Geology Hike and Lunch with Mel Croft

Join geologist Mel Croft for a short hike where we will unravel the geologic history of the Belgrades by observing the local rocks. These rocks tell a story of a huge mountain range dating to almost 400 million years ago, that was on par with the present day Himalayan Mountains. Additionally, they reveal a tale of volcanoes belching lava and ash into the air, punctuated by California-like earthquakes. These events were then followed by hundreds of millions of years of erosion, capped by glacial activity that began about two million years ago.

This time we will hike up French Mountain. Meet at the parking lot on Watson Pond Rd in Rome. It is located on the east side of Watson Pond Road, 0.7 miles south of Watson Pond Road’s junction with Route 27. Please bring a packed lunch as we will eat lunch together when we reach the summit and discuss geology.

For those interested, following the hike we will drive to south Belgrade to observe several glacial deposits.

There are a variety of geologic features that were formed as a result of late Pleistocene glaciation in this region about 14,000 years ago. We will visit a marine delta complex that was deposited in a shallow sea as the glacier was melting, walk on top of the river deposits (an esker) that was the source of the sediment which comprise the delta, and see a large deep conical hole called a kettle that was formed as a result of a chunk of glacial ice being buried by sediment prior to melting.

The rocks and sediments in the Belgrade’s tell the fascinating story of our past, all which culminated in the beautiful landscape and lakes that we treasure and strive to protect. The 7 Lakes Alliance welcomes you to join us for an educational and fun walk back in time.