Metacomet Ridge

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Metacomet Ridge
Igneous and sedimentary

The Metacomet Ridge, Metacomet Ridge Mountains, or Metacomet Range of southern

fault-block mountain ridge known for its extensive cliff faces, scenic vistas, microclimate ecosystems, and rare or endangered plants. The ridge is an important recreation resource located within 10 miles (16 km) of more than 1.5 million people, offering four long-distance hiking trails and over a dozen parks and recreation areas, including several historic sites. It has been the focus of ongoing conservation efforts because of its natural, historic, and recreational value, involving municipal, state, and national agencies and nearly two dozen non-profit organizations.[1][2]

The Metacomet Ridge extends from

Connecticut River Valley region of Massachusetts, to northern Franklin County, Massachusetts, 2 miles (3 km) short of the Vermont and New Hampshire borders for a distance of 100 miles (160 km). It is geologically distinct from the nearby Appalachian Mountains and surrounding uplands, and is composed of volcanic basalt (also known as trap rock) and sedimentary rock in faulted and tilted layers many hundreds of feet thick. In most cases, the basalt layers are dominant, prevalent, and exposed. The ridge rises dramatically from much lower valley elevations, although only 1,200 feet (370 m) above sea level at its highest, with an average summit elevation of 725 feet (221 m).[1][3]

Geographic definitions

Visually, the Metacomet Ridge exists as one continuous landscape feature from

traprock ridge from Long Island Sound to the Pocumtuck Range in Greenfield, Massachusetts.[1] Further complicating the matter is the fact that traprock only accounts for the highest surface layers of rock strata on the southern three–fourths of the range; an underlying geology of related sedimentary rock is also a part of the structure of the ridge; in north central Massachusetts it becomes the dominant strata and extends the range geologically from the Holyoke Range another 35 miles (56 km) through Greenfield to nearly the Vermont border.[5][6]

Nomenclature

"Philip. King of Mount Hope", a 1772 engraving of a caricature of Metacom aka King Philip by Paul Revere

Until January 2008, the United States Board on Geographic Names (USBGN) did not recognize Metacomet Ridge, Traprock Ridge or any other name, although several sub-ranges were identified.[7][8] Geologists usually refer to the overall range generically as "the traprock ridge" or "the traprock mountains" or refer to it with regard to its prehistoric geologic significance in technical terms.[5] The Sierra Club has referred to the entire range in Connecticut as "The Traprock Ridge".[9] The name Metacomet Ridge was first applied in 1985 in a book published by the Connecticut State Geological Survey, adopting the name from the existing Metacomet Trail along a large portion of the range in central Connecticut.[4]

The name "

Wampanoag Tribe of southern New England who led his people during King Philip's War in the mid–17th century. Metacomet was also known as King Philip by early New England colonists. A number of features associated with the Metacomet Ridge are named after the sachem, including the Metacomet Trail, the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail, King Philip's Cave, King Philip Mountain, and Sachem Head. According to legend, Metacomet orchestrated the burning of Simsbury, Connecticut, and watched the conflagration from Talcott Mountain near the cave now named after him.[10][11][12] The names Metacomet and King Philip have been applied to at least sixteen landscape features and over seventy-five businesses, schools, and civic organizations throughout southern New England.[13][14]

Geography

See also: List of Metacomet Ridge summits
The Farmington River cuts the Metacomet Ridge in Simsbury, Connecticut

Beginning at Long Island Sound, the Metacomet Ridge commences as two parallel ridges with related sub-ridges and outcrops in between; the latter include the high butte–like cliffs of East Rock and the isolated peak of Peter's Rock. The western ridgeline of the Metacomet Ridge begins in New Haven, Connecticut, as West Rock Ridge and continues as Sleeping Giant, Mount Sanford, Peck Mountain, and Prospect Ridge, for a distance of 16 miles (26 km) before diminishing into a series of low profile outcrops just short of Southington, Connecticut, 2.75 miles (4.4 km) west of the Hanging Hills in Meriden.[3][15]

