The Formation of New England
While the actual region of New England has been around for about 200 million years (see Formation of North America), it has only very recently come to look the way it does today. Again, "recently" isn't actually very recent. In this case, the landscape of New England came to its current state sometime around 18,000 years ago (New England Geology).
The Laurentide Ice Sheet was the last ice sheet, or continental glacier, to cover North America. The Laurentide Ice Sheet is responsible for much of the geology and topography that we see today in New England (New England Geology). For more information on the Laurentide Ice Sheet see the page titled "Laurentide Ice Sheet" (clever, right?).
Due to glacial erosion, much of the soil originally formed on New England's bedrock was scraped away and lost. The soil in New England now is mainly from weathering of erratic boulders, as well as glacial till and outwash. Erratics are large boulders that get removed from the bedrock crust of an area and moved to a new area by glaciers. (New England Geology).
Drumlins are a very common sight in New England. A drumlin is an asymmetrical hill with the steeper side facing in the direction where the glacier advanced from. For more on Drumlins see the Glacial features page. Boston's Bunker Hill and Breed's hill (where the Battle of Bunker Hill took place... hmm total NE move) are some famous examples of New England Drumlins (New England Geology).
Despite being relatively small, the state of Maine has one of the longest coastlines in the entire United States. This is due to the fact that it has a great many inlets, bays, and peninsulas. Much of this ragged coastline was formed by glacial eskers that were left behind by the Laurentide Ice Sheet (New England Geology). For more info on eskers see the Glacial Features Page.
Another common feature in New England is kettle lakes. Walden Pond in Concord, MA is an example of a kettle lake which forms from a piece of a glacier breaking off, and then melting. Other kettle lakes can be found all over Cape Cod (New England Geology). For more info on kettle lakes, hit up the Glacial Features page
New England's topography has also been influenced by Alpine Glaciers. The White Mountains in New Hampshire are full of examples of cirques. Some of the best known cirques in the White mountains are Pinkham Notch, Franconia Notch, and Tuckerman's Ravine (New England Geology). Pinkham and Franconia are top "notch" destinations for hiking, and Tuckerman's is a well-known destination for back country skiing.
Although the majority of New England's topography was formed during the last Ice Age, not all of it was. The cliffs at Aquinnah, Martha's Vineyard were formed 100 million years ago during the cretaceous period (New England Geology). This clay formation is very colorful, and a popular destination on the island because of its beauty.
Another example of a geological feature from before the last ice age is the Connecticut River Valley. The Valley, located in Vermont, Western Massachusetts, and Connecticut has a wealth of evidence of dinosaur activity, which dates it back to the Jurassic period. The Valley itself formed around 200 million years ago (New England Geology).
Even older than the Connecticut River Valley are some of the taller mountains in New England. Mountains such as Mt. Ascutney in Vermont, Mt. Greylock and Mt. Wachusett in Massachusetts and Mt. Monadnock in New Hampshire were formed around 400 million years ago when an island chain slammed into the East coast of Laurentia. These mountains were made of hard enough rock that they survived the Ice Age, but had their tops rounded over by glacial erosion (New England Geology).
Perhaps one of the oldest pieces of New England's geological picture is Marble. Vermont which is well known for its marble quarries. Marble is common for building because of its beautiful appearance and relative softness. Few people, however, would know that some of the marble found in Vermont is 500 million years old! It formed here from large caches of limestone on the seafloor that were uplifted and metamorphosed by heat and pressure into the marble (New England Geology)