Tectonic Setting of the Northern Part of the Green Mountain Massif, Vermont

Guidebook for field trips in Vermont: New England Intercollegiate Geological Conference, 79th annual meeting, October 16, 17 and 18, 1987: Trips C-

Disparate Paths in the Geologic Evolution of the Northern and Southern Appalachians: A Case for Inherited Contrasting Crustal/Lithospheric Substrates

Modern understanding of the tectonic evolution of the Appalachian orogen allows for recognition of most of the first-order lithotectonic elements and events of the mountain belt. Comparison of these features and events along the length of the orogen indicates that the northern and southern segments display distinct first-order differences.  Contrasts between these segments existed from the onset of the Appalachian cycle. It has been recognized that Mesoproterozoic basement rock types south of approximately Pennsylvania are different from those to the north and more recently it has been shown that basement rocks in each area display distinct Nd and Pb isotopic signatures. Also, an early, ca. 770–680 Ma, Cryogenian stage of rifting is recorded in the southern Appalachians, but is not documented in the northern part of the orogen. During the Paleozoic Appalachian cycle, the accretion of peri-Gondwanan terranes was partitioned; Carolinia and Suwannee are confined to the southern Appalachians, and Ganderia, Avalonia, and Meguma to the northern Appalachians. Consequential to this partitioning, associated magmatism and some of the attendant tectonism is asymmetrically distributed between the two segments of the orogen. The terminal Appalachian collisional event, the Carboniferous Alleghanian orogeny, is distinctly different in the two segments of the orogen. The volumes of Alleghanian magmatic rocks in the northern and southern Appalachians are distributed asymmetrically and Carboniferous tectonic styles contrast sharply between the two regions. In addition, there is a modern first-order topographic change in the foreland of the orogeny. The southern foreland is characterized by a continuous, elevated plateau, whereas north of the New York promontory, foreland topography is more varied.    Throughout the Appalachian cycle, all of these varied first-order changes occur in the vicinity of the New York promontory, suggesting that the promontory represents an enduring, fundamental boundary in the orogen. The nature and duration of differences between the northern and southern segments of the orogen indicate that this boundary was not an extrinsic ephemeral feature, such as a plate triple junction or hot spot. Rather, we suggest that an intrinsic difference in the Laurentian crustal/lithospheric(?) substrate present from the outset of the Appalachian cycle, as reflected by contrasts in the Mesoproterozoic basement in each segment, could be the root cause of these significant contrasts.SOMMAIREL’état actuel des connaissances sur l’évolution tectonique de l’orogène appalachien nous permet de reconnaître la plupart des éléments et des événements lithotectoniques de premier niveau de la chaîne de montagnes.  La comparaison de ces caractéristiques et événements tout au long de l'orogène permet de distinguer des différences  de premier ordre entre les segments nord et sud.  Des contrastes entre ces segments ont existé depuis le début des Appalaches.  Il a été reconnu que les roches de type socle du Mésoprotérozoïque à partir du sud de la Pennsylvanie environ, diffèrent de celles au nord, et plus récemment, il a été démontré que les roches de socle  dans chacun de ces segments ont des signatures isotopiques Nd et Pb distinctes.  En outre, un début de phase de distension au Cryogénien (770-680 Ma env.) est présent dans le segment sud des Appalaches, mais n'est pas documenté dans le segment nord de l'orogène.  Durant le cycle paléozoïque des Appalaches, l'accrétion des terranes péri-Gondwana a été partagé; les terranes de Carolinia et de Suwannee sont confinés au segment sud des Appalaches, alors que ceux de Ganderia, d’Avalonie, et de Meguma sont confinés au segment nord des Appalaches.  Conséquence de cette répartition, le magmatisme associé ainsi qu’une partie du diastrophisme relié sont répartis de manière asymétrique entre les deux segments de l'orogène.  La phase terminale de collision des  Appalaches, l'orogenèse Carbonifère alléghanienne, est nettement différente dans les deux segments de l'orogène.  Les volumes des roches magmatiques alléghaniennes dans les Appalaches septentrionales et méridionales sont répartis de manière asymétrique et les styles tectoniques carbonifères contrastent fortement entre ces deux régions.  En outre, on observe une différence topographique de premier ordre dans l’état actuel de l'avant-pays de l'orogenèse.  Le segment sud de l'avant-pays est caractérisé par un plateau élevé continu, alors qu’au nord du promontoire de New York, la topographie d'avant-pays est plus diversifiée.    Tout du long du cycle des Appalaches, tous ces changements variés de premier ordre existent au pourtour du promontoire de New York, ce qui permet de penser que le promontoire représente une frontière déterminante durable dans l'orogène.  La nature et la persistance de ces différences entre les segments nord et sud de l'orogène indiquent que cette limite n'était pas une caractéristique éphémère extrinsèque, comme une jonction triple de plaque ou un point chaud.  Nous suggérons plutôt qu'une différence intrinsèque dans la croûte/substrat lithosphérique(?) laurentien existait dès le début du cycle des Appalaches, comme en témoignent les contrastes dans le socle mésoprotérozoïque dans chaque segment, et pourrait être la cause de ces contrastes significatifs

