geology of Northern Virginia
1) look at the shape of the landscape in Northern Virginia:
- shaded relief map of Virginia
- National Atlas
- Global Land One-km Base Elevation (GLOBE) Project (Virginia map)
2) Practice using Terraserver to find your way around
3) "Once Upon a Time..." (The Story of the Rocks in Northern Virginia)
Links to follow (all others are optional):
- Science Daily description
- A Cartoon Guide to Geology
- Antipodes Map
- Simplified Geologic Map of Virginia
- A Brief Tectonic History of Virginia
- Structure of the Earth
- Plate Tectonic Theory: Plate Boundaries and Interplate Relationships
in The River And The Rocks: The Geologic Story of Great Falls and the Potomac River Gorge:
- The Falls Today
- The River And The Land
- The origin of the Potomac River valley and the carving of Great Falls
- The origin of the rocks
in "Geologic Map of the Potomac River Gorge: Great Falls Park, Virginia, and part of the C&O Canal National Historical Park, Maryland:"
- Landscape Evolution And Photo Gallery
- Fall Line
- Building Stones of Our Nation's Capital: Washington's Building Stones and Washington's Geologic Setting
- Rail Route In Tysons An Uphill Challenge
- Simplified Geologic Cross Section of the southern part of the Culpeper Mesozoic Basin
4) Prince William Forest Park
- Greenwood Gold Mine
- Cabin Branch Pyrite Mine (prior to reclamation, pH levels in Quantico Creek below the mining site dropped as low as 2.6)
- photo of reclaimed tailings pile ("Tailings" are waste rock and ore that was uneconomic to recover. The tailings included enough sulfur to create environmental damage to aquatic life in Quantico Creek)
5) Gold in Northern Virginia:
- In the 1780's, Thomas Jefferson wrote "Notes on the State of Virginia." He commented on the presence of gold in the state at the very start of one chapter - A notice of the mines and other subterraneous riches; its trees, plants, fruits, &c.
- Gold
- Monroe Park and its gold mining history (Molten gold and silica were both squezed through the sediments, as they were scrunched and metamorphosed during orogenies. Visit Goldvein today in Fauquier County, and you can see two large "hornet balls" used to crush the ore and help separate gold from non-valuable quartz.)
- Scott's Run is a site of a former gold mine, and a popular place for recreational gold panning. The May, 1995 issue of Virginia Minerals included this update:
6) Radon in Northern Virginia:
- Radon in Ground Water of the Lower Susquehanna and Potomac River Basins
- EPA Map of Radon Zones
- Fairfax County Radon Fact Sheet
- Fairfax County Radon Potential map
- Loudoun County Radon Information
7) view Stones Beneath My Feet, a Virginia Jouneys video webstreamed by GMU-TV (and be prepared to recommend what needs to be added/deleted/corrected in the next version)