To the east, beginning on the rocky prominence of Beacon Hill, 130 feet (40 m),[16] in Branford, Connecticut, overlooking the East Haven River estuary, the Metacomet Ridge continues as a traprock ridge 60 miles (97 km) north to Mount Tom in Holyoke, Massachusetts; it then breaks east across the Connecticut River to form the Holyoke Range, which continues for 10 miles (16 km) before terminating in Belchertown, Massachusetts. Several scattered parallel ridges flank it; the most prominent of these are the hills of Rocky Hill, Connecticut, and the Barn Door Hills of Granby, Connecticut.[3][15]

North of Mount Tom and the Holyoke Range, the apparent crest of the Metacomet Ridge is broken by a discontinuity in the once dominant traprock strata. Underlying sedimentary layers remain but lack the same profile. Between the Holyoke Range and the

Pocumtuck Ridge, a stretch of 9 miles (14 km), the Metacomet Ridge exists only as a series of mostly nondescript rises set among flat plains of sedimentary bedrock. Mount Warner, 512 feet (156 m), in Hadley, Massachusetts, the only significant peak in the area, is a geologically unrelated metamorphic rock landform that extends west into the sedimentary strata.[17]

View from Mount Tom, Massachusetts, highest traprock peak of the Metacomet Ridge

The Metacomet Ridge picks up elevation again with the Pocumtuck Ridge, beginning on

Sugarloaf Mountain and the parallel massif of Mount Toby, 1,269 feet (387 m),[16] the high point of the Metacomet Ridge geography. Both Sugarloaf Mountain and Mount Toby are composed of erosion-resistant sedimentary rock. North of Mount Sugarloaf, the Pocumtuck Ridge continues as alternating sedimentary and traprock dominated strata to Greenfield, Massachusetts. From Greenfield north to Northfield, Massachusetts 2 miles (3 km) short of the Vermont–New Hampshire–Massachusetts tri-border, the profile of the Metacomet Ridge diminishes into a series of nondescript hills and low, wooded mountain peaks composed of sedimentary rock with dwindling traprock outcrops.[1][5][17]

In Connecticut, the high point of the Metacomet Ridge is

Falls River, Deerfield River, Westfield River, Farmington River, Coginchaug River); and, in southern Connecticut, the Quinnipiac River.[3]

The Metacomet Ridge is surrounded by rural wooded, agricultural, and suburban landscapes, and is no more than 6 miles (10 km) from a number of urban hubs such as New Haven, Meriden, New Britain, Hartford, and Springfield. Small city centers abutting the ridge include Greenfield, Northampton, Amherst, Holyoke, West Hartford, Farmington, Wallingford, and Hamden.[3]

Geology

Faulted and tilted layer of traprock strata visible from left to right. The Hanging Hills of Meriden, Connecticut.
Bedrock geological map of Metacomet Ridge
Talus slope on Bare Mountain of the Holyoke Range, Massachusetts
Traprock layer above; sedimentary layer beneath. Defunct quarry, Plainville Connecticut

The Metacomet Ridge is the result of continental rifting processes that took place 200 million years ago during the Triassic and Jurassic periods. The basalt (also called traprock) crest of the Metacomet Ridge is the product of a series of massive lava flows hundreds of feet thick that welled up in faults created by the rifting apart of the North American continent from Eurasia and Africa. Essentially, the area now occupied by the Metacomet Ridge is a prehistoric rift valley which was once a branch of (or a parallel of) the major rift to the east that became the Atlantic Ocean.[6]

Basalt is a dark colored

extrusive volcanic rock. The weathering of iron-bearing minerals within it results in a rusty brown color when exposed to air and water, lending it a distinct reddish or purple–red hue. Basalt frequently breaks into octagonal and pentagonal columns, creating a unique "postpile" appearance. Extensive slopes made of fractured basalt talus are visible at the base of many of the cliffs along the Metacomet Ridge.[6]

The basalt floods of lava that now form much of the Metacomet Ridge took place over a span of 20 million years.

