The Phenomenon
In Central Connecticut, such as near Middletown and Meriden, the landscape features dramatic, steep-faced ridges (like Mount Higby or Castle Craig) rising abruptly from relatively flat valleys. Why do these distinct ridges exist here, and how did they form?
Your Task (HS-ESS2-1)
Develop a model using the simulation timeline to illustrate how Earth's internal and surface processes operate at different spatial and temporal scales to form these features.
- Identify the processes: As time advances, classify which events are internal (driven by Earth's heat) and which are surface (driven by the sun/climate).
- Observe the temporal scale: Notice how long rifting and deposition take compared to the sudden lava flows, or the late-stage glacial erosion.
- Determine the relationships: How does the internal faulting (tilting the land) interact with the surface weathering to create the final asymmetrical ridge shape we see today?
Key Geologic Layers
Arkosic Sandstone (Sedimentary)
Basalt / Trap Rock (Igneous)
Precambrian Basement Rock