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#           Northeast Bedrock Mapping Project      

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      By Florence Bascom Geoscience Center      September 20, 2018    

            -              Overview           
            -              Data           
            -              Maps           
            -              Publications           
            -              Partners           

The Northeast Bedrock Mapping Project consists of scientists conducting geologic mapping and scientific research of complexly deformed crystalline igneous and metamorphic rocks in the Northeastern United States. Current mapping activities are focused in New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, and New York. The Project produces high-quality, multi-purpose digital geologic maps and accompanying databases and reports to solve diverse problems in high-priority areas. The research is part of a Federal component of the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program called FEDMAP. FEDMAP geologic mapping advances nationwide geologic mapping and associated research as mandated by the National Geologic Mapping Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-285). The FEDMAP program produces world-class digital geologic maps and 3D framework models based on state-of-the art observation and scientific interpretation directed by high priority national issues.

View Media Details

The goal of this project is to produce high quality 1:24,000-scale bedrock geologic maps that improve our understanding of crystalline bedrock in the Northeast United States. New mapping is focused in areas where limited detailed or modern mapping exists. The new maps contribute to framework studies to help characterize the distribution or mineral resources and address outstanding questions about the tectonic evolution of mountain belts and the behavior of groundwater and groundwater contaminants in fractured rock. The large scale geologic maps include detailed fracture information that can be used to characterize the recharge potential of bedrock lithologies and identify potential pathways for groundwater and contaminant flow. Geologic mapping activities are supported by modern geochemistry and geochronology in scientifically appropriate areas.

The project concentrates its mapping activities in selected areas such that they serve a five-fold purpose: 1) conduct modern mapping for mineral resource potential, 2) answer outstanding questions on the nature and timing of the tectonic evolution and framework of metamorphic and igneous rocks, 3) improve our understanding of the distribution, flow paths, and contaminant sources of groundwater in fractured bedrock, 4) maximize the production of geologic maps and associated computer databases, and 5) educate and train a new generation of bedrock mappers.

### Contacts

#### Gregory Walsh

##### Research Geologist

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

gwalsh@usgs.gov

802-828-4528

### Explore Search

                      - Geologic Mapping
                      - Geophysics
                      - Geology
                      - geologic mapping
                      - bedrock

View All **

Below are data release products associated with this project.

September 9, 2021

####                 Data release for depth to bedrock derived from Hydrogeology of Southeastern Connecticut by Melvin (1974)              

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

April 14, 2021

####                 Data release for depth to bedrock from Connecticut Water Resources Bulletins              

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

April 6, 2021

####                 Data release for depth to bedrock from Rhode Island Water Resources Maps              

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

September 30, 2020

####                 Photoluminescence Imaging of Whole Zircon Grains on a Petrographic Microscope - An Underused Aide for Geochronologic Studies              

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Bascom ARgon Dating (BARD) Laboratory

May 21, 2020

####                 Electron microprobe analyses of feldspars and petrographic, geochemical, and geochronologic data from the Hawkeye Granite Gneiss and Lyon Mountain Granite Gneiss in the Adirondacks of New York (ver. 2.0, May 2023)              

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Bascom ARgon Dating (BARD) Laboratory

October 28, 2022

####                 Bedrock geologic map of the Crown Point quadrangle, Essex County, New York, and Addison County, Vermont              

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

December 22, 2020

####                 Bedrock geologic map of the Springfield 7.5- x 15-minute quadrangle, Windsor County, Vermont, and Sullivan County, New Hampshire              

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

April 17, 2020

####                 Bedrock geologic map of the Mount Ascutney 7.5- x 15-minute quadrangle, Windsor County, Vermont, and Sullivan County, New Hampshire              

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

August 16, 2016

####                 Bedrock geologic map of the Hartland and North Hartland quadrangles, Windsor County, Vermont, and Sullivan and Grafton Counties, New Hampshire              

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Below are publications associated with this project.

February 25, 2022

####                 An apparent dip calculator for spreadsheets              

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

June 21, 2021

####                 Age and tectonic setting of the Quinebaug-Marlboro belt and implications for the history of Ganderian crustal fragments in southeastern New England, USA              

Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

October 14, 2020

####                 Integrated geophysical imaging of rare-earth-element-bearing iron oxide-apatite deposits in the eastern Adirondack Highlands, New York              

Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center

October 1, 2020

####                 Photoluminescence imaging of whole zircon grains on a petrographic microscope—An underused aide for geochronologic studies              

The refractory nature of zircon to temperature and pressure allows even a single zircon grain to preserve a rich history of magmatic, metamorphic, and hydrothermal processes. Isotopic dating of micro-domains exposed in cross-sections of zircon grains allows us to interrogate this history. Unfortunately, our ability to select the zircon grains in a heavy mineral concentrate that records the most ge

Energy Resources Program, Volcano Hazards Program, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Volcano Science Center, Bascom ARgon Dating (BARD) Laboratory

December 11, 2019

####                 Geochronology of the Oliverian Plutonic Suite and the Ammonoosuc Volcanics in the Bronson Hill arc: Western New Hampshire, USA              