Pocumtuck Ridge, and Mount Toby, also in Massachusetts, together present a larger "layer cake" example. The bottom layer is composed of arkose sandstone, visible on Mount Sugarloaf. The middle layer is composed of volcanic traprock, most visible on the Pocumtuck Ridge. The top layer is composed of a sedimentary conglomerate known as Mount Toby Conglomerate. Faulting and earthquakes during the period of continental rifting tilted the layers diagonally; subsequent erosion and glacial activity exposed the tilted layers of sandstone, basalt, and conglomerate visible today as three distinct mountain masses. Although Mount Toby and Mount Sugarloaf are not composed of traprock, they are part of the Metacomet Ridge by virtue of their origin via the same rifting and uplift processes.[5]

Of all the summits that make up the Metacomet Ridge,

West Rock, in New Haven, Connecticut, bears special mention because it was not formed by the volcanic flooding that created most of the traprock ridges. Rather, it is the remains of an enormous volcanic dike through which the basalt lava floods found access to the surface.[6]

While the traprock cliffs remain the most obvious evidence of the prehistoric geologic processes of the Metacomet Ridge, the sedimentary rock of the ridge and surrounding terrain has produced equally significant evidence of prehistoric life in the form of Triassic and Jurassic fossils; in particular, dinosaur tracks. At a state park in Rocky Hill, Connecticut, more than 2,000 well preserved early Jurassic prints have been excavated.[18] Other sites in Holyoke and Greenfield have likewise produced significant finds.[6][19]

Ecosystem

yellow corydalis, ram's–head lady's slipper, basil mountain mint, and devil's bit lily.[1][20]

The Metacomet Ridge is also an important aquifer.[1] It provides municipalities and towns with public drinking water; reservoirs are located on Talcott Mountain, Totoket Mountain, Saltonstall Mountain, Bradley Mountain, Ragged Mountain, and the Hanging Hills in Connecticut. Reservoirs that supply metropolitan Springfield, Massachusetts, are located on Provin Mountain and East Mountain.[10][12]

History

Pre-colonial era

squash, tobacco, and beans.[1][21]

Natives incorporated the natural features of the ridgeline and surrounding geography into their spiritual belief systems. Many Native American stories were in turn incorporated into regional colonial folklore. The giant stone spirit Hobbomock (or Hobomock), a prominent figure in many stories, was credited with diverting the course of the

Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts. According to native beliefs as retold by European settlers, the corpse of the beaver remains visible as the Pocumtuck Ridge portion of the Metacomet Ridge. Later, after Hobbomuck diverted the course of the Connecticut River, he was punished to sleep forever as the prominent man-like form of the Sleeping Giant, part of the Metacomet Ridge in southern Connecticut. There seems to be an element of scientific truth in some of these tales. For instance, the great lake that the giant beaver was said to have inhabited may very well have been the post-glacial Lake Hitchcock, extant 10,000 years ago; the giant beaver may have been an actual prehistoric species of bear–sized beaver, Castoroides ohioensis, that lived at that time.[22][23][24] Many features of the Metacomet Ridge region still bear names with Native American origins: Besek, Pistapaug, Coginchaug, Mattabesett, Metacomet, Totoket, Norwottuck, Hockanum, Nonotuck, Pocumtuck, and others.[1][11][12]

Colonization, agricultural transformation, and industrialization

Old Newgate Prison located there.[25]

With the advent of

industrialization in the 19th century, riverways beneath the Metacomet Ridge were dammed to provide power as the labor force expanded in nearby cities and towns. Logging to provide additional fuel for mills further denuded the ridges. Traprock and sandstone were quarried from the ridge for paving stones and architectural brownstone, either used locally or shipped via rail, barge, and boat.[1][21][26]