Structure and Metamorphism from Jamaica to the Athens Dome, Vermont

Guidebook for field trips in southwestern New Hampshire, southeastern Vermont, and north-central Massachusetts: New England Intercollegiate Geological Conference, 80th annual meeting, October 14, 15 and 16, 1988, Keene, New Hampshire: Trip C-

Bridging the Gap Between the Foreland and Hinterland I: Geochronology and Plate Tectonic Geometry of Ordovician Magmatism and Terrane Accretion on the Laurentian Margin of New England

U-Pb dates on magmatic and detrital zircon from samples in the hinterland of the Taconic orogen place new constraints on the timing and plate tectonic geometry of terrane accretion and magmatic arc activity. The Moretown terrane, a Gondwanan-derived exotic block, extends from the Rowe Schist-Moretown Formation contact in the west to the Bronson Hill arc in the east. Arc-related plutonic and volcanic rocks formed above an east-dipping subduction zone under the western leading edge of the Moretown terrane from approximately 500 to 475 Ma, until collision with hyperextended distal fragments of Laurentia, represented by the Rowe Schist, at 475 Ma. Magmatic arc rocks formed during this interval are primarily located in the Shelburne Falls arc, although some are also located in the Bronson Hill arc to the east. Metasedimentary rocks in the Shelburne Falls arc contain detrital zircon derived from mixing of Gondwanan, Laurentian, and arc sources, suggesting that the Moretown terrane was proximal to Laurentia by 475 Ma. Explosive eruptions at 466 to 464 Ma preserved in the Barnard Volcanic Member of the Missisquoi Formation in Vermont and as ash beds in the Indian River Formation in the Taconic allochthons may record slab-breakoff of subducted lithosphere following collision of the Moretown terrane with distal Laurentian crustal fragments. Between 466 and 455 Ma a reversal in subduction polarity lead to a west-dipping subduction zone under Laurentia and the newly accreted Moretown terrane. Magmatic arc rocks in the Bronson Hill arc formed above this west-dipping subduction zone along the eastern trailing edge of the Moretown terrane at approximately 455 to 440 Ma. The western boundary of Ganderia in New England is east of the Bronson Hill arc, buried beneath Silurian and Devonian rocks deformed during the Acadian orogeny

Wavefield Migration Imaging of Moho Geometry and Upper Mantle Structure Beneath Southern New England

The crust and upper mantle beneath the New England Appalachians exhibit a large offset of the Moho across the boundary between Laurentia and accreted terranes and several dipping discontinuities, which reflect Paleozoic or younger tectonic movements. We apply scattered wavefield migration to the SEISConn array deployed across northern Connecticut and obtain insights not previously available from receiver function studies. We resolve a doubled Moho at a previously imaged Moho offset, which may reflect westward thrusting of rifted Grenville crust. The migration image suggests laterally variable velocity contrasts across the Moho, perhaps reflecting mafic underplating during continental rifting. A west-dipping feature in the lithospheric mantle is further constrained to have a slab-like geometry, representing a relict slab subducted during an Appalachian orogenic event. Localized low seismic velocities in the upper mantle beneath the eastern portion of the array may indicate that the Northern Appalachian Anomaly extends relatively far to the south.publishedVersio