U-Pb zircon geochronology by sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe–reverse geometry (SHRIMP-RG) on 11 plutonic rocks and two volcanic rocks from the Bronson Hill arc in western New Hampshire yielded Early to Late Ordovician ages ranging from 475 to 445 Ma. Ages from Oliverian Plutonic Suite rocks that intrude a largely mafic lower section of the Ammonoosuc Volcanics ranged from 474.8 ± 5.2 to 4

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Bascom ARgon Dating (BARD) Laboratory

December 1, 2019

####                 Geochemistry and geophysics of iron oxide-apatite deposits and associated waste piles with implications for potential rare earth element resources from ore and historic mine waste in the eastern Adirondack Highlands, New York, USA              

Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

March 29, 2019

####                 Syn-collisional exhumation of hot middle crust in the Adirondack Mountains (New York, USA): Implications for extensional orogenesis in the southern Grenville province              

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Bascom ARgon Dating (BARD) Laboratory, Reston Electron Microbeam Laboratory

June 13, 2018

####                 Bedrock geologic map of the Littleton and Lower Waterford quadrangles, Essex and Caledonia Counties, Vermont, and Grafton County, New Hampshire              

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

April 20, 2018

####                 Bedrock geologic map of the Lisbon quadrangle, and parts of the Sugar Hill and East Haverhill quadrangles, Grafton County, New Hampshire              

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

April 20, 2018

####                 Bedrock geologic map of the Miles Pond and Concord quadrangles, Essex and Caledonia Counties, Vermont, and Grafton County, New Hampshire              

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

October 1, 2017

####                 A transect through Vermont’s most famous volcano – Mount Ascutney: GSNH Summer 2017 Field Trip              

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

October 1, 2016

####                 Reaction softening by dissolution–precipitation creep in a retrograde greenschist facies ductile shear zone, New Hampshire, USA              

We describe strain localization by a mixed process of reaction and microstructural softening in a lower greenschist facies ductile fault zone that transposes and replaces middle to upper amphibolite facies fabrics and mineral assemblages in the host schist of the Littleton Formation near Claremont, New Hampshire. Here, Na-poor muscovite and chlorite progressively replace first staurolite, then gar

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Bascom ARgon Dating (BARD) Laboratory

Below are partners associated with this project.

#### Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Connecticut Geological Survey

#### Maine Geological Survey

#### Massachusetts Geological Survey

#### New York State Geological Survey (NYSGS) - Geologic Research Centers, NY State Museum

#### Rhode Island Geological Survey

#### University of Massachusetts (UMass) Amherst

#### Vermont Geological Survey

The Northeast Bedrock Mapping Project consists of scientists conducting geologic mapping and scientific research of complexly deformed crystalline igneous and metamorphic rocks in the Northeastern United States. Current mapping activities are focused in New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, and New York. The Project produces high-quality, multi-purpose digital geologic maps and accompanying databases and reports to solve diverse problems in high-priority areas. The research is part of a Federal component of the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program called FEDMAP. FEDMAP geologic mapping advances nationwide geologic mapping and associated research as mandated by the National Geologic Mapping Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-285). The FEDMAP program produces world-class digital geologic maps and 3D framework models based on state-of-the art observation and scientific interpretation directed by high priority national issues.

View Media Details

The goal of this project is to produce high quality 1:24,000-scale bedrock geologic maps that improve our understanding of crystalline bedrock in the Northeast United States. New mapping is focused in areas where limited detailed or modern mapping exists. The new maps contribute to framework studies to help characterize the distribution or mineral resources and address outstanding questions about the tectonic evolution of mountain belts and the behavior of groundwater and groundwater contaminants in fractured rock. The large scale geologic maps include detailed fracture information that can be used to characterize the recharge potential of bedrock lithologies and identify potential pathways for groundwater and contaminant flow. Geologic mapping activities are supported by modern geochemistry and geochronology in scientifically appropriate areas.

The project concentrates its mapping activities in selected areas such that they serve a five-fold purpose: 1) conduct modern mapping for mineral resource potential, 2) answer outstanding questions on the nature and timing of the tectonic evolution and framework of metamorphic and igneous rocks, 3) improve our understanding of the distribution, flow paths, and contaminant sources of groundwater in fractured bedrock, 4) maximize the production of geologic maps and associated computer databases, and 5) educate and train a new generation of bedrock mappers.

### Contacts

#### Gregory Walsh

##### Research Geologist

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

gwalsh@usgs.gov

802-828-4528

### Explore Search

                      - Geologic Mapping
                      - Geophysics
                      - Geology
                      - geologic mapping
                      - bedrock

View All **

Below are data release products associated with this project.

