, stratified and 

well sorted to poorly sorted, beneath the floodplains of modern streams. The texture of 

alluvium commonly varies over short distances both laterally and vertically, and 

generally is similar to the texture of adjacent glacial deposits. Along smaller streams, 

alluvium is commonly less than 5 ft thick. The most extensive deposits of alluvium on 

the map are along the Blackstone, Mumford, Peters, and Ten Mile Rivers, where the 

texture is predominantly sand, fine gravel, and silt, and total thickness is as much as 

25 ft. Alluvium typically overlies thicker glacial stratified deposits. 

Swamp deposits—Organic muck and peat that contain minor amounts of sand, silt, 

and clay, stratified and poorly sorted, in kettle depressions or poorly drained areas. 

Swamp deposits are shown only where they are estimated to be at least 3 ft thick. 

Most swamp deposits are less than about 10 ft thick. Swamp deposits overlie glacial 

deposits or bedrock. They locally overlie glacial till even where they occur within thin 

glacial meltwater deposits. 

Glacial Stratified Deposits 

Sorted and stratified sediments composed of gravel, sand, silt, and clay (as defined in 

particle-size diagram, fig. 3) deposited in layers by glacial meltwater. These sediments occur as 

four basic textural units—gravel deposits, sand and gravel deposits, sand deposits, and fine 

deposits. On this interim surficial geologic map layer, gravel, sand and gravel, and sand deposits 

are not differentiated and are shown as Coarse Deposits where they occur at land surface. 

Glaciolacustrine Fine Deposits also are shown where they occur at land surface. Textural changes 

5
 
occur both areally and vertically (fig. 2), however subsurface textural variations are not 

shown on this interim map. 

Figure 3. Grain-size classification used in this report, modified from Wentworth (1922). 

. 

Coarse deposits include Gravel deposits composed of at least 50 percent gravel-sized 

clasts; cobbles and boulders predominate; minor amounts of sand within gravel beds, 

and sand comprises few separate layers. Gravel layers generally are poorly sorted and 

bedding commonly is distorted and faulted due to postdepositional collapse related to 

melting of ice. Sand and gravel deposits composed of mixtures of gravel and sand 

within individual layers and as alternating layers. Sand and gravel layers generally 

range from 25 to 50 percent gravel particles and from 50 to 75 percent sand particles. 

Layers are well to poorly sorted; bedding may be distorted and faulted due to 

postdepositional collapse. Sand deposits composed mainly of very coarse to fine sand, 

commonly in well-sorted layers. Coarser layers may contain up to 25 percent gravel 

particles, generally granules and pebbles; finer layers may contain some very fine 

sand, silt, and clay. 

Glaciolacustrine fine deposits include very fine sand, silt, and clay that occurs as 

well-sorted, thin layers of alternating silt and clay, or thicker layers of very fine sand 

and silt. Very fine sand commonly occurs at the surface and grades downward into 

rhythmically bedded silt and clay varves. Locally, this map unit may include areas 

underlain by fine sand. 

Glacial Till Deposits 

Thin till—Nonsorted, nonstratified matrix of sand, some silt, and little clay containing 

scattered gravel clasts and few large boulders; in areas where till is generally less than 

10 to 15 ft thick and including areas of bedrock outcrop where till is absent. 

Predominantly upper till of the last glaciation; loose to moderately compact, generally 

sandy, commonly stony. Two facies are present in some places: a looser, coarser 

grained ablation facies, melted out from supraglacial position; and an underlying more 

compact, finer grained lodgement facies deposited subglacially. In general, both 

ablation and lodgement facies of upper till derived from fine-grained bedrock are finer 

grained, more compact, less stony and have fewer surface boulders than upper till 

6
 
derived from coarse-grained crystalline rocks. Fine-grained bedrock sources include 

the red Mesozoic sedimentary rocks of the Connecticut River lowland, marble in the 

western river valleys, and fine-grained schists in upland areas. 

Thick till—Nonsorted, nonstratified matrix of sand, some silt, and little clay 

containing scattered gravel clasts and few large boulders at the surface; in the shallow 

subsurface, compact, nonsorted matrix of silt, very fine sand, and some clay 

containing scattered small gravel clasts in areas where till is greater than 10 to15 ft 

thick, chiefly in drumlin landforms in which till thickness commonly exceeds 100 ft 

(maximum recorded thickness is 230 ft). Although upper till is the surface deposit, the 

lower till constitutes the bulk of the material in these areas. Lower till is moderately to 

very compact and is commonly finer grained and less stony than upper till. An 

oxidized zone, the lower part of a soil profile formed during a period of interglacial 

weathering, is generally present in the upper part of the lower till. This zone 

commonly shows closely spaced joints that are stained with iron and manganese 

oxides. 

