New Britain herald., 1927-07-02
SEAS Once SWEPT |.
OVER new BRITAIN
And ABlh. Land Wm Once Like
ROCKY Mountains

TIE Atlantic oesaa once sbNsd and
Aowsd ever what - now New Brit
ain. Al another time the land in
this vicinity was thousands Of feet
above the sea and was as mountain
Gus AZ the district about the Rockies
today. Molten lava flowed over the
earth here on at least three separ-
AtA occa-.ons. These are but the
three outstanding facts revealed by
= search into the geological past OF
New Britain and vicinity. and in
between them other momentous
changes took place, changes which
have left their imprint upon the
landscape even to today. A survey
OF the geologic history Of the section
shows constantly altering conditions
and leads inevitably to the discovery
that even now the topography OF
Connecticut is not stable but Is slow
ly changing as the days. the weeks.
and the years go by.
These changes are evidenced by
traces still visible today. To the
geologist every rock. every bed OF
sand, every hill. every claypit has its
meaning and opens whole volume
OF tho earth's history. The various
strata of rock have been classified
by their chemical composition. their
mechanical makeup. the fossils
found In them. and many other
means. So far as Is known New
Britain itself has never produced
any fossils, but others have been
found in other parts OF the state i'm
bedded in the same rock formations
as are found here. The other evil
dences are patent to even the ANA
teur geologist in this city. and by
their mute testimony it is possible
TO trace back some 100000 years.
The first glimpse we have OF this
region is In what is known as the
Permian period OF the Paleozoic age.
which opened about 80 millions OF
years ago. All records previous to
then have been wiped out, all ear
lier rock and soil washed away. But
in the Permian time. when plants
were first becoming thick on the
land and when animals were first
daring to creep out OF the tidal
waters to breathe air In their new
amphibian existence. this entire sec
ton was covered by lofty mountains
which are called the New England
Alps. They were formed by the
folding of older rocks, resulting in
complex rocks known as "schists"
and "gneisses." These form the
basic rock OF New England; they are
not now visible in New Britain but
are readily discernible in highlands
in the eastern and western parts OF
tho state. Some Of these mountains
were VOLCANOES, for the hot molten
rock was forced upward as mag
mas and poured over the earth in
the form OF lava.
The mountain making ceased
some 100000 years ago and rain
and rivers began to cut them down
during what is known as the Trias-
sic period. This period lasted some
12.000700O years, during the early
part of which the mountains were
completely washed away and the
land was reduced to a peneplain (al-
most a plain). Then came another
period OF change. A great fault or
crack opened In the earth in east
crn Connecticut, and the land west
OF 1t began to sink. AS it did SO the
rivers carried in deposits from the
regions left elevated, and these
sandstone deposits in places are as
much as three miles deep. They
contained much feldspar and mica,
along with iron: the last became
oxidized by exposure to the air and
10 tho cause OF the dominant red
color OF the soil in this section.
Oxidation is the technical name for
rusting.
: The ocean had eaten a great dis
lance into Connecticut. and in the
tidal fats which marked the edges
OF its incursions were deposited the
finer soil eroded from the highlands.
These formed the numerous clay
pits Of this vicinity. their tidal origin
being attested by the evidences of
sun baking and cracking found in
them. At three separate times dur
ing this period great assures opened
in the earth's crust and huge sheets
OF lava spread out over Connecticut,
the second and largest one being
several hundred feet thick; it is this
lava which forms many Of the hills
of central Connecticut and which
now. as trap rock is quarried and
used for road making.
Then these successive layers of
and trap were broken.
faulted, and uplifted. Great block
were formed. some OF
them probably reaching the clouds.
Each block was elevated more on its
western side than on the eastern,
the result being the westward pros
pect Of the Trinity escarpment in
Cedar mountain in New
inston, Sunset rock in Plainville.
and many others. In New Jersey
the movement was greater toward
the east and caused the Palisades.
All Of this was 100000 or more
years ago in the Jurassic period.
when dinosaurs and other reptiles
were the highest forms of life exist
ing upon the earth. Their remains
have been found at Portland and
other places in the state.
The block mountains were eroded
away to q great extent, and then,
in what Is known as the Cretaceous
period. the whole of New England
was warped along an axis which ran
roughly through where Boston and
New York are now located. South
Of this the land sank, and the soil
carried by the rivers from the rising
lands to the north built up great
deltas into the Atlantic ocean. The
weight OF this added soil FASTENED
the sinking. and gradually the sea
came in again, covering New Eng