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The Geology of Mt. Mansfield State Forest

The Geology of
MT. MANSFIELD STATE FOREST

By
ROBERT A. CHRISTMAN

DEPARTMENT OF FOREST AND PARKS
Perry H. Merrill, Director

VERMONT DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION

VERMONT GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Charles G. Doll, State Geologist

1956

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Cover photo: Smugglers Notch looking northeastfrom the top of Mount Mansfield.

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GEOLOGY OF MOUNT MANSFIELD
STATE FOREST

By
ROBERT A. CHRISTMAN

INTRODUCTION

Included within Mount Mansfield State Forest are Mount Mansfield,Smugglers Notch and a number of the mountains of the Green Mountainrange to the northeast and southwest of these famous landmarks. Becausemuch of the area is easily accessible by trails, ski lifts, and roads(see the index map of Figure 1), the visitor has ample opportunity toobserve the minerals, rocks, and mountains. Undoubtedly, these observationshave provoked questions which, for lack of sufficient information,have gone unanswered in the mind of the observer. In the hopes ofremedying this situation—a very grievous situation in the eyes of ageologist—this brief geologic pamphlet has been written to help thevisitor to the State Forest obtain a greater appreciation of the handiworkof nature.

To begin with, geology can be defined as the study of the history of theearth as recorded in the rocks. It includes the study of minerals, rocks,fossils, the structure of the rocks, and the forms of the land. Althoughonly a few have been fortunate enough to choose this subject as a profession,the field is wide open for amateurs.

This report is divided into four sections. The first describes the rocks;the second deals with the detailed structure of the rocks and the mountains;the third treats the glacial history of the area; and the fourth partdescribes the geology that may be seen at various localities within thepark.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ROCKS

Introduction

With a few exceptions, the rock found in Mount Mansfield State Forestis a mica-albite-quartz schist. This name indicates that it is a metamorphic4rock[1] of a particular composition and texture as described inthe following paragraphs. The schist forms the cliffs at Smugglers Notchand the bare-rock faces exposed along the crests of the mountains andelsewhere. It varies slightly in appearance because of variation in theproportions of the different mineral constituents.

Figure 1. Index mapping showing location of Mount Mansfield State Forest.

Origin of the schist

An understanding of the origin of the schist is fundamental to understandingthe geology of the Mount Mansfield area. Many million yearsbefore the formation of the Green Mountains, northwestern Vermontwas covered by a shallow sea into wh

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