Transcendentalism

Thomas Cole, The Oxbow, 1836. Mount Holyoke overlooking the Connecticut River
Mount Tom Summit House, 1900

Increased urbanization and industrialization in Europe and North America resulted in an opposing aesthetic

Hill-Stead and Heublein Tower were built as mountain home retreats by local industrialists and commercial investors.[31][32] Although public attention gradually shifted to more remote and less developed destinations with the advent of modern transportation and the westward expansion of the United States, the physical, cultural, and historic legacy of that early recreational interest in the Metacomet Ridge still supports modern conservation efforts. Estates became museums; old hotels and the lands they occupied, frequently subject to damaging fires, became state and municipal parkland through philanthropic donation, purchase, or confiscation for unpaid taxes. Nostalgia among former guests of hotels and estates contributed to the aesthetic of conservation.[1][29][12][28][31]

Trailbuilding

Interest in mountains as places to build recreational footpaths took root in New England with organizations such as the

White Mountains of New Hampshire in its early years, as club membership broadened, so did interest in the areas closer to club members' homes.[33][34][37] In the late 1950s, the 110 miles (180 km) Metacomet-Monadnock Trail was laid out by the Berkshire Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club under leadership of Professor Walter M. Banfield of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The trail follows the Metacomet Ridge for the first one–third of its length.[10] Overall, trailbuilding had a pro-active effect on conservation awareness by thrusting portions of the Metacomet Ridge into the public consciousness.[1]

Suburbanization and land conservation

Although the Metacomet Ridge has abutted significant urban areas for nearly two hundred years, because of its rugged, steep, and rocky terrain, the ridge was long considered an undesirable place to build a home except for those wealthy enough to afford such a luxury. However,

exurban communities.[1] As of 2007, the metropolitan areas bordering the range—New Haven, Meriden, New Britain, Hartford, Springfield and Greenfield—had a combined population of more than 2.5 million people.[2] Populations in exurban towns around the range in Connecticut have increased 7.6 percent between the mid-1990s to 2000, and building permits increased 26 percent in the same period. Considered an attractive place to build homes because of its views and proximity to urban centers and highways, the Metacomet Ridge has become a target for both developers and advocates of land conservation. Quarrying, supported by the increased need for stone in local and regional construction projects, has been especially damaging to the ecosystem, public access, and visual landscape of the ridge.[1] At the same time, the boom in interest in outdoor recreation in the latter 20th century has made the Metacomet Ridge an attractive "active leisure" resource. In response to public interest in the ridge and its surrounding landscapes, more than twenty local non-profit organizations have become involved in conservation efforts on and around the ridge and surrounding region. Most of these organizations came into being between 1970 and 2000, and nearly all of them have evidenced a marked increase in conservation activity since 1990.[38] Several international and national organizations have also become interested in the Metacomet Ridge, including The Nature Conservancy, the Sierra Club, and the Trust for Public Land.[9][39][40]

Recreation

interpretive centers, and other attractions can be found on or near the Metacomet Ridge; some offer outdoor concerts, celebrations, and festivals.[10][12][41][42]

Conservation

Obliteration of Round Mountain by quarrying. 1989 photo; significantly more rock has been removed since then.

Because of its narrowness, proximity to urban areas, and fragile ecosystems, the Metacomet Ridge is most endangered by encroaching

Pocumtuck Ridge, and the former Round Mountain of the Holyoke Range.[1][3][43] The gigantic man-like profile of the Sleeping Giant, a traprock massif visible for more than 30 miles (50 km) in south central Connecticut, bears quarrying scars on its "head". Mining there was halted by the efforts of local citizens and the Sleeping Giant Park Association.[12]

Development and quarrying threats to the Metacomet Ridge have resulted in public open space acquisition efforts through collective purchasing and fundraising, active solicitation of land donations, securing of