September 9, 2021

####                 Data release for depth to bedrock derived from Hydrogeology of Southeastern Connecticut by Melvin (1974)              

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

April 14, 2021

####                 Data release for depth to bedrock from Connecticut Water Resources Bulletins              

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

April 6, 2021

####                 Data release for depth to bedrock from Rhode Island Water Resources Maps              

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

September 30, 2020

####                 Photoluminescence Imaging of Whole Zircon Grains on a Petrographic Microscope - An Underused Aide for Geochronologic Studies              

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Bascom ARgon Dating (BARD) Laboratory

May 21, 2020

####                 Electron microprobe analyses of feldspars and petrographic, geochemical, and geochronologic data from the Hawkeye Granite Gneiss and Lyon Mountain Granite Gneiss in the Adirondacks of New York (ver. 2.0, May 2023)              

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Bascom ARgon Dating (BARD) Laboratory

October 28, 2022

####                 Bedrock geologic map of the Crown Point quadrangle, Essex County, New York, and Addison County, Vermont              

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

December 22, 2020

####                 Bedrock geologic map of the Springfield 7.5- x 15-minute quadrangle, Windsor County, Vermont, and Sullivan County, New Hampshire              

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

April 17, 2020

####                 Bedrock geologic map of the Mount Ascutney 7.5- x 15-minute quadrangle, Windsor County, Vermont, and Sullivan County, New Hampshire              

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

August 16, 2016

####                 Bedrock geologic map of the Hartland and North Hartland quadrangles, Windsor County, Vermont, and Sullivan and Grafton Counties, New Hampshire              

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Below are publications associated with this project.

February 25, 2022

####                 An apparent dip calculator for spreadsheets              

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

June 21, 2021

####                 Age and tectonic setting of the Quinebaug-Marlboro belt and implications for the history of Ganderian crustal fragments in southeastern New England, USA              

Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

October 14, 2020

####                 Integrated geophysical imaging of rare-earth-element-bearing iron oxide-apatite deposits in the eastern Adirondack Highlands, New York              

Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center

October 1, 2020

####                 Photoluminescence imaging of whole zircon grains on a petrographic microscope—An underused aide for geochronologic studies              

The refractory nature of zircon to temperature and pressure allows even a single zircon grain to preserve a rich history of magmatic, metamorphic, and hydrothermal processes. Isotopic dating of micro-domains exposed in cross-sections of zircon grains allows us to interrogate this history. Unfortunately, our ability to select the zircon grains in a heavy mineral concentrate that records the most ge

Energy Resources Program, Volcano Hazards Program, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Volcano Science Center, Bascom ARgon Dating (BARD) Laboratory

December 11, 2019

####                 Geochronology of the Oliverian Plutonic Suite and the Ammonoosuc Volcanics in the Bronson Hill arc: Western New Hampshire, USA              

U-Pb zircon geochronology by sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe–reverse geometry (SHRIMP-RG) on 11 plutonic rocks and two volcanic rocks from the Bronson Hill arc in western New Hampshire yielded Early to Late Ordovician ages ranging from 475 to 445 Ma. Ages from Oliverian Plutonic Suite rocks that intrude a largely mafic lower section of the Ammonoosuc Volcanics ranged from 474.8 ± 5.2 to 4

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Bascom ARgon Dating (BARD) Laboratory

December 1, 2019

####                 Geochemistry and geophysics of iron oxide-apatite deposits and associated waste piles with implications for potential rare earth element resources from ore and historic mine waste in the eastern Adirondack Highlands, New York, USA              

Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

March 29, 2019

####                 Syn-collisional exhumation of hot middle crust in the Adirondack Mountains (New York, USA): Implications for extensional orogenesis in the southern Grenville province              

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Bascom ARgon Dating (BARD) Laboratory, Reston Electron Microbeam Laboratory

June 13, 2018

####                 Bedrock geologic map of the Littleton and Lower Waterford quadrangles, Essex and Caledonia Counties, Vermont, and Grafton County, New Hampshire              

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

April 20, 2018

####                 Bedrock geologic map of the Lisbon quadrangle, and parts of the Sugar Hill and East Haverhill quadrangles, Grafton County, New Hampshire              

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

April 20, 2018

####                 Bedrock geologic map of the Miles Pond and Concord quadrangles, Essex and Caledonia Counties, Vermont, and Grafton County, New Hampshire              

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

October 1, 2017

####                 A transect through Vermont’s most famous volcano – Mount Ascutney: GSNH Summer 2017 Field Trip              

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

October 1, 2016

####                 Reaction softening by dissolution–precipitation creep in a retrograde greenschist facies ductile shear zone, New Hampshire, USA              

We describe strain localization by a mixed process of reaction and microstructural softening in a lower greenschist facies ductile fault zone that transposes and replaces middle to upper amphibolite facies fabrics and mineral assemblages in the host schist of the Littleton Formation near Claremont, New Hampshire. Here, Na-poor muscovite and chlorite progressively replace first staurolite, then gar

Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Bascom ARgon Dating (BARD) Laboratory

Below are partners associated with this project.

#### Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Connecticut Geological Survey

#### Maine Geological Survey

#### Massachusetts Geological Survey

#### New York State Geological Survey (NYSGS) - Geologic Research Centers, NY State Museum

#### Rhode Island Geological Survey

#### University of Massachusetts (UMass) Amherst

#### Vermont Geological Survey