Bedrock Areas 

Bedrock outcrops and areas of abundant outcrop or shallow bedrock—Solid 

color shows extent of individual bedrock outcrops; line pattern indicates areas of 

shallow bedrock or areas where small outcrops are too numerous to map individually; 

in areas of shallow bedrock, surficial materials are less than 5 to10 ft thick. These 

units are not mapped consistently among all quadrangles; see Appendix for level of 

bedrock outcrop mapping in each quadrangle. 

Map Compilation 

This compilation is the fourth in a series of interim products and shows surficial geology in 

an area of nine 7.5-minute quadrangles in south-central Massachusetts: Worcester North, Worcester 

South, Oxford, Uxbridge, Blackstone, Franklin, Wrentham, Attleboro, and Pawtucket (fig. 4, fig. 5 

area D). Figure 5 shows all of the compilation areas for surficial geology in Massachusetts. These 

surficial geologic map layers will be produced sequentially by letter designation. 

The surficial geologic map layer was compiled in several steps: 

1) Paper copies of the published surficial geologic maps for two quadrangles were scanned 

and georeferenced by MassGIS. 

2)	 The Office of the Massachusetts State Geologist vectorized the georeferenced images in 

order to digitally retain the original line work of the published maps (Mabee and others, 

2004). 

3) Digital geologic map units were compiled and grouped into nine basic units in four 

broader categories: Postglacial deposits including artificial fill, swamp deposits, and 

floodplain alluvium; glacial stratified deposits including coarse-grained and 

glaciolacustrine fine-grained deposits; glacial till including thin till and thick till 

(drumlins); and bedrock areas including outcrops and areas of shallow bedrock. The 

7
 
distribution of glacial stratified deposits beneath adjacent overlying postglacial deposits 

and water bodies was inferred by the compilers. 

4)	 The same basic units for seven unpublished quadrangles were compiled and digitized 

from scanned field maps by U.S. Geological Survey personnel. 

5) The nine individual quadrangles maps were joined and edge-matched in order to form a 

seamless digital geologic map layer. Discrepancies along quadrangle boundaries were 

resolved, and thick till areas were added by the compilers in quadrangles where this unit 

was not previously mapped. 

Figure 4. USGS 7.5-minute, 1:24,000-scale quadrangles in this compilation. Sheet numbers refer to 

Adobe PDF map files of individual quadrangles. 

8
 
All geologic mapping was completed at 1:24,000 scale. The 1:24,000-scale, 10-ft contour 

interval topographic base maps used for this mapping effort are included as part of the digital data 

package in the 24k_basemaps folder. The GIS folder included with this report contains 3 ArcGIS 

shapefiles, which are geologic units that each cover the entire map area, and are intended for use at 

quadrangle scale; the shapefiles can be clipped by quadrangle or town boundaries. Unlike 

conventional geologic maps, the digital mapping is arranged in layers according to superposition. 

The till-bedrock shapefile should be placed on the bottom, and overlain by the stratified deposits 

shapefile; these materials are shown everywhere that they occur including beneath postglacial 

deposits, such as swamp deposits, floodplain alluvium, and water bodies. The postglacial shapefile 

should be placed on top because these materials overlie the other two layers. Instructions for using 

the digital files are included in the README file and metadata. 

In addition to the seamless digital layers that cover the entire compilation area, Adobe PDF 

map files of the surficial geology layers shown with 1:24,000-scale topographic base map images 

have been generated for each quadrangle (see Sheets 1-8, fig 4.). The small part of the Pawtucket 

quadrangle that lies in Massachusetts is included with the Attleboro quadrangle (Sheet 8). 

Figure 5. Compilation areas in Massachusetts. Letters represent sections in Open-File Report 

2006-1260. Published sections are available online at http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2006/1260/.

9
 
References Cited 

Barosh, P.J., 1976, Preliminary bedrock geologic map of the Oxford quadrangle, Massachusetts, 

Connecticut, and Rhode Island: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 76-622, scale 

1:24,000. 

Chute, N.E., 1949, Surficial geology of the Pawtucket quadrangle, Rhode Island-Massachusetts: 

U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Quadrangle Map GQ-2, scale 1:24,000. 

Jahns, R.H, 1941, Outwash chronology in northeastern Massachusetts (abs.): Geological Society of 

America Bulletin, v. 52, no. 12, pt. 2, p. 1910. 

Jahns, R.H, 1953, Surficial geology of the Ayer quadrangle, Massachusetts: U.S. Geological 

Survey Geologic Quadrangle Map GQ-21, scale 1:31,680. 