Exploring the Reasons for the Seasons Using Google Earth, 3D Models, and Plots

Public understanding of climate and climate change is of broad societal importance. However, misconceptions regarding reasons for the seasons abound amongst students, teachers, and the public, many of whom believe that seasonality is caused by large variations in Earth\u27s distance from the Sun. Misconceptions may be reinforced by textbook illustrations that exaggerate eccentricity or show an inclined view of Earth\u27s near-circular orbit. Textbook explanations that omit multiple factors influencing seasons, that do not mesh with students\u27 experiences, or that are erroneous, hinder scientifically valid reasoning. Studies show that many teachers share their students\u27 misconceptions, and even when they understand basic concepts, teachers may fail to appreciate the range of factors contributing to seasonal change, or their relative importance. We have therefore developed a learning resource using Google Earth, a virtual globe with other useful, weather- and climate-related visualizations. A classroom test of 27 undergraduates in a public research university showed that 15 improved their test scores after the Google Earth-based laboratory class, whereas 5 disimproved. Mean correct answers rose from 4.7/10 to 6/10, giving a paired t-test value of 0.21. After using Google Earth, students are helped to segue to a heliocentric view

Bridging the Gap Between the Foreland and Hinterland II: Geochronology and Tectonic Setting of Ordovician Magmatism and Basin Formation on the Laurentian Margin of New England and Newfoundland

Ordovician strata of the Mohawk Valley and Taconic allochthon of New York and the Humber margin of Newfoundland record multiple magmatic and basin-forming episodes associated with the Taconic orogeny. Here we present new U-Pb zircon geochronology and whole rock geochemistry and neodymium isotopes from Early Paleozoic volcanic ashes and siliciclastic units on the northern Appalachian margin of Laurentia. Volcanic ashes in the Table Point Formation of Newfoundland and the Indian River Formation of the Taconic allochthon in New York yield dates between 466.16 ± 0.12 and 464.20 ± 0.13 Ma. Red, bioturbated slate of the Indian River Formation record a shift to more juvenile neodymium isotope values suggesting sedimentary contributions from the Taconic arc-system by 466 Ma. Eight ashes within the Trenton Group in the Mohawk Valley were dated between 452.63 ± 0.06 and 450.68 ± 0.12 Ma. These ashes contain zircon with Late Ordovician magmatic rims and 1.4 to 1.0 Ga xenocrystic cores that were inherited from Grenville basement, suggesting that the parent magmas erupted through the Laurentian margin. The new geochronological and geochemical data are integrated with a subsidence model and data from the hinterland to refine the tectonic model of the Taconic orogeny. Closure of the Iapetus Ocean by 475 Ma via collision of the peri-Gondwanan Moretown terrane with hyperextended distal fragments of the Laurentian margin is not clearly manifested on the autochthon or the Taconic allochthon other than an increase in sediment accumulation. Pro-foreland basins formed during the Middle Ordovician when these terranes were obducted onto the Laurentian margin. 466 to 464 Ma ashes on the Laurentian margin coincide with a late pulse of magmatism in both the Notre Dame arc in Newfoundland and the Shelburne Falls arc of New England that is potentially related to break-off of an east-dipping slab. Following slab reversal, by 455 Ma, the Bronson Hill arc was established on the new composite Laurentian margin. Thus, we conclude that Late Ordovician strata in the Mohawk Valley and Taconic allochthon of New York and on the Humber margin of Newfoundland were deposited in retro-foreland basins

High-Resolution Ps Receiver Function Imaging of the Crust and Mantle Lithosphere Beneath Southern New England and Tectonic Implications

Southern New England exhibits diverse geologic features resulting from past tectonic events. These include Proterozoic and early Paleozoic Laurentian units in the west, several Gondwana-derived terranes that accreted during the Paleozoic in the east, and the Mesozoic Hartford Basin in the central part of the region. The Seismic Experiment for Imaging Structure beneath Connecticut (SEISConn) project involved the deployment of a dense array of 15 broadband seismometers across northern Connecticut to investigate the architecture of lithospheric structures beneath this region and interpret how they were created and modified by past tectonic events in the context of surface geology. We carried out P-to-S receiver function analysis on SEISConn data, including both single-station analysis and common conversion point (CCP) stacking. Our images show that the westernmost part of Connecticut has a much deeper Moho than central and eastern Connecticut. The lateral transition is a well-defined, ∼15 km step-like offset of the Moho over a ∼20 km horizontal distance. The Moho step appears near the surface boundary between the Laurentian margin and the Gondwana-derived Moretown terrane. Possible models for its formation include Ordovician underthrusting of Laurentia and/or modification by younger tectonic events. Other prominent features include a strong positive velocity gradient (PVG) beneath the Hartford basin corresponding to the bottom of the sedimentary units, several west-dipping PVGs in the crust and mantle lithosphere that may correspond to relict slabs or shear zones from past subduction episodes, and a negative velocity gradient (NVG) that may correspond to the base of the lithosphere.publishedVersio