National Scenic Trail now tentatively called the New England National Scenic Trail.[46]
Metacomet Ridge Conservation Compact, a Connecticut focus on ridgeline protection was initiated with the creation of the Metacomet Ridge Conservation Compact. The compact was ratified on Earth Day, April 22, 1998. The Compact serves as a guide for local land use decision-makers when discussing land use issues in Metacomet or Trap Rock ridge-line areas within the state. Ultimately signed by eighteen towns out of the nineteen ridge-line communities, this agreement committed local conservation commissions to strive to protect these ridges. The 18 towns whose Conservation Commissions signed the pact are; Avon, Berlin, Bloomfield, Branford, Durham, East Granby, East Haven, Farmington, Guilford, Meriden, Middlefield, North Branford, Plainville, Simsbury, Suffield, Wallingford, West Hartford and West Haven.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "Metacomet-Mattabesett Trail Natural Resource Assessment" (PDF). Farnsworth, Elizabeth J. (2004). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 August 2007. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
  2. ^ a b United States Census Bureau. Data retrieved December 20, 2007.
  3. ^ a b c d e f DeLorme Topo 6.0 (2006). Mapping software. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme.
  4. ^ a b Bell, Michael (1985). The Face of Connecticut: People, Geology, and the Land. Hartford, CT: State Geological and Natural History Survey of Connecticut.
  5. ^
    The Five Colleges
    . Retrieved December 1, 2007.
  6. ^
    Raymo, Maureen E.
    (1989). Written in Stone: A Geologic History of the Northeastern United States. Chester, Connecticut: Globe Pequot.
  7. ^ United States Board on Geographic Names domestic names search. Retrieved December 13, 2007.
  8. ^ United States Board on Geographic Names domestic names search. Retrieved January 21, 2008.
  9. ^ a b "SPARE America's Wildlands". Sierra Club. Archived from the original on 19 July 2007. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
  10. ^ a b c d The Metacomet-Monadnock Trail Guide, 9th edition (1999). Amherst, Massachusetts: Appalachian Mountain Club.
  11. ^ a b Massachusetts Trail Guide, 8th edition. (2004). Boston: Appalachian Mountain Club.
  12. ^ a b c d e f Connecticut Walk Book East: The Trail Guide to the Blue Blazed Hiking Trails of Eastern Connecticut (2005) 19th edition. Rockfall, Connecticut: Connecticut Forest and Park Association.
  13. ^ United States Board on Geographic Names domestic names search. Searches conducted: "Metacomet," "Metacom," "King Phillip," and "King Philip." Retrieved January 24, 2007.
  14. ^ WhitePages.com business search. Archived 2008-12-11 at the Wayback Machine Searches conducted: "Metacomet," "Metacom," "King Phillip," and "King Philip." Retrieved January 24, 2007
  15. ^ a b c "An Act Concerning a Model River Protection Ordinance and Protection of Ridgelines. Substitute Bill No. 5528" (PDF). Connecticut General Assembly. 1998. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 October 2007. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
  16. ^ a b c Estimated and actual elevations from United States Geological Survey 1:25000 and 1:24000 scale 7.5 minute series topographic maps obtained via Topozone.com. Retrieved December 1, 2007.
  17. ^ a b Zen, E-an, Goldsmith, Richard, Ratcliffe, N.M., Robinson, Peter, Stanley, R.S., Hatch, N.L., Shride, A.F., Weed, E.G.A., and Wones, D.R. (1983). Bedrock Geologic Map of Massachusetts. Washington: United States Geological Survey.
  18. ^ Dinosaur State Park. Friends of Dinosaur State Park. Retrieved December 23, 2007.
  19. ^ "Dinosaur Footprints" The Trustees of Reservations. Retrieved December 23, 2007. Archived December 14, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  20. ^ "Mount Toby Ecosystem" (PDF). The Mount Toby Partnership. Amherst, Massachusetts: University of Massachusetts Amherst. Archived from the original on February 25, 2009. Retrieved June 14, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  21. ^ a b c Cronin, William (2003). Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England. New York: Hill and Wang.