Koteff, Carl, 1966, Surficial geologic map of the Clinton quadrangle, Worcester County, 

Massachusetts: U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Quadrangle Map GQ-567, scale 1:24,000. 

Koteff, Carl, 1974, The morphologic sequence concept and deglaciation of southern New England, 

in Coates, D.R., ed., Glacial geomorphology: Binghamton, N.Y., State University of New York, 

Publications in Geomorphology, p. 121-144. 

Koteff, Carl, and Pessl, Fred, Jr., 1981, Systematic ice retreat in New England: U.S. Geological 

Survey Professional Paper 1179, 20 p. 

Langer, W.H., 1979, Map showing distribution and thickness of the principal fine-grained deposits, 

Connecticut Valley urban area, central New England: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous 

Investigations Series Map 1074-C, scale 1:125,000. 

Larson, G.J., and Stone, B.D., eds., 1982, Late Wisconsinan glaciation of New England: Dubuque, 

Iowa, Kendall/Hunt, 252 p. 

Lyons, P.C., 1977, Report on the bedrock geology of the Narragansett basin, Massachusetts and 

Rhode Island, U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-816, 42 p., 24 pls., scale 1:31,250. 

Mabee, S.B., Stone, B.D., and Stone, J.R., 2004, Precise conversion of paper geologic maps to 

value-added digital products: the Massachusetts method for surficial geology: Geological Society 

of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 36, no. 2, p. 78. 

MassGIS, Office of Geographic and Environmental Information, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 

Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, 1999, Statewide surficial geology data layer, vector 

digital data available at http://www.mass.gov/mgis/sg.htm. 

McKniff, J.M., 1964, The petrology of the southern half of the Blackstone quadrangle, 

Massachusetts and Rhode Island: Brown University, unpub. M.S. thesis, 37 p, 1:24,000 scale. 

Newton, R.M., 1978, Stratigraphy and structure of some New England tills: Amherst, 

Massachusetts, University of Massachusetts, unpub. Ph.D. thesis, 241 p. 

Oldale, R.N., and Barlow, R.A., 1986, Geologic map of Cape Cod and the Islands, Massachusetts; 

U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Investigations Map I-1763, scale 1:100,000. 

Oldale, R.N., Valentine, P.C., Cronin, T.M., Spiker, E.C., Blackwelder, B.W., Belknap, D.F., 

Wehmiller, J.F., and Szabo, B.J., 1982, Stratigraphy, structure, absolute age, and paleontology of 

10
 
the upper Pleistocene deposits at Sankaty Head, Nantucket Island, Massachusetts: Geology, v. 

10, no. 5, p. 246-252. 

Page, L.R., 1967, The role of the United States Geological Survey in Massachusetts, in Farquhar, 

O.C., ed., Economic geology in Massachusetts: Boston, University of Massachusetts, p. 9-28. 

Schafer, J.P., and Hartshorn, J.H., 1965, The Quaternary of New England, in Wright, H.E., Jr., and 

Frey, D.G., eds., The Quaternary of the United States: Princeton, N.J., Princeton University 

Press, p. 113-128. 

Stone, B.D., 1980, Surficial geologic map of the Worcester North quadrangle and part of the 

Paxton quadrangle, Worcester County, Massachusetts: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous 

Investigations Series Map I-1158, scale 1:24,000. 

Stone, B.D., 1982, The Massachusetts state surficial geology map, in Farquhar, O.C., ed., 

Geotechnology in Massachusetts: Boston, University of Massachusetts, p. 11-27. 

Stone, B.D., Beinikis, A.I., and Foster, Richard, 1993, Sand and gravel resources of Massachusetts: 

Boston, Massachusetts, New England Governors' Conference, 2 map sheets, scale 1:250,000. 

Stone, B.D., and Borns, H.W., Jr., 1986, Pleistocene glacial and interglacial stratigraphy of New 

England, Long Island, and adjacent Georges Bank and Gulf of Maine, in Sibrava, Vladimir, 

Bowen, D.Q., and Richmond, G.M., eds., Quaternary Glaciations in the Northern Hemisphere: 

Quaternary Science Reviews, v. 5, p. 39-52. 

Stone, J.R., London, E. H., and Langer, W.H., 1979, Map showing textures of unconsolidated 

materials, Connecticut Valley urban area, central New England: U.S. Geological Survey 

Miscellaneous Investigations Series I-1074-B, scale 1:125,000. 

Stone, J.R., Schafer, J.P., London, E.H., and Thompson, W.B., 1992, Surficial materials map of 

Connecticut: U.S. Geological Survey Special Map, scale 1:125,000. 

