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Valley Quarry |
 Fairfield
plant is a very interesting quarry. The conglomerate exposed here is
probably of Early Paleozoic age, but is surrounded by Triassic and
Mesozoic rocks. This would be called a window, where a geologist can
see down through the surface rock into older strata. Apparently, the
rocks of the Gettysburg basin here were weathered away showing the
older formation. Can anyone tell me the theories why "quarry water"
always looks bluish-green?
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Sideling
Hill |
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Sideling
Hill along Interstate 68 ,
west of Hancock, Maryland is a a classical example of a syncline.
Thanks to the State of Maryland for utilizing this resource. They
constructed an informational center with wonderful exhibits centered
around the geology of the roadcut. Since Jones Geological Services
specializes in educational geology, our hats go off to all concerned
in operating the information center. For information on the geology
of Sideling Hill go here. |
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Chickies Rock in
Lancaster County |
 Chickies
Rock in Lancaster County is one of the most famous anticlines
exposed in the northeastern United States. Now a part of Chickies
Rock County Park, the stratigraphy and structure of the exposure has
been studied by thousands of students. It is also here that the
trace fossil, Scolithus, was discovered by a Mr. Halderman who sent
a sample to Charles Darwin for identification. Photo on right
credited to Bill Greenawalt. |
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| White Rocks |
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White
Rocks, located in Cumberland County south of Boiling Springs
contains a great continuous exposure of the Antietam Formation
quartzite. The rock is Cambrian in age by the presence of Scolithus
work borings. White Rocks is found at the northern terminus of
"South Mountain" and the
 Blue
Ridge Mountains. During the winter months, this location provides a
nice scenic view of the Cumberland Valley. White Rocks is situated
only about 0.25 mile from the Appalachian Trail and Center Point
Knob. |
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"Waffle Rock" |
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 "Waffle
Rock" found on the property of Jennings Randolph Lake in Garrett
County, Maryland was a stop on Jeri and Lou Ann's vacation this
summer. They had heard about the rock from friends of theirs and
after a 1-hour search of the area, they finally discovered its
location. The rock is a sandstone of Pennsylvanian age. During the
upheaval of the Appalachian Orogeny, this rock was fractured. The
"waffle" pattern is controlled by four separate sets of joints. The
joints are filled-in with hematite, thus being more resistant to
erosion than the surrounding sandstone. Standing about 7-feet tall,
the rock is on display near the dam of the reservoir. |
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Pennsylvanian-aged
fern fossils |
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Near St. Clair, Pennsylvania is the only
site in the only site in the world where Pennsylvanian-aged fern
fossils and wood imprints
 can
be found with a white coating. The area once hosted many fossil
collectors looking for those museum-quality specimens. Today, the
site is closed to collecting according to officials at the Reading
Anthracite Company, the owners of the property. |
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