  22. ^ Field, Phinehas (1870–79). "Stories, anecdotes, and legends, collected and written down by Deacon Phinehas Field." History and Proceedings of the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association. Deerfield, Massachusetts. 1:59.
  23. ^ Rittenour, Tammie Marie. "Native American Legend of the Giant Beaver." Archived 2007-12-09 at the Wayback Machine University of Massachusetts Amherst Department of Biology and the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. Retrieved December 15, 2007.
  24. ^ "A Brief History of the Sleeping Giant" Archived 2015-05-11 at the Wayback Machine. Sleeping Giant Park Association. Retrieved December 14, 2007.
  25. ^ Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism. Retrieved December 22, 2007.
  26. ^ Bass, Sharon (March 26, 1989). "The View From: Branford; Trolley Rides in the Cause of Open Space." The New York Times.
  27. ^ Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. Retrieved December 23, 2007.
  28. ^ a b c Strycharz, Robb (1996–2006). "Mount Holyoke Historical Timelines." Chronos Historical Services. Retrieved November 20, 2007.
  29. ^ a b "Hubbard Park" (PDF). North Haven, Connecticut: South Central Regional Council of Governments. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2009. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
  30. ^ City of Greenfield, Massachusetts. Retrieved December 23, 2007. Archived October 23, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  31. ^ a b Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Retrieved December 21, 2007.
  32. ^ Hill-Stead Museum Retrieved December 19, 2007.
  33. ^ a b Waterman, Laura and Guy (2003). Forest and Crag, A History of Hiking, Trail Blazing, 2nd edition. Boston: Appalachian Mountain Club Books.
  34. ^ a b Lombardo, Michael S. (February 1, 2008). "Freshman Year Success via Outdoor Orientation Programs: A Brief History." newfoundations.com.
  35. ^ a b Connecticut Forest and Park Association. Retrieved December 23, 2007. Archived September 7, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  36. ^ Green Mountain Club. Retrieved December 22, 2007.
  37. ^ "AMC History." Appalachian Mountain Club. Retrieved December 23, 2007.
  38. ^ Regional examples include: Bethany Land Trust, Branford Land Trust, Berlin Land Trust Archived 2007-12-13 at the Wayback Machine, Simsbury Land Trust, Suffield Land Conservancy Archived 2007-10-10 at the Wayback Machine, The Trustees of Reservations,
    The Kestrel Trust, and the Deerfield Land Trust. Organization websites. Retrieved December 21, 2007. Other examples provided in Wikipedia articles about specific summits in the range.
  39. The Trust for Public Land
    . Retrieved December 23, 2007.
  40. ^ "Higby Mountain Preserve" Archived 2015-05-28 at the Wayback Machine The Nature Conservancy. Retrieved December 24, 2007.
  41. ^ Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. Retrieved December 21, 2007.
  42. ^ Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. Retrieved December 8, 2007.
  43. ^ Google Earth. Satellite images of specified mountains. Google, inc. Retrieved December 7, 2007.
  44. ^ a b "Mount Tom: Defining the Landscape of the Connecticut River Valley." The Trustees of Reservations. Retrieved November 28, 2007. "Mount Tom - the Trustees of Reservations". Archived from the original on October 17, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  45. ^ Ragged Mountain Foundation. Retrieved December 7, 2007. "Index :: Ragged Mountain Foundation :: Preserving Connecticut's High and Wild Places". Archived from the original on December 12, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  46. ^ "Monadnock, Metacomet, Mattabesett National Scenic Trail Study". United States National Park Service. Retrieved November 4, 2007. Archived October 8, 2007, at the Wayback Machine

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Metacomet_Ridge&oldid=1195858707"