Stone, J.R., Schafer, J.P., London, E.H., DiGiacomo-Cohen, M.L., Lewis, R.L., and Thompson, 

W.B., 2005, Quaternary geologic map of Connecticut and Long Island Sound Basin: U.S. 

Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map SIM-2784, 1:125,000 scale, 2 sheets, and 

accompanying explanatory pamphlet. 

Warren, C.R., and Stone, B.D., 1986, Deglaciation stratigraphy, mode and timing of the eastern 

flank of the Hudson-Champlain lobe in western Massachusetts, in D.H. Cadwell, ed., The 

Wisconsinan Stage of the First Geological District, eastern New York: New York State Museum 

Bulletin, v. 455, p. 168-192. 

Weddle, T.K., Stone, B.D., Thompson, W.B., Retelle, M.J., Caldwell, D.W., and Clinch, J.M., 

1989, Illinoian and Late Wisconsinan Tills in eastern New England: A transect from northeastern 

Massachusetts to west-central Maine, Trip A-2, in Berry, A.W., Jr., ed., Guidebook for field trips 

in southern and west-central Maine: New England Intercollegiate Geological Conference, p. 25­

85. 

Wentworth, C.K., 1922, A scale of grade and class terms for clastic sediments: Journal of Geology, 

v. 30, no. 5, p. 377-392. 

11
 
Appendix 

Sources of Data by 7.5-Minute Quadrangle 

Worcester North Quadrangle 

Map units were reproduced from Stone (1980). Glacial Stratified Deposits in this quadrangle 

include deposits of glacial Lake Nashua, and other glaciofluvial and glaciolacustrine deposits. 

Thick till areas were reproduced from the drumlin till unit (Qtd of Stone, 1980) and the mixed-till 

unit (Qtm of Stone, 1980); other areas of thick till were inferred from photographic image and 

topographic analysis. In the Worcester North quadrangle the red line pattern indicates large areas of 

abundant outcrops where surficial deposits are 3 m or less thick. 

Worcester South Quadrangle 

Haselton, G.M., and Stone, B.D., 1982, unpublished field maps. Bedrock outcrops from Dixon, 

H.R., 1977, unpublished field maps. Additional bedrock outcrops and shallow bedrock areas are 

present, particularly in locations with thin till, steep slopes, and irregular topography. Some 

postglacial units mapped using 2005 orthophoto images. 

Oxford Quadrangle 

Stone, B.D., 1982, unpublished field maps. Distribution of bedrock outcrops from Barosh (1976 

and 2005, unpublished map). Additional bedrock outcrops and shallow bedrock areas are present, 

particularly in locations with thin till, steep slopes, and irregular topography. Some postglacial units 

mapped using 2005 orthophoto images. 

Uxbridge Quadrangle 

Haselton, G.M., and Fontaine, E., 1982, unpublished field maps. Bedrock outcrops from Dixon, 

H.R., 1977, unpublished field maps. Additional bedrock outcrops and shallow bedrock areas are 

present, particularly in locations with thin till, steep slopes, and irregular topography. Some 

postglacial units mapped using 2005 orthophoto images. 

Blackstone Quadrangle 

Haselton, G.M., and Fontaine, E., 1982, unpublished field maps. Most bedrock outcrops in the 

northern portion of the quadrangle are from Shaw, C.E., Jr., 1966, unpublished field map. Most 

bedrock outcrops in the southern portion of the quadrangle are from McKniff (1964). Additional 

outcrops from Goldsmith, R., unpublished field maps. Additional bedrock outcrops and shallow 

bedrock areas are present particularly in areas of thin till with steep slopes and irregular 

topography. Some postglacial units mapped using 2005 orthophoto images. 

Franklin Quadrangle 

Stone, B.D., 1982, unpublished field maps. Bedrock outcrops from Lyons (1977), and Goldsmith, 

R., unpublished field maps. Additional bedrock outcrops and shallow bedrock areas are present, 

particularly in locations with thin till, steep slopes, and irregular topography. Some postglacial units 

mapped using 2005 orthophoto images. 

12
 
Wrentham Quadrangle 

Stone, B.D., 1982, unpublished field maps. Some postglacial units mapped using 2005 orthophoto 

images. 

Attleboro Quadrangle 

Stone, B.D., 1982, unpublished field maps. Additional bedrock outcrops and shallow bedrock areas 

are present, particularly in locations with thin till, steep slopes, and irregular topography. Some 

postglacial units mapped using 2005 orthophoto images. 

Pawtucket Quadrangle 

Map units were reproduced from Chute (1949); Glacial Stratified Deposits in this quadrangle 

include glaciofluvial and glaciolacustrine deposits. 

13